The Redskins' Name

For years now, the Redskins organization has found itself defending the name of the team.  Every once in a while, the team is taken to court over the name, by people saying that the team should change its name, because it is a derogatory term towards Native Americans.  And for years, the courts have ruled on the side of the team, because of copyright laws and trademark cases.  This year is no different, and even some politicians have taken part in the discussion.

I personally have no issues with the name, but I am not Native American, so it doesn't matter what I think.  My wife is 1/8th Native American, and she has no problems with the team name.  I also know a number of Native Americans who do not have any problems with the name.  Does that mean the majority of people are ok with it?  Of course not, but to say that Native Americans in general find it offensive is wrong as well.

Well, it seems that for the time being the team name isn't going to change.  For one of the few times, the fans of the Redskins will find themselves liking Dan Snyder, which is a major change from years before.  According to USA Today, the owner of the Washington Redskins has said "We will never change the name of the team." "As a lifelong Redskins fan, and I think that the Redskins fans understand the great tradition and what it's all about and what it means, so we feel pretty fortunate to be just working on next season."  When asked about possibly changing his mind if the courts were to decide against him in a federal trademark lawsuit that is going on, "We'll never change the name," he said. "It's that simple. NEVER -- you can use caps."

I for one am glad to see that he is standing firm on this topic.  Granted, his reasons are probably not just because of tradition, since he will lose a lot of money if the team was forced to change its name.  Regardless, when Dan Snyder puts his mind to wanting something, history has shown that he gets it, and in this case, that would be just fine for the Washington Redskins fans.

2013 Draft Results

 



Let us take a look at the 2013 draft selections of the Washington Redskins.

1st Round - The Redskins did not have a 1st round pick, due to the trade last year with the Rams to get the 2nd pick and acquire the services of one Robert Griffin III.  I have no problems with that move, and giving up a 1st rounder this year is well worth it, as the Redskins were in a great need of a franchise QB.


2nd Round - With their 1st pick, which happened to be the 51st pick in the draft on day 2, the Redskins picked need, a very big need, and chose a DB.  David Amerson, from N.C. State.  From all that I have read on him, he is a ball-hawk.  He almost set the college record for INT's in a season.  He is also a big player, and some would put him at Safety instead of a CB, and I believe he should be able to play in either position.  He does get beat at times, but if you are aggressive and go for the ball, you do end up being beat from time to time.  As long as he has Safety help, if he is playing CB, then that shouldn't be a problem.  If he is to play Safety, then he will have an advantage, since he doesn't have to cover a WR/TE, and can roam around and go for the ball.  He is also a very good special teams player, returning kicks and punts, which the Redskins do need help with.  This pick was a very good pick, and one that addresses a big hole in the team.

3rd Round - TE - Jordan Reed, Florida.  At first, I was a bit surprised by this pick, as the Redskins just resigned Fred Davis, and they also have Logan Paulson and Niles Paul at that same position.  But when I checked him out, and read more about him, I see the reason for picking a TE at this position.  This guy is an elusive receiver, able to make people miss and make plays, much like Fred Davis.  Now that the rules and play styles are going pass heavy, it makes sense to have another play making TE on the team, since the Redskins were hurt pretty bad when Davis went down.  Much like the Cousins pick last year, at first I did not like this pick, but after thinking about it, I do like it, and am interested in seeing him play, and possibly take the place of Niles Paul in that position.

4th Round - SS - Phillip Thomas, Fresno St.  This is another ball hawk, a very good Safety who has an eye for spotting and picking off passes in his area.  He is also a very physical player, meeting ballcariers head on and making the tackle.  The major issue he has is injuries.  He missed the 2011 season at Fresno St. because of a very bad leg injury.  Although he should have recovered from that by now, it is still part of who he is, and it might return.  Overall this is a very good pick for the Redskins, and depending on who is going to playing Safety next year, Thomas has a good shot at starting and contributing early on in the season.

5th Round - RB - Chris Thompson, Florida St.  With their first pick in the 5th round, the Redskins went with their 2nd offensive player.  At first look, it does not make too much sense to pick up a RB, with Alfred Morris, Evan Royster, and Roy Helu on the team, but from what I have read, Helu had a setback in his recovery after the foot surgery, and might not be able to start the season.  Thompson is a lot like Helu, a very good pass catcher, and a quick and agile RB who can make people miss and make quick cuts.  But he is also injury prone, having dealt with major back issues.  If he can stay healthy, he will be a great change of pace for the Redskins, as Morris and Royster are more of the bruiser type backs, and Thompson is the quick and elusive type back.

5th Round - DE - Brandon Jenkins, Florida St.  With their second pick in the 5th round, another need was met, picking up a defensive lineman.  This is yet another player the Redskins drafted who has injury issues, dealing with a foot injury.  Jenkins is a very good pass rusher, getting off the snap quickly and going past offensive linemen and finding the QB.  He is a bit slow in recovering from a trick play and changing directions, but if used as a pure pass rusher, I think he would be able to help the Redskins get to the QB more often, which is something they lacked majorly last year due to injuries.  This pick should also help out the outside LB's to have more one-on-one matchups, and be able to get to the QB.

6th Round - SS - Bacarri Rambo, Georgia.  Another secondary pick by the Redskins, and I would have to say one of the best names in the draft, Rambo was a very good pick.  Thankfully, he is a physical player, and with a name like that, it would have been a shame if he was not.  Also, he is yet another DB that has an eye for picking off the QB, being able to read the receivers and the QB's eyes, and jumping a route to make an INT.  He does have some off-field issues, as well as lacking some quickness, but those can be dealt with.

7th Round - RB - Jawan Jamison, Rutgers. Picking up a second RB with their last pick, the Redskins finished out the draft on a "solid" note.  Jamison is a pretty good RB, built very solid with a small frame.  He is a bit young, only playing two years at Rutgers, but he does have talent.  However, with the list of RB's the Redskins currently have and drafted, I don't think Jamison will see the active roster and will most likely be on the practice squad, if he makes the team.

 

Overall I think the Redskins did a very good job with the number of picks they had, and also not having a 1st round pick.  They were able to fill a lot of their needs on the defensive side, and pick up a couple of very talented offensive players.  They did not draft a LB, which I thought they needed, but perhaps they did not see one available that they liked.  The DB's that they selected are good at locating the ball and making a play on it, which I think is the way the DB position is going.  I think the days of having a shutdown corner are gone.  With all the rule changes, and the play calling and style of offensive plays, it is getting much harder to cover fast and agile WR's throughout the whole play.  I think defenses are going to start taking and using players who can get to the ball while it is in the air, rather than cover a receiver so that the QB does not attempt a pass.  This style of play will lead to more deep completions, but I think overall it is the only way to "stop" offenses these days.  I don't think teams will be able to stop offenses from going down the field and making them punt, but instead they will have to rely heavily on getting turnovers to get the offense off of the field.  But we will just have to wait and see how this plays out.  I for one am very much looking forward to seeing the 2013 Washington Redskins Defense in action!