Welcome back to the B&G Report and Happy Father’s Day To All hard working Dads out there! Last time we spoke about the possible emergence of second year wide receiver Robert Davis as a possible 2018 Dark Horse candidate. Today the focus will be on 3 Encouraging Storylines Coming Out of OTA’s. It has always been a passion of mine to analyze and breakdown the lesser known players on the roster, but today in Quick Hits we’ll visit 3 players who could be the backbone of the Skins offense in 2018 and beyond.
#1 Alex Smith On The Fly
*Early reports from Redskins OTA’s and Minicamp have been how impressive Alex Smith has looked, in only a short time with team. I understand we do this song and dance every year, but this year just seems different. I understand the #1 knock on Smith has been his age (34), I ask did you watch him last year? Critics point to how he had Tight End Travis Kelce, WR Tyreek Hill and RB Kareem Hunt as his playmakers. Well I counter with Derrius Guice, Paul Richardson Jr/Doctson and the possibility of getting a healthy Jordan Reed changes everything. Don’t forget about the history Smith has Vernon Davis as well, considering Davis showed he’s still a playmaker. It’s a great storyline, but Reed is this years X-Factor. I get how fans have given up on the idea of Reed playing a long stretch of games and staying healthy, but I have a good feeling about this year. Just call it a hunch or just bling fan optimism.
The former Chief QB is currently in the prime of his career, the thought of another 3-5 productive years doesn’t seem out of the question. He’s been creating chemistry with his teammates since day 1 rep reports. Players are raving about his attention to detail and how approachable he is. Smith is the type of quarterback that will go to his receivers after a bad play and reassure them that Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day. This is refreshening, considering the issues some of the previous Redskins quarterbacks seem to have had with receiver chemistry. It’s all talk at this point of course, but Smith seems to be a man on a mission. He reportedly has no social media accounts and believes in picking up the phone to talk to his teammates, novel idea right? Smith and Crowder reportedly seem to have found some chemistry and the former Duke receiver has been his go to target early on. Add in Josh Doctson, recently signed Paul Richardson Jr, as well as the promising rookies and we’ve got something. The new look Redskins receiving core with Smith, could be something special in 2018!
#2 Derrius Guice Is The Real Deal
*Derruis Guice has been the talk of the DMV, other than the Capitals winning the Stanley Cup that is. GO CAPS!!!Guice’s reported Draft Day slide was attributed to off the field and maturity issues. An apparent TMZ video, featuring Guice was rumored to be released after the draft as well. Well no such video or story every surfaced. On the flip side, Guice reportedly recently paid for a theater full of teenagers to see the latest Avenger flick. In no way is Guice considered financially set for life as a 2nd Round selection, considering he lost millions from his projected Top 25 projection. So his out of pocket gestures, seem to hold more water when they aren’t team official. Guice is just getting started with his charity work and acts of kindness in my opinion. He’s also been seen every where in DMV supporting the Capitals during the Stanley Cup run, even attending games. This is a far cry from current Washington Wizard Guard John Wall, who attended a Skins vs Cowboys MNF game and decided to hang out on the Cowboy sideline wearing an Emmit Smith jersey. Am I being petty, possibly but point is Guice is a different type of athlete and a player young fans in the DMV and throughout the world can look up to. His childlike enthusiasm is sometimes mistaken for immaturity. The truth is that the Louisiana native’s positivity is infectious! Per teammates Guice has been one of the hardest workers in OTA’s and Minicamp, always seen around the Redskins facility laughing and smiling. He just has a Clinton Portis aura about him, as well as being a jokester. I know many Skins fans recently viewed a video of Guice, which was posted by the team. He was with his postion group and the slow motion video showed Guice leaping over blocking pads, while clearing the coach on the other side. Although this is frequently seen in OTA’s and Minicamp, the sheer explosiveness Guice showed was astounding! Coaches and teammates alike, rave about how hard of a worker the former LSU RB is and it’s shown in practices. Recently Coach Jay Gruden spoke about how impressed he was with Guice at a Redskins post practice presser.
“I knew he was fast, but I didn’t think he was this fast!”
The current Skins running back depth chart is sure to look like this; Derrius Guice, Samaje Perine and Chris Thompson. The question will be will they keep only 3 backs? In any case, Guice will soon emerge as the go to ball carrier with 3rd Down Scat Back Chris Thompson rounding out the group. I understand Rob Kelly is a Gruden favorite, but I just think he’s reached his ceiling as a prospect and might be better utilized as a FB. Unfortunately Gruden rarely uses one in his offense.
The main question during the draft evaluation process was just how well does Guice catch the ball. I’ve seen what he’s done this far in posted videos and I’m not concerned. The lack of tape featuring his ability to catch has more to do with the limited offense run at LSU, as opposed to Guice’s talent as a pass catching back. Although Guice wasn’t given many opportunities to make receptions in LSU’s vanilla run heavy offense, he seemed to be making catches look routine on recently posted practice videos. Look for Guice to continue to make noise in Camp with his aggressive playing style, as well as continuing to be a fixture of positivity in the DMV. God knows we need it!
#3 Mr. Irrelevant Trey Quinn’s Impact
*Now we finally get to Trey Quinn, who has quickly emerged as a fan favorite. Having the distinction of being the last player selected in the 2018 NFL Draft and labeled as Mr.Irrelevant, should be viewed as a slap in the face by Quinn. The former SMU/LSU receiver led the nation in receptions in 2017 with 114, not so irrelevant right? What Quinn could bring to the Redskins offense is stability. The former SMU pass catcher can step in as the Redskins 4th receiver on Day 1. I previously wrote that I believe he’ll take over the slot receiving position in 2019, when Jamison Crowder leaves as a FA. I just don’t believe his projected market value of $8-$10 million per season, will be needed with the new blood in town.
Not only is Quinn becoming a fan favorite along with Guice, but he’s quickly gaining Coach Gruden’s confidence and praise. One thing that onlookers have noticed about Quinn is he doesn’t drop the ball. Also it’s been mentioned how violent he snatches the ball out of the air, which is what his college tape reveled as well. The idea of Quinn playing a role on the return team, has been mentioned by Jay as well. His main competition for returner seems to be fellow rookie Greg Stroman. In my humble opinion, Stroman has the edge based on his multiple special teams TD’s while playing punt/kick returner at Virginia Tech. Either way Quinn makes the team, so I for one am excited to see Quinn catch that choice route over the middle and take it to the house!
HTTR 🏹🏈
Written By Adam Aniba
*Photos by Redskins.com and nflspinzone.com*