Here is what you need to know on this Saturday, June 16, 40 days before the Washington Redskins start training camp.
The Redskins week that was
A look at some of the most popular posts and hottest topics of the week on Real Redskins and NBC Sports Washington.
Ranking the biggest moves of the Redskins' offseason—I thought that the trade for Alex Smith was the biggest move of the offseason but I got some pushback from fans who argued that drafting Derrius Guice will prove to be more impactful. Time will tell but it’s still a passing league and landing Smith to replace Kirk Cousins, who surely was on his way out the door.
Five Redskins backups who could start games in 2018—The Redskins hope that they won’t have to rely on the “next man up” as often this year as they did in 2017 when they suffered more injuries to more key players than any other team in the NFL. But it’s inevitable that some reserves will have to contribute. There has been a lot of buzz about the depth that this team has but they hope it doesn’t get tested.
Gruden has a Redskins team he can trust as minicamp starts—I get the concept that team culture is important. It’s good that Jay Gruden has players he can count on to take charge of the details. But the Redskins have been talking about having a good culture in the locker room for years. The problem is that they haven’t had a winning culture and that’s what really matters.
Alex Smith was sharp at Day 1 of Redskins minicamp—I think that a “Smith sharp” headline could have been used for all five of the offseason practices that were open to the media. Smith’s performance stood out every day on nearly every drill. Plus, it was what the readers wanted to hear about. Despite the headline, there are plenty more observations in the post if you want to take a look. And here are my Day 2 notes if you missed those.
Tweet of the week
Redskins COO Brian Lafemina said that the Redskins are “one of the biggest sleeping giants" in sports. I agree but it won’t wake up until there is consistent success on the field.
— Rich Tandler (@TandlerNBCS) June 13, 2018
This is not the first time I have heard something about the Redskins having the potential to be a top sports franchise both in business terms and in on-field success. They aren’t exactly struggling from a financial standpoint; with an estimated value of $3.1 billion they are the fourth most valuable NFL franchise.
But the fanbase wants a consistent winner and there is no question that they would support a with their wallets. But the organization’s consistent refusal to do things the way that successful NFL teams do things—like having one experienced football man whose only job is player personnel having final say on personnel matters—holds them back.
Stay up to date on the Redskins. Rich Tandler covers the team 365 days a year. Like his Facebook page, Facebook.com/TandlerNBCS and follow him on Twitter @TandlerNBCS and on Instagram @RichTandler.
Timeline
Days until:
—Training camp starts (7/26) 40
—Preseason opener @ Patriots (8/9) 54
—Roster cut to 53 (9/1) 77
The Redskins last played a game 165 days ago. They will open the 2018 NFL season at the Cardinals in 85 days.
In case you missed it
- Long break underway for Redskins
- Redskins face dynamic Deshaun Watson in Week 11
- Redskins rookies put on strong display in final days of offseason