<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>McCune Looking For An Edge At LinebackerBy Gary FitzgeraldRedskins.com May 4, 2006The Redskins may have drafted two linebackers in last weekend's NFL Draft--and brought in another linebacker prospect as an undrafted rookie free agent--but Robert McCune isn't about to cede anything.The second-year player, drafted in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft, has been a regular participant in the Redskins' off-season workout regimen. He is spending extra time in the classroom working with position coach Dale Lindsey.McCune's experience will certainly give him an advantage over the Redskins' newest additions at linebacker: second-round draft pick Roger "Rocky" McIntosh, seventh-round draft pick Kevin Simon and undrafted rookie pickup Spencer Havner.But McCune also understands he has to earn a roster spot in training camp this August. His one year of NFL experience will only take him so far."It all depends on how I do in training camp," he said. "You have to have a great training camp, go out and show the coaches that you know what you're doing. They have to have confidence in you to put you out on the field and play."I want to make sure I know the defense inside and out. I have to be ready mentally to go out on the field and play. I have to know where to be lined up. I also want to know the defense so well that I can get other guys lined up. That's what Lemar Marshall and Marcus Washington can do."McCune played in five games last season, almost exclusively on special teams. He logged eight special teams tackles.Coaches have alternated McCune at the middle linebacker and weak-side linebacker positions, McCune said."Last year, I was predominantly learning the middle linebacker, but this year I've been learning the weak-side spot," he said. "I'm just going to do the best that I can, no matter where I'm lined up. I'm watching film every day and looking at both positions, watching what they're doing. If I have questions, I just ask [Coach Lindsey]. That's all I can do to help out the team and make myself better."McCune grew up in Mobile, Ala., and opted to go into the Army following high school. He spent three years in the U.S. National Guard and had stints in Kuwait and Korea before enrolling at Louisville.McCune starred for the Cardinals, playing in 51 games and recording 320 tackles, six sacks and two interceptions during his college career. Before the 2005 NFL Draft, pro football was not really on his radar screen, but the Redskins took notice of his skills, saw potential, and drafted him with the 154th overall selection in the fifth round.McCune has gained a degree of fame as a weightlifter. In high school, he won back-to-back power-lifting titles during his junior and senior seasons. His chiseled physique has earned him acclaim and an inside spread (along with running back Clinton Portis) in Muscle & Fitness magazine in October 2005.This offseason, McCune has been working out in the program designed by head strength and conditioning coach John Hastings"Every day I just come in ready to go," McCune said. "I stay motivated. Staying in great shape can carry you through a long season in the NFL. I give it 100 percent every day--I don't want to cheat myself."They have a great workout for us. I do a little bit extra every day, but with John pushing us, it's going well."What do linebackers need to work on in the weight room?"Linebackers have to work everything," McCune replied. "You need to work your legs, you need your work your upper body. You need to work every muscle in your body. You have to be real athletic to be a linebacker in the NFL."</div>http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=16968
I liked him in lousiville and i think he is gonna have to really impress the Defensive coordinater is he wants that job on the edge.
He is very fast and very jacked, if the guy can get the defensive scheme down I really see him being an effective linebacker on this team, he is one physical dude--would be a great guy to step in for Arrington this season. I like McIntosh but he's a rookie and I don't know if he should be the starter just yet--definitely get him on the feild in certain situations where he could be effective but I don't know if we can depend on him to carry the load, McCune WAS a rookie last year but you also have to realize the guy is already 27 years old... but I donno, whoever shows they want it more and are most qualified after preseason will get the best shot at the spot.
I wouldnt say a 4.50 second 40 yard dash he is able to run makes him a slow accelerator...I feel he has great speed for a linebacker, he is completely JACKED, the only thing holding him back from being the starter or getting a lot of playing time is just getting more consistant and learning the position better. To say he isn't a good athlete is rediculous because physically hes pretty much all you would want in a linebacker.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (bobferg @ May 6 2006, 09:44 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>mccune may have good top speed......but he has VERY slow accelleration. He isn't a good athelete.</div>how you know that
Even MADDEN has him rated with 85 speed and 88 acceleration, and they do NOT give out speed attributes to any of the players unless they are well deserved.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (JHair @ May 6 2006, 02:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Even MADDEN has him rated with 85 speed and 88 acceleration, and they do NOT give out speed attributes to any of the players unless they are well deserved.</div> Madden ratings mean shit and everybody knows that. Laveranues Coles still has like a 95 speed according to madden even though hes clearly not that fast.And to say McIntosh will win DROY is a very biased statement at this point IMO, because he would have to be drastically better then higher draft picks like Mario Williams, A.J. Hawk, Ernie Sims, Chad Greenway, Bobby Carpenter, Tye Hill, Michael Huff, ect. and I dont see it happening.
^ lol yeah I know, I was kidding about the McIntosh thing.But Madden gave Coles a 98 speed, and I made it 99...
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Williams: Expect a 'Dogfight' At LB, SafetyBy Gary FitzgeraldRedskins.comMay 6, 2006Competition for roster spots, particularly at linebacker and safety, will be "a dogfight" come training camp, assistant head coach-defense Gregg Williams said on Saturday.In his first media session of the 2006 offseason, Williams also called the Redskins' offseason a "productive" one and added that he is looking forward to working with associate head coach-offense Al Saunders and secondary-cornerbacks coach Jerry Gray, a long-time coaching colleague.In the last week, the Redskins have added three young linebacker prospects: second-round draft pick Roger "Rocky" McIntosh, seventh-round draft pick Kevin Simon and undrafted rookie pickup Spencer Havner.All three are expected to compete for playing time at linebacker and on special teams."They are going to add to the mix," Williams said. "You will see that when your backup depth improves, you see a noticeable improvement in production on game day in your special teams. The cores of your special teams come from linebacker-body types."We have had some good young linebackers around here, but it is going to be a competitive battle at that position this year at our training camp. We'll bring in 10-13 linebackers to camp. It'll be a dogfight."The Redskins carried seven linebackers on the roster last season. With LaVar Arrington departed to the New York Giants, there is a vacancy at the weak-side position. Warrick Holdman, Chris Clemons, McIntosh, Robert McCune, Nick McNeil and Jashon Sykes could all compete for playing time at that position.Strong-side linebacker Marcus Washington and middle linebacker Lemar Marshall, starters last year, will return to the lineup in 2006.Williams discussed the addition of Havner at length. The 6-3, 237-pounder out of UCLA was expected to be a first-day draft pick, but he was overlooked on draft day. The Redskins signed him on May 4."Right now we have Spencer penciled in at the depth chart [at strong-side linebacker]," he said. "But our strong and our weak-side linebacker are interchangeable as we flip the formations. We always want Marcus Washington over on that strong-side, but Spencer can play either. We'll start him out [at strong-side], but he'll get reps at the weak-side linebacker, too.""He has a smooth movement to him. He has a nice instinctive feel for coverage and that's usually one of the things that young linebackers do the worst. That is a good thing for him. The next thing he has to do is show us how tough he is. We'll know that only when the pads come on. But I like his body language right now. He has promise. He deserves the opportunity to be here. He deserves the opportunity to be at the next camp."Williams also suggested that there could be intense competition at the safety position.The Redskins currently have Sean Taylor and free agent newcomer Adam Archuleta will likely start and play in the bulk of defensive packages. Pierson Prioleau could serve as a primary backup and nickel safety.Meantime, sixth-round draft pick Reed Doughty has made a positive first impression at Rookie Camp. Doughty played his college ball at Northern Colorado, a Division 1-AA school."Reed fits that character issue perfectly that Joe Gibbs has identified for our personnel department: character, intelligence, toughness, commitment to a team," Williams said. "The kid has made instinctive plays to the ball. In order to be a good football player, you have to be good around the football. Last year, we were one of the top teams in causing fumbles, but we couldn't recover them too well until going down the stretch when the ball starts bouncing our way. Reed has been good around the ball."I don't care about his level of competition [at Northern Colorado]. He'll raise himself up to this level. The things that will give him the chance are his intelligence and his toughness. He'll be a nice prospect in the safety competition."The new additions on defense give Williams the chance to increase the number of defensive packages coaches use on game day."We're going to play a lot of people, we're going to play a lot of packages and we're going to play a lot of safeties and linebacker packages," he said. "With [cornerbacks-secondary coach] Jerry Gray here, we're going to involve a few more corner packages that we haven't been doing the last few years. It'll be a competitive camp. It should be fun."Regarding working with Saunders and Gray, the Redskins' two high-profile coaching additions of the offseason, Williams said: "It has been fun to see the look on some of the other members of the staff to see Al Saunders and Jerry Gray coach. You'd think they are both playing. It is fun to see those guys out there."Throughout the first two days of Rookie Camp, Saunders has opened eyes as he races around the field, encouraging players after a successful play."I really believe Al Saunders is going to effect these guys in a tremendous way," Williams said. "I can't wait to see the vets to see him in practice the way these rookies have seen him this weekend."</div>http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=17074
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Holdman Says He's More Confident in 2006 June 29, 2006Among the biggest developments to come out of the Redskins' recently-completed mini-camp concerned the situation at the weak-side linebacker spot.Gregg Williams said competition was tremendous, with Warrick Holdman, Chris Clemons and rookie Rocky McIntosh in the off-season mix.Former Miami Hurricane McIntosh, the Redskins' second-round pick and the 35th overall selection in the 2006 NFL Draft, missed his first NFL mini-camp while he had his knee scoped.Coming as something of a surprise were Williams' comments regarding Holdman, who is entering his eighth year in the league.Twice in his career, in 2001 at Chicago and in 2004 at Cleveland, Holdman produced well over 100 tackles. But last year, his first season in Washington, Holdman really fell off form.He finished the regular season with just 38 tackles and a fumble recovery (at Arizona). Overall, Holdman made seven starts and played in 14 regular-season games.Looking ahead, though, it appears Redskins defensive coaches have given Holdman a clean slate for 2006. He has the early inside track on the weak side--next to Lemar Marshall in the middle and Marcus Washington on the strong side."Hopefully, I'll do everything I need to do," says Holdman, a native of Alief, Texas who played his college ball at Texas A&M and was a fourth-round pick (106th overall) by Chicago in 1999. "The coaches will see for themselves. I'll play the best I can."I'm probably the jack-of-all-trades among our linebackers. I can do anything you ask me to do. I'm just focusing on my game, and that's what I do every practice, every day."As to why his production fell off in 2005, Holdman said during mini-camp: "When I came here last year I was about 240 pounds. I'd been in free agency, on the trips. I came in this year right around 238, but now I'm down to 233. I'd like to be playing at 233 or 232."During his first five years in the league, Holdman was a fixture at linebacker for the Bears, playing for Dale Lindsey and Greg Blache alongside Brian Urlacher. Holdman had a career-high 145 tackles in 2001, including seven when the Bears knocked the Redskins out of the playoff chase with a 20-15 win at FedExField.Between 2003 and 2005, he changed addresses between Chicago, Cleveland and Washington. Maybe all the changes had something to do with his sub-par 2005 showing with the Redskins. That he was always competing with fan favorite LaVar Arrington may have been another factor.Asked for his current perspective, Holdman said: "I feel more confident when I know I'm in shape and I know I've been working hard. I feel confident now."Last year, they were practicing for two months while I was flying around the country. This year I feel comfortable because I know I've been in the classroom studying."One of 10 linebackers on the Redskins' off-season roster, Holdman says he wants to be in as many of Williams' 24 defensive packages as possible and that he's ready for competition in training camp."If I'm in all of them, that means I'm doing something right," he added. "I wasn't a first-round pick so I know I have to come out every day and compete."</div>http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=17948I can see Holdman being the starter on the Depth Chart but they are definitely going to give guys like McCune and McIntosh some opportunity to play, one of them could end up stealing the spot later on in the season. Someone has to step up eventually.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Johnny White Guy @ Jun 29 2006, 11:13 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Holdman Says He's More Confident in 2006Among the biggest developments to come out of the Redskins' recently-completed mini-camp concerned the situation at the weak-side linebacker spot.Gregg Williams said competition was tremendous, with Warrick Holdman, Chris Clemons and rookie Rocky McIntosh in the off-season mix.Former Miami Hurricane McIntosh, the Redskins' second-round pick and the 35th overall selection in the 2006 NFL Draft, missed his first NFL mini-camp while he had his knee scoped.Coming as something of a surprise were Williams' comments regarding Holdman, who is entering his eighth year in the league.Twice in his career, in 2001 at Chicago and in 2004 at Cleveland, Holdman produced well over 100 tackles. But last year, his first season in Washington, Holdman really fell off form.He finished the regular season with just 38 tackles and a fumble recovery (at Arizona). Overall, Holdman made seven starts and played in 14 regular-season games.Looking ahead, though, it appears Redskins defensive coaches have given Holdman a clean slate for 2006. He has the early inside track on the weak side--next to Lemar Marshall in the middle and Marcus Washington on the strong side."Hopefully, I'll do everything I need to do," says Holdman, a native of Alief, Texas who played his college ball at Texas A&M and was a fourth-round pick (106th overall) by Chicago in 1999. "The coaches will see for themselves. I'll play the best I can."I'm probably the jack-of-all-trades among our linebackers. I can do anything you ask me to do. I'm just focusing on my game, and that's what I do every practice, every day."As to why his production fell off in 2005, Holdman said during mini-camp: "When I came here last year I was about 240 pounds. I'd been in free agency, on the trips. I came in this year right around 238, but now I'm down to 233. I'd like to be playing at 233 or 232."During his first five years in the league, Holdman was a fixture at linebacker for the Bears, playing for Dale Lindsey and Greg Blache alongside Brian Urlacher. Holdman had a career-high 145 tackles in 2001, including seven when the Bears knocked the Redskins out of the playoff chase with a 20-15 win at FedExField.Between 2003 and 2005, he changed addresses between Chicago, Cleveland and Washington. Maybe all the changes had something to do with his sub-par 2005 showing with the Redskins. That he was always competing with fan favorite LaVar Arrington may have been another factor.Asked for his current perspective, Holdman said: "I feel more confident when I know I'm in shape and I know I've been working hard. I feel confident now."Last year, they were practicing for two months while I was flying around the country. This year I feel comfortable because I know I've been in the classroom studying."One of 10 linebackers on the Redskins' off-season roster, Holdman says he wants to be in as many of Williams' 24 defensive packages as possible and that he's ready for competition in training camp."If I'm in all of them, that means I'm doing something right," he added. "I wasn't a first-round pick so I know I have to come out every day and compete."</div>http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=17948I can see Holdman being the starter on the Depth Chart but they are definitely going to give guys like McCune and McIntosh some opportunity to play, one of them could end up stealing the spot later on in the season. Someone has to step up eventually.</div>I merged this with 2 other related topics....you post like 40 redskins articles a week man. lol
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (JHair @ May 6 2006, 02:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Even MADDEN has him rated with 85 speed and 88 acceleration, and they do NOT give out speed attributes to any of the players unless they are well deserved.</div>
I think it'll probably be Clemens or Holdman before the rookie gets a chance to step in. If they get the job done the rookie may not get to see much of the field, I'm sure he'll get to rotate in, but that's about it.
Well first they're gonna see how well Rocky performs in pre season games and Training Camp, if he impresses them they are going to probably start Holdman and rotate Rocky in.Rocky is going to have to work his ass off if he wants to start game 1 cuz it seems like the coaching staff feels pretty safe having Holdman on the field.
Just remember that we don't have "starters". Williams plays everyone for at least 10 snaps.And in NCAA 06, Rocky had 87 speed, he's from Tha U.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (The Punisher @ Jul 11 2006, 09:48 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Just remember that we don't have "starters". Williams plays everyone for at least 10 snaps.And in NCAA 06, Rocky had 87 speed, he's from Tha U.</div>Dude, Nobody cares about Madden or NCAA ratings. You want to talk about someone's speed bring something credible like a 40 time.
