Redskins Fantasy News

Sunday, February 5, 2012, 3:58pm

In an interview Friday with NBC Sports, Bills WR David Nelson confirmed long-rumored suspicions that QB Ryan Fitzpatrick suffered cracked ribs in the Redskins game in Toronto on a hit by former Bills linebacker London Fletcher in the first half.

"A lot of people don't know, but Fitz, during the Washington game, actually cracked a couple of ribs," Nelson said. "So after that, he was playing hurt."

Fitzpatrick can insist his performance wasn't affected by the injury, but the numbers suggest otherwise. He completed 67 percent of his passes for 13 touchdowns and 7 interceptions before the injury. He had 11 TD passes and 16 picks after Fletcher drilled him. Sources say he cracked four ribs and injured his sternum.

Thursday, January 26, 2012, 10:28am

New OC Mike Tice believes the Bears can make better use of their current wide receivers by getting the ball in their hands quicker, but also sees a possibility for additions, decisions the new general manager and Smith will make.

"If I had a question asked of me, 'What do we need?' I would say we're going to run what I learned from (Joe Gibbs with the Redskins and did with Denny Green with the Vikings) and did myself when I was the (Vikings) head coach.

"If you're going to take advantage of the box count and you're going to get the ball to that guy with single coverage, you need a guy who is going to get open more than 90 percent of the time. We don't have a guy who has stepped up, in my opinion, and shown us that ability. We either have to develop one who is in the building or we have to bring one in via the draft or free agency."

Friday, January 20, 2012, 12:58pm

Redskins coaches head into the offseason feeling upbeat about the team’s running backs: Roy Helu, Evan Royster and Tim Hightower.

“You can see we have some depth,” head coach Mike Shanahan said. “I think Roy has done a fantastic job as well as Royster coming in and taking advantage of an opportunity. I though Tim did a great job before he got hurt. So we have some depth at that position.”

Added offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan: “You feel like you have two guys who can help you in the future.”

Friday, January 20, 2012, 12:29pm

I know this for sure -- on the night home from Philadelphia a little over two weeks ago - Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shanahan and his father, Mike, had a detailed conversation over Matt Flynn's performance against the Lions.

They were very impressed and pleased to see the results, despite not being able to witness the work. I am told that they have had other conversations about Flynn, and it would appear based on a few sources inside the organization that the Redskins are 'very interested' as one source described to me.

Of course, we shall see when 'rubber meets the road' and it comes down to contract time. I think the Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, Jacksonville Jaguars, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos and a few other teams could be in the mix.

Our ESPN 980 Front Office NFL Insider, J.I. Halsell expects a very modest contract for a potential NFL starter, because simply -- teams do not know how good Flynn will be as a starter, with limited experience.

Friday, December 30, 2011, 1:33pm

A day after Rex Grossman described his confidence as “at an all-time high,” Washington Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan cast further uncertainty on the veteran-yet-turnover-prone quarterback’s future role with the team.

Shanahan, who last week said that Grossman needs to eliminate his turnovers, on Thursday praised the quarterback’s aggressive nature. But at the same time, Shanahan said he would have no problem going with a quarterback that has no experience in his system next season. The offensive coordinator also acknowledged that the Redskins remain in need of a franchise quarterback.

“No, not at all. You don’t need a guy that’s experienced with your system,” said Shanahan, who is in his second season with the struggling Redskins after directing the Houston Texans to the ranks of the league’s offensive leaders in 2008 and 2009. “When [Matt] Schaub came into Houston in his first year, he played at a very high level. I don’t think it’s a system that takes a long time to learn. You can get better at it, but everyone in the league runs similar plays. You’re going to run what they’re good at and the better they are, the more you keep doing it.”

Tuesday, December 27, 2011, 7:46pm

The Washington Redskins have released running back Ryan Torain.

Monday, December 26, 2011, 8:07pm

Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said rookie running back Roy Helu, who was limited by knee and toe injuries all week, was tested out before Saturday’s game and couldn’t push off without pain and so the decision was made to sit him against the Vikings.

Shanahan praised Evan Royster’s production and said between Helu, Royster and Tim Hightower, the Redskins have great depth at running back.

Monday, December 26, 2011, 2:05pm

The Giants are hoping Jake Ballard and Mario Manning will mend in time for Sunday night’s first-place NFC East showdown with the Cowboys.

Ballard suffered a partially torn posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee against the Redskins and last week still had not been able to run. He believes he will only miss one game, but that might be wishful thinking.

Manningham has been dealing with a swollen and sore knee for the entire second half of the season. He is hoping to avoid surgery following the season and is optimistic he will be able to make it back for the Cowboys.

Vikes RB Peterson could miss time in 2012
Monday, December 26, 2011, 1:48pm

An NFL source said late Saturday night that an MRI confirmed All-Pro halfback Adrian Peterson suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament when his left knee caved sideways on a direct hit from Redskins safety DeJon Gomes early in the third quarter.

Surgery to replace the ACL probably won't occur for at least a couple of weeks while Peterson regains his range of motion and the MCL heals. (Peterson's posterior cruciate ligament was not damaged, a source said. The lateral collateral ligament also is believed to be OK. The meniscus will be evaluated in the operating room and might need repair as well.)

An optimistic timetable would have Peterson returning to action no sooner than September. And recent research suggests even an athlete of Peterson's caliber may struggle to return to his previous performance level, especially one who relies so heavily on lower-body explosion.

Eagles McCoy seems unlikely to play
Monday, December 26, 2011, 1:37pm

LeSean McCoy’s sprained ankle Saturday was serious enough to scuttle a last-ditch run at the NFL rushing title.

It also left him 123 yards shy of snapping the club record of 1,512 yards established by Wilbert Montgomery in 1979.

While McCoy declined to discuss the severity of the injury, his words made it obvious he would need a miraculous recovery to be healthy enough to pursue either mark in the season finale this Sunday against the Washington Redskins.

“Montgomery, he’s probably smiling right now,” McCoy said. “I’ll get it next year – hopefully.”

Adrian Peterson tears ACL and MCL
Sunday, December 25, 2011, 5:05pm

If only a shot at the No. 1 pick was the only thing the Minnesota Vikings lost on Saturday.

A resilient 33-26 road win against the Washington Redskins paled against the grim reality the Vikings' best player might not be ready when the 2012 season begins - and there's at least a chance he won't be quite the same ever again.

An MRI confirmed All-Pro halfback Adrian Peterson suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament and medial collateral ligament when his left knee caved sideways on a direct hit from Redskins safety DeJon Gomes early in the third quarter.

Surgery to replace the ACL probably won't occur for at least a couple of weeks while Peterson regains his range of motion and the MCL heals. (Peterson's posterior cruciate ligament was not damaged. The lateral collateral ligament also is believed to be OK. The meniscus will be evaluated in the operating room and might need repair as well.)

An optimistic timetable would have Peterson returning to action no sooner than September. And recent research suggests even an athlete of Peterson's caliber may struggle to return to his previous performance level, especially one who relies so heavily on lower-body explosion.

By no means is Peterson's career over at age 26. He has proven to be a fast healer and is so competitive he may try to defy the minimum eight- to nine-month recovery timetable many NFL teams endorse.