Redskin GM on London Fletcher: “We Want Our Captain Back”
By Gayle Saunders
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London Fletcher could soon be mouthing the words “Home Sweet Home” making the Redskins his final destination in a phenomenal career.
It sounds as the Redksins GM, Bruce Allen, made it known that he wants the veteran back and re-signing Fletcher is something he plans to do.
In his 14th season, London Fletcher brought in a whopping 166 tackles in 2011 which lead the NFL.
“We want to, we want to and he wants to come back,” Allen said. “We’re just waiting for the season to finish, and then we’re gonna take care of business.
“He’s a captain. We want our captain back.”
Fletcher is about to become an unrestricted free agent and the he has also made it known he wants to be a Redskin in 2012.
Greenway & Fletcher Added to Pro Bowl
By Gayle Saunders
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Two worthy contestants step right on up! Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway and Redskins linebacker London Fletcher have now been added to the NFC’s Pro Bowl roster as alternates.
Both Bears linebackers, Lance Briggs and Brian Urlacher will be replaced in the pro bowl, due to injuries suffered during the season.
Chad Greenway had a terrific season with 174 tackles on the year, 104 solo and 70 assisted tackles. The Vikings made the announcement Monday that he will replace Lance Briggs.
London Fletcher found the fountain of youth, leading the NFL with 166 tackles and will replace Bears linebacker, Brian Urlacher, who sustained an injury the last game of the season. London, the 14 year veteran will enter the offseason with an expired contract. Fletcher has made it known that he wants to return to Washington, and Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan and defensive coordinator Jim Haslett, plan on making that first priority in the off season.
Fletcher let his fans know Monday via Twitter as he tweeted the following on his Twitter page.
“Aloha! Officially added to the pro bowl roster today!”
The Pro Bowl will be played Jan. 29 in Honolulu.
Vikings & Redskins interviewing Raheem Morris
By Gayle Saunders
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The Vikings are set to interview Raheem Morris former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach for their defensive coordinator position. Morris was fired as the Bucs head coach after three up and down seasons.
Morris recently interviewed this week with the Washington Redskins for the defensive backs coach spot. With interest from the Vikings it now leaves Fred Pagac asking questions about his future with Minnesota.
On the season the Vikings ranked 21st and gave up 28.1 points a game.
The Vikings defense ranked 21st in the NFL this season, giving up 28.1 points per game.
FANTASY FOOTBALL PICKUPS: Week 16
By Gayle Saunders
Lets get ready for week 16! The moment you’ve been waiting for should finally be here. I’m assuming you’re in the championship finals like myself and playing for the prize. Now even though I believe in the ”if its not broke then don’t fix it” rule, There might be one or two guys that could help your lineup last minute. Below are some pick ups for this week. As always Good luck this week and stay thirsty my friends!
QUARTERBACKS
Matt Moore -Miami Dolphins - Its safe to say that any QB going up against the Patriots will put up numbers…enter Matt Moore. Don’t front on Moore, as he’s had at least one TD in five straight games with nine TDs in that time frame. The Patriots have given up multiple TDs to six of the last eight QBs they’ve faced. #NUFFSAID
Rex Grossman – Washington Redskins - Grossman again? Yes again! He gets the Minnesota Vikings who have been shredded like taco meat these days. In the last 9 games they’ve given up 25 touchdown passes. Yup I did not studder.
Kyle Orton – Kansas City Chiefs - Last but not least Mr. Kyle Orton is relevant again . Last week he quietly put up close to 300 yards against the Packers and this week he gets the Raiders Defense who have allowed multiple TDs in the last 7 games.
RUNNING BACKS
Donald Brown -Indianapolis Colts - Brown came to life last week against the Titans and showed and proved that he is not a bust. He had 161 on the day and 1 TD. Look at the numbers Brown has had 3 TD’s in the last 4 games. My only concern is he faces a tougher defense this week with the Texans…so he’s a risky start, but if your in need feel free to deploy.
Kahlil Bell – Chicago Bears – Bell had 15 carries for 65 yards and caught five passes for 43 yards with a touchdown in Sunday’s blowout loss to the Seahawks. The fact that the Bears offense has been super shaky and they play the recently Lets get ready for week 16! The moment you’ve been waiting for should finally be here. I’m assuming you’re in the championship finals like myself and playing for the prize. Now even though I believe in the “if its not broke then don’t fix it” rule, There might be one or two guys that could help your lineup last minute. Below are some pick ups for this week. As always Good luck this week and stay thirsty my friends!
QUARTERBACKS
Matt Moore -Miami Dolphins - Its safe to say that any QB going up against the Patriots will put up numbers…enter Matt Moore. Dont front on Moore, as he’s had at least one TD in five straight games with nine TDs in that time frame. The Patriots have given up multiple TDs to six of the last eight QBs they’ve faced. #NUFFSAID
Rex Grossman – Washington Redskins - Grossman again? Yes again! He gets the Minnesota Vikings who have been shredded like taco meat these days. In the last 9 games they’ve given up 25 touchdown passes. Yup I did not studder.
Kyle Orton – Kansas City Chiefs - Last but not least Mr. Kyle Orton is relevant again . Last week he quietly put up close to 300 yards against the Packers and this week he gets the Raiders Defense who have allowed multiple TDs in the last 7 games.
RUNNING BACKS
Donald Brown -Indianapolis Colts - Brown came to life last week against the Titans and showed and proved that he is not a bust. He had 161 on the day and 1 TD. Look at the numbers Brown has had 3 TD’s in the last 4 games. My only concern is he faces a tougher defense this week with the Texans…so he’s a risky start, but if your in need feel free to deploy.
Kahlil Bell – Chicago Bears – Bell had 15 carries for 65 yards and caught five passes for 43 yards with a touchdown in Sunday’s blowout loss to the Seahawks. The fact that the Bears offense has been super shaky and they play the recently embarrased Packers…the Bears could be passing heavily and will probably be playing from behind. (Which translates to catches out of the backfield and extra garbage fantasy numbers)
WIDE RECEIVERS
Demaryius Thomas – Denver Broncos - The young Thomas is starting to put up consistent numbers with 18 catches for 338 yards and three TDs over the last three games. Tebow is looking his way folks and has now become his “go-to” guy. He gets Buffalo this week and is a solid play for sure!
Nate Burleson – Detroit Lions - With Megatron playing across from him he finally got his swag back last weekend with seven catches for 81 yards and a TD against the Raiders. If you play in a PPR league feel free to give this guy a play.
Derrius Heyward Bey - DHB put up sick numbers last week vs the lions with eight catches for 155 yards and a score against the Lions. Any Raider fan will tell ya he’s hot & cold and when he’s hot he’s HOT. He had a decent game the last time he face the Chiefs so fee free to deploy as a flex play or WR3. He’s a risky play though you’ve been warned.
Jabar Gaffney – Washington Redskins – Last week Gaffney caught a team high six passes for 85. The week before he hauled in six passes for 92 yards with a touchdown. The facts folks… Gaffney has caught at least five passes and 72 yards in four of the last five games. He has a good matchup against a weak Vikings secondary.
TIGHT ENDS
Brent Celek – Philadelphia Eagles - Some people (which is odd) have not picked up on Celek yet. He’s been a solid play ever since his coming out party against the Cowboys. Last week he had a monster game vs the Jets where he had five grabs for 156 yards and a score. The sad part is he almost had another score on a 73 yard catch & run. He is being targeted heavily these days over the middle and on TE screens. He needs to be picked up if he’s out there in your league.
Jared Cook – Tennessee Titans – Cook finally showed some decent numbers last week when he had nine catches for 103 yards on the Colts D. You have to hope that the Titans get pass heavy vs the Jags for Cook to duplicate these numbers! If in need and your a gambling man look Cook’s way.
DEFENSE
Washington Redskins- You saw what the Redskins defense did to the Giants right? The Redskins played tough and had three sacks and three interceptions. When your facing a team whose lost 6 consecutive games like the Vikings and has turned over the ball 16 times in that time fram… its a no brainer folks!
Tennessee Titans - I know they came up lame against the Colts …BUT the Jaguars have only scored more than 14 points one time this season. Let me remind you were in the 16th week. Numbers don’t lie. Packers…the Bears could be passing heavily and will probably be playing from behind. (Which translates to catches out of the backfield and extra garbage fantasy numbers)
WIDE RECEIVERS
Demaryius Thomas – Denver Broncos - The young Thomas is starting to put up consistent numbers with 18 catches for 338 yards and three TDs over the last three games. Tebow is looking his way folks and has now become his “go-to” guy. He gets Buffalo this week and is a solid play for sure!
Nate Burleson – Detroit Lions - With Megatron playing across from him he finally got his swag back last weekend with seven catches for 81 yards and a TD against the Raiders. If you play in a PPR league feel free to give this guy a play.
Derrius Heyward Bey - DHB put up sick numbers last week vs the lions with eight catches for 155 yards and a score against the Lions. Any Raider fan will tell ya he’s hot & cold and when he’s hot he’s HOT. He had a decent game the last time he face the Chiefs so fee free to deploy as a flex play or WR3. He’s a risky play though you’ve been warned.
Jabar Gaffney – Washington Redskins - Last week Gaffney caught a team high six passes for 85. The week before he hauled in six passes for 92 yards with a touchdown. The facts folks… Gaffney has caught at least five passes and 72 yards in four of the last five games. He has a good matchup against a weak Vikings secondary.
TIGHT ENDS
Brent Celek - Philadelphia Eagles - Some people (which is odd) have not picked up on Celek yet. He’s been a solid play ever since his coming out party against the Cowboys. Last week he had a monster game vs the Jets where he had five grabs for 156 yards and a score. The sad part is he almost had another score on a 73 yard catch & run. He is being targeted heavily these days over the middle and on TE screens. He needs to be picked up if he’s out there in your league.
Jared Cook - Tennessee Titans - Cook finally showed some decent numbers last week when he had nine catches for 103 yards on the Colts D. You have to hope that the Titans get pass heavy vs the Jags for Cook to duplicate these numbers! If in need and your a gambling man look Cook’s way.
DEFENSE
Washington Redskins- You saw what the Redskins defense did to the Giants right? The Redskins played tough and had three sacks and three interceptions. When your facing a team whose lost 6 consecutive games like the Vikings and have turned over the ball 16 times in that time frame…its a no brainer folks!
Tennessee Titans - I know they came up lame against the Colts …BUT the Jaguars have only scored more than 14 points one time this season. Let me remind you were in the 16th week. Numbers don’t lie.
London Fletcher blows up Tom Brady
By Gayle Saunders
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London Fletcher blows up Tom Brady on a weak attempt of a slide which was followed by a terrible call. They called Fletcher for unnecessary roughness for a fore arm to the head. Its odd when Brady wasn’t even hit in the head by Fletcher (it was more like his arm and mid torso) I’m sorry but this is the NFL right? Referees are making some terrible calls this year in flag football…oops I mean the NFL. Ok I got it off my chest. I’m good.
Brandon Banks 95 Yard Punt Return vs Bucs
Redskin’s Nation is High on Hightower
By Gayle Saunders
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Right now the Redskins organization is high on something…perhaps that’s HighTower. Running back Tim Hightower has done about as much as one man can do to secure a position at running back for Washington.
As of right now, Hightower has hands down clinched the starting job. With Ryan Torain just coming back from injury and Hightower’s preseason performance, he’s made it easy for Coach Shanahan to make the move. Ryan Torain has been known to be injury prone ever since his days with Shanahan in Denver, so Torain’s injury concerns is nothing new. However Ryan Torain makes his preseason debut vs. Tampa Bay on Thursday and he will have the last word regarding that issue.
If you look at the game tape, its obvious Hightower can put in work with Shanahan’s zone blocking scheme. Shanahan has made stars out of Terrell Davis, Clinton Portis, could Tim Hightower be next on the list. His skill set and running style fits exactly what Shanahan wants from his running backs. He is patient with runs and is one cut and to the hole. If he sticks with it and the downfield blocking continues to be on point in Washington, the Redskins offense could see a lot of big runs from Hightower.
Question is…Can Hightower be trusted to be a fulltime fixture in the Redskins backfield? In his career he’s only had 1 game with 20 or more carries in over 3 years with the Cardinals. If its anytime to make an organization believe in Hightower this is his opportunity to shine.
“He’s done a good job,” Shanahan said of Hightower to The Washington Post. “I’m not going to say he’s our starter, but if you were betting in Vegas, you’d probably go in that direction.”
We here at Skinnypost.com cant wait to see if the pre-season hype on him is more like a new reality. Redskins nation needs something to root for and Tim Hightower is it.
Dolphins add Larry Johnson for Veteran depth
By Gayle Saunders
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Looks like the dolphins are looking for veteran depth at the running back position to backup Reggie Bush and rookie Daniel Thomas,as they just added Larry Johnson to the mix for insurance.
The 31-year-old Johnson was drafted by the Chiefs in the first round of the 2003 draft, he had most of his success in Kansas City for seven seasons. His most successful years were in 2005-06 where he had consecutive 1,750-yard seasons and ran for a total of 37 touchdowns.
Dolphins announced their signing via Twitter Tuesday morning. Before bringing Larry Johnson in they worked out University of Miami Alum Clinton Portis, and Ex-Giant Tiki Barber. The Dolphins waived running back Kory Sheets, who did not play all season due to an Achilles tendon injury.
Last season wasn’t quite that impressive for Johnson only gaining 2 yards on five carries in two games he played. The Redskins released him in September. His career totals are solid as he’s rushed for 6,221 yards and 55 TDS. However, over the last three season he’s only played in 16 games.
Donovan McNabb is On The Move
By Gayle Saunders
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A trade that has made sense to me for the last two years, might just finally happen. ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the Vikings have interest in McNabbs services. Currently they’ve talked with the Redskins about bringing McNabb on the Viking’s ship. The catch is, the Vikes would have the rights to restructure Donovan’s contract before bringing him in.
At this moment with the state of McNabb’s relationship with the Shanahans and the Redskins front office, Washington should be lucky to get a fair shake. With time playing a factor, its is highly unlikely a rookie can grasp a new system in 3 weeks. McNabbs value as a proven veteran leader, basically gives his old car a brand new paint job. The only problem is he’ll have to share the car garage with a brand new 2011 porshe aka Chris Ponder ok maybe he’s a Audi.
When the Vikings finally feel like taking out the new Audi for a spin McNabb has got to know he’s got to hand over the keys to Vikings ownership to let them make up their minds when the season takes way.
But you never know with a proven running game, McNabb can have some longevity. He’s never had a work horse like Adrian Petersen to hand the rock off to. If he plays lights out, Ponder could in fact, sit and ponder. (I had to) That would be a great dilemna to have for Vikings fans.
McNabb has to figure out whats more important, getting another shot to a ring or looking for another big payday. Chances are McNabb is looking for somewhere he can compete for a starting role that he wont have to give up right away.
I’ve been saying this for over a year McNabb should and will be playing for the Minnesota Vikings this season.
Fast forward to 5:01 
Clinton Portis: Head Over Heels for the G-Men
By Gayle Saunders
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In the month of February, it was a time when love was in the air for the rest of the nation, for the Redskins and 29 year old Portis…not so much.
The Redskins took one look at the 8.3 million dollar salary and the injury history of Clinton Portis and called it a day. In the last two seasons with the Skins, Portis has only managed to play in 13 games.
In 2011 he’s ready to show and prove, and when healthy, we all know what he’s capable of. The interesting twist to all of this, Portis would like the opportunity to prove it to the Redskins twice a year by playing with the Giants if the opportunity arrives.
On Tuesday on Sirius XM NFL he called an opportunity at RB with the Giants a “outstanding” possibility.
“I would love that opportunity,” Portis said, via Comcast SportsNet Washington and RealRedskins.com.
Currently the Giants have Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs as the focus at RB and a pretty solid offensive unit. The possibility of the Giants signing Portis could be slim, however Portis thinks differently.
“I just need to be able to come out and show what I’m capable of, I think it’s revitalizing to have an opportunity and still have the drive and still have the hunger to go out and prove people wrong.”
Like any little kid on christmas, Portis has his wish list of teams:
New Orleans Saints drafted Alabama running back Mark Ingram last month
“I thought that would be a match made in heaven,”
He spoke of some of the quarterbacks he would be interested in playing with:
San Diego Chargers Philip Rivers, Indianapolis’ Peyton Manning, New England’s Tom Brady, Philadelphia’s Michael Vick, Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers and Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger
Portis stated that the NFL lockout has helped him by giving him more time to heal.
“I think I’m in better shape today than I was since, probably, my fourth or fifth year in the NFL,” Portis said. “… Now I’m having some freedom and opportunity to go elsewhere and train and do my own thing and recover at my own pace. Usually by now, my back hurts from pushing sleds and doing this and doing that in the offseason program. …
“I’m looking forward to growing completely healed. I’m benching, I’m squatting, I’m running. I feel like I got the speed back that was once dominating and scared so many other opposing teams.”
