The Washington Redskins’ added one of the last missing pieces to their offense by agreeing to terms on a one-year deal with veteran running back Tim Hightower.

That adds Hightower to a running back mix that features Roy Helu, Evan Royster and sixth-rounder Alfred Morris. Let the competition begin.

The team will hold its first round of organized team activities next week. They will run on May 21, 23 and 24th, May 29-31 and June 4-7. The team’s mandatory minicamp takes place June 11-14, and then comes a lull in the action until late July, when training camp kicks off.

Many starting jobs appear to be decided, but some remain up for grabs. Sure, it’s early and a lot could – and likely will – change between now and the start of the season. But let’s take a look at the projected starting lineups and possible position battles on offense and defense.

OFFENSE:

QB Robert Griffin III

RB Tim Hightower. Challengers: Roy Helu, Evan Royster

FB Darrel Young

TE Fred Davis. Challenger: Chris Cooley

WR: Pierre Garcon, Josh Morgan, Leonard Hankerson. Challengers: Santana Moss, Anthony Armstrong, Brandon Banks, Aldrick Robinson, Terrence Austin

LT: Trent Williams

LG: Kory Lichtensteiger. Challengers: Josh LeRibeus, Adam Gettis, Maurice Hurt

C: Will Montgomery

RG: Chris Chester

RT: Jammal Brown. Challengers: Willie Smith, Tyler Polumbus

Notes: Hightower is coming back from a torn ACL, but Redskins coaches consider him valuable. He’s the most well-rounded of the backs on the roster and a strong leader. Helu and Royster aim to overtake him with a year of playing time under their belts. … The Redskins don’t currently have a backup fullback on the roster, but Kyle Shanahan’s three-receiver and double-tight end sets often eliminate the need for a fullback. … It will be interesting to see how things play out at wide receiver, where Garcon and Morgan, or Hankerson, will likely start. Those three are likely to be on the field together often, with either Morgan or Hankerson lining up in the slot. How does that affect Santana Moss? Judging by Coach Mike Shanahan’s comments last week, it sounds as if the soon-to-be 33-year-old will be reduced to a reserve role. But he also has Banks and Robinson eying snaps at that slot receiver position. … Lichtensteiger continues to make progress in his return from torn knee ligaments, but LeRibeus (who also is being groomed as a backup center) or Gettis could contend for that starting left guard job. … Right tackle will be interesting. Shanahan says he feels much better about Jammal Brown and his hip after an offseason of rehab, but will the former Pro Bowl tackle be able to truly return to form? If not, does the team go with a promising second-year player in Smith with Polumbus and sixth-rounder Tom Compton as the backup tackles? … Another key competition is at kicker, where incumbent Graham Gano and free agent signing Neil Rackers face off.

DEFENSE

DE: Adam Carriker. Challenger: Jarvis Jenkins

NT: Barry Cofield

DE: Stephen Bowen

OLB: Ryan Kerrigan

ILB: London Fletcher

ILB: Perry Riley

OLB: Brian Orakpo

CB: DeAngelo Hall

CB Josh Wilson

SS: Brandon Meriweather. Challengers: Reed Doughty, DeJon Gomes

FS: DeJon Gomes. Challengers: Tanard Jackson, Madieu Williams, Doughty

Notes: The front seven remains intact thanks to the re-signings of Fletcher and Carriker, but the team gets a valuable addition with the return of Jenkins, who missed all of his rookie season with a torn ACL. He figures to see significant snaps at both left and right defensive end. The team also brought back the reliable Kedric Golston, who can spell either end as well, and is counting on second-year pro Chris Neild for depth at nose tackle. … Hall and Wilson both return, but there will be competition at nickelback. Kevin Barnes remains under contract, but the team signed veteran Leigh Torrence and undrafted rookie Chase Minnifield, and also has second-year back, Brandyn Thompson. And where does Cedric Griffin fit? … The biggest question mark involves the two safety positions. Gone are LaRon Landry and Oshiomogho Atogwe, and there are some uncertainties about nearly every player in the mix. Can Meriweather return to the two-time Pro Bowl form he showed in New England in 2009 and 2010, or will he disappoint as he did in Chicago, where he lost his job after four games? Can Gomes flourish in his second season and hold down the free safety duties? Or will one of two free agent signings, Jackson or Williams, claim the job?

More on the Redskins:

Monk is lead plaintiff in concussion lawsuit

Throwback uniforms

Upgrades at Redskins Park

Competitors: London Fletcher, Perry Riley, Lorenzo Alexander, Keenan Robinson, Jonathan Goff

The Redskins finally re-signed London Fletcher (hallelujah), so naturally he can be expected to start all 16 games and make a thousand more tackles this year.

The big question mark here is at the other 3-4 inside linebacker spot, where they have four legitimate options to work with.

Perry Riley has a lot of physical strengths, but he has shown weaknesses in coverage. In a 3-4 defense, the inside linebackers are often asked to drop back in coverage on a tight end or running back.

Lorenzo Alexander has been terrific on special teams, but he may be the Reed Doughty of the linebacking core—a smart player who makes tackles, but just doesn’t have the athletic ability to get consistent playing time.

Keenan Robinson and Jonathan Goff are the two mysteries of this group.              

Robinson is a rookie from Texas who showed great athleticism at the combine. In theory, his speed makes him best suited for the job, but he is just a rookie and thus carries rookie expectations.

Goff is even more vexing—in 2010, Goff recorded 80 tackles with the Giants and looked great. He tore his ACL after that great campaign, however, and missed the entire 2011 season. If he can recover and return to form, what a duo he and Fletcher could form up the middle.

Prediction: Everything hinges on Goff’s injury. If he heals, he should be the guy. If not, look for Riley to play a lot on running downs and a combination of Alexander and Robinson on passing downs.

Ask any Redskins fan how Brian Orakpo did last year and you’ll probably hear the same thing, “Once Kerrigan got there, Orakpo took a step back.” From an “eyeball test” standpoint, many fans and critics alike think that Orakpo had a down year in 2011. 

Maybe the league is starting to figure him out? Maybe he peaked in his rookie year?

Where does this school of thought come from?

Some will point out that his sack numbers have been down since his rookie year. Others may say it was the switch to the 3-4 that hurt him.

But in 2011, Brian Orakpo set a career high for combined tackles, assists, pass deflections and forced fumbles.

At his right outside linebacker spot, Orakpo is routinely going up against the best athlete on the opposition’s offensive line. With the emergence of Ryan Kerrigan, the backfield chips and double-teams may not necessarily go to Orakpo each time.

However, if Orakpo and Kerrigan have the ability to swap spots on any given down, it adds another dimension to the defense. When an offense picks out a particular weakness or strength in either players’ game, they are going to develop there game plan to either offset or take advantage of what the OLBs are presenting.

If an offense doesn’t know whether or not Orakpo is rushing from the strong side or weak side or if Kerrigan is dropping into coverage or delaying a blitz from either side, it will keep the offense on their toes. Opposing quarterbacks will have to consistently make more adjustments at the line to try and adapt on the fly.

Great defenses excel when they put their Pro Bowlers in the best positions to succeed. The Cowboys move DeMarcus Ware all around their defensive front throughout a game. Even though it’s not a direct correlation, the Steelers allow Troy Polamalu to line up in a number of different spots pre-snap.

With London Fletcher back and a healthy Jarvis Jenkins, Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan are going to be a force to reckon with. Add in the extra dimension of strong-side/weak-side interoperability and the Redskins front seven will be downright dangerous. 

The selection of Cousins — projected by many scouts and analysts to be an eventual starter in the NFL — came two days after the Redskins made Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III the face of their franchise by taking him with the second overall pick of the draft.

The Redskins introduced Griffin to 19,880 fans at FedEx Field on Saturday, roughly an hour after they selected Cousins and around an hour before news broke that they were parting ways with Beck.

The winningest quarterback in Michigan State history, Cousins caught the Redskins’ eyes at the Senior Bowl where he was a member of the North team. Mike Shanahan and his Redskins staff coached the South team, and Cousins said during that week in Mobile, Ala., he spoke with both Shanahan and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan. But since then, he has had no contact with the team and never expected the Redskins to draft him.

“It is a little surprising. I was trying to forecast which teams would be in need of a quarterback, and I didn’t see the Redskins thinking along those lines,” the 6-foot-2, 214-pound Cousins said on Saturday. “But Coach Shanahan’s words to me were that he couldn’t pass me up, and he was excited to have me. . . . Certainly, with Robert Griffin, there’s a lot of hope in him in being part of their future. But I’m excited to be a part of their organization and help that team win football games.”

Saturday marked the first time since 1989 that a team has taken two quarterbacks in the first four rounds of the draft. (That year, the Cowboys drafted Troy Aikman and Steve Walsh).

It also marks the first time since 1994 that the Redskins have taken two quarterbacks in the same draft. That year, Washington took Heath Shuler with the third overall pick of the draft and then drafted Gus Frerotte in the seventh round. Shuler wound up as one of the biggest quarterback busts of all time, while Frerotte reached the Pro Bowl two seasons later.

Mike Shanahan on Thursday described Griffin as a franchise quarterback but is fond of competition, and now has set up Griffin to have a talented young passer to push him.

“I’m going to work as hard as I can,” Cousins said. “There are a lot of things I can’t control, like where I get drafted. I’m just excited to be part of the NFL. At the end of the day, I believe God is in control of my future, and this is where I believe he wants me at this time.”

Meanwhile, the release of Beck doesn’t come as much of a surprise.

Last season, he went 0-3 as a starter while throwing four interceptions and only two touchdowns. He struggled with decision making, was sacked 16 times, was hesitant to throw downfield, and teammates quickly lost confidence in him.

Beck was owed $1.35 million this season, and considering that the Redskins carried only two quarterbacks on their roster last season, it seemed unlikely that they would retain him at that figure.

Washington acquired Beck from the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for backup defensive back Doug Dutch late in training camp of 2010. The team then signed Beck to a two-year extension only three weeks later.

Beck didn’t play a game in 2010, but entered training camp the following year as a contender for the starting job. Mike Shanahan said he was confident that Beck, who at that point hadn’t played a game since his rookie year in 2007, was capable of being a quality starter in the NFL.

But Grossman beat Beck out for the starting job following preseason. Grossman got benched for throwing four interceptions against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 5, and Beck played the fourth quarter of that game, and started the next three games. But he struggled to perform under pressure, and Grossman reclaimed his job the day before Washington played Miami in Week 10.

Cousins was Washington’s first pick of the fourth round, and then 17 picks later, they selected Texas linebacker Keenan Robinson. The 6-foot-3, 242-pounder spent all of his college career at outside linebacker. But the Redskins plan to move him to inside linebacker, where he will be groomed behind 36-year-old London Fletcher.

In the fifth round, Washington added their second guard of the draft, taking Iowa’s Adam Gettis. The sixth round featured the selection of Florida Atlantic running back Alfred Morris and South Dakota tackle Tom Compton. In the seventh round, the team drafted SMU cornerback Richard Crawford and Iowa safety Jordan Bernstine.

Now that NFL.com has confirmed that the New York Giants have acquired ex-Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers for a 2012 fifth-rounder, the Redskins should sign former Big Blue starter Jonathan Goff.

According to the New York Times, the Giants may use the trade of Rivers as an opportunity to move Michael Boley into Goff’s sot at middle linebacker. Goff visited the Cleveland Browns earlier in free agency and yesterday visited the Miami Dolphins. The Giants cap limits have meant they have only offered minimum length deals to many of their free agents this offseason.

The Redskins front office has yet to reach a new deal with defensive leader London Fletcher. Moves made this week, including finding room for contracts for Leigh Torrence, Madieu Williams and James Lee, leaves the question, why has Fletcher still not been re-signed?

The inside linebacker is crucial to Washington’s defense and his loss would leave a huge hole in the front seven. Goff has the attributes to man the middle of the Redskins’ 3-4 scheme and could revive his career in D.C.

At 6’2″ and 241 pounds, he has the size necessary to plug the middle and take on blockers in coordinator Jim Haslett’s 2-gap system. Goff is a stout run defender with sure tackling technique and excellent instincts.

He is more of a thumper in the middle, possessing decent downhill quickness, but lacking true range and athleticism. However, Goff compensates for these deficiencies with natural smarts and the ability to diagnose plays.

A career 4-3 ‘backer, Goff has the intelligence to make a quick transition to the nuances and requirements of Washington’s 3-4 front. The only serious question mark surrounding him is durability.

Goff missed the entire 2011 campaign with an ACL injury. The Redskins front office would need to be sure that the ailment hasn’t robbed Goff of the necessary mobility and initial quickness to succeed.

He would need to quickly demonstrate that he is capable of returning to his 2010 level. Goff started all 16 games that year and tallied 80 solo tackles and one sack.

The 26-year-old is a savvy, young linebacker who has overcome a lot to earn starter’s status in the league. He fits the mould of the kind of player Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen have pursued in the last two free agency periods.

If he can prove his fitness, Goff could step in for Fletcher and develop in the scheme, or even learn from the veteran for a season before taking over. At the very least Goff would boost the Redskins’ depth at linebacker and provide insurance in case Fletcher finds a new team for 2012.

The team also brought in free agent strong safety Brandon Meriweather for a visit Wednesday, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Seemingly content to let strong safety LaRon Landry depart, the Redskins would fill a pressing need if they were able to sign the former Chicago Bear, a two-time Pro Bowl selection.

The team also must replace free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe, who was released Monday. But second-year pro DeJon Gomes and six-year veteran Reed Doughty, who saw significant time at that position last year, may be called on to fill that role.

The Redskins also will host free agent cornerback Aaron Ross on Friday, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed, and joined several teams pursuing free agent left guard Ben Grubbs, another person said Wednesday.

A five-year veteran with the Baltimore Ravens, the 6-foot-3, 311-pound Grubbs has started 70 of 74 games for the Ravens during his career. Ross has spent all five of his pro seasons with the New York Giants.

The Redskins face uncertainty at left guard. Starter Kory Lichtensteiger missed the final 10 games of the 2011 season after tearing his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments.

The Redskins expect Lichtensteiger to be ready to play by the start of training camp, but want to bolster their interior offensive line depth.

Meanwhile, Washington has yet to reach an agreement to re-sign inside linebacker London Fletcher, the team’s captain and the NFL’s leading tackler last season. The 36-year-old Fletcher and the Redskins both have expressed a desire to reach a deal, but it was unclear Wednesday how far apart they are.

The Redskins also lost a backup quarterback candidate when free agent Kyle Orton agreed to a contract with the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday.

The Redskins have quarterbacks Jonathan Crompton, who spent last year on the Redskins’ practice squad, and John Beck under contract. Last year’s starter, Rex Grossman, is a free agent. It’s not clear whether Orton’s decision to sign with the Cowboys will lead the Redskins to more strongly consider re-signing Grossman.

After Tuesday’s flurry of free agent signings, the Redskins have upgraded their wide receiver corps, analysts said. But they expressed mixed opinions about how much progress they had made.

Former Green Bay Packers wide receiver Antonio Freeman said the Redskins’ addition of Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan and their pursuit of Royal will help, but more needs to be done.

The Washington Redskins should target ferocious inside linebacker Bart Scott this offseason. Yesterday, NFL.com reported that Scott is unlikely to be back with the New York Jets in 2012.

It seems that the veteran is set to become one of the high-profile casualties of the Jets’ inevitable house cleaning, following their limp finish to the season.

Mike Shanahan should seriously consider adding Scott to the Redskins 3-4 defense. The 6’2″, 242-pounder is a vicious hitter and a highly aggressive presence in the middle of a 3-4 front.

Scott’s tough tackling and physicality would help improve the Redskins’ soft run defense. Jim Haslett’s unit could use an infusion of tenacity after ending 2011 by surrendering 67 points in two games.

The defense was outmuscled by the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16 and appeared unable to cope with the brute force of bruising back Toby Gerhart.

Scott would add a nasty streak to the defense and make the group more intimidating at the point of attack.

Scott is also an excellent blitzer, having played in Rex Ryan’s multiple fire zone schemes for most of his career.

This skill would make the 10-year pro a valuable weapon in the heavy blitz packages favoured by the Redskins defense.

With London Fletcher now 36, Perry Riley still growing into the position and Rocky McIntosh’s future in the 3-4 in doubt, the Redskins need to add another capable inside linebacker to the mix.

There won’t be many as qualified as Scott available. His abundance of 3-4 experience and fiery demeanour would provide the spark to elevate the Redskins defense from a solid unit to an elite one.

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — The Washington Redskins’ record is a matter of perspective.

Steve Spurrier infamously proclaimed 5-11 was “not very good” after his 2003 season with Washington. He quit the next day, done with the NFL after two years and a 12-20 record.

Mike Shanahan’s spin couldn’t be more different.

“Even though the record may not show it,” Shanahan said Monday, “we’re a much better football team than we were a year ago.”

The Redskins regressed from 6-10 to 5-11 this year, so Shanahan’s mark in two seasons in Washington stands at 11-21. He’s never had a worse full-season record as a head coach, and Washington has now finished in last place in the NFC East for four years running.

“Thank God I haven’t been through any like this before — I might not be in this profession very long,” Shanahan said. “But it’s something that really drives you and motivates you. It’s something that I look forward to doing, putting a great football team together and doing it the right way, and sometimes it takes a little bit longer than sometimes expected.”

Shanahan cited the team’s improved depth as evidence that he has the Redskins pointed in the right direction. Even so, there are significant upgrades needed at receiver, in the secondary, along the offensive line and in a special teams unit that had five blocked field goals this year — the most allowed by a team in the NFL in eight years.

But it all starts and ends with the quarterback, and Shanahan needs to find one.

After failing to make it work with Donovan McNabb last year, Shanahan made the bold statement that he was staking his reputation this season on Rex Grossman and John Beck. Grossman ended up committing 25 turnovers in 13 games, and Beck lasted for all of three winless starts.

“I don’t care what anybody says, I know what I can do and I know what I’m capable of — and I know that I will achieve it,” Beck said Monday before stuffing his belongings into a large clear plastic bag at his locker. “I thought it was going to happen this year. It didn’t. But it’s going to happen. I’m not going to let it not happen.”

Grossman’s self-confidence was just as strong. While Beck is under contract for next season, Grossman is a free agent — but it’s possible he could be brought back to mentor a quarterback taken in the first round of the draft.

“There’s a lot of things that I can do to improve,” Grossman said. “But definitely there was a lot of good, and we’ll see how they evaluate it.”

Shanahan has already starting looking for someone else. For weeks now, he has been spending about a half-hour in the mornings looking at video of the top college prospects. The Redskins hold the No. 6 overall pick in the April draft.

“Everybody’s looking for a franchise quarterback,” offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said. “You want one of those guys that there’s no question about. There’s probably only about five or six of them in the league. Then there’s a lot of guys who can play and there’s some guys who need to be replaced. You’re always trying to find that one and (we’re) still working to do it.”

The Redskins’ noteworthy free agents include linebacker London Fletcher, safety LaRon Landry, tight end Fred Davis, defensive end Adam Carriker and running back Tim Hightower. Shanahan said Fletcher is a priority to re-sign, while Landry’s value is subject to his return from a left Achilles injury and Davis has just completed a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s drugs policy. Davis was one of three Redskins players suspended this season, the latest black eye for the franchise.

But the Redskins, being the Redskins, couldn’t wrap up the season without one final bit of consternation. Shanahan, as is his usual routine, gave his parting words to the players in the locker room Sunday after the final game. On Monday, with the coach not even in the room, the players heard from Navy SEALs and a marine as part of a program mandated by the NFL.

While many players said they found the presentation inspiring and that it helped them put football in perspective, backup offensive lineman Sean Locklear tweeted that it was the “Worst exit meeting ever!” because no coaches or front office people spoke. He later went back on Twitter to apologize.

“I talked to Sean after the game and, obviously, he must not have liked my speech,” Shanahan said with more than a touch of sarcasm. “Obviously he must have been disappointed in it. I’ve only been doing it that way for a number of years, and he must be used to a different way. So I apologize, Sean, it’ll never happen again — at least not with me.”

——

Joseph White can be reached at http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP

ASHBURN, Va. – The Washington Redskins’ record is a matter of perspective.

Steve Spurrier infamously proclaimed 5-11 was “not very good” after his 2003 season with Washington. He quit the next day, done with the NFL after two years and a 12-20 record.

Mike Shanahan’s spin couldn’t be more different.

“Even though the record may not show it,” Shanahan said Monday, “we’re a much better football team than we were a year ago.”

The Redskins regressed from 6-10 to 5-11 this year, so Shanahan’s mark in two seasons in Washington stands at 11-21. He’s never had a worse full-season record as a head coach, and Washington has now finished in last place in the NFC East for four years running.

“Thank God I haven’t been through any like this before — I might not be in this profession very long,” Shanahan said. “But it’s something that really drives you and motivates you. It’s something that I look forward to doing, putting a great football team together and doing it the right way, and sometimes it takes a little bit longer than sometimes expected.”

Shanahan cited the team’s improved depth as evidence that he has the Redskins pointed in the right direction. Even so, there are significant upgrades needed at receiver, in the secondary, along the offensive line and in a special teams unit that had five blocked field goals this year — the most allowed by a team in the NFL in eight years.

But it all starts and ends with the quarterback, and Shanahan needs to find one.

After failing to make it work with Donovan McNabb last year, Shanahan made the bold statement that he was staking his reputation this season on Rex Grossman and John Beck. Grossman ended up committing 25 turnovers in 13 games, and Beck lasted for all of three winless starts.

“I don’t care what anybody says, I know what I can do and I know what I’m capable of — and I know that I will achieve it,” Beck said Monday before stuffing his belongings into a large clear plastic bag at his locker. “I thought it was going to happen this year. It didn’t. But it’s going to happen. I’m not going to let it not happen.”

Grossman’s self-confidence was just as strong. While Beck is under contract for next season, Grossman is a free agent — but it’s possible he could be brought back to mentor a quarterback taken in the first round of the draft.

“There’s a lot of things that I can do to improve,” Grossman said. “But definitely there was a lot of good, and we’ll see how they evaluate it.”

Shanahan has already starting looking for someone else. For weeks now, he has been spending about a half-hour in the mornings looking at video of the top college prospects. The Redskins hold the No. 6 overall pick in the April draft.

“Everybody’s looking for a franchise quarterback,” offensive co-ordinator Kyle Shanahan said. “You want one of those guys that there’s no question about. There’s probably only about five or six of them in the league. Then there’s a lot of guys who can play and there’s some guys who need to be replaced. You’re always trying to find that one and (we’re) still working to do it.”

The Redskins’ noteworthy free agents include linebacker London Fletcher, safety LaRon Landry, tight end Fred Davis, defensive end Adam Carriker and running back Tim Hightower. Shanahan said Fletcher is a priority to re-sign, while Landry’s value is subject to his return from a left Achilles injury and Davis has just completed a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s drugs policy. Davis was one of three Redskins players suspended this season, the latest black eye for the franchise.

But the Redskins, being the Redskins, couldn’t wrap up the season without one final bit of consternation. Shanahan, as is his usual routine, gave his parting words to the players in the locker room Sunday after the final game. On Monday, with the coach not even in the room, the players heard from Navy SEALs and a marine as part of a program mandated by the NFL.

While many players said they found the presentation inspiring and that it helped them put football in perspective, backup offensive lineman Sean Locklear tweeted that it was the “Worst exit meeting ever!” because no coaches or front office people spoke. He later went back on Twitter to apologize.

“I talked to Sean after the game and, obviously, he must not have liked my speech,” Shanahan said with more than a touch of sarcasm. “Obviously he must have been disappointed in it. I’ve only been doing it that way for a number of years, and he must be used to a different way. So I apologize, Sean, it’ll never happen again — at least not with me.”

The NFL has fined Washington Redskins safety Reed Doughty $15,000 for a hit on Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder in last Sunday’s game.

On the play late in the first quarter, Ponder took off scrambling and started sliding to avoid being tackled. Doughty laid a hit on the quarterback and was flagged for unnecessary roughness.

After the game, Doughty contended that he already was in the act of tackling and didn’t have time to avoid coming in contact with Ponder.

Later in the game, linebacker London Fletcher knocked Ponder out of the game with a legal hit that left the passer with a concussion.

The Washington Redskins need to make a committed effort to hiring Steve Spagnuolo as their new defensive coordinator.

Yesterday, NFL.com reported that current St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo is readying to be relieved of his duties with the NFC West cellar-dwellers.

The report stated that Spagnuolo could be fired after the conclusion of the 2011 regular season if the Rams decide to make a serious move for former Tennessee Titans head man Jeff Fisher.

The Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants are already listed as the front runners for Spagnuolo’s services as defensive coordinator.

Spagnuolo has prominent ties to both teams. He served as secondary coach for the Eagles, while being mentored by the late great Jim Johnson.

He took what he learned from Johnson with him to the Giants, where he was appointed defensive coordinator in 2007.

Spagnuolo turned a languishing Big Blue defense into a sack-happy unit that propelled the Giants all the way to Super Bowl triumph.

But it is the Redskins who should make the biggest push for Spagnuolo. Despite its talent level, Washington’s defense has let the team down in critical moments this season.

The most recent collapse came at home against the lowly Minnesota Vikings. One criticism of Jim Haslett’s defense is that the unit simply fails to make enough big plays.

The Redskins’ turnover return is again paltry, and Haslett’s blitz packages are badly designed and poorly timed.

Spagnuolo is a master of the fire-zone blitz concepts that the Redskins are desperate to emulate. His blitzes are cleverly crafted and wide ranging.

Although he has been a 4-3 coach throughout his career, Spagnuolo would have no problem transferring his fire-zone packages to the Redskins’ 3-4 front.

He would have plenty of the right kind of talent to work with in Washington. Spagnuolo’s imaginative play-calling would better utilise the pass-rushing skills of Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan.

The duo would be moved around more, positioned to attack different gaps and rush from multiple angles.

Current nose tackle Barry Cofield worked with Spagnuolo in New York. He knows the system well and played his best football for Spagnuolo.

Spagnuolo’s schemes require an extension of the coach on the field. Usually this role is given to the middle linebacker.

Spagnuolo would inherit a natural quarterback for the defense in the form of superb veteran London Fletcher.

The 14-year pro’s intelligence and instincts would make him the perfect choice to call and audible Spagnuolo’s multiple schemes on the field.

Spagnuolo is also a tough, hard-nosed coach who may do a better job of keeping some of the bigger personalities on the Redskins defense in line.

His reputation as the architect of the New England Patriots’ defeat in Super Bowl XLII commands respect, and his varied and daring system is known to be a favorite among defensive players.

As a team, the Redskins need more big plays. The defense has performed well this season but is still nowhere near the dominant unit it could be.

Spagnuolo has the knowledge and ideas to give the Redskins the kind of aggressive, turnover-binging defense they had hope for when they made the switch to 3-4.

The 5-10 Washington Redskins did not have a single player named to the NFC Pro Bowl roster that was announced Tuesday night.

Inside linebacker London Fletcher
leads the NFL in tackles, and outside linebacker Brian Orakpo ranked among the top five in fan votes at his position. But neither made the cut as the league unveiled the rosters for the team. Fan votes counted for one third of the vote, as did the players’ votes and the coaches’ votes.

San Francisco’s Patrick Willis was named starting middle linebacker for the NFC, and Chicago’s Brian Urlacher is his backup. At outside linebacker, Dallas’s DeMarcus Ware and Green Bay’s Clay Matthews were named starters, and Chicago’s Lance Briggs the backup.

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan had lobbied last week for linebacker Lorenzo Alexander to make the team as a special teams player. But Alexander, who leads the NFC’s top kickoff coverage unit, didn’t make the cut either. Chicago defensive back Corey Graham is the NFC’s special teams pick.

Cornerback Carlos Rogers, whom the Redskins elected not to re-sign this past offseason, was named one of the NFC’s starting cornerbacks. Meanwhile, defensive end Andre Carter, whom the Redskins released last spring, was named to the AFC team. However, Carter suffered a season-ending injury earlier this month.

Here’s a rundown of the full list of Pro Bowl selections.

Related:
Twitter reaction from Fletcher, Adam Carriker, Brandon Banks, Jason Reid and more.

Despite the good vibes at Redskins Park after the surprising Week 15 road victory over the New York Giants, the Redskins are 5-10 with one game remaining. Washington is ensured of finishing last or tied for last for the fifth time in the past six seasons, under three head coaches.

Those are just facts. And they’re difficult to accept for players eager to believe the Redskins are finally sprinting, not crawling, toward a revival.

“We definitely took a step back,” inside linebacker and team leader London Fletcher said. “Just very disappointing to come out and play like we played in our final game in front of our home crowd.

“Just extremely disappointed in our defense and extremely disappointed in our team. With everything that happened and what we were trying to do . . . that’s just the way it is. You have to look at it honestly.”

The defense, by far the strength of the team, gave up 241 yards rushing. The Vikings averaged an eye-opening 6.3 yards per attempt. They amassed most of their total after star running back Adrian Peterson was knocked out of the game by a knee injury on the first possession of the third quarter.

Minnesota produced 23 points in the third and fourth quarters combined, after losing starting quarterback Christian Ponder, who departed two plays after Peterson because of a concussion suffered when he absorbed a jarring — but legal — hit from Fletcher.

The Redskins reverted to sloppiness, committing costly penalties that helped the Vikings on one of their touchdown drives and nullified a potential big Washington scoring play.

“I was disappointed we had as many penalties as we did,” Coach Mike Shanahan said, “in some crucial situations.”

And, as usual, with a Rex Grossman-led team, there were turnovers.

Of course, that much wasn’t a shock. I mean, committing turnovers and producing intermittent big plays is what Grossman does. It’s just how the lovable lug rolls. He gets out of bed in the morning with two turnovers.

In the Redskins’ previous game, though, Grossman’s turnovers didn’t derail the team. It went the other way against the Vikings.

The Vikings’ first points came on a field goal shortly after they recovered a Grossman fumble that came when he was stripped of the ball on a sack.

With Washington trailing by seven points midway through the fourth, a high pass by Grossman was intercepted — the Vikings’ first interception in 10 games — and Minnesota kicked a field goal.

You can set your watch to Grossman throwing interceptions, and he’s not a viable option at the game’s most important position, at least not for a team that aspires to win Super Bowls. The Redskins haven’t won one in a long, long time, but that’s what owner Daniel Snyder wants.