Tag: Washington Redskins (Page 13 of 44)

Redskins still have plenty of concerns offensively

ATLANTA - NOVEMBER 08:  Clinton Portis #26 of the Washington Redskins watches from the sidelines after suffering a concussion against the Atlanta Falcons at Georgia Dome on November 8, 2009 in Atlanta, Georgia.  (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Merry preseason, everyone. It’s been a long offseason, but football is finally gearing up again and to celebrate I’m rolling out a new series on TSR entitled “2010 NFL Question Marks,” where I discuss one or two of the biggest concerns that teams have heading into the new season. Granted, some teams have more issues than others, but I’ll primarily be focusing on the biggest problem areas. Today I’ll be discussing the trio of issues the Redskins could face this season.

I always thought Jason Campbell got kind of a bad rap, although there’s no question that Donovan McNabb has better physical tools – even at this point in his career. Thanks to first round pick Trent Williams and former Saint Jammal Brown, the tackle positions got a much needed makeover in our nation’s capital as well.

So generally speaking, the Washington Redskins are an improved football team.

But it seems as though some pundits are going a tad overboard when predicting this team’s success this year. While they have made several upgrades on that side of the ball, the offense still has plenty of question marks as well.

Let’s start with the offensive line. Williams is a tremendous prospect, but he’s still a rookie and far from a guarantee. He also doesn’t have a ton of experience on the left side, which is where he’s expected to anchor this Washington O-line.

Brown is a massive upgrade over Stephon Heyer, but that’s like saying an authentic slice of New York pizza is an upgrade over Dominos. Heyer was one of the worst offensive linemen in all of football last year, so a broomstick cemented in a bucket would have been an upgrade.

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Donovan McNabb doubtful for Week 1?

Washington Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb warms up before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland on August 21, 2010. UPI/Alexis C. Glenn Photo via Newscom

Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan said Sunday that Donovan McNabb’s ankle might keep him out in Week 1.

From USA Today:

“I really don’t know for sure,” Shanahan said Sunday. “That’s why it’s day by day. We’ll see how it goes.”

McNabb did not play Friday against the New York Jets. In fact, he hasn’t even practiced since he sprained his left ankle in the second preseason game against Baltimore. At Sunday’s practice he sported a black sleeve on his left leg and watched practice.

The Redskins could do worse than Rex Grossman (who has looked good thus far in preseason, throwing for 446 yards on 33 of 55 passing and 2 TDs) in the opener, but of course the situation isn’t ideal. Grossman deserved a lot of the criticism he received in Chicago, but he was also was better than the pound scum that he was compared to.

That said, I’m not buying that McNabb will miss Week 1. Maybe if the season started tomorrow he’d be held out, but he still has nearly two weeks to rest up and as long as he doesn’t suffer any setbacks, I’d be willing to bet he plays in the opener.

Albert Haynesworth rips Redskins following preseason loss

Washington Redskins' Albert Haynesworth is seen on the sidelines as the Redskins play a pre-season game against the Buffalo Bills at FedEx Field in Washington on August 13, 2010.  UPI/Kevin Dietsch Photo via Newscom

Following the Redskins’ 23-3 loss to the Ravens on Saturday night in which he didn’t play until the third quarter, Albert Haynesworth ripped the team in 90-second post game locker room interview.

From CSN Washington:

Haynesworth said he wasn’t injured enough to be held out of practice last Wednesday and Thursday.

“I was told I had ‘headaches’ or whatever and that’s why I couldn’t go out and practice,” he said. “I think it was a little bit more than that.”

Haynesworth added: “[Headaches] was part of that but it wasn’t all of it. They left out a lot of stuff.”

Asked for specifics, he said: “You would have to ask them.”

Haynesworth said the Redskins were holding him out of practice as punishment for skipping the OTAs and mini-camps.

“I guess to make me look bad for not going to their offseason conditioning program,” he said. “Next year, I’m not coming either. I’ll be with my trainer again and come back in the same shape I’m in and feel good about myself.”

Haynesworth did not play in the first half against Baltimore and was upset he was on the field in the second half.

“I’m a ninth year pro,” he said. “I don’t think I should have been out there in the third quarter, but having ‘headaches’ again, that’s what they wanted to do.”

It sounds like both sides are playing the power-trip game right now. Mike Shanahan doesn’t want to just give Haynesworth back his starting job (which is why the DT didn’t play until the third quarter last night), while Haynesworth probably feels like he’s done enough to move forward and put the offseason mess behind him.

Either way, there’s obviously still a lot of tension between Haynesworth and Shanahan and neither of them are ready to sit down to a Sunday picnic together and share their feelings. At some point though, Shanahan is going to have to turn this into a positive situation and move forward because Haynesworth gives the team their best chance of winning. When he’s on top of his game (which includes him not being a malcontent), he’s the Skins’ best defender.

Albert Haynesworth once again skips conditioning test. Ok, now what?

ASHBURN, VA - JULY 29: Defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth  walks back to the locker room after the Redskins first day of training camp on July 29, 2010 in Ashburn, Virginia. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

For the third straight day, Albert Haynesworth didn’t attempt Mike Shanahan’s “conditioning test” because of a sore knee.

I use quotation marks around the words “conditioning test” because Shanahan is hardly trying to determine whether or not Haynesworth is in shape. There have already been several reports that have stated he’s in the best shape of his career and as I highlighted last week, these tests are more about punishment and less about running.

But now that Haynesworth has missed almost a week’s worth of practice, is Shanahan satisfied? Does it really matter if Haynesworth passes this test or has Shanahan done enough to prove his point? Because in a couple of months, it’s not going to matter what Haynesworth said about his contract or how many sprints he ran in training camp. The only thing that will matter is whether or not he helps Shanahan and the Redskins win.

At some point, Shanahan needs to take a negative situation and turn it into a positive. No matter how big of a pain he is at times, Haynesworth gives the Redskins their best chance to win and sooner or later, both he and Shanahan will have to move forward if everyone is going to get what they want in the end.

Haynesworth’s conditioning tests less about running, more about respect

ASHBURN, VA - JULY 29: New Head Coach Mike Shanahan of the Washington Redskins watches practice on the first day of training camp July 29, 2010 in Ashburn, Virginia. (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Far be it for me to write about another man’s intentions, but it sure looks to me that Mike Shanahan’s conditioning test for Albert Haynesworth is less about cardio and more about respect.

According to several media outlets, Haynesworth has failed two conditioning tests over the past two days. He passed the first leg of Shanahan’s test (which consisted of two 300-yard shuttle runs) on Thursday, only to fail the second because he needed to take a bathroom break. (No word yet on if it was a No. 1 or a No. 2 for Haynesworth.)

When Shanahan asked Haynesworth to run a third leg of the test, the massive defensive tackle told his head coach that he has never had to run three such sprints during even his best of seasons (including the years he went to the Pro Bowl). Considering defensive linemen never have to run further than 5-10 yards on a given play, it would seem a little absurd that Shanahan would make Haynesworth run this much (especially while the DT is reportedly in great shape as it is).

But that’s not the point now is it? The point is that Haynesworth spent virtually the entire offseason complaining about this situation in Washington and Shanahan wasn’t going to allow the defender to waltz into camp on Day 1 and act like everything is just gravy. Shanahan has been around long enough to know how to handle these types of situations and he has decided to test Haynesworth’s resolve right off the bat. Again, I can’t speak for Shanahan’s intentions, but it appears as though he’s making a point that one player doesn’t come above the team. And if you want to be a part of this team, you’re going to have to bust your hump. If you don’t, well, then there’s the door.

If these are indeed Shanahan’s intentions when it comes to Haynesworth’s conditioning tests, then how could you not appreciate this if you’re a Redskins fan? Coming off of Jim Zorn, this has to be a welcoming sight in D.C.

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