MVN: Most Valuable Network

Today, NFL Outsider takes it's NFL Top 10 series over to Redskins Park, and looks in at the 10 most valuable Washington Redskins.

The article was penned by yours truly.

Go take a look at it this morning.  In the words of one Anthony Brown, we'll be here when you get back.

If the quality of our defense this year hinges on the ability of young, yet embattled CB DeAngelo Hall, then the key to the Redskins offense this year is not a member of the much-criticized offensive line, it's second year Tight End Fred Davis.In doing our player expectation projections last week, it was obvious that Davis' spot on the chart is the one area where there's really no one else to pick up the slack if he falters.  If Malcolm Kelly is too hurt to play, there's Devin Thomas, or even Roydell Williams.  If Santana Moss can't dominate, his production can conceivably be spread amongst the rest of the receivers, and Campbell can still hit his numbers.Well, if Davis isn't one of the most productive second TEs in the league, then that's coming straight out of Jason Campbell's production.  This isn't to say that the entire receiver corps doesn't also... Read more

Yesterday, I began to set goals for individuals in terms of helping the Redskins offense reach top-of-the league status.  Today, we need to look at the total production the team will need, and the means to that end.The assumption with field goal kicking is that Shaun Suisham needs to be able to hit 75% of his attempts, subject to adjust based on the average difficulty of a kick.Total OffenseThe Redskins need to score just more than 2 TDs per game, and at least 2 FGs per game.GOAL:  34 TDs, 42 FG attemptsTouchdown ProductionThe mark for Jason Campbell is going to be 23 total touchdowns.  For this exercise, that breakdown is going to be 23 passing TDs, and 0 rushing TDs.  Rushing TDs by Campbell will count towards his total.For Clinton Portis, we'll stick with the 9 rushing TDs set yesterday, and we'll give Ladell Betts the remaining 2.GOAL:  23 passing... Read more

Albert Haynesworth would have had $20 million more if he signed an offer by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season. So why pass on the big(ger) bucks to come to Washington?According to Haynesworth during an interview on Sirius NFL Network and reported by ProFootballTalk.com:"You look at Washington, they've got a lot of the pieces together," Haynesworth said.  "They're right there.  They're in a huge market.  It's one of the largest markets in the world.  You've just got a large, huge media outlet and it can be life beyond football.  Going to Tampa, I mean, great city."Looking at it from the offseason standpoint, I love the water.  I love to be out in the sun.  It's just awesome, but it would've been like another Nashville.  Tampa doesn't have that big market and they don't have a huge fan base like the Washington Redskins do, so I think it was just a... Read more

OK, so maybe Washington Redskins rookies Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly didn't have the best of seasons in 2008. But, they were rookies after all and second round rookies at that. So how would they look if you graded them on the curve? We look at their performance compared to the other eight wide receivers selected in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. The numbers are not encouraging. Second round receivers averaged 27 receptions for 328 yards and 1.4 touchdowns. The group averaged 12 yards per catch. Thomas and Kelly caught 15 and six passes, respectively. Thomas gained 120 yards. Kelly only 18. Neither player is credited with a touchdown and neither averaged as much as 10 yards per catch. Five wide receivers were selected in the third round of the 2008 Draft. They averaged 10 receptions, 102 yards, for 9.9 yards per catch. As a group, the... Read more

On Tuesday, I beat around the bush for a while before asking the question:(A)re the Redskins capable of upping their PPG total by 5 points if they get no more help from the coaches, defense, or special teams than in 2008?We found that the Redskins, in terms of yards gained per drive, fit right into the mold of some average offenses from the 2008 season, including NFC East rivals Dallas and Philadelphia (for most of the year, the Giants offense was far beyond the realm of average, among the league leaders).Today, the goal is to come up with some sort of answer to the question in the headline of this two part series.In doing drive stats research for the first part of this article, I realized that the Redskins were not alone in the type of offensive environment that Jim Zorn created that values win probability over points maximization.  A... Read more

The most common misconception about the 2008 Washington Redskins is as follows: the team could not score points, even if it wanted to.By mid-December, when the offensive line featured an aging Pete Kendall, an injured Randy Thomas, and the combination of Stephon Heyer, Casey Rabach, and Jason Fabini around them, it's probably safe to say that they were producing at their maximum potential.  But for most of the year, their PPG totals hovered between 15-19, which led to the team finishing with 265 points scored, 15th in the NFC, and 28th in the NFL.  This led to rampant speculation about who on the offense was undeserving of their job.  Of course, football teams are not judged by their ability to maximize points any more than they are by their ability to maximize yards, a category in which the Redskins offense performed just fine in.  Football teams are judged by their... Read more

In the slow part of pro football season, who can pass up the opportunity to make mountains out of mole hills? Certainly not me. Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis has some type of open confrontation with head coach Jim Zorn during the recent Organized Team Activity (OTA). So naturally, Mike Florio at rumor-monger ProFootballTalk.com reports that Portis is becoming a major problem for Zorn. PFT actually does a decent job validating the rumors it reports, so there's little doubt that something went down at Redskin Park. But, major problem? You mean, more than normal? PFT rehashes the special relationship Portis enjoys with owner Daniel Snyder and comments Skins legend John Riggins said of Portis last January. "He (Portis) is already a headache," said Riggo, who then suggested that Portis is a problem created by the owner who regards Portis as a friend. Snyder is said to confide on Portis on team moves. But,... Read more

Look at this:The Redskins were the third oldest team in the league heading into 2008, according to ESPN.com's Mike Sando.  This came one year after the 2007 team was the oldest team the NFL.Clearly, the Redskins had two goals in the offseason: 1) to get better, and 2) to get younger.Nine players who started the year with the Redskins in 2008 are no longer on the roster.  In their place, I have put 9 of the front runners to replace them below, along with each player's age on opening day.  I'm going to illustrate a point.AdditionsBrian Orakpo - 23Kevin Barnes - 23Albert Haynesworth - 28DeAngelo Hall - 25Derrick Dockery - 28Mike Williams - 28Jeremy Bridges - 29Roydell Williams - 28Marko Mitchell - 23SubtractionsJon Jansen - 33Pete Kendall - 36Shawn Springs - 34Jason Taylor - 35James Thrash - 34Marcus Washington - 32Demetric Evans - 29Khary Campbell - 30Erasmus James - 28The... Read more

I was going to make a post about the best remaining free agents who could help the Redskins.  And at the right price (i.e. very little) and contract length (i.e. one year) there are players who can help the team.But that got me thinking: my projections for the upcoming season are basically finished, they like the Redskins.  How much?  I'm not telling, yet.  That's a post for a training camp day.  But since I started it last year, I'm 1 for 1 in nailing the Redskins record, so I'll just rest on my small sample laurels.Anyway, I've come to the conclusion that there are moves that can improve the Redskins.  I have also decided that the Redskins should avoid any of these moves.The Redskins could trade for Brandon Marshall.  They could trade for Anquan Boldin.  They could up the offer to unsigned Redskins Pete Kendall or Marcus Washington.  There's plenty... Read more

No, the two player moves are not related, at least I don't think they are. But it's fun putting the two headlines together.In a move that strikes fear in no one in the AFC West, the Denver Broncos signed wide receiver Brandon Lloyd to a contract. Lloyd still evokes memories of shame and doubt. I referred to him as a "gifted receiver" when the Redskins signed him and Adam Archuleta as the last pieces needed for that sure-fire 2006 super Bowl run.The experience taught Washington's blogging community that healthy skepticism is a good thing. That's why we can question the logic of what we're hearing from Redskin Park without any disloyalty to the team.Lloyd caught 43 and 48 passes the two seasons before he signed with the Redskins. The 49ers were a weak team with a question-mark at quarterback. Surely, Lloyd with blossom with Joe Gibbs' Skins who made the... Read more