The changes continue at Redskins Park. They let Eric Shaffer go after 17 years with the Redskins. He is highly regarded when it comes to the salary cap, but a changing of the guard was needed. Coach Rivera has brought in his own guy Rob Rogers from the Panthers who also served at Carolina in a similar role managing the salary cap as Shaffer. Doug Williams was retained but under a new title of Senior Vice President of Player Development. Ken Zampese has also been hired as the new Quarterbacks coach to work under new Offensive Coordinator Scott Turner. Zampese has an impressive resume working and developing young Quarterbacks, so we’ll see what kind of impact he has on young Dwayne Haskins on this upcoming season. Special Teams Coordinator Nate Kaczor was retained, which was a no brainer since his unit was the most consistent and best-performing unit this past 2019 season.
Kyle Smith has been promoted to Vice President of player personnel. This is a pretty big deal; Kyle will work closely with Coach Rivera as they approach the 2020 NFL Draft. It is important to note that Kyle Smith is the son of A.J. Smith, who was the San Diego Chargers General Manager during the time Rivera worked there as the defensive coordinator under Head Coach Norv Turner. All these connections are essential to get a sense of what this new regime is trying to accomplish.
And now some Divisional Playoff action:
Titans28-Ravens 12: Lamar Jackson came crashing down. The Titans and Derrick Henry took over this game and never looked back. It was the most surprising win, and nobody expected Tennessee to beat the number 1 scoring offense. Next, the Titans take on Pat Mahomes and the Chiefs, and I think the Titans playoff Cinderella run will come to an end.
49ers 27-Vikings 10: Total domination by San Francisco. Kirk Cousins got blitz to death in this game, Cousins had better stats than Jimmy G, but they were both pretty mediocre. Next, the 49ers should be favorites against the Packers. I would love to see the 49ers vs. the Chiefs in the Superbowl.
Chiefs 51-Texans 31: This was the most exciting game of the weekend. Houston was 21 to nothing in the first quarter, Kansas City scored seven straight Touchdowns to turn this game upside down on Houston. Patrick Mahomes‘ playmaking abilities reminded the entire world who the most dynamic young quarterback in the NFL is. Next, the Chiefs should be the favorites against the Titans to reach the SuperBowl representing the AFC.
Packers 28-Seahawks 23: Green Bay and Aaron Rodgers looked sharp against a Seattle team that seemed to arrive at this game pretty banged up. The Packers take on the 49ers next week. A battle of former Redskins assistant coaches Kyle Shanahan and Matt LaFleur. San Francisco is a hell of a lot more dangerous and more dynamic than the Seahawks. I pick the 49ers here to end up in the Superbowl representing the NFC.
Rod Rioja 