The Redskins Blog

Jersey Regrets: I Have A Few

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It’s that time of the year again, when players are released and fans look dejectedly at their closet full of irrelevant jerseys.  Intern Ross speaks from experience on a few of his suggestions.

I don’t remember the days of Sonny Jurgensen, John Riggins or even Joe Gibbs (the first time), because I wasn’t born yet.

What I remember are the days of Darrell Green, Stephen Davis, Sean Taylor and  LaVar Arrington. I grew up on those guys, and I celebrated my fanhood by getting a couple jerseys as a kid.

I have unpleasant memories of the 2003 season, because of those jerseys. Read more »

Redskins Park From A Fresh Set of Eyes

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Today is the first day off of the 2011 Redskins training camp, and it allows players to get rested physically and prepare mentally for the increase in intensity this week.

If there was an ice cream flavor to describe the first few days, it would be vanilla.  No hot fudge or anything; just plain, slightly-melted vanilla ice cream.

The coaching staff seemed to anticipate that players would show up more out of shape than usual, and head coach Mike Shanahan is going to gradually increase the workload, aiming for players to be healthy and ready for Week 1 of the regular season.

Certainly the theme of camp so far has been the addition of some unfamiliar faces, along with the subtraction veteran leaders.  Chemistry is key and the coaching staff is hoping to channel their “mad scientist” as they concoct this roster.

This storyline has also allowed us to focus in on the thoughts and observations of the newest Redskins to call the Park home. Read more »

Shanahan Stays Patient With Practice Schedule

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Some of the biggest news coming out of head coach Mike Shanahan’s post-practice media session, is that he will not rush to get his players in pads.

There has been a lot made about the training camp schedule (I’m certainly guilty), and when players can engage in different levels of contact and physicality.  Part of the agreement for ending the lockout was that teams would be limited to three full days without pads, which would expire for the Redskins today.

Even with the off day tomorrow, Shanahan expressed concerns for his players getting injured, and indicated that they wouldn’t be in pads any time soon.   Read more »

Redskins Debut Free Agents At Practice

Even though they were only dressed in sweats and couldn’t participate in any team activities, the Redskins free agent signees were a big hit with the fans today.

The Redskins released the names of all official signings so far, as follows:

Stephen Bowen, DL
Santana Moss, WR
Chris Chester, OL
Kellen Clemens, QB
Barry Cofield, DL
Donte Stallworth, WR
Josh Wilson, CB

Stallworth and Moss were seen chatting on the sidelines during practice:

Read more »

Redskins Cheerleaders Meet and Greet With Fans

Redskins Cheerleaders Emerald (left) and Judy (right) were on hand for the first day of training camp open to the public.

The little guy in the middle, Grayson Ward, was one of the youngest fans on hand for the first day open to the public.  His grandfather, Mike, brought the 8-month old to Redskins Park for his first training camp.  Clearly, Grayson had one of the best seats in the house!

Granted, It’s Granite

The parking lot at Redskins Park was full, so I parked outside with the fans for the first practice open to the public Saturday.

Walking through the lot just outside the gate, I couldn’t help but notice a gigantic granite coffee table:

So, who are these guys? And what are they doing with my next table in the bed of their truck? Read more »

Pass Defense Looks Sharp In Match-ups

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The highlight of any practice is when the offense lines up against defense for 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 drills.  The fans become really engaged and yelled out their encouragement (or frustration) to the players.  I found myself muffling my own outburst a few times, almost forgetting where I was.  And I may have pretended it was the guy next to me.

As they will throughout camp, the players circulated through different combinations on both sides of the ball.

Recap on offense: Read more »

Landry and Moore Looking Better

Two of the three players currently listed on the Physically Unable to Perform list were out on the field today working on agility drills.  Landry is still recovering from the Achilles injury that ended his season in 2010, while Moore is recovering from offseason knee surgery.  They have not yet been cleared to play, but both are looking agile on footwork drills: Read more »

Darrel Young Is A Truck

Fullback is a position that hasn’t been a concern for Redskins fans since Mike Sellers returned to town in 2004.  The team still has depth behind him in Darrel Young, a one-time linebacker that has made the switch to the offensive side of the ball.

Some things Young does very well.  When he runs, it looks like a runaway train, and I feel sorry for any safeties and cornerbacks that he blocks.  His hands still need time to develop though, which was noted during a running back screen-pass drill: Read more »

Morning Observations

Today marks the final day for the Redskins during which pads are prohibited.  The team started out with mostly light activities, positional drills, stretching, etc.

Quarterbacks John Beck and Ben Chappell practiced scrambling drills while throwing into the nets.  The nets are rigged with a bag that “catches” the balls if they’re fairly accurate.  Beck displayed good speed and agility, and put a lot of zip on his accurate passes.

One reader of the blog remarked that Ben Chappell is the next Peyton Manning, and he may well be.  He has similar mobility (not great), but the accuracy is still coming: Read more »