Washington Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall made national headlines last weekend when he said Falcons HC Mike Smith of “put his hands on [me] in a harmful way” during a sideline skirmish and began “talking [stuff] to me. Saying he’ll kick my [butt] and all this other [stuff]. I definitely stay in Atlanta in the offseason. So if Mike Smith wants to see me, he can find me.”  Hall went on to say “I can’t wait for guys to sit back and watch the replay. I can’t wait to watch the replay. I’m going to be giving Commissioner [Roger] Goodell a call myself because something needs to be done about that.”

After 16 games in burgundy & gold (or white & white), many Redskin fans have grown tired of Hall’s predicable act on and off the field, falling in line with public opinion of Hall already held in both Atlanta & Oakland.  Since joining Washington, Hall:

• hasn’t yet been spit on by TO after surrendering (in his own words) “a couple of nice catches, and you expect that.” 
  • but has been torched by Randy Moss, saying afterwards that “guys get paid to throw the ball and catch it just like we get paid to stop them… I couldn’t get around Randy’s body to break it up. But guys get paid to catch balls.”  He went on say “We were going up against some of the best guys at what they do… So you take it for what it was, obviously you want to do better.”
• hasn’t yet attempted to fight any teammates
  • but has said it was “definitely a little disheartening” that his teammates were not there to help on the Falcons’ sideline last Sunday.  He went on: “Disappointment is too big of a word that I’m prepared to throw out there. Some guys are just built different.”
• hasn’t yet ripped his GM or criticized management for roster moves he thinks are “asinine” and “ridiculous,” signifying that “everyone from the top down is kind of turning it in” and willing to “sit around and watch this ship sink.” 
• • but has criticized his moves that have left the team in “a little bit of desperation” and “a couple steps from getting ready to panic,” saying he doesn’t “know if we’ve got the right personnel here to do it” and “heading into the offseason and preseason we said we needed to address the offensive line… you can always have proven guys out there backing other guys up that have played in this league, have had starts in this league. That’s something we’re lacking.”
• hasn’t yet been disciplined by the league for any Michael Vick tributes, and its unknown whether his own pit bulls (which once “literally chewed though their fence to escape” and “viscously attacked a man” resulting in six citations for Hall’s brother) have followed him to the Nation’s Capital.
  • but is happy Vick “got a second chance to prove to everybody he can still play” but that he’s “kind of sick we’ve got to see him twice a year but it comes with the territory. I know if we didn’t see him twice a year somebody was going to have to see him twice a year so at least I guess I can say what’s up to him before the game.”
• hasn’t yet had a three-penalty (for 67 yards) drive leading to a confrontation with his HC, like he did while trying to cover Steve Smith in 2007 (Hall, on a previous Smith TD: “I didn’t think he had much success against me… Obviously, he broke that one. Bad tackling. Fluke play. You do it 10 times, I make that play nine times. So besides that one fluke play, the guy didn’t have that much success against me.”)
  • but has said that the two “went from being good friends to [enemies who] don’t talk” before this year’s game against Smith & the Panthers, in which Carolina QB Jake Delhomme “who appeared to be stopped by Hall after a six-yard gain, dragged Hall for three more yards and a first down.”  Smith, for his part, said of Hall: “Some people are lower than others on the totem pole by age, performance and talk… when you’re the court jester and you’re talking to the king, you have to do stuff like that. But other than that, I’m not going to play games with little kids. There’s no reason to. When you talk you obviously are insecure about something and if you talk long enough, you will hang yourself. And obviously he pointed out things that are in his craw and in his collar… “This ain’t no relationship, sweetheart. I’ve only got two relationships – one with my Lord and savior and one with my wife.”
• hasn’t yet had his game critiqued as sharply by ESPN talking heads as in the past, via Len Pasquarelli (“he has played steadily but not as spectacularly as he did a year ago, and it is obvious he presses too often to make the big play… Hall has tried to cover everyone’s position instead of simply concentrating on his own job.”) and John Clayton (Hall “struggled from the start of the season as he adjusted to the Raiders’ man-to-man defense.”), or by STATS, Inc. (“In his eight games in Oakland, Hall was beaten 40 times for 552 yards on 66 passes thrown his way… he gave up more yards than any defender this season and was tied for third worst in catches allowed.)
  • but has faced the brunt of fans and local media for his tackling – notably key plays on Giants’ WR Mario Manningham, the aforementioned Delhomme, and Falcons’ RB Michael Turner.  WP writer Jason Reid says “obviously, Hall is not among the NFL’s top tackling corners. That’s just the way it is.”  Even Hall himself said after Week 1 “I feel like the guy that just couldn’t make a play to save my life… I was actually beat on the play… I’ve got to go back to the drawing board and work on some things… we definitely need to tackle better, myself probably No. 1 on that list… I even made a stupid mistake on special teams, you know, got a block in the back. So all around, I just didn’t execute and play to my ability at all.”
  • and has seen a photo of him accompany a national AP story on poor tackling in the NFL, and a follow-up blog post on Shutdown Corner.  In the story, safeties coach Steve Jackson says “A lot of people don’t tackle now because of the salary cap” and drills that have players get in position to tackle but let up “train yourself to ‘just miss… and now [in a game] you have untrain yourself in a manner of split seconds.”  Secondary coach Jerry Gray told the WP in describing Hall, “It’s not a lot of premium [on] putting in a lot of tackling and things. You want to be able to get the guy down. But right now turnovers [are] big.”

This week alone, Virginia HC Al Groh has:

• Been nicknamed “Jeezy” by his players

LB and team captain Denzel Burrell: “We call him ‘Jeezy’ after the rapper, ‘Young Jeezy.’ “I believe he actually does understand the reference. He references hip-hop at times. He knows Kanye West and a couple of the other guys we really like. He actually may know the reference, but that’s basically one of the main ones we call him. But we’ll probably stay away from Mr. October.”

•  Eloquently explained a wardrobe (hat) change during last week’s game

“Normally, they put multiple hats in the locker room. One got wet, so I put on the other one.”  Burrell added: “I’ve never questioned his hat choice.”

• Dropped “circumstance” once after the win at Maryland

That was a magnificent effort by our players,” Groh said. “They dealt with everything that we encountered today, whether it was guys having to step up [for] circumstances within the ballgame. They refused to be distracted by any issues.”

• And ten (10) times in his weekly press conference

“we were the beneficiaries of some turnovers during the course of the game that clearly helped us out in some circumstances”

“we are very comfortable with [backup QB Marc Verica] in any circumstance”

“whether we change it or not, we assess just what are our circumstances”

“we have a little bit of that circumstance on our hands right now”

“guys who play, they ought to be moving into more established circumstance; those guys who haven’t, hopefully they’ll move into a circumstance where they can go in the game”

“I guess there was one circumstance where they were willing walk him and to load the bases”

“there was a circumstance that characterized what was the ‘07 team”

“in circumstances where you have that collaborative attitude, or as it’s sometimes referred to as team chemistry or unity or whatever, there’s always a leadership-followership circumstance”  

• Offered an opinion on the leg strength of 5-10 PK (field goals only) and seersucker fan Robert Randolph:

“You can look at him – there’s not a lot of muscle mass there. Let’s put it this way: They probably don’t make those yellow suits in big-man sizes.”

• Done his best Allen Iverson impression

“The week that precedes the game, the word practice is certainly accurate, but it’s not just practice like going and practicing the piano. It’s preparation for what’s coming on Saturday. So we’re trying to do whatever has us best prepared on Saturday. That might mean scrimmage every day. That might mean go bowling. I’m not trying to be smart, but whatever… Practice and preparation is part of every week, but also obviously practice, development of skills. That’s what players are supposed to do, and that’s what coaches are supposed to do for their players.”

• As well as the standard Groh / Belichick / Parcells / Saban / Crennel / Mangini impression:

“If I knew [the status of injured QB Jameel Sewell], I probably wouldn’t tell you.”

•  Said ‘fumblers get benched’ in forty-four (44) words…  [subtle dig at MJ]

“There are some players here in the past that have displayed a significant running skill but we couldn’t afford to play Russian roulette with. We just couldn’t afford to put them out there where they could do something that might cause us to lose.” 

• Broke down Georgia Tech’s punt (yes punt, not triple-option offensive) formations

“We’ve spoken frequently with the development of really – I would say if I use the word alternative punt systems, that would be incorrect. Innovative and progressing punt systems. In other words, it’s a new era in terms of punting the ball. And it continues to grow that way, just as with many of the different offenses. Let’s say a few years ago when different elements of, A, the West Coast offense came up, it was one offense. Now there’s all sorts of things that fall into that category. We saw the spread offense; that was an offense. Everybody did the same thing that was in it. Now it’s really inaccurate to try to classify something just based on being a spread offense or a West Coast offense. It’s the same thing here now with that shield punt. It’s inaccurate just to say they’re in a shield punt. It can go so many different directions based on the personality and the philosophy of the team, and they have been very creative and progressive with what they’re doing with formations, and as a result of what they’re doing they have a very good idea how to deal with it on the other side. So it’s not just the punt team but things they’re doing with their punt return and punt block teams to combat those other teams that have it. They have some answers to those situations while other people are still searching for them.” 

• Continued his lecture on roster math

After saying last week that “essentially 25 percent of your team is new every year anyway,” Groh offered this a week later: “In college football, 50 percent of your team is freshmen and sophomores.” 

• Played jokester in explaining P Jimmy Howell’s -3-yard punt against Maryland

“Far be it from me to try and explain. It was our intention that he was going to punt the ball. Obviously, he saw some sort of aliens out there that none of us could see.” 

• Revealed the layout and ‘inventory’ of a national book retailer

“You look at military leaders or industrial leaders or for that matter parents, and certainly football coaches, people who try and lead, they’ve got to believe, they’ve got to believe in a leader, they’ve got to buy in, they’ve got to see the value to them. That’s why if you go down to Barnes & Noble, you can probably spend the next three or four weeks just walking up and down the section of the stores that have books on leadership and management.” 

• Played short-memory philosopher

“As we have said, there’s a reason why God put eyes in the front of our head and not in the back. So you can make progress by looking forward.”

• Not ‘tweeted’ a thing

It has certainly been an exciting October for all the Al Groh Drinking Game players out there.

A quick recap of the Al Groh Drinking Game rules:

1. Take two drinks any time Coach Al drop’s his favorite word – ‘circumstance’
2. Finish said drink if the word is used multiple times in a single response
3. Take a single drink if you hear either his second-favorite (‘resolve’) or third-favorite (‘resilient’) word
4. Finish two drinks if ‘circumstance’  is used in the same sentence with either ‘resolve’ or ‘resilient’
5. Finish three drinks if the ‘circumstance-resolve-resilient‘ verbal trifecta is hit

In Monday’s presser alone, Coach Al spurred AG/DG players to follow rule #1 six times:

1. In breaking down the math behind college football rosters for the media: “Essentially 25 percent of your team is new every year anyway, so I think it’s a standard thing. It’s part of the life circumstance of college athletics.”
2. In describing the current state of the offense as part-Mike Groh, part-Gregg Brandon: “I would say there is probably a good blend of the two circumstances right now.”
3. In explaining the strategy behind PR Chase Minnifield never calling for a fair catch: “It’s not a question of Laissez-faire coaching but it’s not micromanaging the circumstance and allowing a player to use his skills.”
4. In discussing Stafford native and Maryland standout Torrey Smith: “He’s – regardless of what the circumstance was in the past he’s a superior college football player.”
5. In dismissing the impact of prior success against the Terps: “I think we feel positive about ourselves in those circumstances [but] I think it’s unlikely that any of us feel that previous games with Maryland have any bearing on how this game is going to go.”
6. In spinning a yarn about the importance of completion percentage: “We’re in that circumstance and the teams that are scoring in our league are teams that either have high-talent quarterbacks or kids who have been in the system for a long time and have developed their skills and got the reads and know where to go with the ball and they’re proficient in their accuracy and that’s what produces points.”

This comes one week after Groh dropped his favorite word in last week’s presser five times:

1. In pondering one of the thousands of what-if’s surrounding his favorite player: “You know, Vic — if it weren’t for the few – a couple of circumstances had gone a little differently, Vic would have caught a pass, thrown a pass, run the ball, had a sack and played on special teams. He was – on one of our pressures, he was the first one there, a sack eventually went to Nate Collins. He had a pass called back because of a penalty. He had his catch, I believe, and if one of the passes were thrown better he would have had two.
2. In explaining the difference between a win and a loss in teaching football: “We now have graphic examples – the players have graphic examples just this season of how the result can be dramatically different as a result of those two circumstances. Do a real good job with it and you have a real good chance of a happy result. Don’t do such a good job with it and no matter how well you run your plays or run your coverages, you get the other result.”
3. In discussing the psychology of booing: “The interesting thing is the psychology of that, if anybody believes that that helps anybody play any better – now if it makes thousands of people feel good, then I guess that’s good for thousands of people but what they want is for their team to play better, it doesn’t necessarily – I haven’t ever been around a circumstance where players were saying, sounds like they’re getting on us, so let’s play better!”
4. In relaying how Brandon Woods handled being benched last year: “Very admirably… obviously that’s challenging circumstances for a player.”
5. In using more words than necessary to avoid saying ‘academic suspension’: “We understand there might be mitigating factors in there that in some cases we would have preferred not to be there but that was the reality of it and one of the things we believe in is reality as opposed to fantasy, it was a reality with some of those circumstances.”

And four weeks after Groh dropped it nine times on the Monday after the TCU loss.  Yes, nine:

1. In reflecting on previous seasons’ turnarounds: “We have looked back at some of those circumstances… along the way in each particular case, there’s been some circumstances where just strategically and tactically we might have said, look, we are going to reshape things a little bit here at this particular time.  So there’s been elements of all of those.  Certainly not the same percentage to each particular circumstance”
2. In relaying the background behind scheduling TCU: “We were looking at a number of circumstances to fill, because I think as we have detailed, we had made an arrangement with the MAC conference.”
3. In a long-winded response to a question about distractions facing the team: “Sometimes if you just — in a circumstance where all of the chips get loaded in front of to you start with, you have to shuffle them around a little bit to get things back to the way you want them to be.”
4. In breaking down the impact of time of possession: “That also resulted in more plays for their team, greater time of possession and the result that we got.  So clearly we can see how one circumstance dramatically affected the conduct of the game.”
5. In repeating a team mantra: “We have a saying… that it’s all between the white lines.  That’s all that really counts.  Except in a few memorable circumstances, there’s not much history of anybody coming off the sidelines, much less out of the stands, to impact any particular play.”
6. In explaining 3^rd-and-long strategy in FG territory: “We had a third down and eight situation beforehand which doesn’t mean we don’t want to make the first down, but in those circumstances, a lot of times, first time down the field, it’s common for a lot of teams to say, at the very least, we want to protect the field goal.”
7. In making an excuse (or perhaps not) for Ras-I-Dowling: ”There haven’t been very many balls up the field on him… It’s going to be difficult for any guy to get a lot of picks on that circumstance.  But there have been some plays up the field that you know, I’m sure he would like to change, and then we are working with him to try to do that.”

*Social networking note: The above apply Groh’s actual Twitter feed (“what you can do for our team is react to every circumstance in the game with positive energy”), but not that of any imposter (“This afternoon we’re pracitcing the tip drill. We go to Applebees and I show them how to never leave more than 10% under any circumstances”).

Through Sunday, the Redskins have allowed 14 sacks, good for 25^th fewest in the NFL.  This comes after finishing 22^nd last year while allowing 38 sacks.  A far cry from the days of the Hogs in the 1980s and even 1991, when QB Mark Rypien was only sacked seven times (the team allowed nine sacks during the regular season) en route to a Lomardi Trophy.  Consider that line:

-LT Jim Lachey: 3 Pro Bowls

-LG Raleigh McKenzie: 70 Greatest Redskins

-C Jeff Bostic: 70 Greatest Redskins

-RG Mark Schlereth: 2 Pro Bowls

-RT Joe Jacoby: 70 Greatest Redskins, NFL 1980s All-Decade Team, 4 Pro Bowls

-Reserve Russ Grimm: 70 Greatest Redskins, NFL 1980s All- Decade Team, 4 Pro Bowls

-Reserve Ray Brown: 1 Pro Bowl

-Reserve Ed Simmons: 70 Greatest Redskins

Because of these men and other Hogs among the 70 Greatest Redskins like Mark May & George Starke, the importance of talent along the offensive line is understood among the Washington faithful and those who cover the team.  Understood within the front office?  Perhaps not.  In January the WP Jasons documented that while ‘the team up the road in Baltimore’ has “invested six picks (all in the fifth round or higher, including Gaither) on offensive linemen between 2005 and 2007” who all went on to start games, the Redskins picked zero during that span.  In fact, the Dan/Vin braintrust has sleected just one O-linemen since 2004 (G Chad Rinehart in 2008) and just two in the top four rounds (Rinehart & G Derrick Dockery in 2003) since taking over

After standing out as the team’s the biggest concern over the second half of 2008, fans & media clamored for improvements, upgrades, or simply additioanl experiecned warm bodies for this year’s O-line all offseason.  The result…

-LT: 6-time Pro Bowl selection Chris Samuels (32 years old) played seemingly well before going down with an injury last week; replaced by D’Anthony Batiste (27, 4 carer starts); undrafted Stephone Heyer (25, 17 starts) will start going forward

-LG: Pete Kendall (36) is out of the league; Dockery (29) is back & overpaid after two years in Buffalo and appears to be playing well

-C: Casey Rabach (32) remains steady, although slightly overpaid

-RG: Randy Thomas (33) went down in Week 2; replaced by Will Montgomery (27, 6 previous starts), Reinhart (24, 0 previous snaps), and Mike Williams (29, three years out of the league)

-RT: 33-year-old former Pro Bowler John Jansen is in Detroit; Heyer played marginally through the first five games; Williams will start here going forward

The story is clear and the strugles of this unit have been well-documented, but stats paint an even clear picture:

-Since 2001, Washington has finished higher than 15^th in fewest sacks allowed just three times – in consecutive seasons during Gibbs II from 2005-2007.  In two of those seasons the team had a winning record and made the playoffs.

-From 1982-present, the franchise has finished above 15^th in this stat 17 times.  In 13 of those 17 seasons (76%) the end result was a winning record, including 10 playoff appearances and two Super Bowl, three NFC, and five NFC East championships.

-Only twice since 1982 has Washington finished with a winning record when not in the top 14 in fewest sacks allowed.

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Is John Riggins bitter after is unceremonious departure from Red Zebra Radio?  Is he angling for a gig, now that he has no voice on local radio (or TV, with no Redskins Report this season)?

Regardless of his motives, he’s certainly telling it like it is. The Redskins have won just four of their last 13 games, a rate of futility seen during Gibbs II, but not bettered (or worsened) since the 2004 squad under Steve Spurrier. Riggo’s take on the franchise from top-to-bottom…

From a YouTube post from Tuesday:

-On the owner, Dan Snyder: “Linus, you got to lose the blanket. Oh yeah, the blanket, that’s Vinnie Cerrato.”

-On Executive VP of Football Ops Cerrato, the owner’s racquetball partner & de facto-GM: “Your real true passion is radio. So, I would say just go ahead and go radio full-time with the occasional appearance on ESPN. Maybe TV, start analyzing games… I mean, you’re a great guy, Vin’, but you’re no GM.”

-On HC Jim Zorn, the 54-year-old QB Coach who Jim Mora, Jr. didn’t want: “You too are not a head football coach in the NFL. High school? Definitely, you can coach in high school, you can coach my son in high school any time. Ankle biters for sure. My God, DeAngelo Hall? I’d have had my foot this far up his rectum after that whatever tackle you want to call it on Jake Delhomme to seal your fate. You don’t criticize that? You’re out of your league, Jim.”

-On the team’s current state: “You know what they used to say about the Washington Senators? They’re now gonna say about the Washington football team, which is first in war, first in peace, last in the NFC East. I’m afraid that’s the way it is.”

This comes just two weeks after he “tweeted” the following during the loss in Detroit:

-“as the owner alot on the line in Detroit u invite Tom Cruise to the game and he is chatting up your Coach! what does this tell us about YOU!”

-“u r Zorn..Head Coach..in Detroit…alot on the line….and u r chatting up TomKat before the game…what does that tell us about YOU!!!”

-“There are team specific issues for sure and some individual issues for sure but the owner ultimately is a loser”

On Sunday, Washington Redskins’ running back Clinton Portis passed Earl Campbell for 26^th on the NFL career rushing list, while carrying the ball 25 times for 98 yards.  It was his highest total since last November, but also his ninth straight game below the century mark.

Portis’ 70 yards-per-game average is his worst since his rookie year, when he went on to finish above 1,500 yards.  His yards-per-carry average of 3.90 is his worst result through Week 4 of any of his 8 NFL seasons.  If it holds, it will be his third (out of six) Redskin season below 4.0 and his fourth below the NFL average (currently 4.19). 

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Has Portis lost it?  Is his lack of production bringing down the offense around him?  He certainly doesn’t think so, saying he thinks “on paper [Washington has] got the most talented team in the NFL,” soon “will do something special” and “from the 20 to the 20, we’re hell on wheels.”  Personally, he thinks “it’s only a matter of time before I have a 200-yard game. It’s only a matter of time before I have a 150-yard game. It’s only a matter of time before I get two or three touchdowns… I know it’s coming.”

However, those in the media haven’t exactly agreed, saying the tailback “hasn’t been himself this year,” has put up “meager running stats,” is “off to a slow start” leaving his team “seeking a spark in the running game,” and “may also be starting to show his age.”

Even John Riggins, who Portis will soon pass as the franchise’s all-time leading rusher has said the younger tailback may be on the decline.  Riggo noted (in between calling CP at “headache” and a “crybaby”) that “unless he changes the way he views himself and views his contributions to the team, then I think that that could be problematic for the Redskins.”

Portis has responded that Riggins “had a great offensive line” and “think of who else was around, you know? Really not hard to be a great running back when you’ve got all that talent and help around you. I think they just had great teams, you know?”  But despite all this research, Portis maintains “I don’t know nothing about this man, for real. I never went and watched John Riggins and studied his film, cared anything about him.”

Maybe he should have.  And maybe he should have listened to The Diesel when the latter warned that calling “his offensive line out last year — I didn’t think that was particularly wise. And I don’t think it really goes over very well in the workplace when you start criticizing people you work with and blaming them for your lack of production or because you’re not where you perceive yourself to be in the minds of everybody else.”

Despite all the public love thrown at CP by his coaches, teammates and even the team’s brass at Redskin Park, Washington may not think there’s much left in the tank.  Just this season, the Redskins have: given Ladell Betts the third-down back role, activated former practice squad-ers Marcus Mason & Anthony Aldridge, and even worked out former Titans RB and NFL substance abuse policy-violator Chris Henry.  This comes just one season after signing former Seahawk Sean Alexander off the street.

Portis received a $9.3 million bonus last March, is a $6.2 million cap charge this year, and is due to make $7.2 million in 2010, $8.3 million in 2011, and $8.5 million in 20212 and 2013.  Given the rate at which his production is going, management may want to reconsider.

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For all the talk of Virginia HC Al Groh’s ability to recruit, develop, and ultimately send talent to the next level, has he really improved the talent in the program?

Many certainly think so, and often argue that Groh has been unable to translate the higher talent level into victories.  This generally is and has been the criticism of the HC from afar, with the sound-bite laden argument contrasting NFL draft picks with regular- & post-season mediocrity.

Bloggers have posted that:

• Groh’s NFL draftees & free agent signees represent “a lot of a talent for a team that has never finished better than losing the Gator Bowl… it is not the players fault but the coaches who are not able to implement a solid game plan.”
• People outside of Scott Stadium see ”a team of NFL talent and they wonder why Groh can’t win more.”
• Groh “produces a lot of NFL talent – first-round picks in fact – but can’t seem to win many games with them at Virginia.”

But it’s not just the blogosphere…  Media ‘experts’ agree:

• The Sporting News’ Matt Hayes said “Groh has proven he can recruit, and has significantly increased the talent level in Charlottesville.”
• Sports Illustrated’s Stewart Mandel, in ranking Groh the worst coach in America in 2007, stated Groh “has produced his share of talent in Charlottesville.”
• ESPN’s Even Mark Schlabach has argued that Groh has vastly improved the Cavaliers’ talent” but “has been unable to parlay that talent into much on-field success.”

Even Groh himself has said “I think the talent base has improved.  It’s solidified.  That was my first objective, to get the talent base at a level that would improve the play-making skill of the team. That is the key thing.”

I was driven to take a closer look when I saw Southern Pigskin’s recent “Perfect Ten” of Virginia’s top players since 1975:

1. Thomas Jones, RB (1996-1999)
2. Chris Slade, DE (1989-1992)
3. Jim Dombrowski, OT (1982-1985)
4. Tiki Barber, RB (1993-1996)
5. Ronde Barber, CB (1993-1996)
6. Herman Moore, WR (1987-1990)
7. Chris Long, DE (2004-2007)
8. Anthony Poindexter, S (1995-1998)
9. D’Brickashaw Ferguson (2002-2005)
10. Heath Miller, TE (2002-2005)

Only three – Long, Ferguson & Miller – were coached by Groh, and Miller was actually recruited by his predecessor, George Welsh.  Welsh had a much longer tenure (to date), but still has much more of the list even if you remove Slade, Dombrowski, and Moore.  Not to mention other Welsh players like Ray Roberts, Shawn Moore, Terry Kirby, James Farrior, Jeff Lageman, etc. who probably have a case to be in the Top 10.  But that’s another subject for another day…

From 2002-2009, 27 Virginia players were selected in the NFL draft – an average of 3.4 per year in drafts after seasons in which Groh was the HC, including five first-rounder’s.  In the prior eight drafts, 25 Welsh-coached players were selected (including four first-rounder’s) for an average of 3.1 per year.  Groh may get a slight edge here, but consider that eight of the 27 (Antwoine Womack, Monsanto Pope, Chris Luzar, Billy McMullen, Angelo Crowell, Matt Schaub, Andrew Hoffman, Chris Canty) were on Welsh’s former team, and at least six others (Marques Hagans, Elton Brown, Alvin Pearman, Heath Miller, Pat Estes, Darryl Blackstock) were recruited to some degree by Welsh before he retired.

In the final five drafts after Welsh seasons, 3.8 players were taken each year, including six in both 1997 and 1999.  Over that five-year span, there were seven 1^st or 2^nd round selections, more than in all eight of the drafts following Groh-led seasons (6).  And that doesn’t even include some of Welsh’s best players – Slade (round 2), Dombrowski (1), Kirby (3), Roberts (1), Blundin (2), Herman Moore (1), Lageman (1), and John Ford (2).

Groh has coached 17 first-team all-ACC players, including a high of five in 2004, for a per-year average of 2.1.  In Welsh’s final 8 seasons he averaged 3.9.  Granted, the conference has been bigger of late (additions of Miami, BC, and VPI since Welsh’s retirement), but this one is still no comparison.  During the aforementioned span, Welsh put 3+ players on the first-team in five of the eight years, including seven in 1998, and six each in 1995 & 1996.  Groh saw five players on the 2004 first-team, but had 3 or fewer in every other year.

The single position Redskins’ brass felt the most comfortable with heading into the 2009 season was that of punter.  In April, the team inked Hunter Smith, the Colts’ 10-year starter to a modest 1-year contract (veteran’s minimum of $845k + signing bonus of $50k).  Smith wasn’t selected in the first round like Ray Guy, and doesn’t make the millions that Shane Lechler, Brian Moorman, or even Matt McBriar do.  He hasn’t even made a Pro Bowl, but his reputation & pedigree were enough for Washington to part ways with 2008 punter Ryan Plackemeier and former Eagle Dirk Johnson, another spring signee, leaving Smith alone at Redskin Park for punting drills.

Smith did not miss a game during his decade in Indianapolis, and despite – as put by Len Pasquarelli – “never [being] noted as a directional punter and a player who often outkicked his coverage, Smith nonetheless had 193 punts inside the 20-yard line and just 61 touchbacks” over that 10-year span.  His 2008 averages of 44.2 gross and 38.8 net (career-high), looked other-wordly compared to the Redskins’ 40.5 (29^th in the NFL) and 33.4 (last in the NFL), respectively.  His two touchbacks were also the fewest in the NFL among punters with enough punts to qualify.

HC Jim Zorn called the signing of Smith “huge… when you talk free agent acquisitions, that was as good an acquisition, potentially, as Albert Haynesworth or DeAngelo Hall because it directly impacts field position. We are going to have to punt this year, and when we punt it’s just going to be a tremendous asset to us with our punting and our punt coverage.”  Special teames coach Danny Smith (no relation) says “Hunter’s going to be out of sight.  Hunter’s a punter. It’s been a long time since we had one of them. Wherever we say the ball is going, it’s a pretty good chance that’s where it’s going to be. We stopped calling where the ball was going to be in the past because we didn’t know, nor did the punter know.”

In addition to kicking, Coach Danny has aslo said Hunter “might be the best holder in the history of the game” following stints playing Lucy to Mike Vanderjagt’s & Adam Vinatieri’s Charlie Brown.  If you’re interested in the GHOAT debate, see a lengthy article on the subject by the AP’s Joe White here.

Back to punting, and Redskins’ fans have to wonder if it was smart not to keep Plackemeri, Johnson, or any other punter-off-the-street around for the preseason.  In June, WT beat man David Elfin noted that Danny Smith’s “biggest concern about Hunter Smith is that he doesn’t overkick during training camp,” but there have been no other punters in a Redskins uniform since then.  Smith punted nine times in the opener at Baltimore and admitted he was “a little tired” after “kind of get[ting] used to it. In Indianapolis I never got used to it.”  Smith said that punters “always are prepared for preseason games to be punt-fests” but yet he only punted nine times in all five Colts preseason games combined last summer.  Smith only punted nine times in one of his 175 regular- and post-season games with Indianapolis, and that was more than seven years ago.

In his first ten regular seasons, Smith punted an average of 3.6 times per game.  Over the past five seasons that average has been 3.2.  With five punts Saturday night, Smith’s average this preseason stands at a whopping 7.0… with more likely to come.  Over the past three seasons, Smith never punted more than 7 times in a game and only punted 5+ times in three games each season.  In 2008 Washington averaged more than 5 punts per game, and finished the season with Plackemeier punting 6, 7, 6, 8, and 5 times down the stretch.

At least Smith has what he thinks are the right shoes for the job, sporting flashy burgundy & gold spikes during camp made of “a synthetic” with “no seams on the entire shoe,” making “a really good platform for the ball to come off of.”  Naturally, he got “the idea from Fred Smoot.”

That might be all he and Smoot have in common.  The latter was convicted a few years back on disorderly conduct and being a public nuisance on a watercraft during the Minnesota Vikings “Love Boat” scandal, while the former is one-half of the Christian rock band Connersvine.  Smoot probably doesn’t want you to read about the specifics of his most famous off-the-field activity, and went as far in 2007 to claim that “nothing happened on that boat.”  Smith, on the other hand, is proud of his band (“not so much a Christian rock band as we are Christians who play rock music”) and even gave a copy of his CD to Zorn.

Ralph ‘The Fridge’ Friedgen

Peak: 401 (September 2008)

Current: 306 (July 2009)

• Friedgen: “I was born 150 pounds“
• Frank Beamer: “”I like the look… I’ve got pictures of him when he was about 240“
• Andy Reid (via Friedgen): “He told the Medifast people that he wants he and I to do a swimsuit calendar” Mother of Darrius Heyward-Bey (via Friedgen): “She said, ‘You know, Coach, that blue field makes you look skinny. We’ve got to get one of them at Maryland.’ “
• James Franklin: “There was a time when we were out recruiting, and his stomach let out a growl that was unbelievable”

Mike ‘BMW’ Williams  

Peak: 450 (January 2009)

Current: 342 (July 2009)

• Williams: “I could write a book on the wrong ways because I’ve done them all”
• Joe Bugel: “I almost fell on the floor when I saw him”
• Fred Smoot: Mike Williams is BMW: “Big Mike Williams, BMW“
• Williams: “For linemen in the NFL, it’s very important that if your wife or significant other is cooking for you when you come home … you can’t cook the same meal every night, because if he gets tired of it, he may stray off and maybe get a burger or a pizza just to appease his appetite”

Cordarrow ‘Taco’ Thompson

Peak: 340-250 (2007)

Current: 301 (August 2009)

• Bud Foster: “Gravy was a beverage for him in that family”
• Frank Beamer: He “made a statement” by losing several pounds
• Thompson: “I had to drink gallons and gallons of water to stay full“
• Thompson: “They call me Slim Taco now”

Yes, Virginia, The New York Times cares about college sports.  Even college football.  Quite a bit, in fact.  The Quad is the NYT’s college sports blog, and is in the middle of an in-depth countdown of all 120 Division I (FBS) teams.

Al Groh’s Cavaliers check in at spot #81 for 2009, ahead of only Duke (#96) in the ACC.  The Times points out the obvious in stating that “if Virginia is to improve in 2009, the offense must begin to carry its weight.”  The hiring of Gregg Brandon as OC is called “a very good start” and “a wise move by Groh.”  However, Brandon inherits “likely the A.C.C.’s worst group of skill players,” the result of Virginia’s “inability over the past handful of recruiting cycles to sign and enroll top recruits.”

At QB, Vic Hall is “not the type of passer you’d hope for in Brandon’s offense,” but “is the favorite to start the season opener.”  Jameel Sewell is seen as “likely to “eventually reclaim his starting spot” from 2007’s 9-win team.  The OC will “implement a pass-first version of the spread offense” but be “without the services of its [top] five pass catchers from a season ago; no returning player had more than 15 receptions last fall, and no returning receiver had more than 12.”  Perhaps as a result, offensive strengths listed by the NYT include “a solid, experienced line, albeit one that lacks the star power of recent years” and a potentially “improved performance from the Virginia running game,” given a healthy Mikell Simpson. 

Interestingly Brandon’s old team (Bowling Green) is ranked five spots lower at #86, as his successor – former Richmond HC and Tennessee OC Dave Clawson – goes about “implementing new schemes” and attempting “to run more than his predecessor did.”

On the other side of the ball, there is rebuilding at LB – “an integral unit in Virginia’s 3-4 defense” – where “the Cavaliers must find three new starters.”  The defense is called “strong on the line and in the secondary, where its cornerback depth is as good as any in the A.C.C.”  On the DL, “seven of its top eight” return, “making the unit the most experienced on the defense.”  The Times is “excited about the potential of the secondary, which returns two starters from 2008 — the talented junior Ras-I Dowling and the sophomore Chase Minnifield — and a third past starter, Chris Cook, who missed all of last fall.”   Safety may finally be a strength as well, with Rodney McLeod moving over from CB to team with Corey Mosley.  As DC, Groh (“very much on the hot seat” as HC) has “shown the ability to keep his teams in games with an inept offensive coordinator.”

Regarding the schedule, the NYT calls the Indiana, @Maryland, Georgia Tech, Duke, @Miami six-game (in six weeks) portion “a big stretch for the Cavaliers. Go 4-2, and the team will likely get to .500 and reach a bowl game. Anything less, and Virginia will need to get an upset or two to improve upon last year’s finish.”  Optimistically, if the “defense is stellar and the offense not terrible” nine wins are possible.  However, if the offense continues to sputter and “the defense takes a step back… sounds like a 4-8 season.”  The ultimate prediction is closer to the latter…

“Perhaps simply adding Brandon will be good enough to see the team fight for the top spot in the Coastal division. Yes, perhaps. But not likely. I see the Cavaliers repeating the 5-7 record of a season ago; if that is the case, the university may opt to go in a new direction at head coach.”