Redskins 2014 Training Camp: A New Beginning

Players appeared in good spirits  today as the 2014 Washington Redskins officially opened the doors to Bon Secours Training Facility in Richmond, VA to the fans (albeit in a heavy downpour).  Newly signed free agent safety Ryan Clark entertained the crowd with chatter from under an umbrella and then decided it was time to find his helmet after his defensive back teammates had already endured five minutes of drills.  

Quarterback Robert Griffin, III took some time out to speak to a child who had been “crying” for him to come over for several minutes.  The child’s mother explained to Griffin that the child was autistic and that he was her favorite player.  He obliged by speaking with her and then went back to work with his teammates in the rain.

Practice was very work-man-like, the rain having taken away from what might have been a more festive atmosphere.  Nevertheless, fans cheered on their favorite players.  There was a sequence when tight end Jordan Reed jumped offside during a play and the fans playfully let him know about it.  

During wide receiver drills, Santana Moss led the group followed by Pierre Garçon and then newly signed All-Pro DeSean Jackson.  The drills were crisp as I was particularly impressed with the size of rookie Cody 
Hoffman  out of Brigham Young University.  His size could be a factor in whether he makes the final 53-man roster as could the health of the team’s other larger wide out, Leonard Hankerson.  Hoffman is listed as 6’4′, 210 lbs., which clearly makes him the Redskins’ largest receiver.  Remember that head coach Jay Gruden’s offense in Cincinnati had A.J. Greene catching balls (6’4″, 207lbs.) as well as Marvin Jones (6’2″, 198 lbs.) and Mohamed Sanu (6’2″, 210 lbs.). The one smaller guy on the Bengals’ roster —  a slot guy, Andrew Hawkins, is 5’7″, 180 lbs. — recently departed for the Cleveland Browns.

Although reps during practices may be hard to come by, let alone a roster spot at one of the teams deepest positions, a taller receiver could come in handy… especially in the redzone when teams will undoubtedly be keying in on Jordan Reed. As before, all of this may hinge on the health and production of Hankerson who, as of the first day of camp, is on the preseason PUP list. This means a player can do everything but practice or play in games with the team while they’re in training camp. They still have access to trainers and medical facilities and can participate in meetings.

During the full practice session, quarterback Robert Griffin, III threw a couple of nice long passes, some of which were caught by receiver Aldrick Robinson and as well as dropped by Jackson. Overall, Griffin was a little erratic as his timing and progressions seemed to be off.  His timing with Jackson was slow to develop but as the Baylor grad said during his press conference: “One practice doesn’t make or break anything.”

Griffin’s backup, Kurt Cousins, looked good.  He was comfortable in the pocket and made some really impressive throws.  His timing and accuracy was much more definitive than his counterpart’s. 

A player that stood out to me was second-round draft pick, linebacker Trent Murphy. His size and technique really popped out as he made a couple of nice plays. One in particular was when he knocked over Jordan Reed as he got his hands on tight end in the flat and prevented him from continuing his route.  Another was when he knocked down one of the other tight ends on the roster, Niles Paul, on a run play.  The exceptional use of his hands, in my opinion, gives him an advantage over a lot of rookies who enter the league not really owning their techniques.

The weather clearly played a factor in this mornings practice so it will be interesting to see what happens during this afternoon’s walk-through.  One thing is for certain… Coach Gruden didn’t hold back, even though it was a monsoon out there.  The signal has been sent that this group will get after it.