Roster battle: Assessing the competition

Roster battle: Assessing the competition among Redskins running backs thru two preseason games The Redskins are holding running back tryouts in Asburn today because things are getting a little thin following a number of injuries Tress Way Jersey , both major and minor.In addition to the running back losses we already knew about, Jay Gruden added another name to the list at his Saturday post-practice press conference.I haven’t seen a full list of names for who would be trying out today — Gruden was being a bit coy in the press conference when asked — but there’s at least one familiar name:It seems crazy, but with the level of injuries that the Redskins have faced at the running back position in just training camp and two preseason games, a player like Darkwa (or someone else) is not only assured of being added to the roster, but has a real shot at being active on the regular season roster for the opening game in Arizona.But that’ll be another article for a different day.Today, we’re going to look at the running backs not named Guice or Wellman that played against the Patriots and Jets in the first two weeks of preseason to see if we can sort out the running back battle among the incumbents before any new competition arrives.The analysis will include Martez Carter, despite the fact that he has already been waived; in fact, the analysis ranked him last among the backs on the roster before he was waived, lending credence to the Redskins’ decision to let him go.The evaluatorI’ve never made any secret of the fact that I am not the kind of guy who can break down film one play at a time.Knowing my limitations, I turn to others for help when I need it.Gibbs4potus (@westcoast_skins) did an outstanding job breaking down film on every undrafted rookie free agent in Redskin training camp in May, and he was the brains and the brawn behind the fine article looking at the competition at the returner positions among Redskin rookies that was published yesterday.The rating systemAs Kirk Cousins was always so fond of saying, “Every play is its own entity”.Comparing all the elements of a single running play with those of another is very much an apples-to-oranges comparison.There are just so many elements involved: the blocking, the play of the defense, the running back’s decision-making and explosion.In a deep-dive-breakdown where we compare two plays side-by-side, all those elements can be discussed and analyzed.This article Cheap Da'Ron Payne Jersey , however, is supposed to be more of a broad-brush overview of several players across dozens of plays.In the end, we decided to rank each play as if it were a hotel or restaurant — with a 5 star system.It’s simple, intuitive, and allows for easy comparison.The structure of the articleThe article will be presented in three partsart 1 - I will list all the 5 star plays in a summary formatPart 2 - Each running back under review will be listed one-by-one, and every run that player has had in the preseason to date will be ranked from best to worstPart 3 - The players under review will be ranked from best to worst, with a short commentary on what expectations are for that player based on performance in the two preseason gamesLet’s get to it.Analysis from Gibbs4potusPart 1 - The full list of five-star runsSamaje Perine - Patriots, 2nd Quarter, 12:46Samaje Perine - Patriots, 2nd Quarter, 11:31Samaje Perine - Jets, 1st Quarter, 7:41Kapri Bibbs - Patriots, 4th Quarter, 3:27Martez Carter - Jets Matthew Ioannidis Jersey , 3rd Quarter, 7:25Martez Carter - Jets, 3rd Quarter, 6:55Part 2 - The rating of every run by every backRob KelleyPhoto by Maddie Meyer/Getty ImagesSamaje PerinePaul Rutherford-USA TODAY SportsByron MarshallPhoto by Maddie Meyer/Getty ImagesBiB: The scope of this article is to look at each back based on his runs — receiving targets are not included.Everyone knows that Byron Marshall is more of a receiver, and that — if he were to make the Redskin regular season roster — it would likely be as a backup 3rd down player behind Chris Thompson.He had a wonderful catch and run touchdown against the Patriots to open up the team’s scoring this preseason, but this analysis indicates that — unlike Chris Thompson, who can carry the ball as a running back very effectively inside or outside the tackles — Marshall poses very little threat as a runner.This may be enough for the Redskins coaches and personnel staff to look elsewhere when deciding the final roster spots.Kapri BibbsGeoff Burke-USA TODAY SportsMartez CarterPhoto by Patrick McDermott/Getty ImagesPart 3 - Overall Rankings#1 Samaje PerineRunner-4.0Receiver-3.0 Blocker-3.0Returner-3.0#2 Kapri BibbsRunner-3.0Receiver-4.0 Blocker-3.0Returner-3.0#3 Rob KelleyRunner- 3.0Receiver- 2.0 Blocker- 3.0Returner- 2.0#4 Byron MarshallBiB: I want to interject the point again that I asked Gibbs4potus to rank these players as runners (with receiving, blocking & ST taken into account when running skills were rated equally), which is why Rob Kelley is ranked above Byron Marshall, and Bibbs is above Kelley.Clearly, Marshall is the superior receiving back, and might well be ranked above Kelley overall if receiving and returning skills were prioritized over running.Runner-2.0Receiver-4.0 Blocker-3.0Returner-3.0#5 Martez CarterBiB: In fact, Carter won’t be given any further chance to develop with the Redskins, unless he remains available and is brought back to the Practice Squad at the end of the month.He was waived on Saturday with an injury designation.Runner-3.0Receiver-3.0 Blocker-2.0?Returner-3.0Summary When Dee Ford was asked what excited him most about the Kansas City Chiefs' defense, the fifth-year linebacker could have talked about finally being healthy or an influx of new young players.Instead Womens Shawn Lauvao Jersey , the first thing that came to mind was the revamped coaching staff.Ford hardly meant that as a slight to Garry Gibbs, the longtime linebackers coach who was let go after the Kansas City defense folded like a lawn chair in the playoffs. Rather it spoke volumes about the benefits that came with coach Andy Reid separating one position into two: Mike Smith was promoted to outside linebackers coach and Mark DeLeone was promoted to inside linebackers coach."I'm very happy for a lot of young coaches that have an opportunity now," said Ford, who enters the final year of his rookie deal trying to recapture what once made him a first-round draft pick."We brought in some great guys," he said, "and some new faces in new positions."The decision to restructure defensive coordinator Bob Sutton's staff was in response to the way linebackers are used in the modern NFL. There is very little in common between outside linebackers and inside linebackers these days, and the increased use of hybrid linebackers — essentially safeties that have moved into the box — adds another layer of complexity to the defense.The way they rush the quarterback is different. Same with the way they drop into coverage or stop the run. And one of the inside linebackers carries the headset connecting him to the coaches; that means he's responsible for calling the play and getting everybody in position."That's a big position to just have one person doing, so we did split it up and it seems to be working fine," Reid said. "They've been able to get more individual work, more film study, specific to their positions, and they're completely different positions."Especially in the 3-4 defensive scheme."When you have both of (the linebackers) in the same room and you're talking about inside, what are the outside guys doing?" Smith asked. "Now you're talking about pass rushes, so in a 3-4 you have to separate them. ... You just get to focus on those guys and you really get to dive in deep."It's especially helpful this season, when the Chiefs are trying to rebuild a linebacker corps without Derrick Johnson and Tamba Hali for the first time in years. Newcomers such as Anthony Hitchens and rookies Breeland Speaks and Dorian O'Daniel get more one-on-one time with the coaching staff Womens Dustin Hopkins Jersey , allowing them to get up to speed much more quickly.The Redskins and 49ers have similar setups on their coaching staffs, and new Titans coach Mike Vrabel brought in Tyrone McKenzie to coach inside linebackers and Shane Bowen to work with the outside linebackers when he was hired this past offseason.Joey Porter handles the outside for the Steelers and Jerry Olsavsky handles the inside."It's great because we have somebody who keys in on the things we're going to do at practice that day," Redskins linebacker Preston Smith said. "We've got a lot of emphasis on a lot of technique we need to work on throughout the day, and on the plays we're going to run and the footwork and the things it takes as an outside linebacker. It's kind of hard for an inside linebacker coach."Packers associate head coach Winston Moss handles outside linebackers and Patrick Graham doubles as inside coach and run game defensive coordinator. A few other teams have a quality control coach lending a hand. But the majority of teams still rely on a single linebackers coach."It's great just to have an outside linebackers coach," said Justin Houston, now the elder statesman of the Chiefs' corps. "There's so much we get to do now just focusing on ourselves and the little things we need to work on. I think last year, we had a lot going on. You have to coach a lot of guys, inside and out. It's hard to do that in the little bit of time you have. Now you have a separate coach, we can just focus on one thing: that's us."Notes: DT Derrick Nnadi left on a cart late in Wednesday's practice with an elbow injury. WR Marcus Kemp hurt his ankle. ... ILB Reggie Ragland (knee) and RB Charcandrick West (concussion) were not on the practice field. ... ILB Otha Peters practiced for the first time since signing a contract Tuesday. He was wearing No. 52.AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno in Richmond, Virginia, contributed to this story. www.nflshopoutlet.com/cincinnati-bengals