Burner's Burning Questions: Free Agency, The Mock Drafts, 2017 (Continual Updates)

After the first game signing a vet DT is very possible. Salary would not be guaranteed then and there could be a few decent options.

The new season is about to begin and the Redskins are facing another tough sixteen game schedule. In the final offseason edition of BBQ for 2017, we will make a game by game prediction. All of us would love to see a 16-0 record, but let's see if we can make some accurate prognostications. Are you ready for some football?

September 10 – Eagles at Redskins
The Redskins have a revamped defense and the offense has new weapons. The Eagles want to erase the memory of a five game losing streak to the Redskins and are able to do so.
Eagles 31 Redskins 27
Record: 0-1

September 17 – Redskins at Rams
The Redskins want to clean out the bad taste that the Eagles deposited the prior week. Visiting an old friend could help, but his team is not accommodating or hospitable.
Rams 28 Redskins 24.
Record: 0-2

September 24 – Raiders at Redskins
After slipping to an early season record of 0-2 the Redskins must find a way to win. The Raiders are all but punching their ticket to playoffs already.
Raiders 38 Redskins 23
Record: 0-3

October 2 – Redskins at Chiefs
The problems are mounting and now the Redskins are facing a Monday night game against an old and formidable foe – Andy Reid. It's not pretty.
Chiefs 48 Redskins 17
Record: 0-4

Bye
Finger pointing. Restless fans. Aggressive media. Front office rumblings. Angry owner. Frustrated coach. It is adding up and any talk of playoffs is nonexistent.

October 15 – 49ers at Redskins
The various subplots to this game seem endless. Both teams realize their seasons are on the brink and need a victory. The Redskins finally break into the win column for 2017.
Redskins 41 49ers 7
Record: 1-4

October 23 – Redskins at Eagles
Another dreaded primetime game on Monday awaits the Redskins as they look to build a winning streak. The Eagles would love to have a sweep and send the visiting team reeling.
Eagles 27 Redskins 24
Record: 1-5

October 29 – Redskins at Cowboys
The Redskins are heavy underdogs, but this rivalry rarely respects any record – except this year.
Cowboys 44 Redskins 20
Record: 1-6

November 5 – Redskins at Seahawks
The season is all but over and with the team struggling, the Redskins hope to find some success in the Northwest. It simply doesn't happen. Colt McCoy plays for part of the third quarter and all of the fourth.
Seahawks 49 Redskins 17
Record: 1-7

November 12 – Vikings at Redskins
The Vikings are mired in a mediocre season and see a good chance to place themselves back in the playoff picture. The Redskins have a good game after two blowout losses and dash the hopes of the Nordic clan.
Redskins 35 Vikings 21
Record: 2-7

November 19 – Redskins at Saints
We have a late season contest in the Bayou as Drew Brees is playing his final weeks in a Saints uniform. The Cajun County ballers frustrate the Skins all afternoon as the Redskins realize the season is basically over.
Saints 34 Redskins 24
Record: 2-8

November 23 - Giants at Redskins
A primetime Thanksgiving game at home gives the Redskins very little time to prepare for their division rivals. It's a somewhat spirited contest, but the visitors have a good fourth quarter.
Giants 33 Redskins 28
Record: 2-9

November 30 – Redskins at Cowboys
Fair or not, the Redskins must play their fifth game in twenty-five days and fifth in the month of November. The fatigue is obvious and the frustration is there, but the burgundy and gold actually give a spirited effort in a losing cause.
Cowboys 37 Redskins 31
Record: 2-10

December 10 - Redskins at Chargers
After a much needed break, the Redskins head to Los Angeles again and face a Chargers team fighting for a playoff spot. The hosts play poorly in the first half, but a better second half propels them to a victory.
Chargers 30 Redskins 21
Record: 2-11

December 17 – Cardinals at Redskins
The Cardinals are on the brink of missing the playoffs and desperately need a win. Both teams struggle, but the visitors are able to narrowly escape with a controversial victory.
Cardinals 28 Redskins 27
Record: 2-12

December 24 – Broncos at Redskins
It's Christmas Eve and Redskins fans would actually like to see the team secure the first overall pick in the 2018 draft. That's not Jay Gruden's style, but the Redskins still find a way to lose.
Broncos 24 Redskins 17
Record: 2-13

December 31 – Redskins at Giants
Both teams meet in North Jersey to close out the season and say farewell to 2017. The Giants will miss the playoffs as the Cowboys win the division and the Eagles are able to surprise with a wildcard playoff appearance. Jay Gruden's bunch is ready for a vacation and it shows. The Redskins will pick second overall (including each round) in the 2018 draft.
Giants 26 Redskins 7
Record: 2-14

BBQ realizes that this seasonal prediction will not be popular or even seen as realistic by some. We did predict 8-8 last season and the final tally was 8-7-1. We do encourage you to post your predictions and ask that you feel free to respectfully agree or disagree with ours.

If such a season comes to pass (and we think it could), then the Redskins front office and coaching staff will receive plenty of scrutiny. Will Jay Gruden and the coaching staff be fired or retained? What about the front office? Does Kirk Cousins receive the transition tag? Will any of the one year free agents re-sign? If you believe a better 2017 season will occur, then what is your answer for the two previous questions?

When making such predictions, this was not a blog that BBQ enjoyed writing. It was very tough – much tougher than last year. What are your expectations for 2017? Do you see a better record? Worse? Are there any surprises coming for 2017? Let us know what you are thinking.

This is the final entry to this offseason BBQ blog of 2017. The weekly format will return after each game during the regular season. Thanks for making the last eight months an enjoyable experience as we attempted to formulate free agent predictions, mock drafts, and final roster guesses.

It's time for some football!

Hail To The Redskins!

Jones is yet another McCloughan player like Preston Smith and Cravens that seems to have less than the optimal attitude and outlook to be successful in this game.

You can't question any of these players' athleticism, but their heads?

Where are they?

Smith seems like a guy that only wants to come out and work hard 7 or 8 games a year. The other 8 games he is invisible.

Jones went into a shell when he lost the starting job after fumbling it away.

Instead of coming back strong, he got benched for the balance of the season and just bided his time until he could get waived to leave.

I go back to what I read about Jones coming out of Miami.

He was rated a 5th or 6th round pick.

The description I remember was 'good athlete with good size and power' but the negatives which stood out were 'lacks natural instincts in reading his blocks and finding the hole, tends to run upright without leverage which makes him easier to tackle.'

Sounds like there may have been better choice for a THIRD round pick out there in the draft that year.

Usually a third round pick is closer to projecting to being a solid player in the NFL than that description.

He seemed to be more project than 'player'.

Could be, BB.
3 divisions had teams that finished with double digit wins & the Redskins play 2 of those 3 divisions this season. Could easily see that record especially with so many young guys. I think you gotta tighten up the chin strap and see who jumps up. In any case, I think they'll be hard pressed to match or exceed last years record but a couple of guys here and there that step up might make that possible.

Yeah, unfortunately guys like Cravens, Doctson and Smith don't seem to be 'gamers' but rather guys that are 75% committed to their jobs, and more than a little shy of putting in 110%.

Bellichick gets rid of players like that before they decide to leave on their own.

Just look at the release of Kony Ealy this year and the trade last year of Jamie Collins during the season.

If you don't want to work hard or are less than 100% committed to playing through pain and getting back on the field, you are gone.

Ummm...Jamie Collins wanted to get paid.

Ealy was a bad fit.

One thing I admire about BB, he isn't afraid of admitting mistakes and moving on.

The Redskins need to cut bait on Cravens and Hall and get on with finding solid football players.

I'm not going to beat on you for the beyond negative forecast BB - none of us knows what will happen with this team in 2017. Too many variables with all of the coaching turnover, changes at WR, Cousins mindset in what could be a lame duck season, some key injuries already, and with a tough schedule.

But I will take issues with predicting a 2 win season for 3 reasons:

1) You have the Redskins losing every single NFC East contest. I am not sure I recall that ever happening (with the caveat that perhaps I have selective memory)? I think that alone is an extremely pessimistic prediction.

2) Cousins is still a pretty damn good QB. I think the decline he would have to have in order for the team to drop so precipitiously in a single season would be epic. I see no reason to believe he won't continue to be a better than average QB - and that equates to much more success than a 2 win season.

3) Gruden is a pretty good coach. Even pretty good coaches can have bad seasons, but for that to make sense in this case you'd have to be convinced this year's team was far inferior to that of the past several year's. I believe our defense will be improved. And I'm not convinced as many are that we are going to miss Garcon and Jackson anywhere near as much as many other's have predicted we will. Now if Pryor doesn't continue to play well, or if Doctson or Reed or both can't stay on the field, maybe I see our offense falling significantly. But I think you'd almost have to have all 3 of those things to happen for the Skins offense to be significantly slowed.

Again - anything is possible. But I don't foresee anything like the horrific season you're foretelling. Obviously we will know soon enough.

If Reed and Doctson both stay healthy for at least 2/3 of the season, and we're not decimated with other injuries, I can see a 10 win season.
Doctson is probably the biggest question mark because of the unknown. The other question mark is the interior of our DLine.
Other than that, we've either improved or stayed the same in every other position, so I don't see how it's possible we end up with a dismal record. To the contrary, it's highly realistic we could improve on last year's record, if the above positions don't have significant dropoff.
Also, it seems some have forgotten that Paul is returning from last year's IR, so that is a definite boost.
And how does a defense that has added Allen, Brown, Galette, and Swearinger NOT get better ? Not to mention the young players from last year getting another year of development (Fuller), plus the addition of this year's draft picks, who may very well contribute.

Burgundy Burner said:

2017 Season Predictions​

If such a season comes to pass (and we think it could), then the Redskins front office and coaching staff will receive plenty of scrutiny. Will Jay Gruden and the coaching staff be fired or retained? What about the front office? Does Kirk Cousins receive the transition tag? Will any of the one year free agents re-sign? If you believe a better 2017 season will occur, then what is your answer for the two previous questions?

When making such predictions, this was not a blog that BBQ enjoyed writing. It was very tough – much tougher than last year. What are your expectations for 2017? Do you see a better record? Worse? Are there any surprises coming for 2017? Let us know what you are thinking.

This is the final entry to this offseason BBQ blog of 2017. The weekly format will return after each game during the regular season. Thanks for making the last eight months an enjoyable experience as we attempted to formulate free agent predictions, mock drafts, and final roster guesses.

It's time for some football!

Hail To The Redskins!

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Gotta say BB, it's disheartening to see you say that we have the worst head coach in all of football.
I'm not as enamored with our current starting QB as many seem to be, but I don't agree with you in saying he's the worst starting QB in the NFL.
I also don't agree with you in saying we have the worst roster in the NFL.

It is rather obvious though, what will happen if your predictions come to pass.
Gruden would, and should, be fired. Maybe even electrocuted. And every player should be released.

Oh, and saying "It's time for some football" seems contradictory when what you're predicting is anything BUT football.

Anyway, I bit.

HTTR!

Ok, let's clear some things up.

Yes, the Redskins have lost every game in the division in a season. It last happened in 2013.

I never said that we have the worst coach in football. Never said we had the worst QB in football. Never said we have the worst roster in football. If that is your interpretation of these predictions, then so be it. However, I never said it.

No, I did not like making this entry into the blog. In fact, I thoroughly hated it.

Here are the factors that went into the reasoning:

A. The abrupt firing of the football GM and how it was handled.
B. Not re-signing key players on a bigger scale. Letting one or two go is understandable, but not a significant handful.
C. OTAs that were considered lackluster along with a few key absences.
D. Another season of ignoring the DT position and hoping another group of "JAGs" could make a difference.
E. Another season of seeing struggles at the RB position.
F. Not addressing the LG position.
G. Not fully addressing the ILB position.
H. Not searching for highly qualified candidates for offensive and defensive coordinator positions.
I. A very lackluster training camp.
J. A poor preseason - albeit, with a few bright spots.
K. Third string QB with an offer to be on the PS, but took the same deal with a division rival - a team with much more stability at QB than the Redskins after 2017.
L. Su'a Cravens - the team looks completely lost and confused, but this same situation happened at USC when he was a player there. Cravens was recently overheard at practice saying he had fallen out of favor with one particular coach.
M. A starting QB that won't even negotiate on a long term deal.
N. Players who seem less than dedicated to the organization.

Too much of this screams "turmoil" and it seems to be lurking just beneath the surface. Could I be wrong? Sure. Could I be right? Yes. Predictions have certain degrees of accuracy and inaccuracy. This is why I have no problems with scrutinizing what is posted - even harshly so. It's also why I encourage differing viewpoints in this blog. Some of it is popular and some of it is unpopular. We agree. We disagree. I encourage these discussions.

Thanks.

Wow. I thought Ax and Ryman were all alone on Negative Mountain.....BB looks to have thrown them to the depths of the valley and claimed the mountain his own.

BB, USA Today, hell, every major news outlet has the Redskins finishing last.

I believe we'll be right in the thick of things in regards to the division. If the ball bounces our way, we may even win it.

Can we remain calm until we at least see a couple of real games?

Burgundy Burner said:

M. A starting QB that won't even negotiate on a long term deal.

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That may be a negative indication of the state of the franchise, but it won't be a negative factor in how the team performs in 2017.
If anything, we should get better play from the QB, and from the team, as a result of that.
If Kirk wants out of DC, and/or wants a big LTD, that's enough motivation to elevate his play, and consequently, the teams'.
Conversely, I don't see how that would factor into a 2-14 record.

DieselPwr44 said:

Wow. I thought Ax and Ryman were all alone on Negative Mountain.....

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Lol. I don't want to have our current starting QB's baby, and that makes me co-King of Negative Mountain.

Keep your day job dude. Cause you suck at interpreting other peoples mind set.

Ax said:

Lol. I don't want to have our current starting QB's baby, and that makes me co-King of Negative Mountain.

Keep your day job dude. Cause you suck at interpreting other peoples mind set.

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I don't think anybody's went THAT far Ax......

But you'd have to say to be willing to throw the best QB this club has had under center in 25 yrs(I know, a sad statement in itself) out in the street, without even a replacement on the roster, is pretty negative in itself.

As to the season, again, I think we'll compete but I fully understand the downers' feelings/reasons.

I just believe we have more talent on the team then what some give us credit for.

DieselPwr44 said:

I don't think anybody's went THAT far Ax......

But you'd have to say to be willing to throw the best QB this club has had under center in 25 yrs(I know, a sad statement in itself) out in the street, without even a replacement on the roster, is pretty negative in itself.

As to the season, again, I think we'll compete but I fully understand the downers' feelings/reasons.

I just believe we have more talent on the team then what some give us credit for.

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Well the overstatement was used to point out the absurdity of your position that I, one the most consistently positive voices on this board, could somehow occupy the Negative Mountain throne. Apparently based solely on the fact that I have stated, and continue to believe, that our current starting QB is being paid money he hasn't begun to earn. Yet.
I also believe Colt would be, good enough, if the overall team has improved. Which I believe it has. But, if the overall team has plunged to the dismal depths BB contends, then even the all powerful, stat machine of a current starting QB will have failed miserably, and be on another team next year. BB appears to be more down on our current starting QB than anyone. If he's right about his predictions for the year, then the money we've drowned him in the last 2 years would have been better spent buying heroin and giving out to junkies who can't afford it.

I have said, and completely believe, we will win our division. And, even if we don't, we'll be a playoff participant. Anything short of that will mean a total failure of our coaches, players, and especially our current starting QB, IMHO.

I also predict that I, as usual, will spend many posts trying to talk jumpers off the cliffs of Negative Mountain.

Burgundy Burner said:

I never said that we have the worst coach in football. Never said we had the worst QB in football. Never said we have the worst roster in football. If that is your interpretation of these predictions, then so be it. However, I never said it.

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Well, in essence, you kinda did. When you state that we suck so bad that we'll have the 1st pick in the draft next year, then you have to believe the coaching staff is gonna do the worse job in the league. The current starting QB will play worse than all other QB's in the league. and that our roster will perform worse than every other team in the league. You can "word around" the meaning of it. But for all intents and purposes, you've predicted we will be the worst team in the league. The coach, the current starting QB, and the rest of the roster, make up that team.

DANG BB... lil worried bud. Gonna go through these and see if we can't come to some sort of comfort, hopefully 2 wins is not in our future... well, maybe for the month of September, not for the whole season.

Burgundy Burner said:

A. The abrupt firing of the football GM and how it was handled.

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I fail to see how this translates to on the field performance. In fact, a good portion of 'McCloughan's guys' aren't even on the team, so I don't think some sort of mutiny is on our hands.

Burgundy Burner said:

B. Not re-signing key players on a bigger scale. Letting one or two go is understandable, but not a significant handful.

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The biggest contributors that we failed to re-sign that were worth doing so, were asking for a LOT more then we could / should have paid. Baker being the one we missed on, but he wasn't a game breaking DT either. Guy you love to have, but losing him wasn't exactly franchise destroying.

Burgundy Burner said:

C. OTAs that were considered lackluster along with a few key absences.

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Not sure where you hear this... you're more inside then I am, I would assume based on the information you put forth, but this is hard to quantify in the NFL. Most OTAs, I would assume, are pretty relaxed with the CBA rules about player contact and workouts.

Burgundy Burner said:

D. Another season of ignoring the DT position and hoping another group of "JAGs" could make a difference.

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Not sure it was ignored, we took a chance on Phil Taylor and he got hurt. Premier DTs aren't just walking the streets on a regular basis. It's going to take chances on guys, as well as drafting guys in order to lock down that type of a player. That being said, DT is important, but it's not the end-all. We have appeared to move to more of a 4-3 lineup, so the need for that MONSTER in the middle is slightly diminished. Is it important? Yes... can we have measured success without it? In a 4-3... yes. I also don't think we've failed so much along the d-line that would warrant a 2 win season.

Burgundy Burner said:

E. Another season of seeing struggles at the RB position.

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IMHO we've got our best offensive backfield in the last 20 years. Robert Kelly is a gamer.. always finds a way to fall forward and plays football. Perine has the possibility of being HUGE. We finally get a guy coming out of college that has the pedigree to be a difference maker. Chris Thompson is a prototype 3rd down back.... top 5 in the league in that particular position. Mack Brown. 'Football player' as Scot liked to say. He's 'JAG' in a lot of eyes, but i've got hopes for him. Whenever he's been given an opportunity he's run with it (haha pun pun) REGARDLESS of the level of competition he's up against. I'm amazed we didnt lose him last year.

Burgundy Burner said:

F. Not addressing the LG position.

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Agreed. This is a problem, but not a 2 win season problem. We may address it in house though. If Chase can ball out, Long can slide over and it's an instant upgrade. Marginal but an upgrade.

Burgundy Burner said:

G. Not fully addressing the ILB position.

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Zach Brown?

Burgundy Burner said:

H. Not searching for highly qualified candidates for offensive and defensive coordinator positions.

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Manusky is a very qualified DC. Indy he was successful, and track records show most coordinators do much better in their 2nd tenure at that position. Cavanaugh may not be the 'best' candidate on the market, but what evidence do we have that we didn't try for more? You say 'not searching' but how do you know we didn't call an agent and get shot down before an interview was even scheduled?

Burgundy Burner said:

I. A very lackluster training camp.

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Lackluster enough that we will only win 2 games?

Burgundy Burner said:

J. A poor preseason - albeit, with a few bright spots.

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Preseason is minimal. We all freak out all the time about concerns, then a month into the season we're looking at strengths. We also get all steamy for players, just to see them fail miserably. There were some moments of complete struggle, but the offensive scheme still looked capable, and the defense looked improved, especially the 1st unit.

Burgundy Burner said:

K. Third string QB with an offer to be on the PS, but took the same deal with a division rival - a team with much more stability at QB than the Redskins after 2017.

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Hard to again quantify this to somehow having 2 wins. He might like cheese steaks, his cousin might be an Eagles fan... who knows why our 3rd string qb who has been in the system for multiple season and can't beat out Colt McCoy even though he's clearly more physically gifted decided to not return to our practice squad... Philly might have sweetened the pot to get him in there... oh yeah, we play them this Sunday.... hmmm.

Burgundy Burner said:

L. Su'a Cravens - the team looks completely lost and confused, but this same situation happened at USC when he was a player there. Cravens was recently overheard at practice saying he had fallen out of favor with one particular coach.

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This has been a blind sided event to EVERYONE. Now it's coming out that he did this at USC but how come we didn't hear about it? USC probably helped cover it up. If anything, this might be a shot at Scot, and his vetting process...

Burgundy Burner said:

M. A starting QB that won't even negotiate on a long term deal.

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Kirk isn't stupid. We fluffed this situation 3 years ago, and haven't solved it yet. Just because he won't sign long term, doesn't mean he's going to suck at playing QB. If anything, he's going to be working harder to make sure he doesnt suck... and a non-sucky QB is a good thing for wins/losses.

Burgundy Burner said:

N. Players who seem less than dedicated to the organization.

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Free Agency has taken 'dedicated to organization' and flushed it. Now they're dedicated to themselves, and working on their next deal. Just about every team has this. By the way, the biggest 'me' guy we've had in the last 20 years restructured his deal for the 2nd time in 2 seasons to stay here, instead of getting cut. Dedication is relative, and to expect some sort of mass loyalty to happen across ANY major league sports team is only gonna leave you heart broken. Players will do what is best for them... They're going to be dedicated to their craft, and they are going to want to be successful.

Burgundy Burner said:

Thanks.

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As far as how the Redskins 'have looked' in OTAs, training camp, the pre-season, I wouldn't say that's meaningless. However, as I've stated many times, the biggest factor fans overlook in team success is coaching. When you overhaul your entire defensive coaching staff, and lose your OC, that's going to create a learning curve and it will take some time for recovery and adjustment. The much-abbreviated offseason schedule does not help on that front. We've also got several new wide receivers starting out there. That's also going to create the need for patience as Cousins and Pryor/Doctson get their timing down. Throw in a couple of key injuries that require position shuffling, and again, there may be some growing pains. I won't be surprised if we go 2-4 to start it off this year. But I think the coaching staff (and talent) is too good to have this team totally implode as BB is predicting.

So, at 2-14, BB has us "Fallin for Allen" for the #1 Pick

We just need to put BB in a room with McD5 and Will Compton for little pep talk