SB Nation DC - Andrew Luck Pro Day: Stanford Quarterback Shines In Workoutshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48897/dc-fave.png2012-03-23T10:53:43-04:00http://dc.sbnation.com/rss/stream/26594122012-03-23T10:53:43-04:002012-03-23T10:53:43-04:00Chain Reactions: Either Way, Redskins Will Get Their Franchise QB
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<p>Don't go off the deep end, Redskin fans, Washington will get a franchise quarterback. PLUS: more evidence of salary cap collusion, and the Wizards do addition by subtraction.</p> <p>March Madness is no longer about College Basketball in the DMV. No, it is about the panic that seems to be settling over <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/washington-redskins">Redskins</a> Nation at the thought of RGIII going to Indy. March Madness is about the 'Skins perhaps getting ready to go after the NFL. March Madness is also about the <a href="https://www.bulletsforever.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Wizards</a> making an addition by subtraction move and whether the Caps will hang on and make the playoffs.</p>
<p>In this week's Chain Reactions, we cover the concerns over losing RGIII, the ongoing Redskins cap drama, and the Nene era being underway in Washington.</p>
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<p><b>RGIII to Indy?</b></p>
<p>Once again, Robert Griffin III did not shrink under the spotlight at this week‘s Baylor Pro Day, which could be a problem for those hoping he ends up in D.C. because the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stampedeblue.com/">Indianapolis Colts</a> still own the draft board. So what if the Colts have a change of heart? What will we do with all those cool RGIII avatars and mock 'Skins jerseys?</p>
<p>It is not an accident Mike Shanahan has not said, "I love RGIII and only RGIII." He knows there really is no reason to profess anything until the Colts commit one way or the other. I have stated here for months that RGIII is the guy I want to be the Redskins quarterback of the future. That feeling partially comes from the assumption Andrew Luck is going to be a Colt.</p>
<p>However, if the Colts change course, make no mistake the Skins will be just fine with Andrew Luck. Sure, he doesn't have a cool sock collection and doesn't have the personality RGIII has or the cool nickname ("ALI" just doesn't cut it). However, Luck is the real deal. He played in an NFL-style offense with a target on his chest for two years. He has not done anything to lose the top QB status and after a strong pro day will <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/03/22/SPAO1NOK9V.DTL#ixzz1pwvKKr00">still be that guy</a>.</p>
<blockquote>"He could have thrown the ball left-handed today and still be the No. 1 pick in the draft," NFL Network draft guru Mike Mayock said.<br><br>
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<p>So why the concern among 'Skins fans? RGIII has been so smooth under the spotlight, both at the combine and at his pro day, that it has made some take pause. He was so fast at the combine, measured the right height, answered all the questions correctly, no red flags with his character, and was really good on the field</p>
<p>That being said, Luck would have been the No. 1 guy <i>last</i> year and still, for now, appears to be that guy this year. He also performed well at the combine. His measurables are very similar to that of Cam Newton, who had a <b>really</b> nice rookie year in Carolina.</p>
<p>The fact of the matter is, the 'Skins really can't go wrong. Both of these QBs are off the charts in measurables and intangibles. Either could be a success in their system <i>if </i>(big if)<i> </i>they surround them with the right pieces.</p>
<p><b>A Question Of Collusion</b></p>
<p>There have been some rumblings that the Redskins are ready to go nuclear on the NFL over the <b> $36 million </b>cap penalty handed down earlier this month by the NFL. I mentioned in this space last week that there seemed to be some arm twisting by the NFL to get the NFLPA to agree to the penalties. Yahoo's Jason Cole wrote about it this week and even <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=AvL8Q0g5OlYpzAA5vHfJ.GxDubYF?slug=jc-cole_nfl_collusion_union_redskins_cowboys_032212">found a player </a>that says those suspicions are on point.</p>
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<p>"Why did we agree to it?" a former player said, rhetorically. "Because the league had us over a barrel. If we didn't agree to the penalty for the Redskins and the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/">Cowboys</a>, the cap would have been $113 million, the players would have been [angry] and De would have gotten fired.</p>
<p>"What the league is doing is collusion, plain and simple."</p>
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<p>Now, the Redskins still need to be careful here because if you haven't noticed, Roger GOD-ell is not in a very good mood these days. The safe money is still on the league, the Redskins, and the Cowboys working this thing out behind the scenes and not in the courts. <b> </b></p>
<p><b>Nene to the Rescue?</b></p>
<p>Nene's Wizards debut could not have gone any better, as he recorded 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a win over the <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/nba/teams/new-jersey-nets" class="sbn-auto-link">New Jersey Nets</a>. His second game was more like what Wizards fans are used to this season: a meltdown in the 4th quarter in a loss to the <a href="https://www.indycornrows.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Indiana Pacers</a>.</p>
<p>The Nene deal is a step toward improving the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wizards-insider/post/nene-has-big-night-in-wizards-debut/2012/03/22/gIQAKzqOTS_blog.html">overall basketball IQ </a>of the team and changing the culture within the locker room, as this quote indicates.</p>
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<p>"Basketball is simple. When you play the right way, play hard, cut hard, you make basketball easy," Nene said. "I'm excited. This is a very athletic team. A lot of talent. Just need more experience, but we'll be fine. I just ask for the fans to support the team. We have a new team, so let's go Wizards."</p>
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<p>Nene knows how to play the game. More importantly, he is a grown up, a professional, and someone that younger players can learn from. <span>Kevin Seraphin</span> has already shown some improvement this month, and having a big guy like Nene (to whom he has been compared in the past) should be helpful for the second year player.</p>
<p>But the biggest benefit of the move is that two of the Three Stooges are gone, with Javale McGee in Denver, <span>Nick Young</span> in Los Angeles. <span>Andray Blatche</span> will likely be next via the amnesty this off-season. Just from a PR standpoint, all three needed to get out of here. Most fans have grown tired of them and what they have come to represent during their time in DC. Now they need to add another piece to complement <span>John Wall</span>, which should come via this year's deep draft. If they choose wisely, maybe--just maybe--they wil finally be on the right road to rebuilding.</p>
https://dc.sbnation.com/washington-redskins/2012/3/23/2897035/redskins-robert-griffin-nfl-draft-andrew-luck-chain-reactionsScott Jackson2012-03-22T16:50:00-04:002012-03-22T16:50:00-04:00Andrew Luck Pro Day: Stanford Quarterback Puts On A Show
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<p>Playing in far more challenging conditions than Baylor's Robert Griffin III, Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck solidified his status as the presumptive No. 1 overall pick in next month's NFL Draft.</p>
<p>Working with receivers in a stiff breeze at the Cardinal's outdoor practice field, Luck unofficially completed 47 of 51 passes, with his receivers dropping three other balls. </p>
<p>Luck and his receivers worked on a variety of routes run from all parts of the field, including routes run inside the 20-yard-line and routes run in goal-to-go situations. An assistant coach chased Luck with a broom to test the quarterback's mobility and simulate the kind of pressure Luck could expect from NFL defensive lineman.</p>
<p>At a scout's request, Luck attempted some deep throws with his final balls of the day, including one that traveled an estimated 70 yards in the air, but was dropped by his receiver.</p>
<p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,'Liberation Sans',FreeSans,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><i style="outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">For complete coverage of the 2012 NFL Combine and the 2012 NFL draft, head over to </i></span><a href="http://www.mockingthedraft.com/">Mocking The Draft</a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,'Liberation Sans',FreeSans,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><i style="outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">. For more on the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft and all things related to <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/teams/washington-redskins">Redskins</a> football keep checking this <a href="http://dc.sbnation.com/2012/2/24/2821195/nfl-draft-2012-rumors" style="outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: #093369; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">StoryStream</a> for updates, or head over to SB Nation's<a href="http://www.hogshaven.com/" style="outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: #093369; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"> Washington Redskins blog Hogs Haven</a>.</i></span></p>
https://dc.sbnation.com/washington-redskins/2012/3/22/2895453/andrew-luck-pro-day-stanford-redskins-colts-nfl-draftSamuel Chamberlain2012-03-22T15:04:42-04:002012-03-22T15:04:42-04:00PHOTO: Condoleezza Rice Checks Out Andrew Luck's Pro Day
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<p>While most of the Washington media was on hand for Robert Griffin III's Pro Day Wednesday in Waco, Andrew Luck's Pro Day in Palo Alto hasn't received nearly as much media attention. That doesn't mean the <a href="https://twitter.com/#!/SC_DougFarrar/status/182889709247266816">Redskins aren't out in California</a> doing their due diligence, nor does it mean that certain former Secretaries of State can't be a part of the fun.</p>
<p><a href="https://twitter.com/#!/Rachel__Nichols">Rachel Nichols of ESPN</a> snapped the photo that you're about to see after the jump, which depicts Condoleezza Rice dropping by Stanford's facility to see what all the fuss is about.</p>
<p>Rice, who served first as National Security Adviser and then Secretary of State under George W. Bush, is a huge football fan and turned down an offer to serve as Commissioner of the (then) Pac-10 in favor of becoming a political science professor and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford after her time in Washington. She's been spotted at several Stanford football games during the Luck era, and clearly maintains just as much interest in the NFL Draft process.</p>
<p><a href="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1020091/AonJYAHCQAAbl8Q.jpg" target="_blank"><img alt="Aonjyahcqaabl8q_medium" class="photo" src="http://assets.sbnation.com/assets/1020091/AonJYAHCQAAbl8Q_medium.jpg"></a></p>
https://dc.sbnation.com/washington-redskins/2012/3/22/2894127/photo-condoleezza-rice-andrew-luck-pro-daySamuel Chamberlain2012-03-22T13:49:49-04:002012-03-22T13:49:49-04:00Watch Andrew Luck's Pro Day On TV, Online
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<p>The Stanford quarterback will go through his paces Thursday afternoon.</p> <p>After <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/35519/robert-griffin-iii">Robert Griffin III</a> <a href="http://dc.sbnation.com/washington-redskins/2012/3/21/2890069/robert-griffin-iii-pro-day-redskins-baylor">wowed just about everybody</a> at Baylor's Pro Day Wednesday, Stanford quarterback and presumptive first overall pick <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/37738/andrew-luck">Andrew Luck</a> will get his chance to show what he can do at Stanford's Pro Day workouts Thursday afternoon.</p>
<p>The festivities get underway at 2 p.m. As was the case with Griffin, Luck's workouts can be seen on ESPNU and <a href="http://espn.go.com/watchespn/index/_/source/espn3/">ESPN3.com</a>.</p>
<p>Just about everyone has had Luck going to the Indianapolis Colts, who hold the first overall pick in April's draft. But Griffin's workouts may have been impressive enough to create some doubt in Indianapolis' collective mind. Whether or not that's really the case, members of the Redskins front office will be out in California to see for themselves.</p>
<p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,'Liberation Sans',FreeSans,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><i style="outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">For complete coverage of the 2012 NFL Combine and the 2012 NFL draft, head over to </i></span><a href="http://www.mockingthedraft.com/">Mocking The Draft</a><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,'Liberation Sans',FreeSans,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><i style="outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">. For more on the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft and all things related to Redskins football keep checking this <a href="http://dc.sbnation.com/2012/2/24/2821195/nfl-draft-2012-rumors" style="outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: #093369; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;">StoryStream</a> for updates, or head over to SB Nation's<a href="http://www.hogshaven.com/" style="outline-width: 0px; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; background-color: transparent; color: #093369; text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; padding: 0px; margin: 0px;"> Washington Redskins blog Hogs Haven</a>.</i></span></p>
https://dc.sbnation.com/washington-redskins/2012/3/22/2893967/watch-andrew-lucks-pro-day-on-tv-onlineSamuel Chamberlain