May 21, 2012; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) and Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman (8) prepare to snap the ball during organized team activities at Redskins Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE

May 21, 2012; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) and Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman (8) prepare to throw the ball during organized team activities at Redskins Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE

In case you haven’t noticed, the Redskins are in full swing with OTA’s (Organized Team Activities) and that means that Robert Griffin III is getting his first action with the entire roster. In several interviews with players, Griffin III has been described as a humble guy. This is an important trait to obtain for someone with star power such as Griffin and being a rookie at the same time. Griffin has described himself as a very hard worker and it’s already showing with the way he is attacking the quarterback drills in OTA’s. There is footage of the Redskins first two days in action on the Redskins website and it appears as though the new sheriff in town is leading by example. I mentioned in a previous post that the precision and sense of urgency shown by Griffin at his Baylor Pro day would be vital to the progression and focus of the Redskins. In the day 2 of OTA’s video, you can see Griffin and Cousins hustling and going full speed in the drills vs Grossman and Crompton walking and not going through the drills at game speed. Well, maybe that was Grossman’s game speed, which explains a lot of the inconsistencies last year. Because of the sense of urgency from Griffin, he was able to complete two reps before Grossman could complete one. In my opinion, little things like that become contagious to the entire team when they see how hard the leaders work. Little senses of urgency turn into doing things a split second faster as a team and help avoid delay of game penalties amongst other mishaps that can occur during the course of a game. I know it’s still early, but I believe Washington has found the answer to the question,”Who is going to be responsible for turning this franchise around?” The answer is, Mr. Robert Griffin III.

Below are some more pictures taken during the initial stages of the team’s OTA workouts. Enjoy!

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May 21, 2012; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan (right) watches Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) during organized team activities at Redskins Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE

May 21, 2012; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) hands the ball off to Redskins running back Tim Hightower (25) during organized team activities at Redskins Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE

May 21, 2012; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III (10) throws the ball to Redskins wide receiver Darius Hanks (17) during organized team activities at Redskins Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE

The Redskins have appointed a new Pro Scout today and his name is Alex Santos.  Of course, this comes from the unstoppable Jason La Canfora. Jason seems to like the guy personally and professionally.  Frankly, I’ve never heard of him. While the job of pro scout sounds important (and in some ways it is), it is hard to think of it as a key position when you read from Jason that previous to this, Alex was picking up players at the airport among other duties.  On the one in a million chance that Alex Santos is a fan of the Rag, I’m not trying to make fun of you, Alex.  Everyone has to start somewhere.  Mike Holmgren started out driving guys around years ago. I’m just saying that there are probably a couple more steps up the ladder for you before you get much of a say in the war room.

The Redskins also announced that pretty much the only open job competition for the offseason is the punter position. This is certainly no surprise given that all 22 (or 21 if you count Sean Taylor) starters from last year’s playoff team are back. But there alse some interesting implications here that the Redskins really don’t want to admit.  For instance, whether they are busts or not, Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly are the third and fourth receivers. Technically, James Thrash and Anthony Mix are in the picture.  But the reality is that Thrash is a special teamer and mix is an interesting project.  Folks who got after us for not addressing the defense should think about this carefully.  If Thomas and Kelly aren’t ready, the cupboard is bare. At least with the d-line, we had a serviceable rotation last year.

Another thing this shows is that either Rocky McIntosh is going to be healthy despite hurting his knee very late in the season (unlikely), or the Redskins aren’t really ready to talk about it yet (likely).  Last year, HB Blades and Khary Campbell split time at the position and they played well.  The reason for not talking about it may simply be that they have a plan.

One last thing on the “punter battle.”  Say what you want about Frost but he was 18th in the league in gross and 21 in net putting.  The difference between “average” and “below average” in punting is about a yard.  The improvement we stand to gain here is a 3 or 4 yards a game in field position.  I know football is a game of inches and all, but it is a sign of this team’s stability and general solidity that the only competition worth talking about during OTA’s is this one. We should be very happy. Hail Skins!

-DW