Every game the Redskins win, special teams coach Danny Smith awards a "Hit Stick" to the player who delivered the most crushing shot on special teams coverage. The stick -- which is an actual carved piece of wood that Smith acquired in Jamaica -- then lives with that player until the next time it's given out, sort of like a smaller-scale, woodier Stanley Cup.

Can you guess who got the Hit Stick this week? Hint -- it's the person who said the following: "We have a Hit Stick every week that everyone's trying to get. So guys like H.B. [Blades], me, Mike [Sellers], Chris Wilson, are always trying to make that hit. And this week happened to be my number."

So obviously it's not Blades, Sellers, or Wilson (although you can read an entertaining account of Wilson's time last year with the Hit Stick over at the DC Sports Bog). Here's another hint:



Okay, that was less a "hint" than a "video of the Hit Stick-winning play," but whatever. Lorenzo Alexander is your Hit Stick winner this week for the hit that nearly sparked a riot at Tuesday's charity event.

"Danny's always preaching 'Same foot, same shoulder, more power,'" Sellers said about the play. "Well, in Lamont Jordan's case, that didn't work out too well." (Sellers claims that he "got tired of" winning the Hit Stick and leaves that stuff to guys like Alexander now.)

Rock Cartwright was also a fan of Alexander's hit. "I watched it on film here AND I watched at home," Cartwright said. "That was a MAMMOTH of a hit. It was crazy, because all I heard was a 'BOOM,' like somebody shot a gun or something. Next thing you know I see Devin [Thomas] jumping around, and I see Lamont Jordan on the ground. That was a big time hit."

Last year, as the 2008 season wound down and the Redskins seemed unable to get themselves back in the win column on a consistent basis, head coach Jim Zorn was emphatic about playing his starters to the very end. Every week, reporters (and emailers, and blog commenters) would ask about getting more playing time for the then-rookies, and every week Zorn stuck to his guns.

As Sunday's game against the Falcons approaches, it appears that this year will be different; this next game is shaping up to be a flashpoint for this year's rookie class AND the largely-underachieving crew from 2008.

In some cases, such as rookies CB Kevin Barnes, LB Robert Henson, and FB Eddie Williams, this is because of injury, not by design. With H.B. Blades and Byron Westbrook out this week following surgeries, Barnes and Henson are getting more work in practice, Zorn said yesterday.

"I know Henson and Barnes are both getting reps," he told the media after practice. "There is going to be a lot of conversation before I make the final decision on inactives this week. It will be because of Eddie [Williams] coming up, Quinton [Ganther] still developing ... Barnes, Henson, with two tight ends, less offensive linemen and more defensive linemen, I am not really sure where I am headed yet. I couldn't put it together for you but they will be under consideration for sure."

At this point, all of this year's draft picks that remain with the team are currently signed to the active roster, and they all have a chance to be active on Sunday. (And, before anyone asks, I haven't heard any news about more playing time for Marko Mitchell this week.)

But it's not just this year's rookies that find themselves at a potential crossroads; the big three from last year -- Fred Davis, Devin Thomas, and Malcolm Kelly -- also need to represent in Atlanta.

Over at the Washington Times, David Elfin has a solid story today on the impact H.B. Blades and Reed Doughty are having this season on the Redskins special teams, in which Blades says, "People think special teams is a bunch of crazy guys running downfield, but there's a lot of preparation and film study."

This is true.

But after ALL that study is done, it all tends to come down to a bunch of crazy guys running downfield. That run downfield, though, is not the unorganized melee that some people believe. Each of those guys starts in a specific, numbered position -- from 1 to 5 on each side of the kicker -- and each of those positions has a specific responsibility on the play.

And all of the aforementioned crazy guys have a favorite spot in the lineup.

Devin Thomas was in the locker room looking aggravated. This was not an entirely bad thing -- this time, it wasn't because of his performance in the game, which he graded out at "a solid B," but because he was standing in an enormous pile of talcum powder.

Morning practice in full pads today, the first such practice since Thursday night's loss to the Ravens. Practices in pads are always higher-tempo than practices in shorts and shells; that's just the nature of the thing. But today's seemed especially high-energy. The running backs were running with burst -- it's the first time I've really noticed Domonique Dorsey's natural speed translating to the football field -- and, as always, the linemen's 1-on-1 drills were pretty vigorous.

And all of that was before Marko Mitchell and DeAngelo Hall started going at it. "It's hot out there," Mitchell said. "I held DHall a little bit. He got a little frustrated and got mad, and then we got into a little scuffle."

This is the second such scrum for Mitchell -- you might remember that he also got into it with Fred Smoot at the Fan Appreciation Day scrimmage. Which seemed odd, because he comes across a perfectly pleasant, friendly guy, someone with a genuine smile who's not entirely used to the level of fame that comes with being in the NFL..

Just some last notes, links, pictures and what-not from today. Click to enlarge the pictures.


That's head coach Jim Zorn and running back Clinton Portis, hanging out talking before practice. I have no idea what they were discussing, but it went on for some time. Also, it looked perfectly normal and cordial. I put this up just because I don't think we hear nearly enough about the times that Zorn and CP just kinda shoot the breeze.

The final issue of Vibe Magazine hits newsstands this month, and Devin Thomas is featured in a couple of pictures in a spread pairing NFLers with female R&B stars. Here's one of Thomas and his back tattoo, minus any female R&B stars.


More in the magazine, or over at TheYBF.com.

The practices thus far have been relatively mild affairs. Sure, the workload might've been enough to destroy any of us normal people, but it was being conducted in shirts and shells -- lightweight protective gear, not full pads -- and guys were just tapped down rather than being hit.

Today, finally, that changed as the team came out hitting. The first shot was on Devin Thomas coming across the middle, from Fred Smoot, and it all made for a visibly more intense practice than the previous few. (It also made for a LONG practice, as additional reps were added to make up for yesterday's rain-out. And a HOT practice, because ... well, it was hot.)

The quick bullet points on practice today would be:

• The offensive line is struggling somewhat against the defensive line, to the point where three separate people stopped me and asked if the defensive line is exceptional or if the offensive line was just having a bad day. I think it's a bit of both, but I also think the offensive line needs time to build cohesiveness as a unit. It's early, yet.
• Jason Campbell looks good and in charge, but still sometimes holds onto the ball too long.
• There's a furious competition at the bottom of the receiver depth chart, with both Keith Eloi and Marques Hagans making plays, along with Roydell Williams. Not to say that Marko Mitchell and Trent Shelton did poorly, but the other three flashed more.
• Carlos Rogers left with a minor calf injury, which opened up some more playing time for Justin Tryon. Tryon made the most of the opportunity, making a few impressive plays. "It's totally different from last year," he told me afterward. "I feel comfortable. Now I've just gotta do it fast. Be easier if the vets keep giving me their reps." Rogers is not expected to miss significant time, though.

The other big news was that the first-team offense scored two touchdowns in 11-on-11 drills, meaning the first team defense let up two touchdowns. I caught up with Devin Thomas and noted hitter LaRon Landry -- who was covering Todd Yoder for one of the touchdowns -- to see which unit really walked away with bragging rights.

Sure, it's exciting that Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas are both healthy and motivated heading into next year's training camp. I'm genuinely expecting big things from both of them.

And it's interesting to learn that NBC-4's Lindsay Czarniak used to work at Sweetwater Tavern, while Thomas used to work at Wendy's. But I think the most important takeaway from this video is that Malcolm Kelly actually orders a Shirley Temple, apparently without even a hint of irony. I didn't even think they still made those.

Plus, one more reason to look forward to Kelly's first NFL touchdown: more freestyling. All in all, an eminently watchable video, complete with a terrific headline: "Second-Year Skins Receivers a Fun, um, Bunch?"

Devin Thomas was wearing blue shoes at yesterday's practice, but it wasn't really his choice.

Some quick backstory, for those of you who haven't immediately figured it out:

Thomas went to college at Michigan State, a school to which he maintains pretty strong ties -- including coming back and helping at their draft-hopefuls' pro day this year.

The Spartans made it to the finals of this year's NCAA basketball tournament, where they were matched up against the North Carolina Tar Heels. And long snapper Ethan Albright is as proud a Tar Heel as Thomas is a Spartan.

At the time, Albright was enthusiastically pursuing Thomas with an eye to some sort of embarrassing side bet on the basketball game. Eventually, according to Thomas, the two did connect.

"We got a little side bet," he told me at the time. "I'm not gonna speak on it right now ... but he's gonna have to wear some green when we win."

A good plan, except that the Tar Heels pretty much dominated the entire game. Nothing much came of the Thomas/Albright discussions, as near as I could tell. A Tar Heels bumper sticker went up in Thomas's locker, but nothing more.

Then, a couple days ago, a Redskins Park staffer suggested that I might want to look around back of the building, and bring my camera.