Royal pushing for starting job
 

[b]from fanball.com[/b]

[b]The News
[/b]Redskins' tight end [url="http://www.fanball.com/fb/playerProfile.cfm/pid.1588"][color=#0000ff]Robert Royal[/color][/url] is hopeful that he played well enough late in the season to earn the starting job in 2005. "A lot of things always happen in the offseason, but hopefully next season I'll fit in at the same place I left off at and that's as a starter," Royal told the Redskins' official website. "But I never worry about stuff like that. I let the coaches go out there and make the best decision they can. I just go out there and play hard." Royal finished the season with four touchdown receptions.

[b]Our View
[/b]The second-year tight end scored all four touchdowns during the final five weeks of the season, so he clearly earned the trust of quarterback [url="http://www.fanball.com/fb/playerProfile.cfm/pid.1563"][color=#0000ff]Patrick Ramsey[/color][/url] in red zone situations.

I'm a fan of Robert Royal, I think if he can get a little bigger he could be what the team needs.

I am too. He does make the clutch catch when he's needed.

Robert Royal has potential but he has to upgrade his game a whole lot before he becomes the starter on any team that is serious about being a factor in the playoffs. And what has to improve in his game by a ton is his blocking.

Royal caught 4 TDs in the final games of the season and that's very good. In those games where he caught the 4 TD pases, he caught exactly ZERO other passes. In the whole season he caught a total of 8 passes and in no game did he catch more than 1 pass. Here's what that means:


Most of the time he is on the field, the Skins need him to block and to run patterns where he keeps some defender away from the guy who is the primary receiver.


Royal's blocking needs to improve to be labeled "barely adequate".

So, if he hopes to be a starter next year and continue his "great chemistry" with Patrick Ramsey, he needs to spend a LOT of time with Joe Bugel and the folks who teach offensive line technique so that he is an effective blocker when the Skins need him to do that. As of January 05, he is not effective in that part of the game at all.

I agree with that synopsis, I would however, like to see a young TE brought in to push Royal a bit, and let them fight it out in training camp.

He is big and has big hands. His blocking is so-so and will need to work on it. Route running could use a little more help but over all I'm happy with the way he has developed.

let us not forget that he has been injured most of his career so it will be interesting to see if he can just stay healthy

Hey the guy has hands. He can catch. I just think that he needs to be a little more aggresive. Hope I spelled that right. But anyway. He will improve over the break. He seems to want to start. So he will try harder

I do agree that he needs to work on his blocking, but I just like the fact that he seems to come through with a needed 1st down or touchdown.

If he puts on another 10 lbs. damn he be tough

Royal showed promise this year and he finally stayed healthy. Hopefully he can continue to develop next year. At the worst we have a quality target in the redzone.

Exactly, and who's to say he can't alternate with a better blocking TE in a 2-TE set.

Oh that would reek havak on the other lline. Just think if we had 3 TE's....oh the possibilities are endless. If that ever happened then we would have a good offence like the Pats

The Royal "news" is kind of funny - of course he's going to aim to be a starter. You aren't likely to see a news item saying, "Royal shoots for second string - but will accept practice squad, or being waived with signed thank you from Coach Gibbs."

But that's what the writers put out in late January in a non playoff year.

It's gripping news... I'm on the edge of my seat to see what's next!