Redskins vs. Steelers Preseason Pre-Game Thread

[MTK]

Hankerson would get snatched off the PS in no time. I agree, not happening. Gotta give the kid some time.

[GMScud]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

Hankerson would get snatched off the PS in no time. I agree, not happening. Gotta give the kid some time.

I watch a ton of college football, and I don't recall drops being an issue for him at all at Miami. I'm hoping it's just nerves. I was really hoping he'd be a contributor for us this season.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by GMScud

I watch a ton of college football, and I don't recall drops being an issue for him at all at Miami. I'm hoping it's just nerves. I was really hoping he'd be a contributor for us this season.

That was one of the knocks on him coming out.

Miami Pro day: Wide receiver Leonard Hankerson was characterized as "up and down" while running routes and catching passes. "He's a bit stiff as a route-runner and isn't as fast as he timed at Indy," the scout said. Hankerson, according to the scout, also "dropped a few" passes - a problem the Miami receiver had struggled with throughout his career and the week of practice at the Senior Bowl. Hankerson is currently the fourth rated receiver of the 2011 draft by NFLDraftScout.com. Among the teams the scout said were represented at the workout were the Atlanta Falcons, Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, New York Jets, New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tennessee Titans. - Rob Rang, NFLDraftScout.com

Leonard Hankerson | Miami, WR : 2011 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile

[NC_Skins]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

That was one of the knocks on him coming out.

Looking at the scouting report, you can tell some of his routes weren't as crisp as others. Even Joey T. commented on that fact and even broke down a play by Stallworth and compared the two routes.


He's not going to the practice squad being a 3rd rounder. No way, no how, so lets just stop that foolish talk right now. He's a lock to be on this squad just as Moss and Gaf are.

[JoeRedskin]

Originally Posted by NC_Skins

Looking at the scouting report, you can tell some of his routes weren't as crisp as others. Even Joey T. commented on that fact and even broke down a play by Stallworth and compared the two routes.


He's not going to the practice squad being a 3rd rounder. No way, no how, so lets just stop that foolish talk right now. He's a lock to be on this squad just as Moss and Gaf are.

I guess the real question is - Is Armstrong a lock? I though AA looked good enough last night, picking up where he left off. BUT - Say, in the next 3 weeks, Armstrong barely out performs Hankerson but Paul strongly outperforms Armstrong & Hankerson. Do Paul and Armstrong stay? Paul and Hankerson? Can Hankerson, Austin & Paul all make the team (cutting Armstrong & Stallworth)?

BTW - I know he had a rough game, but Aldrick may yet make a play. I recently read an article (that I can longer find) that he was an exceptional route runner and was getting good separation b/c of his technique. If he gets past the jitters, he might be a solid player for years to come. All the same, I think he is practice squad material this year.

[NC_Skins]

Originally Posted by JoeRedskin

I guess the real question is - Is Armstrong a lock? I though AA looked good enough last night, picking up where he left off. BUT - Say, in the next 3 weeks, Armstrong barely out performs Hankerson but Paul strongly outperforms Armstrong & Hankerson. Do Paul and Armstrong stay? Paul and Hankerson? Can Hankerson, Austin & Paul all make the team (cutting Armstrong & Stallworth)?

I wouldn't say he's a lock, but he's probably the #3 WR at this point. I think its going to come down to Paul, Armstrong, Stallworth, Austin, Robinson and Banks. Banks isn't a lock just because he had a nice return last night. Notice he did nothing on the WR front. Hell, did he even play at the WR spot? That last person is going to have to be able to play the WR spot as well as special teams. Last year we didn't have much of a choice, this year we do. Robinson isn't going to help himself one bit if he continues the mishaps on special teams. Austin on the other hand had a 19 yard punt return so if he does good on ST, then I see him making it over Banks.

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by NC_Skins

I wouldn't say he's a lock, but he's probably the #3 WR at this point. I think its going to come down to Paul, Armstrong, Stallworth, Austin, Robinson and Banks. Banks isn't a lock just because he had a nice return last night. Notice he did nothing on the WR front. Hell, did he even play at the WR spot? That last person is going to have to be able to play the WR spot as well as special teams. Last year we didn't have much of a choice, this year we do. Robinson isn't going to help himself one bit if he continues the mishaps on special teams. Austin on the other hand had a 19 yard punt return so if he does good on ST, then I see him making it over Banks.

Banks is a lock because a team has no use for 6 offensive receivers. He'll come in on offense at times as a wrinkle. As the team's primary returner, he's unchallenged at this point. He's probably the team's best "offensive" player. And Shanny loves him.

Niles Paul is on the wrong side of the bubble at this point, but I think he's got an advantage over Stallworth in his age and special teams contribution. Right now, it's probably:

1) Gaffney
2) Armstrong
3) Moss
4) Austin
5) Hankerson
6) Banks

Stallworth is essentially going to have just one game against first teamers to make his case two weeks from now.

The other thing I'm going to bring up here is that, value wise, can Moss actually bring more to this offense than any of the following players: Gaffney, Armstrong, Austin? I'm wondering if playing TA over him might actually make the offense more potent. I don't know what we have in TA just yet, but Moss looks like the kind of player who will find the void in the zone underneath and be a dependable safety valve, but he can't beat man coverage any more, and he doesn't appear to be able to turn the corner to get the sideline on younger DBs.

I just wonder what Moss' value on this team will be outside of getting the ball against the blitz. He's clearly a more valuable receiver than Hankerson is at this point, but I don't know if that necessarily means he should be playing over him. And I won't like it if Niles Paul gets released because we made the mistake of giving Santana a three year contract.

[KI Skins Fan]

Originally Posted by NC_Skins

I wouldn't say he's a lock, but he's probably the #3 WR at this point. I think its going to come down to Paul, Armstrong, Stallworth, Austin, Robinson and Banks. Banks isn't a lock just because he had a nice return last night. Notice he did nothing on the WR front. Hell, did he even play at the WR spot? That last person is going to have to be able to play the WR spot as well as special teams. Last year we didn't have much of a choice, this year we do. Robinson isn't going to help himself one bit if he continues the mishaps on special teams. Austin on the other hand had a 19 yard punt return so if he does good on ST, then I see him making it over Banks.

I'll say it: Anthony Armstrong is a lock! Take it to the bank.

He proved himself to be a legitimate deep threat last season when he caught 44 passes for 871 yards - that is an impressive 19.8 yards per catch. He scored 3 TD's, converted 32 1st downs, made 15 plays of 20+ yds and 7 plays of 40+ yards. What more could you have expected of him as a No. 3 receiver?

Let's compare those stats to his competition for the No. 3 spot: The score is one nice season for AA and exactly squat in the NFL for his competitors. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's get serious about who might really get cut or make the team at WR.

First of all, if Brandon Banks stays healthy, then he is also a lock. He is the most dynamic player on the team and he could become the best KR in the entire NFL. We need him to give us good field position and to break a couple of returns for TD's. Danny Smith might have to kill somebody to keep Banks on the roster.

To be honest, Banks is not a WR - he is a return man. He doesn't have a position on offense or defense. He's just a player the Skins need to keep because of his exceptional ability on Special Teams. So, if he stays (and he will if he is healthy), then somebody else on the roster has got to go, but that somebody doesn't necessarily need to be a WR or even an offensive player. Players who can play multiple positions may factor into who gets cut in order to keep Banks. That's why I don't count Banks as a WR for purposes of determining which WR's make the team.

Before trying to determine which WR's make the roster, we need to understand where the team is in terms of its development. I say we're rebuilding. As much as rebuilding may be a dirty word at Redskins Park, that is in fact what is happening there. So that is bad news for anyone who is not a starter and who is not a young player in NFL terms. To me, that means Donte Stallworth.

Right now, I think that Stallworth is a better, more polished WR than the men he is competing against. But, due to his age (30) and lack of production in the NFL, that won't help him to stick unless at least a couple of his competitors for a WR job flop badly in preseason. I think he'll probably be cut and, if he has a good preseason, be picked up by another team.

Malcolm Kelly is just about gone. I think that he must play in the second preseason game and impress to have any shot at all. Even then, Gaffney and possibly Hankerson can do what Kelly does and Kelly's injury history is still looming over him, so I think he'll be cut.

Hankerson will probably make it because of his potential alone, even if he is horrible in preseason.

I think we'll keep five WR's. Moss, Gaffney and Armstrong are certainly going to make it. Hankerson will also be on the roster although he may not be the actual 4th WR. That job may go to either Terrance Austin or Niles Paul, probably Austin.

[GusFrerotte]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

Hankerson would get snatched off the PS in no time. I agree, not happening. Gotta give the kid some time.

I would never get rid of Hankerson just because of a case of first NFL game nerves. Stallworth showed he still was a productive WR. I would hate for an intradivisional rival pick him up and see him burn us at some point in the regular season. We simply picked up too many Wrs,and it will be a shame to lose most of them. I know Donte is older, but if he can continue to really produce I say keep him for the year of his contract. If Hankerson can't improve over the preseason schedule he is most likely going to be dropped anyway, and if he does improve somewhat, I doubt he is going to be picked up off the PS, unless he really shows us some great stuff. As of now, he looks to be a PS player, but that is only after game 1. Plenty of time to improve. He probably was just taking it all in for the first two series he was in.