Once in a while, the NFC East Blog will tap into the division’s blogging and media community inside and outside of Bleacher Report. Our maiden endeavor brings us to Washington, D.C., where we talk to Rich Tandler, who blogs about the Washington Redskins for CSN Washington and Rich Tandler’s Real Redskins.

Bleacher Report: It seems as though the general consensus in D.C. is that the team made the right move in mortgaging the future to acquire the second overall pick and draft Robert Griffin III. I might be made to look like a fool here at some point, but I just don’t see it that way and feel it was a little too bold. What are your thoughts? Was this the right move to make?

Rich Tandler: Yeah, I think it was. Before it happened I was thinking maybe two firsts and a second was the right way to go—obviously exchanging one to move up and then an additional first and second for that deal would be about right. But they did what they had to do to beat Cleveland’s offer and so it was the going price. 

The best way to evaluate a move is to look at the alternatives. Had they stuck with Rex Grossman, it would have been a disaster. Say they’d stuck where they were and taken Ryan Tannehill or Brandon Weeden later, or maybe Kirk Cousins…they still would’ve had by far the worst quarterback in the NFC East. I think the fact that they play in the NFC East is what really needs to be brought up in terms of why they had to make the deal.

B/R: I see what you’re saying, but I just don’t think the gap between Robert Griffin III and those other guys is wide enough to rationalize giving up two additional first-round picks and a second rounder.

RT: Right, but Weeden and Tannehill, they’re not sure things either, and they’re less sure things than Griffin. I don’t think Griffin is a sure thing. Just like anybody else, you have to wait and see how it plays out. But yeah, I think it’s a legitimate question.

To simplify it: Are they better off with Ryan Tannehill, whoever they could have taken in the second and whoever they could have taken in the first round over the next couple of years? Time will tell. I think Mike Shanahan’s very happy with the move, the fans are very happy with the move, but certainly there was an opportunity cost involved.

B/R: I do think Pierre Garcon is a great addition to the offense as far as giving Griffin the necessary support. People might have wondered if his success was tied mainly to Peyton Manning, but he proved last season that wasn’t the case. He’ll help Griffin a lot during his rookie season.

RT: Yeah, they paid a lot for him. Pretty big contract for a guy who is not a (No. 1 receiver). And this team isn’t really gonna have a No. 1 receiver. I don’t know if they will for a while. I don’t think there are a whole lot of those out there, what I call true No. 1 receivers…so it’s gonna be No. 1 by committee I think. But Garcon’s gonna be a big part of that.

What they’re really looking for is yards after catch, which they’ve had none of. I mean, it was catch the ball, go to the ground since Santana Moss really kinda slowed down around 2006, 2007. They really haven’t had that, and the two elements of that are the quarterback delivering the ball accurately and the receiver with some wheels to get out. And they have not had either element, really. So that’s what they’re looking for from Garcon and from Josh Morgan.

B/R: I feel quite well about the pass rush. Brian Orakpo is an underrated pass rusher and the sky’s still the limit for young Ryan Kerrigan. He has a high ceiling still at this point. Did you think they needed to spruce up the pass rush in free agency or the draft, or are you also happy with that duo going forward?

RT: I think the New York Giants are showing that in that division, you can’t have too many pass rushers. I think they could use somebody else, but we’ll see. They’re getting Jarvis Jenkins back healthy, who should be starting at left defensive end, and I think he will add an element of being able to rush the passer from there. That won’t be his thing, he won’t be a rush defensive end in a 3-4 obviously, but he can add an element of pass rushing.

I think they could have used one and they probably would have liked to have gotten one. With the secondary, especially safety being a little bit on the shaky side, the pass rush is gonna have to carry the defense this year from a passing perspective. If they don’t get a good pass rush, there are gonna be teams putting up 25, 28, 30 points a game on them.

B/R: When was the last time there was this much excitement surrounding the Redskins in D.C.?

RT: Because it’s a quarterback, it’s different. Legitimate level of excitement, I think if you look at 2004 when Joe Gibbs returned as a legend coming back. He had a decent run—certainly the best run of any coach since himself in the 1980s and early 1990s.

But it hasn’t been that high since then, and it certainly hasn’t been this high over a quarterback, probably ever. Donovan McNabb I think a lot of people were skeptical of. Regardless of the Redskins’ propensity to bring in big names and kind of build some hope around that, I think that RG3 is the guy who has really gotten the interest level up and has fans just foaming at the mouth and ready for Sept. 9.

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) Free-agent linebacker Bryan Kehl has signed with the Washington Redskins after spending the last two seasons with the St. Louis Rams.

The 6-foot-2, 244-pound Kehl has played in 59 NFL games, including five starts, for the Rams and the New York Giants. He has made 58 tackles, one interception, one sack and two fumble recoveries.

Kehl was a fourth-round draft pick in 2008 out of BYU.

The Redskins announced the deal Monday.

The 2012 NFL schedule for the Washington Redskins has just been released, with the team opening at the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, September 9. What follows are the top three storylines coming out of the schedule.

Difficult Schedule Overall

The Redskins will likely have one of the more difficult schedules of any team in the NFL in 2012. It features matchups not only against NFC East opponents in the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Giants, but also the Saints, Cincinnati Bengals, Atlanta Falcons, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Baltimore Ravens. The most difficult stretch will probably be from week 7 to 9, when the team plays at the Giants and Steelers, and then comes home to play against Cam Newton and the up and coming Panthers.

Thanksgiving with the Dallas Cowboys

One of the more interesting games to watch for the Redskins in 2012 will be a Thanksgiving Day matchup against their division rival Dallas Cowboys. It is not known yet whether the Redskins will get Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III, but in any case I would expect either to be starting by the time the team heads off to face the Cowboys, if not sooner. Washington’s defense will need to step it up against Romo and the Cowboys, who will have a lot of pressure on them to make it into the playoffs after a disappointing 8-8 season last year.

Featured Matchup: Baltimore Ravens Week 14

The Redskins will be hosting the Ravens in what will likely be an exciting matchup to watch, given how close the teams are located to one another. Not only will the Redskins have to figure out a way to stop Joe Flacco and Ray Rice on the defensive side of the ball, but also how to score enough points against a Ravens defense that will likely be among the best in the NFL again in 2012.

Washington Redskins 2012 Schedule

1 – at New Orleans Saints September 9

2 – at St. Louis Rams September 16

3 – vs. Cincinnati Bengals September 23

4 – at Tampa Bay Buccaneers September 30

5 – vs. Atlanta Falcons October 7

6 – vs. Minnesota Vikings October 14

7 – at New York Giants October 21

8 – at Pittsburgh Steelers October 28

9 – vs. Carolina Panthers November 4

10 – Bye

11 – vs. Philadelphia Eagles November 18

12 – at Dallas Cowboys November 22

13 – vs. New York Giants December 3

14 – vs. Baltimore Ravens December 9

15 – at Cleveland Browns December 16

16 – at Philadelphia Eagles December 22

17 – vs. Dallas Cowboys December 30

Ryan Kekoufski lives near the Redskins’ stadium and has been following the team for well over a decade. He covers sports for the Yahoo! Contributor Network, and currently resides in Virginia.

Former Washington Redskins quarterback Mark Rypien is the lead plaintiff in a class-action lawsuit that seeks compensation and medical care from the NFL for “repeated traumatic injuries to his head” he incurred during his playing career.

Rypien, 49, was a college standout at Washington State and played for five teams in 11 NFL seasons.

According to the suit, Rypien had multiple concussions and head injuries during his pro career and suffers from “various neurological conditions and symptoms related to multiple head traumas.”

In the suit, which was filed March 23 in the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Rypien and 126 other former pro players allege the league was aware of the dangers and risks of “repetitive traumatic brain injuries and concussions for decades, but deliberately ignored and actively concealed” the information, court documents say.

Theirs is the latest in a rising number of concussion- and head trauma-related class-action suits leveled against the NFL by former players. The league is facing about a half-dozen class-action suits and “many more” multiaction suits from an estimated 1,000 former players, according to Gene Locks of the Locks Law Firm in Philadelphia.

Locks’ firm is representing more than 600 former players, including Rypien, in class-action suits.

“We think the league delayed, didn’t do a competent job of monitoring, and in many cases disregarded what it knew about concussions,” Locks said in an interview Tuesday. “It’s a sad commentary.”

Owners approve

salary-cap reductions

PALM BEACH, Fla. — Team owners ratified the agreement between the league and players’ union that takes away $36 million in salary-cap space from Washington and $10 million from the Dallas Cowboys.

Other than Washington and Dallas, no team voted to oppose the agreement, which raised the salary cap for 2012 from about $113 million to $120.6 million. Washington and the Cowboys sought arbitration, which will be conducted by University of Pennsylvania professor Stephen Burbank.

Both teams were penalized for overloading contracts in the 2010 uncapped season despite league warnings not to do so. Each team must take at least half the reduction this year.

The Cowboys will play in the season opener Sept. 5, visiting the Super Bowl champion New York Giants. That game will be on a Wednesday night because President Obama is scheduled to address the Democratic National Convention on Sept. 6.

“Who cares who we are playing, hosting the game is all that’s important,” said a joking Giants owner John Mara, knowing well the champion hosts the kickoff to the next season. “It’s exciting. They’re one of our big rivals.”

Owners approved competition-committee recommendations for points of emphasis in the 2012 season, including blows to the head, horse-collar tackles and taunting.

Note

• The Minnesota Vikings re-signed linebacker Erin Henderson, 25, and signed ex-Chicago cornerback Zack Bowman, 27, both to one-year contracts.

The Washington Redskins added another piece to their secondary, agreeing to terms on a one-year deal with cornerback Cedric Griffin, a person with knowledge of the situation confirmed Friday.

Griffin, a six-year veteran, drafted 48th overall out of Texas by the Minnesota Vikings in 2006, will sign a contract that will pay him up to $2.5 million, the source said.

Griffin agreed to terms during a visit to Redskins Park on Friday.

The 6-foot, 203-pounder last season started 14 of 16 games, recording 67 tackles, nine pass breakups and one interception. Griffin tore an ACL in January 2010 while playing in the NFC championship. He recovered in time to play by Week 3 of the 2010 season, but then tore his ACL in the other knee. He returned as a starter in 2011, but wasn’t quite the same, and was replaced in the lineup for the final two games of the season. The Vikings released him earlier this week, saving $5.2 million against their salary cap.

Before releasing Griffin, the Vikings reportedly had considered moving him to safety. In addition to a third corner, the Redskins were expected to add a free safety following Monday’s release of Oshiomogho Atogwe.

Griffin wasn’t the only free agent cornerback at Redskins Park. Former New York Giant Aaron Ross arrived in Ashburn after flying in from Cincinnati, where he met with the Bengals on Thursday.

The 6-foot, 190-pound Ross has spent his entire five-year career with the New York Giants. Last season, he started 15 out of 16 games, recording 60 tackles and four interceptions to go with 12 pass breakups.

As of early Friday afternoon, he had yet to agree to terms with the Redskins.

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.

For Peyton Manning, the best place to play in 2012 is with the Washington Redskins. There is no place he could go that would have a realistic chance to win.

This all comes on the heels of news that was broken on Tuesday by ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, saying that the Colts and Manning will reportedly go their separate ways on Wednesday. 

In light of that, Dan Graziano of ESPN wrote that the Redskins are an interested suitor, which they need to be.  

It [Manning] has been discussed among Redskins decision-makers and has not at all been ruled out. 

The show must go on for Manning, and no place makes more sense for that show to go on than in the nation’s capital with the Redskins. 

The Division Is Winnable

Let’s not get too caught up in the fact that the New York Giants won the Super Bowl or that the “Dream Team” Philadelphia Eagles will now have a full training camp to get their team in order. The fact of the matter is that this division was won with a 9-7 record by a team that the Redskins beat twice. 

As if that wasn’t enough, look at some of the losses that the Redskins (who finished 5-11) suffered in 2011:

One play (two if you count the PAT or two-point conversion) was all that separated those games from at least overtime. If you don’t think Manning could have made a difference in at least four of those games, I suggest you examine his resume, and then do a little research on the careers of Rex Grossman and John Beck. 

There Is Talent in Place

Given a full year with Tim Hightower and Roy Helu, the Redskins have a solid duo of running backs to take some of the heat off of Manning. 

On top of that, they have offensive players like Jabbar Gaffney and Santana Moss. Both are veterans, and even though Manning hasn’t worked with either in the past, it’s hard to imagine them having a problem stepping in to work well with No. 18.

While we’re on the subject of veteran talent, here is something else to think about…

This Is Peyton Manning

Okay, not terribly complicated here. Take a guy like Reggie Wayne, who’s also a free agent. It seems likely that he would be interested in going to play with the man who’s made him a star in the NFL. 

Even without Wayne, Manning is a Hall of Fame player. Veteran players with only a few years left would certainly be inclined to make a move to Washington and join him.

Yes, that all pure speculation. However, looking at Manning’s career and how tight windows are to win, it makes an awful lot of sense to think that Manning would not go to Washington alone. 

No. 6 Pick in the Draft

The Redskins will be able to bring in a rookie ready to make an immediate impact in the NFL. It most likely won’t be anyone like Trent Richardson or Justin Blackmon, but neither one is out of the question. 

Still, even without those guys, we’re talking about a rookie that will be ready to step in immediately. It wouldn’t have to be a project pick that Manning has to spend time grooming. 

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.

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.

It appeared, moments later, that Banks had provided that big play. And indeed, what happened next — over two snaps and 34 seconds off the play clock — all but decided the Redskins’ 33-26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings Saturday afternoon.

Banks did his job. When he entered the game for his only offensive snap, the Redskins trailed by a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter and had the ball at their 41-yard line. He had appeared only sparingly on plays from scrimmage this year, throwing a 49-yard touchdown against New England in Week 14. He didn’t have a rushing attempt. He had not been targeted on a pass, much less come up with a catch.

On Saturday, though, he lined up on the right side of the formation, and took a reverse handoff from quarterback Rex Grossman. He headed toward the far left sideline. His view?

“Green grass is what I saw,” Banks said.

When he reached the sideline, he cut upfield. The 5-foot-7 wide receiver is in the NFL for one reason: speed. When he planted his foot, he had the entire Vikings defensive unit beat. And just after he reached the end zone, he leaped into the stands, celebrating what looked to be a tying touchdown.

Yet back at the line of scrimmage, Grossman was already getting ready for second and 10.

“The flag almost hit me,” Grossman said.

The penalty, it turned out, was a holding call against fullback Darrel Young, who hooked his arm around devastating Minnesota defensive end Jared Allen.

“Usually, you don’t have a holding call on a reverse play,” Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan said. “Everybody’s going the other way. So that’s quite unusual, to start with.”

The call, it seemed, could have gone either way. Allen, who leads the league in sacks, isn’t normally hauled down by an opponent using one arm. Young, though, was more than contrite afterward. His job on the play?

“Truthfully, it’s just fake and let Banks come around,” Young said. “It’s my fault. I take full responsibility for it. . . . I cost the team the game, and I got to face the responsibility.”

Even after Banks realized what had happened — “That’s the worst feeling ever,” he said — the Redskins had more than a chance. They had moved the ball effectively, finishing with 397 yards of offense, and had every reason to believe, with a little less than eight minutes to go, they could tie the score.

On second and 10 from the 32, Grossman dropped back to pass. He looked to veteran Santana Moss on his right. Moss found a soft spot in the defense, but Grossman badly overthrew him.

“It was high,” Grossman said. “I could elaborate, but it’s pretty simple.”

The ball settled neatly into the hands of Vikings safety Mistral Raymond, the first interception of Grossman’s day. That, in itself, is notable. Grossman has now started 15 games as a Redskin, including 12 this season. He has gone without an interception just once, in a season-opening victory over the New York Giants. Toss in his first quarter fumble, which came as he was sacked by Vikings defensive end Brian Robison, and he now has 24 turnovers in a dozen games.

Raymond’s return went to the Washington 24. The Redskins defense held Minnesota to a field goal, but at 33-23, the Redskins trailed by two scores with 4:10 left. The game had swung.

“That’s the difference between winning and losing,” Shanahan said. “That’s what you’ve got to do. You can’t beat yourself. You don’t win the turnover war and you make a couple of those penalties. . . . You got to work, as a football team, to eliminate those things.”

Two snaps, one apparent touchdown, one penalty, one misguided throw, one interception — 34 seconds in which the Redskins sealed their 10th loss of the season.

“It’s tough,” Grossman said. “We need to win tough, close games consistently.”

Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett and his defensive backs have said all season that interceptions come in bunches and if they continued to do their jobs effectively, eventually they would experience a breakthrough.

DeAngelo Hall (23) makes a one handed interception while covering New York Giants wide receiver Hakeem Nicks (88) Sunday. (Jonathan Newton/The Washington Post)The Redskins finally had that day last week against the New York Giants, when they intercepted Eli Manning a season’s-best three times. Cornerbacks DeAngelo Hall and Josh Wilson, and safety Oshiomogho Atogwe all came up with picks. Wilson’s came in the end zone during the fourth quarter as Manning tried to lead the Giants on a comeback.

Haslett said one of the keys for his defenders was that they found themselves in the rare position of playing with a lead, which allowed them to mix things up a bit.

“We had a nice lead early and that gave us an opportunity to play a little more cover-2 and do some different things, where the corners got to play more like man-under and play two-deep behind it,” Haslett explained.

The Redskins, who now have 12 interceptions, hope they can close out the season by increasing their turnover total in the final two weeks.

On Saturday they face Vikings rookie quarterback Christian Ponder, who in nine games has thrown 12 interceptions. One in every 22 pass attempts of his has been picked.

“Well, sometimes they come in bunches,” Haslett says, offering the trademark line. “When you have more wins, obviously, you get more turnovers. So, it kind of goes hand in hand. … We’re going to keep working at it and hopefully in these next two games we’ll get a few more.”

More on the Redskins:

Redskins’ practice is scripted to the last detail

Jammal Brown likely to return Sunday

Cofield has a nose for his new position

There are a very high number of fantasy football owners picking up the Washington Redskins defense in Week 16. In fact, the Redskins have become the most-added defense on Dec. 22, out-distancing safer choices like the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos. The intent here is clear; many fantasy owners feel that the Redskins are going to beat up on the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday, Dec. 24, and they want to get in on the action.

When it comes to fantasy football defenses in 2011, Washington doesn’t make the top-five list that I put together. In fact, in the Yahoo! scoring system, Washington checks in at No. 23 with just 94 total fantasy points this year. That’s way down the list, so maybe the adding of Washington comes from desperation or a simple hope that the team is about to put together a really good week.

Washington beat the New York Giants (on the road) in Week 15, allowing just 10 points to Eli Manning and company. The team posted 13 fantasy points along the way, marking the second-highest total that the defense has had in 2011. Back in Week 1 the Redskins defense had 15 points against the Giants and then in Week 4 they posted 13 points against the St. Louis Rams. All three of these games were wins, indicating that when the Redskins defense is doing very well, the team has a great chance to win.

So far in 2011, the Redskins have 37 sacks, 12 interceptions, 7 forced fumbles, one defensive touchdown and a blocked kick. Compared to other teams those statistics are not very good, with the 37 sacks as the only real standout. That puts the Redskins at No. 10 in total sacks, but way back at No. 21 in interceptions and No. 22 in forced fumbles. Now the team gets to play a struggling Minnesota Vikings team with the hopes of increasing every statistical defensive number.

So can Washington have a good fantasy week on defense? It’s definitely possible, especially because Minnesota gives up the eleventh highest number of fantasy points to team defenses this season. They did give up 27 to the Detroit Lions in Week 14, 17 to the Chicago Bears in Week 6 and 15 to both the Green Bay Packers and Oakland Raiders in Weeks 10 and 11. I personally like the Denver Broncos defense as a great pick-up this week, but if you are desperate, take a serious look at the Redskins.

More From YCN :

Best_2011_Defenses

Best_Five_Fantasy_Players

Tim_Tebow_Beats_Tom_Brady

Seahawks_Dominate_Bears

2011 Best Fantasy Defenses

Sources:

Week 15 NFL Scores

Defensive Team Leaders

Yahoo! Fantasy Football

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

ASHBURN, Va. (AP)—When Willie Smith became the only undrafted rookie to
make the Washington Redskins’ opening day roster, he celebrated by spiffing up
his 2000 all-white Crown Victoria.

“I noticed that he had got his windows tinted and he had gotten rims on
it,” running back Roy Helu said, “so I just joked around and said how he’s
changed ever since he’s made it big-time.”

Helu has kept it up all season, making up stories about Smith getting
accessories like subwoofers and satellite radio. When Helu told the story to
reporters this week, Smith was beside himself.

“Oh, come on, Roy,” Smith bellowed across the locker room Wednesday. “You
told them I got big-time? Got tinted windows?”

The truth is that Smith only got the rims—the car’s windows were already
tinted—and that Helu does the shtick because he says Smith is actually the
opposite of flashy. Besides, a newbie at the fringe of the roster doesn’t need
to be spending big on his car.

For most of the season, there wasn’t much reason to tell such stories about
Smith—that is, until Trent Williams was suspended two weeks ago for the rest
of the year for violating the NFL’s substance policy. Now the left tackle from
East Carolina is protecting Rex Grossman’s blindside, having made his NFL debut
against the New England Patriots before getting his first start in Sunday in a
victory over the New York Giants.

That means he’s already faced two monster pass-rushers, Andre Carter and
Jason Pierre-Paul. Now he has an assignment that looks even more daunting: On
Saturday, the Redskins host the Minnesota Vikings and Jared Allen, who needs 5
1/2 sacks over his last two games to break the NFL single-season record.

It has mismatch written all over it.

“I’m going to have to go out there and just be tight on everything and
fundamentally sound, just to even have a chance to block this guy,” Smith said,
“because he’s just that good.”

At least from a big-picture view, the results from Smith’s first two games
are surprisingly good. The Redskins scored 27 against the Patriots and 23
against the Giants, their best two-game points output since September. Smith is
playing next to another rookie—left guard Maurice Smith, who took over after
Kory Lichtensteiger’s injury—while Tyler Polumbus has been subbing for injured
right tackle Jammal Brown.

All those changes have forced offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan to become
more creative with formations and play designs to overcome the inevitable
shortcomings. Smith might be 1-0 as a starter, but even his teammates
acknowledge he has a ways to go.

“He knows he’s going to have to get better,” right guard Chris Chester
said, “and he is getting better, in my opinion. And I think he’s doing a great
job for us—all things considered.”

Smith said he’s working on his fundamentals, learning to better use his
hands and feet to get maximum leverage and finish off blocks. Like many rookies
before him, he’s finding the game is tougher than he thought it would be during
all those weeks he watched from the sideline.

“You see the guys out there,” Smith said, “and you’re like, `Man I can do
this. I can do what he’s doing.’ But then when you get out there, you see how
hard it really is, and you see how hard you’ve got to go out there and
practice.”

Meanwhile, Smith’s sudden burst of fame is drawing even more grief from
Helu, who took notice of the reporters crowding around the lineman’s locker.

“Look at Willie Smith!” Helu called out. “Getting the shine over there.”

Notes: Shanahan said suspended players Williams and TE Fred Davis will begin
conditioning workouts at Redskins Park this week, but will not take part in
meetings. The team had to wait for a ruling from the NFL to find out whether the
players would be allowed at the facility under the new collective bargaining
agreement. … Brown (groin), Helu (toe, knee), TE Mike Sellers (elbow) and LB
London Fletcher (ankle) were limited at practice Wednesday.

———

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

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

A review of the best and worst performances by the Washington Redskins‘ offense and some observations after re-watching the TV broadcast of their 23-10 win over the New York Giants.

GAME BALLS

RG CHRIS CHESTER:Chester led a solid performance by the offensive line. It was inconsistent — breakdowns prevented any of the Redskins‘ running backs from a rush longer than eight yards — but linemen generated significant push often enough to move the ball on the ground and command respect from the Giants‘ linebackers. That’s quite an accomplishment for a patchwork unit facing what usually is a stout Giants front seven.

Chester’s timing with C Will Montgomery was effective on several combination blocks. RB Evan Royster gained seven yards behind them on Washington’s second touchdown drive. DT Linval Joseph lined up over Chester. Chester exploded up into Joseph off the snap, threw off Joseph’s arms and quickly hooked him to the right. Chester then released to block MLBChase Blackburn, while Montgomery had positioned himself to seamlessly replace him blocking Joseph.

Chester believes his timing with Montgomery has significantly improved from the start of the season, he said Tuesday. He and Montgomery have played the most games at their respective offensive line positions — 14 and 12, respectively. That shows how beneficial stability is.

FB DARREL YOUNG:Young made a major impact on the game as a blocker and a runner. He had four carries — three for first downs and one for a touchdown. The Redskins used some quick handoffs to Young to take advantage of how New York’s ends like to get up field. And as you’d expect, his power was a major asset in short yardage. Young converted second-and-1 in the third quarter by lowering his shoulder and bulling DE Justin Tuck backward. He also ran through S Antrel Rolle’s tackle in the secondary on his 6-yard touchdown.

Young’s blocking was more consistent than in the last game. Again, power and physicality are his strong suits. He almost took out coach Mike Shanahan in the fourth quarter because he drove CB Aaron Ross at least five yards back and onto the Redskins‘ sideline. Shanahan scrambled to safety along with several others around him. There are at least a dozen examples of quality lead blocks. In the first quarter, RB Roy Helu got six yards around the left edge behind Young, who engaged LB Mathias Kiwanuka.

Young wasn’t perfect, though. LB Chase Blackburn beat him on the opening kickoff to make the tackle. He ran into RG Chris Chester‘s back and never blocked anyone on a 2-yard pitch to the right on Washington’s first touchdown drive. Young didn’t get enough of DE Jason Pierre-Paul to prevent the Giants‘ only sack after Pierre-Paul didn’t hesitate when WR Niles Paul bluffed blocking him. But Young generally executed his blocks and finished them powerfully.

WR JABAR GAFFNEY:Gaffney is positioned to finish the season as the Redskins‘ leading receiver because he runs quality routes. He consistently gets separation on that 15- to 20-yard dig route because he holds the corner at the top of the break by getting in and out of it sharply and at high speed.

Gaffney and QB Rex Grossman have established a reliable connection on that route using play action. It has been working perfectly in recent weeks. The run fake sucks the linebackers up and opens the throwing lane, while Gaffney sharply cuts in to separate from the corner playing with outside leverage. Gaffney makes the corner respect the vertical route by running at him, then puts his foot in the ground and gets back to the inside. Meanwhile, Grossman has the timing down so the ball arrives before the corner can recover. Gaffney ran CB Aaron Ross off for 17-yard gains twice in a span of three plays in the third-quarter.

Gaffney had a 16-yard reception on third-and-16 to extend the Redskins‘ second touchdown drive. He beat rookie CB Prince Amukamara (who later was benched) on a slant, then broke back to the outside around the defender. Gaffney on Tuesday said he caught the pass with a good feel for where Amukamara was because of his peripheral vision. He knew he had running room back to the outside even before the caught the ball.

Gaffney also converted fourth-and-1 on the Redskins‘ first touchdown drive by separating from Amukamara on quick out route. Grossman justifiably trusts Gaffney to win in a one-on-one situation against a rookie. Subtly pushing off with the right arm helps, too. He trails TE Fred Davis by one reception for the team lead, and he is 158 yards away from 1,000 on the season. He’s under contract for next season, too. Considering the price — defensive end Jeremy Jarmon, who didn’t fit in the 3-4 scheme anyway — he’s one of this regime’s best acquisitions.

GASSERS

There are no gassers to give out this week, which surprises me a bit. The Redskins‘ offense played well enough to win comfortably, but it failed to score touchdowns on two of three trips inside the red zone, and it averaged only 3.1 yards per carry. However, there weren’t enough breakdowns or mistakes to offset the positives. That’s progress.

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