Washington Redskins (hc09)

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Joe Gibbs announces second retirement!

The second Joe Gibbs era ended quietly today as Coach Gibbs, a week after the team's first round playoff loss to the Seahawks, announced he was stepping down immediately.

"The loss hurts, sure, but it's not the sole reason I'm stepping down. We have a good squad here, and there's great promise for the future here. It's not easy to walk away from a playoff team; but the combination of my age and the rigors of the coaching offseason have me convinced it's time to step away from the game."

Detractors to Coach Gibb's ability were silenced has he had the Redskins in the playoffs two out of the last three years. Some people thought that the game had passed him by, but maybe it wasn't the game that passed him by, but the players. The senseless murder of Sean Taylor deeply affected Coach Gibbs; and while not a proper topic of conversation, it undoubtedly was a factor in his decision as well.

Redskins owner, Peter Ambrose, held a second press conference the next day to discuss the Redskins future coaching plans.

"As you know, the Redskins are hiring. Replacing a living legend and Hall of Fame coach is no small task. It's made even harder by the fact the team has been successful and seems poised to rejoin the NFL's elite. It's well established that the search is down to two candidates, Jim Zorn and Kent Austin. Jim, without a doubt the greatest quarterback in Seattle Seahawks history, brings a strong offensive mind and is well versed in today's NFL. Kent, on the other hand, has no recent NFL experience, but just successfully coached the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders to the Grey Cup in his first year there; and that's no small feat."

"I'm here to announce that we have made a decision, and I'm here to introduce the next Head Coach of the Washington Redskins,

KENT AUSTIN

I'll give you some background on him now, and then let you ask some questions if time allows."

Kent Austin played college ball at Miss, and was an Academic All American all four years in college. He is still third in career passing yardage at Miss, and is in the Mississippi college athletic Hall of Fame.

He was drafted in the 12th round of the NFL draft by the (then) St. Louis Cardinals. He was the third string QB for two years, and attempted only a single pass. The next season, he wasn't re-signed by the Cardinals and went to Canada. There, he initially started as a backup, but soon became the starter and was the starting QB when his team, the Roughriders, won the Grey Cup. He finished his 10 year CFL career with over 36000 yards and almost 200 touchdown passes.


Kent got his start in coaching in the CFL as well, earning the head coaching job with the same Roughriders he led the Grey Cup as a player. Like his playing days, he took the team to the league championship his first year there. There were numerous offers, but Kent decided to leave Canada for a opportunity in the States. Despite an offer at his alma mater to become the OC, he chose Washington and his first head coaching job in the NFL rather than take a step back to the coordinator level.

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Coach Austin wasted little time addressing the media, and after answering a few basic questions issued this statement:

First, let me thank Pete and Coach Gibbs for both being so enthusiastic and supportive of me during this process; and yes, Coach Gibbs has had a lot of input and will still be "roaming the halls" as part of the Redskins braintrust.

Man, it's great to be back in the National Football League. I remember thinking the world was mine when I was drafted. Sure, I was the 312th pick or something, but when you're a kid out of college, you feel like you can be the next Hall of Famer if you can just get that chance.

I didn't get that chance in the NFL, and so I went to the CFL and right away, we won the Cup. I loved being on top of the world, I loved being a champion. I never got to feel that way again as a player...and so after I retired I was able to get into coaching. Just as before, I had to wait for my turn, but when I got it, I was a winner again - just like that! It's a rush, it's addictive.

Now I have my choice of jobs, all with their own pros and cons... but this, to be the HEAD COACH of a NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE FRANCHISE, this is what it's all about.

I don't have any delusions. There's no guarantee I'm going to step on the sidelines and win it all in my first year. I never thought it would happen so fast the other times, and I don't think this will be an easy task this time either. The NFC East is a powerful division, with the defending Super Bowl Champions in our face twice a year.

As good as Coach Gibbs got this team to perform, there's some changes that need to be made throughout the roster. As for the coaching staff, there are changes there too. Most of Coach Gibbs staff is remaining with the team, as per Pete's request; however, there are three new coaches that were brought in with me to set our coaching staff for the season. No doubt each and every one of us is under the microscope this season, hoping to be here again next year. I'll take a second to introduce them:

Sherman Smith was hired as the offensive coordinator the day after Coach Gibbs retired. He'll be an asset as I get refamiliarized with the NFL.

Stump Mitchell was a great player back in the day, and he's getting his first shot at being a position coach with the Redskins as the running backs coach.

John Palermo has been hired to coach the Defensive Line. He was the Defensive Coordinator at Tennessee Tech last year, and this is a good chance to see how he does as an NFL coach, plus he will be very helpful in transitioning the team to the 3-4 defense I want to run.

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(quick summary of 2007)
The team went 9-7 and made the playoffs, but lost in the first round to the Seahawks. Jason Campbell opened the season as the starter, but was hurt for the last four games and Todd Collins took over. The Redskins won all four games, with Collins accounting for 888 yards and 5 touchdowns, with no interceptions.

February 2008

Coach Kent Austin - 13 - West Coast Generic/3-4 Pressure

Franchise Tag: None
Restricted Free Agents: None

DE Phillip Daniels got a POT increase game-changer! Not bad for a guy in his mid 30's.

The 2007 Draft:

1-6 LaRon Landry SS
5-143 Dallas Sartz OLB
6-179 HB Blades MLB
6-205 Jordan Palmer QB
7-216 Tyler Ecker TE

A small draft class, and only Landry, Blades, and Ecker are still on the team as of February's offseason start.

Coach Austin and the Redskins didn't sign a soul in free agency, as we started with only $14.10 million dollars.

Up next: The DRAFT!

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2008 NFL DRAFT
Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt
1	Miami	Jake Long	LT
2	St. Louis	Vernon Gholston	OLB
3	Baltimore	Glen Dorsey	DT
4	Oakland	Chris Long	DE
5	Kansas City	Matt Ryan	QB
6	Tampa Bay	Sedrick Ellis	DT
7	New England	Keith Rivers	OLB
8	Tennessee	Derrick Harvey	DE
9	Cincinnati	Jerod Mayo	OLB
10	New Orleans	Leodis McKelvin	CB
11	Philadelphia	Chris Williams	OT
12	Denver	Ryan Clady	OT
13	Carolina	Jeff Otah	OT
14	Chicago Bears	Darren McFadden	RB
15	Detroit Lions	Dominique Cromartie	CB
16	Arizona	Joe Flacco	QB
17	Kansas City #2	Duane Brown	OT
18	Houston	Brandon Albert	OG
19	Buffalo	Mike Jenkins	CB
20	Tampa Bay	Aqib Talib	CB
21	Buffalo #2	Antoine Cason	CB
22	Tennessee #2	John Carlson	TE
23	Pittsburgh	Gosder Cherilus	OT
24	San Francisco	Tyson Jackson	DE
25	Seattle	Rashard Mendenhall	RB
26	San Francisco #2	Philip Merling	DE
27	San Diego	Sam Baker	OT
28	Indianapolis	Trevor Laws	DT
29	Atlanta	Tracy Porter	CB
30	Green Bay	Chris Johnson	RB
31	St. Louis #2	Brandon Flowers	CB
32	Jacksonville	Jordy Nelson	WR

I was amazed that McFadden fell, that KC took Ryan AND a Left Tackle to protect him. San Fran taking two DE's in the first round... etc. This is why I love to do the draft!!! As for me, I'll post my picks next, and wherever possible, I took the same players Washington took in the 2008 draft, and where I couldn't get the guy, I took a guy from the same position. Only my first pick deviated, but I'll explain as Coach Austin goes over the draft...

NEXT

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Washington Redskins 2008 Draft
Pick	Player	College	Pos	Ht	Wt
2-36	Kentwan Balmer	need pick for DE in my 3-4	DT/DE
2-37	Fred Davis	*actual 2008 pick	TE
3-65	Malcolm Kelly	*actual 2008 pick	WR
3-78	Chad Rhinehart	*actual 2008 pick	OG
5-150	Justin Tryon	*actual 2008 pick	CB
5-158	Brad Keeley	*actual was gone, took same pos	P
6-181	Paul Smith	*actual was gone, took same pos	QB
7-214	Kareem Moore	*actual 2008 pick	FS
U	Taz McDray		DE
U	Marcus Monk		WR
U	Rob Jackson	*actual 2008 pick	OLB
U	Buddy Jackson		DE
U	Chris Horton	*actual 2008 pick	SS

so, I was able to get everyone the team got in real life, except a couple guys - so I took one from the same position at any rate.

So, a quick run-down:

Kentwan Balmer - Balmer will switch to DE in my 3-4. I couldn't believe he was there in the second round, he's always gone. Originally the team took Devin Thomas, but I needed the DE more.

Fred Davis - Fred's a dynamic athlete. Someone who can help open up new opportunities in the passing game, especially when he's on the field at the same time as Chris Cooley.

Malcolm Kelly - Tall and fast, Malcolm will definitely open up the field and be a physical force in the red zone; and almost impossible to cover with an average-sized defensive back.

Chad Rhinehart - A versatile guy who will be able to learn the guard and center positions as he hopefully develops into a starter's role.

Justin Tryon - to quite "The Sporting News", Justin Tryon is a tough and highly aggressive player with the speed and explosiveness to become a quality starter if he can overcome his lack of height.

Brad Keeley - an unknown with a leg like a cannon, Brad should be a day one starter for us.

Paul Smith - a record setting QB at Tulsa, he twice was a Bowl Game MVP, he threw for 82 touchdowns in his three years as a starter, and hold the NCAA record for most consecutive 300 yard games (14).

Kareem Moore - A safety with size, but he must work on his technique. A project, but I have high hopes for him.

Taz McDray - hoping to convert this 1 gap rush DT into a DE.

Marcus Monk - Another productive, tall, wideout - I'm hoping he can team up with Kelly to dominate the red zone.

Rob Jackson - a tough SOB who will hopefully leave his game on the field and off-the-field issues at home.

Buddy Jackson - he might be a little small to be a 3-4 DE, but his motor and intensity are going to give him a chance.

Chris Horton - a do-it-all player, he had some injury issues that left him undrafted. If he's healthy, it's a steal - if not, well, it won't cost us.

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Roster News and Notes

Jason Campbell was traded to the Tampa Bay Bucs for a 2008 3rd rounder, which I used to get Kevin Kolb from the Eagles. McNabb couldn't deal with knowing his replacement was on the roster already... so to keep the peace, they moved Kolb off the team.

Preseason Rapid Rundown

Preseason Game #1

Loss to Buffalo, 31-24

Todd Collins tossed two TDs, one to reserve running back Tyson Thompson, and one to former Redskin great Rod Gardner. We also got 2 sacks (Blades, Blackstock), and Springs had an interception. Mark Brunell injured his ankle and will miss the rest of the preseason, maybe more.

Preseason Game #2

Loss to the Jets, 27-9

Portis rushed for a TD, but the 2 point was unsuccessful.
London Fletcher and Philip Daniels each got a sack. LaRon Landry had a pick.
Our kicker, Suisham, missed a kick - and thinking back to a HUGE missed kick in the playoffs... we're watching him.

Preasons Game #3

Loss to the Panthers, 34-28

Kolb threw three touchdowns, Randle El had two and Santana Moss had one.
Paul Smith threw a TD as well, to Marcus Monk.

Preseason Game #4

Win vs the Jaguars, 13-10

Kolb threw a TD to Randle El. Hoffman and Balmer each had a sack. Rogers and Smoot had a pick.

1-3 in the preseason doesn't worry me. The owner expects +500 record, but I promise playoffs!!!

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Washington Redskins Depth Chart - 2008
Regular Offense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
WR	Santana Moss	Malcolm Kelly - r	Rod Gardner
TE	Chris Cooley	Fred Davis - r	Tyler Ecker
LT	Chris Samuels	Paul Estes
LG	Stephen Heyer	Chad Rhinehart - r
C	Casey Rabach
RG	Randy Thomas	William Whitticker
RT	Jon Jansen	Cody Douglas
WR	Antwan Randle-El	Marcus Monk - r	Jerome Mathis
QB	Kevin Kolb	Todd Collins	Paul Smith - r
FB	Marc Sellers
HB	Clinton Portis	Tyson Thompson	Eric Shelton	Steve Slaton -r
Base 3-4 Defense
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
LDE	Andrew Hoffman	Philip Daniels
NT	Cornelius Griffin	Anthony Montgomery
RDE	Kentwan Balmer - r	Tyler Brayton
LOLB	Marcus Washington	Daryl Blackstock
LILB	London Fletcher	HB Blades	Buster Davis	Jeremy Leman - r
RILB	HB Blades	Buster Davis
ROLB	Rocky McIntosh	Keith Ellison
CB	Carlos Rogers	Shawn Springs
SS	James Butler	Reed Doughty
FS	LaRon Landry	Kareem Moore - r
CB	Fred Smooth	Justin Tryon - r	AJ Davis
Special Teams
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
K	Shawn Suisham
P	Brian Keeley
PR	Antwan Randle El	Jerome Mathis
KR	Antwan Randle El	Jerome Mathis

QB As great as Collins played to close out 2007, he knows the team needs a new, young leader and knows Kolb was brought in to be that guy. He's ready to step in if we need him, and can focus on helping Paul learn the pro game.

RB Portis is an elite back, but he will wear down eventually. Tyson showed dynamic playmaking ability in his short time with a crowded Dallas backfield. Shelton can double at fullback and hopefully take some of the short yardage pounding off Portis. Slaton was a 3rd round pick that got cut leading up to week one. He was signed quickly, and will spend some weeks inactive as he finds a niche. Sellers is a great blocker who complained he didn't get enough carries last year, hopefully the flow of the game will get him a few more carries this season.

WR/TE Moss and Randle El are small, ultra quick guys who will continue to start this year as their command of the offense and route running skills will help Kolb settle in and the rookie wideouts learn the ropes. Mathis is more of a return guy, but his skillset will let him fill in for Moss or Randle El, if needed. Coach Austin is hoping having two stud tight ends will help challenge the defense in new ways, and second year man Ecker has grown into a great blocker who has two good guys in front of him to hopefully help him learn the passing side of it.

DE Andrew Hoffman isn't the most athletic, but he never gives up. He had 19 QB pressures in the preseason, and that counts. He'll start over the vet Philip Daniels, and former first rounder Tyler Brayton will back up Kentwan Balmer. Tyler's got a great motor, and he'll be able to provide a jolt when he's in there.

MLB Jackson got himself into some trouble, despite having a seasoned pro keeping an eye on him. I had to let him go. Last year's rookie HB Blades will get the first crack at starting opposite Fletcher, and Buster Davis will be the primary backup. Another rookie, Jeremy Leman, was brought in off the FA pile and will try to take advantage of Jackson's stupidity as the #4 MLB. He won't always get to suit up, but he can earn his playing time if he shines on those days where he gets in a game.

SS Doughty did an admirable job filling in after Taylor's murder, but James Butler was a starter for the Super Bowl champs last year, and led the team in tackles in the big game. It was a blunder by the Giants not signing him, and he will instantly bring production and professionalism to the position.

K Suisham missed a huge kick in the playoffs, and missed one in the preseason too. If he misses more in the regular season, I'll have no choice but to bring in some competition.

Up next - Week One- THE DEFENDING SUPER BOWL CHAMPION NEW YORK GIANTS!!!!!


And now, a moment of silence for Sean Taylor, who the Redskins have dedicated the season to...

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Before I get into the Giants game, I wanted to thank everyone who cares to read and comment. I went as real as possible, researching the players, the draft, the coaches, etc as hard as ever. Thanks to the 'net and my bible, the Sporting News Pro preview mags. I've got every one going back to '92. They are awesome...

I chose the Redskins because of the interesting circumstances with Gibbs return and departure, even though they were a playoff team. The timing of having Austin available, etc... Plus the cap and a shift in defensive alignment should add a lot of challenge.

Anyway, here's hoping!