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The Washington Redskins have chosen to employ their 19th place kicker since 1994, a staggering number that Dan Steinberg of the DC Sports Bog put up on twitter Tuesday(@DCSportsBog), with the NFL average around 8.5 during that time, and no other team  being higher than 13, during that time.

As ESPN 980 first reported, the Redskins have signed place kicker Kai Forbath, a 25 year old talented but untested leg, out of UCLA.  He beat out 39-year old veteran Olindo Mare and the younger 32-year old, Josh Brown.

It struck me that dysfunctional organizations (no matter how hard they try) are always going to make moves just to make moves, instead of making moves that always make sense.

No I am not talking cutting Billy Cundiff. Clearly, that decision has/had backfired. The Redskins had  no choice. Nobody was expecting Cundiff to make a 62-yard field goal attempt in St. Louis, or a 57-yarder in Tampa near the end of the half.

Everybody, has every reasonable right to expect that he would make a 31-yard FGA two weeks in a row, and both weeks he has missed -- along with a 41-yarder in Tampa.

There's no way that one game winning kick in Tampa from 41-yards out can make up for all the damage done, to a team with little/no margin for error. Sorry Billy.

The decision had to be made, and made today. The problem is again, the Redskins have put their trust in a 25 year old with no regular season game experience, and that can be a very dangerous element.

The "moves just to make moves" statement goes all the way back to the release of Graham Gano and Neil Rackers..There was no reason to have both go all through the preseason and training camp and release both within about 22 hours of each other.

I mean, REALLY??? I know Billy Cundiff was somewhat surprisingly cut, or at least in some eyes it was a surprise. The Redskins viewed it as a gift. It was one they would ultimately have to send back, as the new toy feel quickly vanished. Cundiff was very average last year, and cost the Ravens a chance to get to the Super Bowl.

The bottom line was this. Graham Gano was a steadily improving young kicker who Mike Shanahan didn't trust and also did not like for many reasons. So he made a move just to make a move and hoped that he could trust a proven Cundiff over the young, but now experienced booming leg of Gano.

Forbath, seems like a young, inexperienced version of Gano but somebody that Danny Smith can mold and develop. Except, Gano didn't need to be developed anymore - and by all accounts - Forbath's leg is no where near Gano's leg strength. He only had 2 touchbacks in 9 kickoffs this August, although he did kick a 55 yard field goal for the Bucs before losing out to a stud like Connor Barth.

Gano was very good down the stretch last year, and after dealing with a back injury for part of the off-season - was just beginning to hit his stride.

I can talk about this issue forever. It's not going to change. I strongly believer ONE person does not want Gano back in the building, and that's a head coaches prerogative - but in a critical year of development for the franchise, a merry-go-round at place kicker was the last thing that was needed.

***

Robert Griffin III has been cleared to return to a no contact practice on Wednesday,according to USA Today, who cited a conversation on Tuesday night with Mike Shanahan on Tuesday night.

Robert seemed in very good spirits on Wednesday morning and is expected to talk as scheduled Wednesday afternoon.

****

The Redskins have to get better on third downs if they are going to win more consistently. The obvious area of concern is on offense, at 23.3%, which is pathetic. The Redskins are only averaging 2.8 conversions (32nd NFL) on the money down per game, over five games.

Perhaps more startling, and somewhat puzzling is that the Redskins are allowing teams to convert 39.3% of the time, (24/61) on the season. That's up from last year's 37.4% mark, which had climbed from the 35 % mark in 2010.

Perhaps even more alarming is that while the Redskins have played two very good offenses in New Orleans and Atlanta, they've also played two opponents in Cincinnati and Tampa who are ranked 30th and 31st in third down conversions per game. The Bengals for all of their bells and whistles are averaging only 3.0 per game, while the Bucs are at 3.2 per game.

I can't say that the Redskins did not give Graham Gano a fair shot. That would be wrong of me.

I can say, he deserved a better fate. Gano was released on Tuesday morning, as ESPN 980 first reported.

I'll be perfectly up-front and I don't really care if it bothers you or not. When you cover a team, and you are inside a team facility more than you are at home with your kids - you develop relationships if not friendships.

Graham Gano, was and is -- one of the best people I've met and worked with, and we always had a good friendship that extended beyond just media & player.

I can also say this, I strongly believe the Redskins will regret this decision for a long time. It's easy to say that kickers are a dime-a-dozen and I get that. To some degree.

It's easy to say, he missed chip shot field goals, and way too many kicks and I get that. Kind of.

He also won a few games with his leg on a team that quite honestly hasn't won many games in the end. Anybody remember his overtime game winning kicks against the Packers, Titans and Jaguars in 2010???

Yeah, his critics ALWAYS fail to mention those. Nobody seems to remember the 13-13 stretch he had in December of last year. He might have finished with 16 in a row, if not for a couple of blocks.

The bottom line is, and I know this for sure, Mike Shanahan was never a big fan of Gano's and just didn't want him moving forward if somebody he and the staff deemed more experienced and better, became available.

Whether Billy Cundiff turns out to be the right move or not - is on Mike Shanahan. I believe Danny Smith was chewing a lot more packages of gum than he wanted too with Gano, but I am pretty sure that Danny would have liked to keep Gano in a perfect world.

Of course, it's not. Nobody distinguished themselves from each other in training camp and the pre-season, so the Redskins cut both Neil Rackers and Gano. OK, didn't see that one coming.

It got me thinking. Nobody can question Gano's leg strength. It's impeccable. His accuracy? OK - that has been an issue as opposed to distance.

His kickoff ability? You can throw every stat you want out there, but the bottom line is, Danny Smith believes in directional kicking and trying to pin a team, while using wind and weather conditions as an aid.

Touchback percentage (Cundiff vs. Gano) really does not matter. Gano, if asked too, could have booted every kick from Landover to the National Mall if he wanted too.

You want to argue execution? Fine, he wasn't perfect - but name me a football player, let alone a 25 year old, that is perfect every time he is asked to do something.

Go ahead, name ONE. I'm waiting...I have all day. Really I do.

The name Jason Elam was brought up in a conversation I had today. With that in mind, I brought up a side by side chart of both Gano http://bit.ly/NV7cKW and Elam http://bit.ly/SOtVZW and tried to make a fair comparison.

Elam started with Denver at the age of 23 in 1993, under Wade Phillips and was (26-35) in his rookie year, and only (4-10) from 40-49 yards during that season. 

Gano was signed by the Redskins late in the disastrous 2009 season, at the age of 22 (younger than Elam) and was a perfect (4-4) in his attempts.

In 1994, still coached by Wade Phillips, at the age of 24 -- Elam was (30-37) overall and (7-12) from 40-49.

In 2010, at the age of 23, Gano - now coached by Mike Shanahan - was 24-35, while going (8-10, from 20-29), (4-7, from 30-39), and (11-14, from 40-49). He was also (0-3) from 50 + but again had three game winning overtime kicks, and barely missed a fourth (Week 2 @ home vs. Houston, 52 yard MFG in overtime). His overall percentage was only 68.6% but the Redskins also had one blocked, pushing his percentage for argument's sake to 70.5%.

In 1995, Elam, in his first year under Shanahan, at the age of 25, going into his third full season (where Gano is going now) was (31-38) and (5-7) from 40-49.

In 2011, Gano's third season but only his 2nd full campaign, at the age of 24, Graham went (31-41) with the 5 blocks, contributing to his miss total - so in reality, he was (31-36) at a 86.1%.

After that third full season, Elam hovered between 75 % and a high of 93.5% in Shanahan's final season in Denver.

His first three year percentages were (74.3, 81.1, 81.6). Gano's first 2 1/4 season percentages in adjusted math,  were (100, 70.5, 86.1) and with no adjustment (100 (4 Games), 68.6, 75.6).

Still with me? Good. As you can see, Elam was more consistent perhaps, but didn't make the statistical jumps that Gano made, year over year.

He made a big leap forward later in his career, but it took time. I understand that Mike Shanahan feels he doesn't have time, and is under big pressure.

He's not going anywhere this year. You can write that down. Everyone knows that. I'm surprised Shanahan did not remember what he inherited two years into Jason Elam's career.

I'm glad he gave Elam the chance, because he proved that you can get more consistent with age and experience.

Something he didn't give Gano the chance to do. I just wonder why, and will this decision come back to haunt the Redskins.

I hope for Graham Gano's sake it does, and maybe he will have his revenge one day down the road.

Chris Russell // SFTheRooster@Yahoo.com // www.twitter.com/russellmania980

WASHINGTON (AP) One day after he appeared to win the Washington Redskins kicking job, Graham Ganois out of work. His replacement is Billy Cundiff, who spent two days unemployed after getting cut by the Baltimore Ravens.

Gano was released and Cundiff signed by the Redskins on Tuesday, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team had yet to make a formal announcement.

It was an abrupt development in the Redskins kicking carousel. Gano stood at this locker feeling excited and looking forward to the season Monday after his lone competition in training camp, Neil Rackers, was sent packing when the team made its first round of cuts.

But Gano's numbers have never been impressive. He has made 73.8 percent of his field goal attempts since joining the Redskins (No. 25 in the AP Pro32) late in the 2009 season, the second-worst percentage in the league over the last three seasons.

Gano, 25, missed 11 attempts in 2010, tied for most in the NFL. He had a league-high 10 misses last season, although five of those were blocked. He beat out Rackers without attempting a field goal in the Redskins' preseason games, coming out ahead based on his performance during practice.

Cundiff's statistics are only marginally better. The 32-year-old kicker has a career field goal percentage of 76.7 with the Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns and Baltimore. He joined the Ravens during the 2009 season and went to the Pro Bowl season in 2010, going 26 for 29, but last season he missed a potential game-tying, 32-yarder against the New England Patriots in the waning seconds of the AFC title game.

Cundiff also has limited range. He is 5 for 19 over his career from 50-plus yards, including just 1 for 6 last season. He was cut Sunday by the Ravens, who opted to go with rookie Justin Tucker.---

Follow Joseph White on Twitter: http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP

Online: http://bigstory.ap.org/NFL-Pro32 and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL

© 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press.
Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) Going by the stats, Neil Rackers should have been a runaway winner over Graham Gano for the Washington Redskins kicking job.

That's why Gano has learned not to pay attention to the stats.

The Redskins cut Rackers on Monday, giving Gano the kicking duties for another season despite an NFL-high 10 missed field goal attempts in 2011.

Then again, Gano also had an NFL-high five attempts blocked. Four of his other five misses were from 49 yards or more.

"I think early in my career I was a big stat guy," Gano said. "But now I don't even focus on statistics. I don't look at what's going on around the league or listen to any of that mess. I think if you look at mine now, it'll say my percentage is somewhere in the 70s, whereas in reality last year I was 86 percentage, in my mind, if you take away the blocked kicks."

Rackers' release came as the Redskins trimmed their roster to 75, the first round of cuts toward firming up a 53-man regular season roster by the end of the week. Gano realized he had won the job when he saw Rackers carrying belongings outside the building.

"You wish that we could both be here all year long," Gano said. "To be able to come through and win this job, I'm excited about it. At the same time, you feel for Neil. To get to know him and his family, it's hard to see this happen."

This was a competition essentially decided on the practice field. The Redskins (No. 25 in the AP Pro32) attempted only two field goals in their first three preseason games, both by Rackers. He made a 28-yarder and missed from 54.

Coach Mike Shanahan said Gano "won the statistical battle in practice" and that the 25-year-old kicker gets "undue criticism" because the blocks last season weren't the kicker's fault.

Rackers arrived with a strong pedigree. The 36-year-old kicker has played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Atlanta Falcons and Houston Texans over 12 seasons, and his 88.2 field goal percentage over the last three years is third best in the NFL over that span. The Redskins signed him as a free agent when he couldn't reach a new deal with the Texans.

Gano, who joined the Redskins late in 2009, has a percentage of 73.8 over the same time period, second-worst in the league.

He's also 5 for 8 on game-tying and game-winning field goals in the final two minutes of a game or in overtime, with all three misses coming from 47 yards or more.

Those are the kicks that really matter - according to the advice Gano received last week when he met Mark Moseley, the only kicker ever to win league MVP. Gano sat with the former Washington kicker's family at the Redskins Welcome Home Luncheon.

"He was very encouraging, telling me sometimes you're going to miss kicks, but if you make the big ones, that's what's important," Gano said. "That's what made him such a big deal here, that he hit the game-winners."

Notes: The Redskins' other cuts included QB Jonathan Crompton, WR Samuel Kirkland, RBs Antwon Bailey and Lennon Creer, TE Beau Reliford, LB Monte Lewis and OLs Tony Moll, Chris Campbell, James Lee and Nick Martinez. ... CB Morgan Trent (knee, shoulder) was waived with an injury settlement. ... WR Lance Lewis (groin) was waived-injured and is expected to receive an injury settlement. ... RT Jammal Brown, who had hip surgery last week, was moved from the active physically unable to perform list to the reserve physically unable to perform list. ... CB Kevin Barnes was traded to the Detroit Lions for a conditional draft pick. ... S Tanard Jackson was absent from practice due to personal reasons. ... TE Chris Cooley did not take part in drills. Shanahan said Cooley wasn't feeling well. ... LG Kory Lichtensteiger, who is missing the entire preseason while recovering from left knee surgery, practiced and said he remains on pace to play in the Sept. 9 regular season opener against the New Orleans Saints. "I'm encouraged. I don't see anything standing in the way of me being ready," he said. ... Shanahan said fourth-round pick Kirk Cousins will start at quarterback Wednesday in the preseason finale against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Robert Griffin III and most, if not all, of the projected regular season starters will get the night off.

Follow Joseph White on Twitter: http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP

Online: http://bigstory.ap.org/NFL-Pro32 and http://twitter.com/AP-NFL

© 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press.
Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

ASHBURN, Va. (AP) One of four preseason games down and the Washington Redskins are no closer to resolving their kicking competition.

That's because neither 25-year-old incumbent Graham Gano nor challenger Neil Rackers, who'll be 35 next week, attempted a field goal during Thursday's 7-6 win at Buffalo. Gano kicked the game's only extra point. Each kicked off once.

The next chance for Gano and Rackers, who have each made 16 of 19 attempts in practice during training camp, to hit a kick when it counts comes Saturday at Chicago.

"Ultimately, it's games," said special teams coach Danny Smith, who was frustrated that Washington had a .756 field goal percentage in 2011, the NFC's second-lowest.

"It's about execution under pressure. We're going to try to put them in those pressure situations and see who executes the best. Obviously, I know Graham better, but my job is to get to know the other guy well, too. I'm sure most of you will be able to pick it after four preseason games. It's going to be on production."

Rackers has been one of the NFL's most productive kickers during his 12 seasons with Cincinnati, Arizona and Houston, converting 80 percent of his field goal tries and ranking ninth among active kickers with 1,164 points.

A Pro Bowl pick when he made 95.2 percent for the 2005 Cardinals, Rackers had his next most accurate seasons the past three years for the Texans. That included 32 of 38 in 2011. However, Rackers and the Texans couldn't agree on a contract and he signed with the Redskins in April.

"I enjoyed my visit here and decided it was a good spot," said Rackers, who has forged a good friendship with Gano despite the fact that one will no longer be with the team when the season starts next month.

Rackers is the first true threat to Gano, who didn't have to fight for his job in 2010, his first full season. After making just 24 of 35 that year while working with three holders, Gano's only competition last summer was Shayne Graham, who signed after camp started and quickly fizzled. But then Gano had a league-high five kicks blocked last year. Not all were his fault.

"I knew it was coming," said Gano. "I just didn't know who it was going to be. I grew up watching Neil. He's a good kicker. (But) I look at it as I'm the only kicker here and all I have to do is make my kicks and I don't have to worry about anything else."

Although Gano has the advantage of youth and tighter relationships with Smith, holder Sav Rocca and snapper Nick Sundberg, Rackers isn't worried either.

"You'll age quick in this league if you worry about what (the coaches are) thinking," Rackers said. "Sometimes (the kicks) go through and sometimes they don't. How you're going to hit the next one is the one that's important. I feel great. I've been hitting the ball well. I'm going to do this until 32 teams tell me no. If someone wants to give me a job at 70, I'll do it then, too."

Notes: Left tackle Trent Williams, who injured his left foot on the touchdown at Buffalo, has a bone bruise and might not be ready for the Bears' game. ... Maurice Hurt, who has been starting in place of injured left guard Kory Lichtensteiger, could miss a couple of days with an inflamed knee. ... DE Jarvis Jenkins, who played Thursday for the first time since tearing an ACL last Aug. 25, was out Saturday with the flu. ... CB Morgan Trent is sidelined with knee and shoulder injuries. . The Redskins finally heard from Kentwan Balmer, who left camp on Aug. 1, but the defensive end will not be returning to the team.

Updated August 11, 2012

© 2012 by STATS LLC and Associated Press.
Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

 First guess at a final 53-man roster. The surprise cuts are Tim Hightower (never gets healthy enough/maybe IR) and Anthony Armstrong. Tough decisions for Mike Shanahan at WR, DE, LB, and DB for sure. I kept Gano (just a hunch), Banks (track record of making plays as a returner), and Doughty (he always survives).

Offense

QB--Robert Griffin III, Rex Grossman, Kirk Cousins

RB--Evan Royster, Roy Helu Jr., Alfred Morris

FB--Darrell Young

TE--Fred Davis, Chris Cooley, Niles Paul

WR--Pierre Garcon, Josh Morgan, Santana Moss, Leonard Hankerson, Brandon Banks, Aldrick Robinson

OL--Trent Williams, Kory Lichtensteiger, Wil Montgomery, Chris Chester, Tyler Polumbus, Maurice Hurt, Willie Smith, Jordan Black, Adam Gettis, Josh LeRibeus

Defense

NT--Barry Cofield, Chris Baker

DE--Adam Carriker, Stephen Bowen, Jarvis Jenkins, Darrion Scott

OLB--Brian Orakpo, Ryan Kerrigan, Rob Jackson, Markus White

ILB--London Fletcher, Perry Riley, Lorenzo Alexander, Keenan Robinson

CB--DeAngelo Hall, Josh Wilson, Cedric Griffin, Richard Crawford, Kevin Barnes

S--Brandon Merriweather, Madieu Williams, DeJon Gomes, Tanard Jackson, Reed Doughty

SP Teams

K-Graham Gano

P-Sav Rocca

LS-Nick Sundberg

This list is for me but I'll share it with you. It's a list of things about the Skins' 2011 season that I want to remember when we get to free agency, draft, and beyond.

1. Rex Grossman Makes Throws But Can't Make Plays. After 13 games of Rex in 2011, my mind is made up. I like the way Rex throws the football and I love his competitiveness but I can't live with his inability to make a play when the play as-designed breaks down. His lack of mobility, lack of feel in the pocket, and overall lack of extend-the-play ability is just too limiting. Good teams in the NFL have quarterbacks who can extend plays. Teams that score touchdowns in the red zone usually have quarterbacks who can extend plays. It's Grossman's biggest limitation and it's why they shouldn't bring him back.

2. Evan Royster and Roy Helu. While neither is Chris Johnson speed-wise, they're both perfect for the Shanahan running-game scheme. As impressive as Helu was with three straight 100-yard performances in weeks 12-14, I thought Royster was the more-impressive pure runner.

3. No WR YAC. The Skins lack playmakers on offense for sure and much of that is simply that their wide outs can't turn 15-yard pass catches into 30+ yard catches. How many times did Moss, Gaffney, Stallworth, et al make a catch and either fall down or immediately get tackled. Other than QB, this team's biggest need is a playmaking offensive player. They need a WR who can score touchdowns from a distance.

4. Front 7 Impressed. The defensive front 7 was impressive all season long. The free agent additions of Cofield and Bowen were a huge net gain. Adam Carriker played well at times and the linebackers led by Fletcher and Kerrigan were solid. Orakpo can struggle at times against the run and he needs more consistency as a pass rusher but I'm still hopeful his edge speed can wreak havoc. Kerrigan's motor is non-stop and he's a natural playmaker. The emergence of Riley as the other inside LB was a nice surprise.

5. The Davis/Williams Disappointments. Here's the bottom line with this from my perspective. Both were dummies for doing what they did but the overall feeling about both of them from within is that they're not bad people. Given their talent and in particular, the investment in Williams, the Redskins have no choice but to give them a second chance. Williams is under contract which makes the decision on him easy. Davis is a UFA. I would do my best to sign him to a deal that minimizes the risk to the team but incents him to behave and peform.

6. Kory Lichtensteiger. With him, 3-1. Without him, 2-10. Lichtensteiger became late in 2010 and early in 2011 their most reliable offensive lineman.

7. 5 Blocked Field Goals. The Skins were lucky it wasn't more than five. They could've easily had 2-3 PAT's blocked. The problem was interior blocking. Each of the five blocks came from up-the-middle pressure.

8. Clock Managment. This was a problem all season long but reared it's ugliest head in the season-finallee at Philadelphia. With no timeouts and 17 seconds left, the Skins threw a pass short of the goal line, in bounds, and then tried to get the FG team on before the clock ran out. Other examples of horrible clock management included not knowing that they needed to spike the ball after a huge completion at the end of the Minnesota game and using timeouts on offense at the end of the Jet game. Additionally, they never seemed to have a true hurry-up offense. In the Jet game, it took them close to 25 seconds to get snaps off in their supposed "hurry-up".

9. 3rd and 21. If not for an all-out blitz on 3rd and 21, the Redskins would've likely started the season 4-0.

10. Rex's Return Equaled Offensive Competence. The three John Beck games (at Carolina, at Buffalo, SF) were offensive disasters. He seemed terrified and was clearly in over-his-head. When Rex came back against Miami, the Redskins were far more competitive over the final 8 games of the season.

11. Could've, Would've, Should've. A) Both Dallas games were winnable....3rd and 21 at Dallas and Gano's overtime miss at home. B) New England at home looked good until an offensive pass interference penatly was called on Santana Moss on the potential game-tying or game-winning touchdown. Remember, Shanahan indicated he would've gone for two and the win. C) Minnesota at home if not for a horrible holding call against Darrell Young on a Brandon Banks game-tying touchdown run. On the flip side, if not for a 4th and 5 TD pass from Rex to Moss the Skins wouldn't have beaten Arizona.

12. Biggest Offseason Needs. QB, WR, OL, CB, S, and a coach that knows how to manage the clock at the end of halves and games.

For the 15th time in the last 19 seasons the Redskins will play a meaningless game in their season finallee.  Pathetic.  With that said, I'm a believer that they are in better shape as a football organization than they've been since the 2001 Marty Schottenheimer season.  Can they win today?  Yes.  Here's how.

1.  Young players are hungry and play with fight.  The Redskins have younger players trying to prove something and the likes of Royster, Willie Smith, Tyler Palumbus, Ryan Kerrigan, DeJon Gomes, Perry Riley, etc have so much to play for.  With an early start on New Year's Day of a meaningless game, the winning team is often the one most interested.  The Redskins have more players on the field with more to prove.

2.  Turnover winner may equal game winner.  The Skins have the worst turnover margin in the league at -15, the Eagles are 2nd-worst at -14.

3.  Run the ball and keep defense off the field.  T he defense was the culprit last week and it has been more often than people like to say.  241 yards allowed on the ground last week to Minnesota is far too many.  Evan Royster could have a big game in Philly and will need one to a) keep Rex protected against the Eagle pass rush which has been very good and b) keep the Skins' defense and Vick off the field.

Prediction:

Eagles 24, Redskins 23

For the 15th time in the last 19 seasons the Redskins will play a meaningless game in their season finallee.  Pathetic.  With that said, I'm a believer that they are in better shape as a football organization than they've been since the 2001 Marty Schottenheimer season.  Can they win today?  Yes.  Here's how.

1.  Young players are hungry and play with fight.  The Redskins have younger players trying to prove something and the likes of Royster, Willie Smith, Tyler Palumbus, Ryan Kerrigan, DeJon Gomes, Perry Riley, etc have so much to play for.  With an early start on New Year's Day of a meaningless game, the winning team is often the one most interested.  The Redskins have more players on the field with more to prove.

2.  Turnover winner may equal game winner.  The Skins have the worst turnover margin in the league at -15, the Eagles are 2nd-worst at -14.

3.  Run the ball and keep defense off the field.  T he defense was the culprit last week and it has been more often than people like to say.  241 yards allowed on the ground last week to Minnesota is far too many.  Evan Royster could have a big game in Philly and will need one to a) keep Rex protected against the Eagle pass rush which has been very good and b) keep the Skins' defense and Vick off the field.

Prediction:

Eagles 24, Redskins 23