The Redskins Blog

Monday Special Teams Foot Races

AP Image

After each practice, different units of players will run the length of the field, as a group, for conditioning purposes.

Today, one of those units happened to be special teams.

Kickers Graham Gano and Clint Stitser were out leading the group while Sav Rocca and Nick Sundberg were chugging along, 10 yards behind.  All-in-all, it was not an awe-inspiring race, but there were still reactions to the race.

“What a race!” receiver Anthony Armstrong sarcastically declared.  ”They’re not really thoroughbreds–I don’t know what that is.”

Gano was a pretty clear winner, beating out an eager Stitser.  Armstrong remarked, “You see, Graham is quietly a pretty good athlete.  You might not know it, but he’s quietly pretty explosive.” Read more »

Anthony Armstrong Looks Like A Linebacker

A Sunday afternoon tweet from a follower brought back some old memories of simpler times for Anthony Armstrong:

Pads too big, jersey too big, shirt too big… Smh «@Clw1906 @MrArmstrong13 from Odessa to DC! yfrog.com/18h11sj»—
Anthony Armstrong (@MrArmstrong13) August 29, 2011

That linebacker-looking player is Armstrong from his season in the Intense Football League with the Odessa Roughnecks.

Armstrong explained the uniform malfunctions as just part of the IFL experience. Read more »

Redskins Are Back To The Gridiron

Hurricane Irene is a distant memory at Redskins Park today, as players and coaches prepare for the final preseason test on Thursday against Tampa Bay.

Given that the roster currently sits at 87 (plus two on P.U.P.), some familiar faces will depart to get the roster down to 80 tomorrow.  The big cuts happen after the fourth preseason game, when the roster must downsize to 53, plus an eight-man practice squad.

These will be a stressful week for some players, but there should be some really hard-nosed football in there too, as players attempt to set themselves apart.

Here are some scenes from this morning’s practice. Read more »

Davonte Shannon Plays Big ‘D’ In B’more

AP Image

Tucked away in the stats pack against Baltimore was a really solid night by rookie defensive back Davonte Shannon.  He finished with a line of four tackles, two for a loss, one pass defensed, and a sack.  He also led the special teams in tackles with two.

He tweeted his excitement after the game:

God is good…have slot of work to do still and getting better to do..thanks for the love and keep praying for me as I will for you!—
Davonte Shannon (@DShannon7) August 26, 2011

And all of this for a guy who didn’t know if he was going to play on Thursday night.

“I didn’t even know I was gonna play until the night before, and I hadn’t played on defense yet,” he said after the game.  ”I’ve been special teams a couple times but that was my first time. Coaches said that I could play second half, so I just try to go out there and be prepared and be ready, and try to get the ball.”

Not a bad showing for his first time on defense.   Read more »

Shanahan Doesn’t Consider This A Rebuilding Year

With a dozen draft picks and 23 rookies on the roster, a popular label being placed on the 2011 Redskins, is that this is ‘a rebuilding year.’

While this phrase carries multiple connotations, head coach Mike Shanahan rejected the classification in his Saturday afternoon press conference.

“I never talk about anything as ‘rebuilding,” he said.  ”When you use the term ‘rebuilding,’ that’s kind of an excuse for not winning.  So you always believe you can win.”

So far, Shanahan has led his young team to a 2-1 preseason record, with three solid showings by the starting units.  Much is still yet to be determined about the layout of this roster, but the coaching staff doesn’t appear to be making excuses for performance.

Check out the full video below: