I know this might be a tad early, but here's my guess as to who makes the starting 53-man roster come opening day against the Cowboys on September 12 (Sunday Night):

Offense (Today)
Defense and Special Teams (Tomorrow)



Let's begin:

Quarterbacks

QB1: Donovan McNabb
QB2: Rex Grossman
QB3: Colt Brennan

We know that McNabb is the starting QB and Rex is the backup. The big question is, who will be the emergency third-string backup? My guess is on Colt - I really hope he gets a good chance during the preseason to succeed. We've seen some glimmers of hope, so I hope he gets more reps than Richard Bartel, who is batting Colt for the last QB spot on the roster.

UPDATE (8.1.10):
Coach Mike Shanahan has said yesterday that we might carry only TWO QB's when the season begins. This is a bad sign for the two youngsters - Colt and Richard.

UPDATE (8.2.10):
With the trade of CB Doug Dutch to the Ravens for QB John Beck, Colt Brennan has been released by the team.

So long, Colt! We'll miss you!



Running Backs

RB1: Clinton Portis
RB2: Larry Johnson
RB3: Ryan Torain

If Portis participates well during Training Camp and runs through the D during the preseason, he will claim the starting RB spot. The battle is for the backup and the third RB spot on the roster - fighting for the spots are ex-Chief Larry Johnson, ex-Steeler Willie Parker and ex-Bronco Ryan Torain. Out of the three, I, like many, believe Parker will be cut - the sole reason is that Johnson has a more promising future as the third-down back and Torain has been in Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shanahan's system before in Houston and in Denver.

Fullbacks

FB1: Mike Sellers

No question about it, Mike Sellers is the starting and only true fullback on the current 80+ person roster right now.

Tight Ends

TE1: Chris Cooley
TE2: Fred Davis
TE3: Dennis Morris

The first two spots are entrenched - with Cooley taking the #1 TE spot and Davis the backup. Both are great pass-catching TE's. The third TE spot is what is up for grabs- among the contenders are Dennis Morris (a rookie from Louisiana Tech University), Logan Paulsen (rookie from UCLA) and two-year veteran Lee Vickers. I don't know much, but of the three, I think Morris will excel in Training Camp and in the four preseason games.

Wide Receivers

WR1: Santana Moss
WR2: Devin Thomas
WR3: Joey Galloway
WR4: Malcolm Kelly

The battle here is who will take the slot receiver position (WR2) and who will be the backup WR's. I believe with what I saw from last season - Thomas will be in the slot, and wily vet Joey Galloway will get the third WR position. Kelly, who is coming off surgery in the offseason, will hopefully make it onto the team, since he, unlike the other WR's is the tallest heading into the preseason games.

Left Tackle

LT1: Trent Williams
LT2: Will Robinson

The test here is for the backup LT spot - between second-year Will Robinson and first-year Clint Oldenburg. I do not know anything about either player, but my money is on Robinson.

Left Guard

LG1: Edwin Williams
LG2: Derrick Dockery

Ahh! Our first battle for a starting position - between Maryland alum Edwin Williams and ex-Bill Derrick Dockery. Being a Maryland student myself, I hope Williams starts for the Redskins, but I wouldn't be surprised if the veteran takes the starting Left Guard position.

Center

C1: Casey Rabach

Like the fullback position, there is no one opposing the center position (unless Rabach gets injured)

Right Guard

RG1: Artis Hicks
RG2: Chad Rinehart

This spot is literally up for grabs, since Mike Williams is out for the year with a clogged artery (we wish him the best).

Right Tackle

RT1: Jammal Brown
RT2: Stephon Heyer

After acquiring Brown from the Super Bowl-winning Saints, the battle is for the backup right tackle position - with this position being the premier offensive line position in the NFL. I believe Heyer will beat out the rookie Selvish Capers from West Virginia University.

There you have it, folks. That's 23 22 of the 53 positions already filled. The other thirty will come tomorrow.

The Sad Tale of Albert Haynesworth

Over the past several days months, we have seen a player act like a little kid - whining his way to get what he wants. Yes, I am talking about that Albert Haynesworth. During the offseason of 2009, the Redskins and owner Daniel Snyder, being their normal selves, spent over $100 million to pry him from the Tennessee Titans. As usual, the veteran FA's (Free-Agents) that the Redskins bring in usually disappoint.

We saw lots of this when he was with the Titans

Reason is that, when a player is in a contract year (a la Haynesworth in 2008), they tend to play beyond expectations that year. Once they get paid the big $$$, they tend to regress the following year. What made the past season a lot worse on the defensive side is that Haynesworth would wear himself out on first and second down and go to the sidelines because of a "major injury" (basically, be was fatigued and had little stamina) and would miss the important down - third down. And this did not happen one or twice. This scene occurred frequently - pissing off the fans at the game and watching the game on TV.

But we saw a lot of this when he was with the Redskins
(Courtesy of Yahoo!)

In the offseason, he was to get in game shape with the new regime coming in (New General Manager Bruce Adams and new Head Coach Mike Shanahan) for the 2010 season and beyond. Unfortunately, Haynesworth did NOT report to the voluntary OTA's (Organized Team Activities) - where players would unite as a whole from April - July (the down time in the NFL year) and form a cohesive unit and learn the X's and O's from the new coaches - even though he took the $21 million saying he'll stay with the team.

His main complaint was that he was to be the standard nose tackle in a 3-4 defense - a transition from the 4-3 defense in 2009- that he did not like. Therefore, as childish as it may seem, he boycotted the OTA's until an agreement was made. Jim Haslett, the former New Orleans Saints and St. Louis Rams head coach, was signed as part of the new regime to become the current defensive coordinator - whose defenses rely on stripping the ball and scoring TD's. What Haynesworth didn't realize, however, is that he is not solely the NT. In Haslett's fluid system, defensive tackles and nose tackles can become defensive ends and vice-versa.

What made the situation worse during the offseason was that former Redskins (i.e. LaVar Arrington) and current teammates both ripped him into shreads, mainly because he was a me-first type of player.


 If you read here, Fletcher really believes Big Al is a selfish player



Because of his boycott and his not-so-great conditioning - see here and here - Haynesworth will be participating on the second team to try and get up-to-speed with Shanny's system.

Just because Haynesworth has failed the conditioning test to get into training camp twice does NOT mean Shanny is being very harsh on him - other, more heavier players (i.e. 350 lb. Maake Kemoeatu, 365 lb. Howard Green and  360 lb. Anthony Bryant) all completed the test on their first try. (btw, Haynesworth is 310 - was originally 350, but lost 40 lbs. in the offseason). Shanny is just being the strict disciplinarian, believing that no one player on this team is above the law - what a great head coach should do after the debacle, the circus of Jim Zorn's mess in 2009.

I'm back!

Wow. It has been a long time since my last post - more than a year. Since my last post, we have a new Batman and Robin (move over, A-Roid and Jeter); Spain has taken over the sporting world; the Washington franchises have a bright future ahead of them; and we have seen a plethora of pitching displays unlike any other - this after baseball's steroid allegations have died down.

TO sleeping on the job

Today, I'll be talking about what everyone's been chatting about - Terrell Owens joining the Bungles. Since when did these cats turn into the Cowboys? They have TO, Pacman and Tank Johnson - all of whom played for the 'Boys years ago. I think this match of TO and Chad Johnson Ochocinco will be a perfect fit. Both are identical receivers (outside of Owens' bad hands) and have had a troubled childhood before entering the NFL. Most importantly, though, is that they are were NFL divas. Both have reached a point in their careers as wily old veteran wide receivers who would benefit with a veteran QB. Not only that, but the Bengals have a talented running back in Cedric Benson. With the addition of Owens, the defense will be forced to double-team Ochocinco and thus open running lanes for Benson - who might have a Pro-Bowl-caliber season ahead of him.



The problem is that Owens is a trash-talker, on-and-off-the-field. When he was with the 49ers, he jawed with Jeff Garcia; with the Eagles, he and Donovan McNabb (now a Redskin) would go back-and-forth on the sidelines; the same goes with Tony Romo and Owens. We did not hear much of that when TO was with the Bills, but that's because the whole team was AWFUL. With his age and his contract (only a one-year deal), he should better keep his mouth shut - otherwise disaster may ensue.

Since I am a Redskins fan, I am glad he has joined another AFC team. We will not have to face the Bengals for at least another year.

What do you think of Terrell Owens joining the Cincinnati Bengals?