The Redskins Blog

Practice Specificity Coming Into Focus Before Baltimore

Thursday’s upcoming preseason game is against Beltway rival, the Baltimore Ravens.  More importantly for that, it’s the third preseason game, which in most years is considered a dress rehearsal for the regular season.

Whether that’s the plan for the Redskins remains to be seen,  but coaches were ramping up the intensity and specificity of today’s workouts.  Here are a few observations from today:

• Players wore practice shells today after going without any pads yesterday.
• Bruce Boudreau was in attendance, and was actually looking quite svelte.  It must be his summer beach look.
• Early morning tarps from yesterday’s rain gave way to a gorgeous afternoon for football.

Here’s a look at the wide receivers working on avoiding jams at the line of scrimmage:

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Shaun Draughn Sends The Message To Defenders

Shaun Draughn hasn’t had that many opportunities in the first two preseason games, getting only 10 rushes for 16 yards.

But with his initials  permanently stamped on the back of his legs, he’s still found a way to stand out.

I first noticed Draughn’s tattoos over a month ago when he first appeared in camp as an undrafted free agent.  It took so long for the scoop because one does not simply ask a man to take a picture of his legs.

“It’s cool, man,” he said with a laugh.  ”It’s just ‘S.D.,’ like my initials.”

Draughn explained how, in 2008, he needed something to commemorate his starting role in the Tar Heels offense. Read more »

The Capital’s Bruce Boudreau Pays A Visit To Practice

The Redskins practice had an extra set of coaching eyes today, as Bruce Boudreau, head coach of the Washington Capitals, stopped by.

Boudreau was the guest and companion of head coach Mike Shanahan on the sidelines during practice.  He was accompanied by his son, Brady, who helped special teams coordinator Danny Smith with the Jugs machine during special teams drills.

“We just talked more about [Colorado Avalanche player] Joe Sakic and stuff, so it was pretty light,” Boudreau said of his conversation with Shanahan.  ”Y’know, he was in Denver, and he was there when they had good [Avalanche] teams.

“I’m sure that most head coaches are well-versed in quite a few sports,” he continued.  ”It was pretty cool meeting him.”

In the National Hockey League, teams may have a maximum of 23 players on the roster at any given time.  While the NFL regular season roster is only a little more than twice that, there are currently almost four times as many players in the Redskins camp.

Boudreau sounded relieved that he never had to handle that many players at one time. Read more »

The Fox Financial Report

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In addition to being a solid inside linebacker and special teams ace, Keyaron Fox is also a one-time intern of Legacy Financial Group, based out of Overland Park, Kan.

That’s as close to a financial expert as I could find in the Redskins locker room.

“I’ve got a Business Management degree that I’ve got to go back and finish,” he said.  ”And I had that one entrepreneurship program that the NFL provides.”

So does a budding businessperson like Fox have anything to add to the discussion over the current financial crisis that’s hitting America? Read more »

Catching Up With The Man Formerly Known As ‘H.B.’ Blades

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At the beginning of camp, two of the best-initialed players on the Redskins (O.J. Atogwe and H.B. Blades) requested to go by their given names of Oshiomogho and Horatio, respectively.

It turns out that after four years on the team, Horatio Benedict Blades just didn’t want to answer the same old questions.

“A lot of people ask me what ‘H.B.’ stands for,” he explained, “so I just simply changed it in the progam to ‘Horatio’ so that it would eliminate all of the gray areas.  Y’know, I thought it was an opportunity to put my regular name out there.”

As Blades went on to explain, the change was intended to be anything but exciting. Read more »

Fact-Checking Stephen Bowen’s Wikipedia Page

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I can finally understand why my professors didn’t consider Wikipedia to be a scholarly source.

Stephen Bowen is the brand new defensive end for the Redskins, signed over from the Cowboys in the offseason.  He has already left quite an impression on his coaches (and Steelers quarterback Byron Leftwich–literally), and seems to be an all-around good guy.

But one thing that he is not, is former NBA star Bruce Bowen’s nephew, as is falsely reported on both players’ Wikipedia pages. Read more »

Sunday’s Practice Brings Positive Injury News

Head coach Mike Shanahan delivered positive news about on Sunday about injuries following the game.  Of particular interest is starting strong safety LaRon Landry who has yet to see the practice field this preseason.

“Y’know, he was doing real well,” Shanahan said.  ”I think the Achilles healed, but he tweaked his hamstring working out in Indy. Y’know those hamstrings are always day-by-day, so we’re gonna just have to wait and see.”

Yesterday also marked the first day that safety Oshiomogho Atogwe practiced with his teammates since Fan Appreciation Day.  Inside linebacker London Fletcher and cornerback Josh Wilson were also back after missing practice at the end of last week.

“It’s good to have [Oshiomogho Atogwe] back,” Shanahan said.  ”It’s good to get those guys practicing.  [Fletcher] practiced today fully. I’m not saying he was full speed, but he did all the reps and looked good.”

Getting so many players healthy on the defensive side of the ball should give the Redskins a better idea of what they have going into the last two preseason games.

Check out the full video of the press conference below (don’t mind the thunder):

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