SB Nation - Randy Thomas

Washington Redskins Defeat Oakland Raiders In Front of Hundreds Of Oakland Fans

Sugar — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:24:40 -0000

More photos » by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

Jim Zorn laughs after hearing Sherman Lewis tell the one about a priest, a rabbi, and Vinny Cerrato walking into a bar over his headset.

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Okay, so it may have been more than a few hundred, but at one point on the national feed I could hear individual people clapping. Before the game you knew it was two teams playing for nothing. By the end of the game it was clear one team was acting like a group playing for nothing and the other was playing the part of a group trying to keep the party going. This Redskins team has found something to be sure. When I watch these guys I think, "Wow...this looks like an actual NFL team...this looks like teams around the league that know what they're doing."

We can spend all day kicking each other in the nuts wondering where this level of play has been all year. It is an exercise in futility, though. Here are a few thoughts on that subject:

1) We were still employing this new offensive system with players Zorn inherited from an old regime with a different philosophy.Is there really anything to this? I spent some time yesterday at Comcast Studios and kicked the idea around with those folks and one thing we talked about specifically was the fact that we are getting it done now with guys who were brought in since Zorn arrived and not prior to his arrival. (FYI--this means Vinny gets some credit which kills me.) This is not to suggest that Clinton Portis, Mike Sellers, Chris Cooley, Chris Samuels, Randy Thomas, Ladell Betts, or even Jon Jansen are or were guys incapable of thriving in Zorn's offense. I think what it means is that all these guys coming on and contributing now have been brought up in this new system over the last two years--Devin Thomas, Fred Davis, Malcolm Kelly....well, it would be hard/unfair to put guys like Mike Williams, Quinton Ganther, Levi Jones, and even Derrick Dockery in here, but the idea is that our lineup now is full of guys brought in to support the new ideology. Time for all of us to put on our cups, because Cerrato is most likely sticking around to work our nuts like a collective group of heavy bags.

2) Sherman Lewis is having a very positive impact.I am done with trying to read into what his level of involvement during the week means and whether or not he can be effective as a coach if he only speaks to Jason Campbell via candy-gram. The numbers tell us that since Sherman Lewis came on board, we have done better. Period. I still think you don't assume Zorn is useless in all of this. He is the quarterbacks guru and our quarterback is playing great, so he deserves credit. I don't believe for a second that he isn't partly responsible for this turn-around.

3) Hiring Zorn, implementing his offense and drafting players to fit it was sold to us as a 2-3 year investment. We are right in the meat of that investment and it appears we are getting some returns. I find it troubling to think that things are going according to (their) plan and they are considering starting over.

The game yesterday to me came down to two players. If you saw me on Comcast's Post Game Live (video to come), you would have seen me:

A) give it to Chick Hernandez a little about his earring; and

B) talk about Brian Orakpo and Jason Campbell.

Ganther, Davis, Carter, Landry...they all contributed, but I thought that it was fitting to highlight our best offensive player and our best defensive player and then underline the lunacy regarding the potential for JC to be somewhere else next season.

Orakpo was a beast. He personally accounted for somewhere in the neighborhood of 50-75 negative yards for the Raiders. Four sacks did not even tell the story of his day...how crazy is that?

Campbell was once again on fire. He threw the ball so accurately on the run yesterday (for the most part), I wondered aloud why they didn't purposely move him around more often (picture Mark Rypien rolling and throwing bombs.)

In the comments today, I thought we would try something a little different. I will start a few comment threads with some questions and everyone is encouraged to ask their own questions raising separate issues. Let's all pull together to gain some "public" opinion on these topics so we can determine the direction of the posts this week.

Team Stat Comparison

1st Downs	21	15
Passing 1st downs	11	11
Rushing 1st downs	7	3
1st downs from Penalties	3	1
3rd down efficiency	5-12	4-15
4th down efficiency	0-0	1-3
Total Plays	58	66
Total Yards	295	227
Passing	195	162
Comp-Att	16-28	20-34
Yards per pass	7.0	4.8
Rushing	100	65
Rushing Attempts	27	24
Yards per rush	3.7	2.7
Red Zone (Made-Att)	4-4	1-2
Penalties	7-45	14-118
Turnovers	1	1
Fumbles lost	1	0
Interceptions thrown	0	1
Defensive / Special Teams TDs	0	0
Possession	27:53	32:07

Cerrato Continues Defending Himself Regarding the Redskins OL

KevinE — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:28:22 -0000

More photos » by Susan Walsh - AP

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Vinny Cerrato addressed reporters today, and his responses continue to baffle me. There is no doubt the Redskins made multiple mistakes not drafting linemen over the last several years. It was obvious to everyone when Samuels and Randy Thomas had season ending injuries last year. What is maddening is when someone refuses to admit their mistakes. It doesn't matter what field you work in, that's how you lose your job.

Question: Many players today have said that you didn't address the line. You knew it was a problem and you didn't address it. People around the league are saying it's one of the worst lines in the league. All that.
Vinny Cerrato: Who is people around the league?
Question: People on other teams. Commentators on TV. They say you haven't addressed the line.

Vinny Cerrato: We tried to address the line. We added [Derrick] Dockery. We added Mike Williams. We attempted to, and when we were in the draft, there was nobody at No. 13 worthy of it.

Question: Are you having the results you wanted to?

Vinny Cerrato: No, we don't want to have sacks. So if it was Chris Samuels and Randy Thomas in there, would it be better? Absolutely. If you lose a Pro Bowler, it's definitely going to drop off. I guess where we're standing right now, to have more depth would be great.
Question: Is it too early to say that the line is going to be the team's main target in the offseason?
Vinny Cerrato: It's too early to tell.

Question: You had to think there was no way you were going to get 16 games out of Chris Samuels and Randy Thomas considering they had double surgeries in the offseason?

Vinny Cerrato: With Randy we anticipated, you know, not going 16 games. So we anticipated that part.

You anticipated Randy Thomas being out and you assume a 404 pound lineman who has been out of the league for two years is a safe bet?

Again, someone that refuses to admit their mistakes is not someone that can be trusted. Who is he trying to fool? It's OK to admit your mistakes Vinny, we all want to succeed, but if you don't prove to us that you're learning from your mistakes, then the hatred and "Fire Vinny!" signs will only get worse.

Keeping a BTB Eye on the Other Beasts in the East

Aaron Novinger — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 14:25:42 -0000

The headline says it all. Let's check out and discuss where the Eagles, Giants, and Redskins have been, and where they are going.

Make the jump below to read more.

Washington Redskins (1-1)

Last game: 9-7 home win vs. St. Louis

Next up: @ Detroit (0-2)

The Redskins pulled out a squeaker last week against the Rams, 9-7. Going to Ford Field this week to take on the Detroit Lions may necessitate some more points out of their offense.

The Redskins’ red-zone spasms have been well-documented. Eight times inside the 20, two touchdowns. And that is bad -- but the Giants are worse. Eight trips, no touchdowns. They’ve scored 18 points on eight, the Redskins 26 on eight (and one of those, against the Rams, was a clock-killing kneel situation at the end).

Have the tabloids pilloried the Giants yet? Only three teams have been inside the red zone more than the Redskins. They’re one of six with eight forays inside the 20 and, yes, they’re the second-lowest scoring. That says they can move the ball but struggle with finishing. That obviously must be corrected.

Both QB Jason Campbell (foot) and RB Clinton Portis (ankle) were limited in practice this week, but will be able to go on Sunday.

With big DT Albert Haynesworth coming to town, Lions' offensive coordinator, Scott Linehan, must get QB Matthew Stafford ready.

Detroit will expect a strong pass rush and will look to get the ball out quick. Stafford already had to deal with quite possibly the best defensive line in the League last week with Minnesota; now he will have another top line in the Redskins. Linehan says he tells his rookie quarterback that he needs to prepare as though he is playing in a championship game every week.

"(I) tell him, ‘You’re basically playing at a level like you’re playing for the SEC Championship every week or you’re in the National Championship,’" said Linehan.

After placing G Randy Thomas on IR this week, the 'Skins have Chad Rinehart listed as his replacement. Here is the Redskins' Game Preview for their game against the Lions.

New York Giants (2-0)

Last game: 33-31 Win @ Dallas

Next up: @ Tampa Bay (0-2)

The undefeated Giants @ the winless Buccaneers. Trap game? It doesn't sound likely unless Bucs' RB Derrick Ward can get this Tampa team to play lights out against his former team. Their execution, though, may have to be flawless.

While New York will be short-handed, it might not need its full roster against the Buccaneers (0-2). Tampa Bay, once known for its dominant defense, allowed 900 yards and 67 points in the first two games - both second most in the league. The Bucs fell behind 17-0 after the first quarter last week and went on to lose 33-20 at Buffalo. Tampa Bay allowed Fred Jackson to rush for 163 yards and Trent Edwards was able to complete 21 of 31 pass attempts for 230 yards and two scores against a beleaguered Bucs secondary.

Less than a week after plucking an INT off of Jason Witten's shoe, the Giants had to place S Kenny Phillips on IR. Phillips, who also intercepted Tony Romo's long pass to Sam Hurd, had a lingering knee injury from training camp. It was determined Monday that the knee condition (patella femoral arthritis) had worsened. To fill his void in the secondary, New York signed Aaron Rouse off waivers from Green Bay.

Hat tip to cowboy78 for the FanShot.

Bob Glauber says that Phillips' condition could be a threat to his young career.

Alex Marvez says that the Giants are the best 2-0 team in the league.

The defense under first-year coordinator Bill Sheridan will continue to improve as players like CB Aaron Ross and DT Chris Canty get healthy. RB Brandon Jacobs should get on track after averaging a pedestrian 3.4 yards through two games. Already having wins over Washington and Dallas will go a long way toward New York's quest to repeat as NFC East champion.

Here is Giants.com's Scouting Report on the Buccaneers.

Philadelphia Eagles (1-1)

Last game: 48-22 Home Loss vs. New Orleans

Next up: Home vs. Kansas City

Kevin Kolb will start for the Eagles and hopes to improve upon the performance he had against the Saints last Sunday.

And, yes, there were plays Kolb would like to have back. He threw those three interceptions, one a nothing toss away on the final play of the game, but two others that were very costly. Early in the second half Kolb went to a three-step drop and tried to get the ball out to Brent Celek on an out route. The Saints read the play and linebacker Scott Shanle stepped in front of the throw and made an interception that helped turn the game around.

"I made a mistake there," said Kolb. "There were a few of them during the game that I learned from. That is part of it. I wasn't happy because I didn't play well enough for us to win the game. We knew we couldn't make those kinds of mistakes against a team like that and I went out and made mistakes."

Not only is Donovan McNabb highly doubtful for Sunday's game against the Chiefs, RB Brian Westbrook (ankle) and WR DeSean Jackson (groin) have also missed practices this week.

What can we expect to see from Michael Vick this weekend? Beasts' blogger, Matt Mosely, says a little bit of this, a little bit of that.

Reid's not saying how he will deploy his quarterbacks Sunday, but I think it's safe to say that three quarterbacks -- Kevin Kolb, Jeff Garcia and Vick -- will be active for the game. Vick's not prepared to be a full-time quarterback at this stage of his comeback, and that's why I think Garcia will be listed as the backup for Sunday's game.

Peter King reported that Reid will have a 10-play Wildcat package for Vick on Sunday. But if the Eagles have some success early in the game, I wouldn't be surprised to see Vick in there for 12-15 snaps. Could that potentially disrupt Kolb's tempo? Sure it could, but Reid doesn't care about that.

The Eagles need some linebacking help and have brought in their former MLB, Jeremiah Trotter, for a workout.

The Eagles have not found a solution at middle linebacker since Stewart Bradley was injured. After giving Joe Mays the chance to win the job, Omar Gaither has started the first two games while Mays rehabbed a shoulder strain.

"When Stewart went down, I talked to Andy about everything that was going with Jim [Johnson]," Trotter said. "I told him I was in great shape and I could help him out. Nothing happened. He called me today and told me to come in for a workout."

While the Chiefs have not had any players miss practice this week, QB Matt Cassel (knee) and WR Dwayne Bowe (hamstring) were limited participants on Thursday.

The Eagles signed a TE to their practice squad.

Here is NFL.com's Game Center for the Chiefs @ the Eagles.

Hogs Haven Predicts Redskins Final 53

Ken Meringolo — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:32:30 -0000

More photos » by Pablo Martinez Monsivais - AP

Robert Henson and Cody Glenn may both benefit from being drafted by Vinny Cerrato. He HATES to cut players he drafts!

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First, the obvious: Sugar has been shelved for the time being. I will be tackling a new writing assignment within SB Nation and I was asked to come up with a cooler name to write under. The best I could come up with was "Ken Meringolo". I know what you're thinking...sounds too much like an undercover secret agent of international intrigue. I guess you could say I followed the lead of one my heroes, Lt. Frank Drebin, and decided to use my maiden name.

Not that many tears (besides mine) will be shed over it, but Sugar will most assuredly be back. I will keep you guys posted on when and where my other writing assignments will end up. But on to the issues of the day.

Here is our crack at predicting the Redskins "Final 53". We have all been watching the preseason closely--there won't be many surprises. But we are picking a couple. Have at it (after the jump):

QB (3): Jason Campbell, Todd Collins, Colt Brennan

RB (5): Clinton Portis, Ladell Betts, Rock Cartwright, Mike Sellers, Anthony Alridge

WR (5): Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle El, Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, Marko Mitchell

TE (3): Chris Cooley, Fred Davis, Todd Yoder

OL (9): Chris Samuels, Derrick Dockery, Casey Rabach, Randy Thomas, Stephon Heyer, Chad Rinehart, Mike Williams, Jeremy Bridges, Will Montgomery

DL (9): Phillip Daniels, Albert Haynesworth, Cornelius Griffin, Anthony Montgomery, Kedric Golston, Lorenzo Alexander, Andre Carter, Jeremy Jarmon, Rob Jackson

LB (7): London Fletcher, Rocky McIntosh, Brian Orakpo, H.B. Blades, Chris Wilson, Cody Glenn, Robert Henson

DB (9): Carlos Rogers, DeAngelo Hall, Fred Smoot, Kevin Barnes, Justin Tryon, LaRon Landry, Chris Horton, Reed Doughty, Kareem Moore

P: Hunter Smith

LS: Ethan Albright

K: Dave Rayner

I put Rob Jackson in over Renaldo Wynn, Robert Henson in over Robert Thomas, Rayner over Suisham, and Anthony Alridge in over whomever you want to call the 53rd man to make it.

Why do I continue to keep Renaldo Wynn off my final 53 list? If you think like me, then you think Wynn is not really a guy who is going to get a lot of snaps anyway unless there is an injury. Rob Jackson is still a little young and raw, and I have not heard his name a ton but if you are going to keep a guy around to caddy for the rest of the defensive linemen, why not keep a young guy who has a shot to develop into a serviceable backup instead of a guy at the end of his rope who has played all of his best football already? This is the pick I will most likely be wrong about, as Renaldo Wynn is a pro who knows how to play the game, and was brought in for his leadership and experience this offseason. But I had to stay true to what I have been saying this summer.

The Robert Henson/Cody Glenn/Robert Thomas decision at linebacker is a little more straight-forward. I think Cody Glenn is at the head of the 3-pack. The decision between Henson and Thomas is not so hard when you remember one thing: Vinny drafted Henson. He hates to be wrong about his draft picks. And lucky for him, he is in the position to pronounce his rightness! Henson has made a few mental blunders during games this preseason, and dropping that sure interception against the Ravens hurt him (coming out of TCU, he was actually graded as a sure-handed linebacker.) But in the end, the team will keep the guy they picked in the draft, and drop the guy they signed off the street. Regardless of who is better--though let's not make that out to be a huge deal. Neither Henson nor Thomas factors huge for us this season, and if Henson can figure out to stay on the field for special teams by mid-season, he will be worth the investment. Finally, it says here that Robert Henson will pull off an Alfred Fincher kind of performance against the Jags and earn the spot.

Anthony Alridge...really? Vinny brought him in this offseason and the word from the inside of the building is that Vinny loves him too much to let him go. What's not to love? He is one of those "yards-per-touch" guys. He is going to get the ball in the flat on screens, pitches, and dump-offs and he is going to get upfield in a hurry. I know Marcus Mason has been a fan favorite to make this squad multiple times, but the fact of the matter is he does not give us something we don't already have. Alridge gives us a scatback, speed option off the bench that will prove very useful this season.

I went with Rayner over Suisham even though there seems to be a resounding consensus that Suisham will retain his position. I FEEL LIKE I AM TAKING CRAZY PILLS! How do you hold any benefit of the doubt in a kicking competition when you were last in the league in field goal percentage? Rayner has had the better kickoff leg and neither has blown the roof off with their field goals. If anything, I would be tempted to keep Rayner and then bring in either Mike Nugent (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) or Brandon Coutu (Seattle Seahawks)--helps to watch every preseason game!--to compete with Rayner in the week leading up to the regular season. Coutu has a good chance to make the Seahawks' roster, but if he doesn't, we wouldn't be the only ones trying to sign him.

Practice Squad Predictions: Edwin Williams, Scott Burly, Keith Eloi, Robbie Agnone, Chase Daniel, Eddie Williams

WaTimes 53-man roster [Redskins 360]
WaPost 53-man roster [Redskins Insider]
Redskins Blog [Terl took his link down...I swore it was there?]

What do you guys think?

Poll

Which player that I put in do you think is most likely NOT to make the team?

Robert Henson

113 votes

Anthony Alridge

226 votes

Rob Jackson

263 votes

602 votes | Poll has closed

Ask a Redskin: 3 Random, Tough Questions and Their Replies

KevinE — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:33:29 -0000

August 8, 2009: Carlos Rogers with his daughter after practice Fan Appreciation Day.

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Fan Appreciation Day was this past weekend, and given the light mood after practice, I thought it'd be fun to ask the players non football related questions for a change. First things first, the offensive line did look better. The quarterbacks did not throw well, which was disappointing, but there was only a few number of sacks and the QBs did have time to throw the ball. Coach Zorn in his intro speech raved of Hunter Smith. I clocked his last 5 punts, which had the hang-times: 4.05, 4.39, 4.18, 4.81, and 5.?. (I received a text message as I was clocking the last punt, but it was a massive 60-yard punt that was well over 5 seconds). When asked in the post-practice interview about Hunter, Zorn said that when Hunter the Punter misses a kick, it's still in the 4+ seconds range versus last year where the punters mis-kicks were in the 3.1 and 3.2 seconds range. That certainly is a huge difference and should go a long way for field battle positions. Anthony Alridge and Byron Westbrook were getting time as the punt runners on my side of the field.

I spoke with Renaldo Wynn about the offensive line, and he had this to say:

The key is how they gel together. It's like the Giants' offensive line. They're not the most talented, but they work together. If we can get these guys to pull together and come together as a unit, I think they can be pretty great. Keep guys healthy number two. That was a huge problem last year. Chris Samuels, Randy Thomas, Jon Jansen were hurt. Most of the guys in there were battling some type of injury.

That seems fair enough to me. Let's see how they do Thursday before completely throwing them under the bus. I also asked several of the players who of the young guys are standing out most in camp. Jeremy Jarmon is in the huge lead (Orakpo is already a given at this point).

Wynn: "Jeremy Jarmon. Edwinn Williams, the center from MD. He's having a heck of a camp."
Portis: "[Marques ]Hagans at receiver. [Robert ] Agnone. Fred Davis...I think he's had the best camp out of anyone."
Randle-El: "Marko Mitchell, Trent Shelton, and that cat we got in the supplemental draft Jeremy Jarmon. He's nasty."
London Fletcher: "Reed Doughty looks good."
Todd Yoder: "Orakpo. He is strong as a bull and fast. I'm expecting big things out of him...he's got great strength for his size and a real quick first step.

As of right now it is looking like Jeremy Jarmon was a STEAL with next year's 3rd round pick...not to mention the added benefit that we get having Jarmon on the roster this year. I don't see how he doesn't make the 53-man roster.

So onto the fun questions. I asked the following questions to 17 players (and Dan Steinberg):

1.) If Hollywood was making a movie of your life, who would you want to play you?
2.) Who would you rather spend a weekend in Vegas with: Shaun Suisham or Ethan Albright?
3.) Who would win a QB accuracy contest today: Zorn or Brunell?

Can you guess for #1 who picked Johnny Drama and who Fred Smoot and Jim Zorn picked? Answers after the jump...

I think it'd be close. I honestly can't give away either one. They're both friends. Brunell is probably a little less rusty so I'll go with him."

	Actor to play their life story	Vegas	Zorn or Brunell Contest
Fred Smoot	"TI!"	"Albright!. He's my boy! He's Irish ... I'm Dutch, we're gonna roll together!"
Carlos Rogers	"Smoot!"	"Suisham."	"Zorn."
DeAngelo Hall	"Me"	"Neither."
Todd Yoder	"Me. Can I be in a movie? Or maybe I can get Cools and then maybe I can star in a movie playing him."	"Albright because he's the Red Snapper."
Antwaan Randle-El	"Cuba!"	"Suisham"	"Brunell" (with confidence)
Clinton Portis	"Jamie Foxx"	"Albright"	"I don't know, you're talking about 2 old arms that got it done at their time. Brunell at this point since he's still in the league."
Marko Mitchell	"hmm..Will Smith!!"	"Suisham. He's a funny, cool guy and down to Earth."
London Fletcher	"Me! [laughing]"	"Probably Albright. Ethan's old school so I'm sure we'll have a good time."
Cornelius Griffin	"Denzel Washington"	"Neither one."
Renaldo Wynn	"[laughing] Someone with some good looks. Probably have to say Denzel."	"Man...I have to go with Albright. I have to go with Albright. I'd just like to see what he does for fun. Suisham, he's a regular guy, but Albright, he'll be like Chevy Chase waering the plaid pants."
Chris Samuels	Chris: "I don't know, that's tough." Kevin: "Gary Coleman?" Chris: "No...haha, not at all. Samuel L...I need someone big. Oh! The guy that played Deebo...even though my eye is straight!"	"Ethan Albright. I like him..old wise veteran."	"Zorn because he's my coach...even though I love Brunell."
Chris Cooley	"That's a good question man. I'd go with Johnny Drama.He'd be good."	"Suisham"	"I think it'd be close. I honestly can't give away either one. They're both friends. Brunell is probably a little less rusty so I'll go with him."
Jason Campbell	"Denzel"	"Suisham"	"Brunell"
Shaun Suisham	"Matt Damon"	(I asked Shaun to make his case for players to choose him)" "Me. Because I'm lucky."
Mike Sellers	"The dude they call 'Tiny' in the movies."	"Albright. He's funny. That's my buddy."
Jim Zorn	"Hmm..that's a good question. You know who I like...Robert Duvall. . He's really good. I like Matt Damon. I like Tom Criuse. I like those guys. They make fun movies. They're good actors."	"Neither!!"
Dan Steinberg [Bog]	"I'd have to say Moby."	"Suisham...he loves me."	"I'll take Zorn."

The Washington Redskins Ten Most Irreplaceable Players In 2009

Ken Meringolo — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 08:00:20 -0000

Everyone loves a good list. But all too often, these kinds of lists turn into a ranking of the team's best players. In today's Top Ten list, the criteria is simple: Who can we simply not afford to lose to injury this season? Better put, who are the top ten players that are central to the success of THIS YEAR'S team--taking into account depth at each position and potential contributions from each player? I have taken some creative liberties with the presentation of the list, and I have made a few judgement calls that I expect some of you will disagree with--I expect you all will not hold back in the comments section.

#10 - Hunter Smith - When I heard the news that Hunter Smith had been signed, I was just slightly less happy than when I heard the news Jessica Biel was doing a nude scene in an upcoming movie. Our punting situation has been a nightmare for a while now. Derrick Frost may have been a Hall of Famer during the week in practice, but he stunk out loud too many times on Sundays when it counted. Ryan Plackemeier was not the huge upgrade that blew up everyone's skirts either. Word on the street was that he was a liability as a holder. However, I heard his personal hygiene was beyond reproach (no need to bury the guy.) Hunter Smith is a pro's pro. While he has enjoyed the dome-life in Indy, his abilities are sure to be an upgrade in D.C. And with our team expected to be led by our defense, the field position battle will have to feature the skills of Hunter the Punter. He is known in the league to be a steady and rock-solid holder, having paired with Mike Vanderjagt to form one of the most accurate kicking batteries in NFL history (and again with Adam Vinatieri when they won the Super Bowl.) Finally, he brought down Deion Sanders in the following video that always brings a smile to my face.

#9 - Derrick Dockery - We are all aware of the less than stellar year the Redskins had on the offensive line last year. Pete Kendall was a band-aid the year before and performed well enough, but last year that band-aid fell off and got lost in the chicken salad, and Jason Campbell ended up eating that band-aid in his sandwich. Let's not mix words here--we brought in Dockery to be an upgrade, not to hold down the position until someone better comes along. He has to perform well, and he has to perform well right away. Early last season we ran left on some pretty important plays. With Right Tackle being up-for-grabs, and with Randy Thomas healing yet again from injuries, the left side is going to be relied upon heavily. Behind Dockery is Chad Rinehart, who we still know very little about. Samuels and Dockery are comfortable and confident playing next to each other. Losing Dockery would hurt us from a depth perspective and would disrupt the chemistry of the left side of the line.

#8 - Fred Davis - I kind of snuck this one in. I won't pretend to be an expert talent evaluator but when I watched him practice this off season at Redskins Park in Ashburn, he really got to me. Like Cammie from the 80's flick The Great Outdoors, played by Lucy Deakins. At first you're kind of like, "OK...I like this girl, but so far she's not central to the plot," and then as the movie goes on, every other storyline becomes meaningless to you and all you can think about is Cammie and how is Buck going to pull this off?!? That is my prediction for Fred Davis this season. At first it will be all about CP, JC, Cooley, the defense, Santana Clause. But by Week 6 (against Kansas City, where Sleepy's stat line will be 6 catches, 78 yards and 2 TDs), Davis will have asserted himself as a legitimate threat for us on offense. And I predict it will be him that becomes the key to our red zone attack.

#7 - Brian Orakpo - Well, I pretty much had to change my shorts when we drafted this guy. I spent all winter clamoring for an OLB/DE player to fill the Merriman/Ware hole in our roster. As a rookie, he will be expected to play like a vet. He will be expected to show up in the stats, and he will be expected to straight-up dominate. So it goes with high first round picks I suppose. Is it fair? Dan Snyder's $20 million bones say it is more than fair. There was an offensive lineman on the board when we picked Orakpo--Michael Oher--so this selection has all the makings of being second-guessed all season long. If he fails to be a force on our defense, it will be hard to hear anything above the fans shouting the f-word: failure. Further, for us to enjoy the kind of success we are hoping for, we need nothing less than a dominant performance from his position.

#6 - Santana Moss - One could argue we have lost Santana Moss during the season every year for the last 3 years. Either by injury or by opposing defenses denying him the ball, Moss has been silenced late in the season. Still, he is one of those "magic" players that has the ability to make a play when he gets the ball in his hands. Whenever he touches the ball, there is a chance the play can end with him scoring a touchdown. We'd all like to think that with Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly in the fold, Moss might be somewhat replaceable. Not so fast. The dude is an elite NFL player and on our team, his value is as much about the comfort and confidence he gives both fans and teammates when he is on the field as it is about his skill set. Here is a highlight video of him ( a little grainy, but you get the idea.)

#5 - Jason Campbell - I fear I will be scolded for either putting him too high or for putting him on this list at all. Truth be told, I am shocked that I am not making him #1. Todd Collins has proven to be more than serviceable, with not only a stellar performance in relief of JC, but also a late-season playoff push under his belt. Colt Brennan is the apple of a lot of eyes, and Jason Campbell has yet to become the "franchise quarterback" you want from a 1st rounder. But he is absolutely central to our success this year. Despite the off season rumors and activity, the investment in JC has only grown greater. Both he and the coaching staff have put in a lot of hours in the months leading up to training camp. Jason has worked extensively with Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly, and he has quietly continued to act the part of "Starting Redskins QB" which as we all know is a position of high honor and visibility. He has the confidence of his teammates and coaching staff (currently), and let's face facts--you pretty much always have most of your eggs in the starting QB basket. If you think like me, and you think JC will in fact be second to the defense among the reasons we make the playoffs, you have to put him on this list, and you probably should put him higher.

#4 - Mike Sellers - This year might be the first year that I fully appreciate Sellers for exactly what he means to this team. I have both underestimated and overestimated his importance and role on this team in the last handful of years. There was a series in the pre-season a couple years back where Gibbs called for like 4 straight hand-offs to Sellers. He busted each carry for 7-8 yards a pop. I thought we were seeing the emergence of a Brandon Jacobs-type of role for Sellers. Then last season, the disappointment of him being (allegedly) unable to punch the ball in against Cincinnati on the goal line tempered that expectation. In 2005, he had 8 TDs (7 through the air, 1 on the ground), but last year just managed 1 score. So how does he land at #4 on this list? Special teams notwithstanding, he has become an invaluable lead blocker. Clinton Portis loves to get in behind Sellers and every time they both make it to the edge, you know a 1st down is a gimme. Players like Sellers seem to get marginalized by their organizations over time (see Lorenzo Neal from the San Diego Chargers a few years back.) Here's hoping the team figures out a responsible way to keep him with the team beyond this year. Sellers has become a destructive force in what has been at times an unstoppable running game. We can ill afford to lose him this year if we hope to keep Clinton Portis from taking on the first and second tacklers at the point of attack. And anything Sellers is able to add in the way of short-yardage situations for us is gravy.

via farm3.static.flickr.com

#3 - Clinton Portis - Thanks to fantasy football, I have finally learned the lesson that eludes so many fans and even league personnel men: running backs really do grow on trees. So what is CP doing this high on the list? Because there are exceptions to every rule. Like for example, to those that say "No means No", I say, "Sometimes No means Maybe." ("Reservation for 1 in hell please? Yes, I'll hold.") CP is a stud...a freak of nature athletically that has enjoyed a great deal of success at running back for 7 seasons. That is twice the average career for running backs (somebody call me out on this if I am wrong, but I think the average career of a running back is roughly 3 years.) From an odds perspective there is a better chance Leonardo DiCaprio will star in the Growing Pains movie than a running back becoming highly productive in his 8th year. Yet that is what we are banking on this season. Clinton is the man yet again this year, and without him, the ship loses a lot of direction and purpose. More than anything, the ship loses a lot of identity. For better or worse, the identity of this team and specifically the offense is tied to Clinton Portis.

#2 - Chris Samuels - We spoke to a retired former Redskin a few months ago (who shall remain nameless for now) and he said that there was only ONE player on the whole roster he would label "untouchable"--only one player on the entire roster that he would start all over with tomorrow: Chris Samuels. Whether you agree with it or not, it kind of takes your breath away...wait for it...like Nicole Eggert in Charles in Charge. She was only 15 when she started out as Jamie Powell but I was only 10, so the things I was thinking about doing to her were totally legal (as a 10-year old, this consisted mostly of picturing her in a bathing suit, but by the time she was 18, I was 13, so my dream date of me, her and Samantha Micelli (Alyssa Milano) from Who's The Boss was ON.) As we discussed above, the offensive line was a debacle last year. Samuels is the class of our line. If he goes down, our team's playoff chances disappear faster than a bag of blow left alone in a room with Corey Haim. (It's not fair to beat up on Corey Haim you say? Go back and watch Lucas again. All these years later, and both Charlie Sheen and Jeremy Piven are killing it. Corey Haim has only Corey Haim to blame.)

via p1.hotornot.com

#1 - Albert Haynesworth - If you go to a nice restaurant and order the most expensive thing on the menu, like the Filet Mignon plate, it ain't going to work for you if the steak is undercooked and gives you parasites. A good bowl of mashed potatoes or creamed spinach is not going to save the dish. We paid for the best cut of meat on the market. It had damn well better taste good and be cooked right. Haynesworth has to absolutely dominate this season for the Redskins to both save face and make some noise in the NFC. Is saving face really that important? I think so, because he represents yet another in a long line of high-priced talent brought in by Snyder to win now. This has yet to really pan out for Snyder and has left us coming up with some pretty lame one-liners over the years.

"Mark Carrier could really be the difference this season."

"Brandon Lloyd is poised to break out this season."

"Adam Archuleta should really solidify our secondary."

"Bruce Smith attacking the QB is going to get us to the next level this season."

"Chad Morton is the answer in the return game."

"Jeff George is the right guy for this offense."

OK, you get the idea. Redemption is absolutely chief among the goals for Haynesworth this year in my humble opinion. And the truth is it will come hand-in-hand with domination at the point of attack. If Blache can move him up and down the line of scrimmage effectively and keep the opposing offense guessing, Haynesworth is capable of providing the same kind of impact that Reggie White gave the Packers when he signed there and subsequently led them to a Super Bowl. Without Haynesworth, we lose twice really. We continue to get berated by everyone for trying and failing to "buy a championship" and we would be on the outside looking in yet again come December.

As I review the list, LaRon Landry jumps off the page as the one I wish I would have found a spot for, but I will have to live with leaving him off, despite my constant proclamations that Landry is an elite player. I guess I dig our safety group right now, and am hopeful that a Chris Horton/ Kareem Moore backfield would hold up (if you can't lie to yourself, who can you lie to?)

Other Honorable Mentions: Ladell Betts, London Fletcher, Carlos Rogers, and Ethan "The Red Snapper" Albright.

I expect that London will be the one I get the most grief for excluding, so let me seed my excuse for leaving him out: I love Alfred Fincher, and think that if it came down to it, he would be the feel-good story of the league stepping in and up to replace London. Think Mike Seaver-gets-Chelsea Noble...yeah, that kind of feel good.

Getting to Know New Redskin, Jeremy Bridges

KevinE — Fri, 08 May 2009 15:45:09 -0000

via cache.daylife.com

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- 6'4 - 326lbs
- College: Southern Miss (Degree: Sports Admin)
- Other teams played for: Philly, Arizona, Carolina

Jeremy was drafted by the Eagles in the 6th round (2003), where he was inactive all season, and then picked up off waivers by the Cards. The Panthers picked him up as a Free Agent where he was released in February 2009. In the six years he's been in the NFL, out of the 62 games he's played, he has started in 39 of them.

The SB Nation Panthers' blog recently posted a story with some comical quotes from the new Redskin regarding his previous 2 brush-ins with the law:

"Things happen and I can't blame nobody but myself. If I wouldn't even have been in that situation then I wouldn't have been in the situation."

There were "some unfortunate things I been through in Carolina, besides the good field play. I had a lot left. The thing about Carolina is they kind of frown on off-field incidents. I was unfortunate to have two of them when I was there."

Haha. Man. Every team frowns on off-field incidents, even little league teams. OK. Now the good stuff. The details on the run-ins with the law:

In December of 2008...the incident started when Bridges ordered a bottle of Dom Pérignon (wine) from the restaurant bar Saturday night and shook it up, causing the champagne to spew and get other patrons wet. The restaurant manager alleges that Bridges then got into a verbal confrontation with another patron and then a physical confrontation with the bouncer, at which time the police were called.

To Jeremy's defense, there is nothing more fun than spraying a bottle of bub all over the place. I've done it before and yes, to say people get furious is an understatement. I always pour the person a glass afterwards and invite them over, so pushing a bouncer and screaming at a patron is where the road splits there.

The second black eye arose when Bridges was arrested prior to the start of training camp for the 2007 season and charged with misdemeanor assault for allegedly pointing a gun at a woman in a strip club parking lot in Charlotte, NC. What makes this story so comical is the trial:

Jeremy Bridges gets convicted of assault for pointing a gun at a stripper ("entertainer") who was arguing with one of his buddies. Bridges didn't want his pal talking to her, in part because, as she testified in court: "I don't even date men."

Then the entertainer's uncle takes the stand wearing a sleeveless black dress and high-heeled shoes -- looking like Tina Turner but sounding like Ike -- followed by her pregnant ex-girlfriend.

Was Bridges' lawyer Lionel Hutz? How do you lose a case when the lead prosecution witness is a drag queen?? Only in America folks.

Bridges was found guilty and given a 60-day suspended sentence and one year unsupervised probation; he was also ordered to pay a $500 fine and do 60 hours of community service. The Panthers suspended him for two games for the incident.

The guy definitely has the size, and it's worth a shot working him out. All I know is I'm bringing goggles with me for his 'I made the team' party at Josephine's.

Source Wiki, Image via 1.bp.blogspot.com

Poll

Will Jeremy Bridges make the 53-man roster?

Yes

323 votes

No

111 votes

434 votes | Poll has closed

Hogging the Covers: Professional Washington Redskins Coverage

Ken Meringolo — Wed, 06 May 2009 13:01:58 -0000

More photos » by Alex Brandon - AP

Washington Redskins Coach Jim Zorn talks to Hogs Haven (and other members of the media) after practice. Not Pictured--Redskins security detail asking themselves who are these guys?

Browse more photos »

Wow. The glamorous life of a Redskins beat reporter was...ummmm...revealed today. Let's just say those precious words we read each day on our favorite Redskins news sources are hard-earned. Reporters from the Washington Post, Washington Times, Washington Examiner, Comcast Sportsnet, Red Zebra, ExtremeSkins, and of course Matt Terl all joined us on Sunday in the driving, steady rain to watch the team go through their workouts. It was a great way to get our feet wet in the world of covering the Redskins. I had no idea that my ass and 85% of the rest of my body would get soaked as well.

Our efforts to obtain a pre-minicamp Bloody Mary were thwarted by the fact that there is NOTHING out by Redskins Park. Not a T.G.I.Fridays, not a Chili's, not even a Denny's. It probably worked out better for us since we were unwittingly entering the world of professional sports coverage (for a few hours) and the combination of a 9 AM buzz and the lack of any idea what we were doing could have been disastrous. As it was, we still wore our amateur status on our sleeves. There we were, in the same room as David Elfin, JLC, Kelli Johnson, Rick Snider, getting ready to go to work and a quick inventory of what we brought was just ridiculoulsy sad. I reached into my very fashionable leather satchel that I dusted off from about 10 years of sitting at the bottom of my closet. (Sidebar...if you have a knapsack, or manbag, or backpack that has gone unused for at least 5 years, you simply have to dig it up and go through it. Mine was crammed with distractions, most notably an issue of Modern Drunkard magazine, a Post-It signature dispenser, and a ripped out page from Robb Report's 21 Ultimate Gifts. This particular page featured the Phoenix 1000 luxury submarine, priced at $80 million, which DOES include the minisub but does NOT include the services of a trained crew. It requires (or required) three years for delivery. I also had a Free Hug Coupon. Wait...hello Kelli Johnson. How I ever got any work done carrying that bag around is beyond me.)

I also had a notebook in there but NO PEN. Unbelievable. Then Kevin reached into his bag and pulled out the smallest computer you have ever seen. Seriously, it is straight off of Mugatu's desk. At approximately the size of Paris Hilton's dog--nay, the size of that dog's babies--Kevin's computer is SCREAMING for some time with the Bedazzler. Sure, the size lends itself to better portability, but it also looks like it might be made by Fisher-Price.Needless to say we were pretty well-respected among the other members of the media from the get-go.

Thankfully, we were rescued from the embarrassment of being able to do next to nothing by the PR guy telling us it was time to walk out to the field. Due to the driving rain, our lack of "reporting" materials was a non-issue. We all stood around on the sidelines and watched the players go through their drills, making mental notes of guys who made catches, guys who made drops, and guys who looked like they belonged on the sidelines with us. (Nobody is going to confuse me with a professional athlete, but nobody is going to confuse a couple of those guys with professional football players either. Ouch.)

Mercifully, practice ends ahead of schedule. Imagine the internal dilemma I faced: On one hand, I was soaking wet, freezing my ass off, shivering and doing nothing but getting wetter and colder. On the other hand, I was at a professional football practice, probably the only place you could be where the slightest complaint would be met with the greatest disdain and disgust. The Special Teams coach's young son was out there. Most of the players were in shorts and short sleeves. It was a second-by-second battle to keep my trap shut and pray for the final whistle or death. At least I had a little rain protection. Kevin was about as prepared for the weather as Lindsay Lohan was for life without alcohol and drugs. I tried to keep his shivering in sight at all times, as his obvious anguish and despair warmed me to my core.

We walked up to the locker room to wait for the players to make their way from the field to the building. We were free to call out the name of any player we wanted to talk to and they would come over and talk to us. Except nobody told us this, so we literally stood there like we were at the front of a receiving line, just kind of watching the team go into the building. We finally caught on when Kevin yelled to Stephon Heyer, and he gladly came over to answer some of our questions. It was about to get real professional (not by us though).

Kevin holds out our newly purchased audio recorder, and we peppered Stephon with questions about the offensive line, his fellow Terps on the squad, and his thoughts on the upcoming season. Let me say that Heyer treated us like we were Woodward and Bernstein. He answered our questions in the most professional fashion, and made us feel like we were seasoned reporters. He shook our hands and walked off to the locker room. When he was gone, Kevin looks at me, looks at the audio recorder and says, "Oh yeah, this thing wasn't on at ALL." Really? Jeeeeez...all I could do at that point was laugh. Next question I thought to myself was, "Can you please escort us off the property, because if we stay for one more minute, we just might do permanent damage."

So I start feverishly scribbling everything I could remember about the Heyer debacle. As I am doing that, Zorn is conducting his press conference about 2 feet away from me. Kelli Johnson gets center position and everyone positions themselves around her in a cross between a really awkward family portrait and decently executed Hokey Pokey, with microphone hand in and the rest of the body out. As Kevin is a bit taller than the rest, he ends up being right in the line of Zorn's sight. So it literally looks like Zorn is lecturing Kevin, which is even more odd when you consider at this point Kevin looks like he just washed ashore and is holding a useless piece of plastic (the recorder) that he is not even remotely close to being certified to use.

After a few questions from the major papers, Kevin interjected with a question to Zorn asking about Jansen's progress and if either him or Heyer has emerged as the starter yet. On May 2nd...at the first minicamp...in May. Coach JZ had pity on Kevin, though you could SEE him take a second and fight back the urge to yell, "SECURITY!" Instead, he says,"We haven't even put pads on yet. The competition starts in training camp."

Things got better from there as they let us into the building where we could pick off players better between the locker room and the weight room. Conversations with Mike Williams, Randy Thomas, Andre Carter, and Brian Orakpo went well. Exceeeeeeeeeeept for a little video where Kevin tried to film Orakpo and ended up filming his chest. I had to give him a little slack...after all, the poor guy at least turned it on and had it functioning properly. He showed some initiation there so I didn't bust his balls.

As we made our way back to the media room to collect our belongings and call it a day, we made quick observations to each other on all of the day's preceding events.

Sugar: "I think we sufficiently rocked this minicamp."

KevinE: "Oh yeah...we're definitely 100% ready for next time since there probably won't be one."

We stopped just short of preparing our resignations from our day jobs. For those that missed it, here's the link to our coverage of minicamp.

Minicamp Coverage: Observations and Interviews from Redskins Park

KevinE — Sun, 03 May 2009 13:26:53 -0000

Well, Sugar and I have arrived at Redskins Park. It is wet as can be but practice is still on. We're blogging from the media room now adjacent to the main complex. Jason LaCanfora and David Elfin are here. We're about to head out to the field now so we'll keep you posted on the action with this thread.

Update 11:43am - So the day just ended and we got to talk to several players after practice including Heyer, Randy Thomas, Mike Williams, Brian Orakpo, and Renaldo Wynn. Zorn spoke to the media for 5 minutes afterwards. We'll post the full details with audio and pictures tonight. I am still soaking wet at this point and have yet to eat.

Sugar:

Seen and heard on the sidelines in our waterlogged media group: I spoke to Homer McFanboy's Brian Murphy about who has been standing out among the non-roster guys invited to participate in this session. Kelley Washington was mentioned by all as a guy who has been standing out, perhaps even as a guy who could finally unseat James Thrash on this roster. We shall see. JLC and I spoke about James Thrash also, as I wondered aloud if Justin Tryon would make this team, and if his spot would come down to a choice between him and Thrash. Matt Terl (Redskins blogger) is the man by the way. He doesn't big-time anyone, and he was one of the more soaked individuals on the sidelines this morning.

As for the actual practice, who did I see that stood out: No doubt...it was Fred Davis. I swear it seemed like he was a man among boys out there on some plays. He caught everything I saw thrown his way, and he worked with the first-teamers in 11-on-11 drills. If we can get him and Cooley on the field together in the red zone, I just don't know who is built to stop that kind of firepower. Kevin Barnes, our new rookie corner, did not look that great in a few one-on-one matchups. He seemed to be getting burned by some no-name guys too. Ultimately, you would expect a guy in his spot to open rough I guess, but it was probably not one of his finer days in cleats.

I was looking for Colt and in 11-on-11 drills he delivered two sidearmed throws in a row, to the ground. He made some other good throws underneath, but I wonder what the coaches think about his delivery. When Zorn was asked about Colt later, he said he had a "MUCH stronger arm already than last year," and indicated that last year at this time, he was still dealing with the labrum injury, so he is much farther now than he was last season.

Coach Zorn also said that he liked the flash that Robert Henson showed today and this weekend (Henson is an early Hogs Haven favorite). Otherwise, he said the veterans are much farther along in general this time around in his second year and that the coaches seemed a little more comfortable, too.

We had a chance to get some facetime with a few players, and here are some of the things we got from them:

Andre Carter, on playing linebacker: "Been there, done that..." Didn't sound like he was going to be volunteering for any snaps at LB anytime soon.

Chris Samuels, on how healthy he is: "Almost 100%, not there yet."

Randy Thomas, on Jason Campbell's offseason saga and how he has handled it: "Stayed poised. You would never know anything was going on. Not one time was I thinking someone else was the quarterback. That's all media talk. "

Randy Thomas on free-agent and draft speculation: "Well, we're always involved in everything right?"

Randy Thomas, on the age of the offensive line: "They say we're old. They will keep saying it until we win a ring. We've been together for a while...we were old when we were 28. We gonna stay old until we win a championship."

Mike Williams, on what he missed most about being out of football. "Competition. I'm a competitive guy." He did not look 400 lbs...I'll be honest, he was working hard and he looked like a tank.

Brian Orakpo, on playing linebacker vs defensive end: "Space. You play in more space as a linebacker." He talked about playing linebacker at Texas and he was practicing with the linebacker group today.

I think the other real notable event of the day was a play in which Fred Smoot, in NO pads, laid out Marques Hagans. They were both going for the ball and I think Hagans even caught it, but Smoot knocked him down pretty hard. From the other side of the field, we could all hear Smoot hooting and howling, as he made his way back to the defensive huddle.

Kevin:

Coach Zorn said Devin Thomas' hamstring injury is nothing to worry about, and he'll be fine.

Just to continue on the Colt topic, Zorn added that he still has a decent amount of learning to do with the playbook/system. JC was definitely the most accurate passer out there today, which without doubt quells any "start Colt now" feelings.

Fred Davis did stand out, and Coach Zorn was all giddy about him in the post-practice interviews. I asked Zorn about Jansen, and he said positive things mentioning how they worked him out as Center today, which David Elfin covered. I have the impression that Heyer will win the competition; however, I asked Zorn this direct question and he humbled me replying that the competition does not begin until they get into pads and can really compete. Makes sense.

We talked to Stephon Heyer after practice, and he was confident he would be a major contributor this year. I asked him specifically how is the offensive line going to improve when the Redskins are basically fielding the same guys as last year (who gave up the 10th most sacks)? He replied that they need to focus on their technique and running plays that benefit their strengths.

Multiple people were talking about how great shape Phillip Daniels is in. You can tell by this picture (next to Andre Carter) he is the biggest guy out there. The roster we received has him listed as 6'4" 276 lbs, which is definitely not accurate since Albert is listed as 6'6" 320 lbs. (Phillip is clearly taller than Albert). If I had to guess now, the Skins' starting front four will be Phillip, Andre, Hanyesworth, and Griffin. Very impressive. Orakpo when we talked to him said he's already learning a lot from London. He's worked all minicamp with the LB crew so his role is becoming clearer. Orakpo is listed on the roster as 6'4 which isn't accurate either. I'm 6'2 and he was the same height as me at most. His build isn't suited for a full-time DE, so the Skins are going about this the best way I feel.

Another player that stood out was Domnique Dorsey, the RB the Redskins signed from the CFL. He showed great hands and in multiple plays showed a stellar burst through the secondary. Sellers and Rock also were showing good hands in the bad weather.

Mike Williams is absolutely a guy you want to root for. I tried to get out of him what his exact diet is, but he wouldn't go into specifics. The most important thing was eating at the right times (ie - no late night snacks). Kelli Johnson asked about Mike Williams, and Coach Zorn replied that he was working by himself today on the sleds. Zorn drew a laugh stating, "We were doing our things on the field when we heard this really loud noise coming from his area...he was crushing the sled." A handful of players hit the weight room after practice, and Mike Williams was one of them.

Randy Thomas is another great personality. I asked him multiple questions on how much JC audibles, and I did not get much of a direct answer. From what I gathered, for the most part, the play comes in and they run it.

The kickers did not work out at all really given the pourous conditions. When I looked over to their side of the field, this is what I saw:

I could not stop laughing at this view. I was like, "Who is this midget coach?" Turns out it is Coach Danny Smith's kid, who got some field time today. Look how all the players are so focused on whatever he's saying! Good times.

As Sugar mentioned, the media folks that have been in camp all weekend were impressed with Kelly Washington. The Skins offered him a contract, but he is going to wait until after the Ravens camp hoping to get a better offer. The Washington Times found this fantastic TD celebration he did as a Bungle.

Status Report: Washington Redskins at Cincinnati Bengals

Kirkendall — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:13:49 -0000

The Bengals have 23 players on IR. Palmer is out (#24). Levi Jones (#25), Chinedum Ndukwe (#26), Chris Perry (#27), Ben Utecht (#28), and Kenny Watson (#29) are officially out, or considered doubtful, and all of them missed at least two days worth of practice.

That's 23 players on IR and six players not on IR, but likely out this Sunday.

Bengals

OUT: DE Eric Henderson (neck), QB Carson Palmer (elbow)
DOUBTFUL: T Levi Jones (hamstring), S Chinedum Ndukwe (foot), RB Chris Perry (groin), TE Ben Utecht (foot), RB Kenny Watson (hamstring)
QUESTIONABLE: CB David Jones (knee)
PROBABLE: S Kyries Hebert (neck), WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (hand), LB Rashad Jeanty (shin), DE Antwan Odom (shoulder)

Redskins

OUT: LB Marcus Washington (ankle)
DOUBTFUL: S Chris Horton (shoulder), T Jon Jansen (knee)
QUESTIONABLE: LB London Fletcher (foot), DT Kedric Golston (ankle), DT Cornelius Griffin (shoulder, abdomen), CB Shawn Springs (calf)
PROBABLE: G Pete Kendall (knee), CB Carlos Rogers (illness), DE Jason Taylor (not injury related), G Randy Thomas (knee, neck), TE Todd Yoder (knee)

Practices

BENGALS	WED	THUR	FRI
QB Carson Palmer (elbow)	OUT	OUT	OUT
WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (hand)	DNP	FP	FP
LB Rashad Jeanty (shin)	DNP	LP	FP
RB Chris Perry (groin)	DNP	DNP	DNP
TE Ben Utecht (foot)	DNP	DNP	DNP
RB Kenny Watson (hamstring)	DNP	DNP	DNP
CB David Jones (knee)	LP	DNP	FP
T Levi Jones (hamstring)	LP	DNP	DNP
S Chinedum Ndukwe (foot)	LP	DNP	DNP
DE Antwan Odom (shoulder)	LP	FP	FP
S Kyries Hebert (neck)	FP	FP	FP


REDSKINS	WED	THUR	FRI
LB London Fletcher (foot)	DNP	DNP	DNP
DT Kedric Golston (ankle)	DNP	LP	LP
DT Cornelius Griffin (shoulder, abdomen)	DNP	DNP	DNP
S Chris Horton (shoulder)	DNP	DNP	DNP
T Jon Jansen (knee)	DNP	LP	DNP
G Pete Kendall (knee)	DNP	FP	FP
CB Carlos Rogers (illness)	DNP	FP	FP
CB Shawn Springs (calf)	DNP	DNP	LP
G Randy Thomas (knee, neck)	DNP	FP	FP
LB Marcus Washington (ankle)	DNP	DNP	DNP
TE Todd Yoder (knee)	DNP	LP	FP
DE Jason Taylor (not injury related)	--	--	DNP

DNP - Did Not Practice
LP - Limited Participation in Practice
FP - Full Participation in Practice