As the players continue to file onto the buses – coach Jim Zorn has a front-row seat in bus No. 1 – a few notes to wrap up the week here:
The Redskins are currently dominating the Pro Bowl balloting with their “Vote the Redskins Ticket” campaign. Even punter Ryan Plackemeier, who has been with the team for just over a month, is one of 20 Redskins leading in the balloting at his position.
Fans shouldn’t get too excited about the prospect of the AFC vs. the Redskins in Hawaii — fan balloting only counts as one-third of the final vote, with coaches and players each getting a third of the vote as well.
“I think in the end, the players vote and the coaches vote are going to decide that stuff,” linebacker London Fletcher said. “But it’s great for the ones who deserve to play the game.”
Antwaan Randle El was “a little ginger,” but is expected to play Sunday. “He’s going to fake me out,” Zorn said. “He’s just going to tell me he’s ready.”
Tight end Chris Cooley produced a short video with Comcast SportsNet about him playing every position on the field. Check it out on his blog.
Michael Phillips
November 21, 2008 1:05 PM
Redskins Park is abuzz as the players and staff prepare for the trip to Seattle. Bags of Chick-Fil-A are lined up in the lobby, and everybody is wearing a shirt and tie for the flight. A police escort is waiting outside for the buses.
Coach Jim Zorn addressed the media one final time before Sunday’s game. He said that Antwaan Randle El practiced but was “a little ginger,“ while Clinton Portis was able to practice a little, but not get fully stretched out before the short, cold practice ended. He’s officially a game-time decision.
Michael Phillips
November 21, 2008 11:57 AM
Both running back Clinton Portis and cornerback Shawn Springs are on the field for practice today. The players were doing some stretching and light drills during the portion the media was allowed to watch.
We’ll have a full participation report and a conversation with coach Jim Zorn as soon as practice wraps up. There are several charter buses waiting outside Redskins Park to take the team to the airport for its flight to Seattle—they’re loading up equipment right now.
Michael Phillips
November 21, 2008 9:28 AM
The Redskins will hit the Ashburn practice fields one more time in about an hour before heading off to Seattle for this Sunday’s game against the Seahawks.
One of the things we’ll be watching today is the participation of running back Clinton Portis and receiver Antwaan Randle El. It’ll also be one last chance to pick coach Jim Zorn’s brain on a crucial decision he’ll have to make to the roster on Sunday, when receiver Malcolm Kelly returns to the lineup. In order to activate Kelly, the coach will have to deactivate a player who has participated in recent games.
A likely candidate would be running back Shaun Alexander, but he is returning to his old home of Seattle, and with Portis still not feeling 100 percent, it would be a risky move to rely solely on Ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright as backups.
I’ll get some answers and report back. In the meantime, also check out today’s article on the defense and the significance/insignificance of a lack of QB pressure.
John Packett
November 20, 2008 8:18 PM
JMU eyeing top seed in FCS playoffs
John Packett
November 20, 2008 7:34 PM
Cold and windy forecast for football
Michael Phillips
November 20, 2008 3:35 PM
The Redskins running back and the Vikings running back are in a statistical duel as the season winds down. Peterson currently has a 37-yard edge in rushing yards, while Portis is up by 24 in all-purpose yardage, which factors in receiving as well. Portis was undoubtedly hurt by his performance against Dallas, where he was able to play through the pain of a left knee injury. Now that he’s back at full speed, the chase continues.
NFL leading rushers:
Peterson (Minnesota) 1,100
Portis (Washington) 1,063
Michael Turner (Atlanta) 971
Brandon Jacobs (NY Giants) 879
Somewhat bizarre that they’re all NFC Running backs. The top AFC back is Thomas Jones, who has 854 yards.
Yards from scrimmage, NFL leaders:
Portis (Washington) 1,219
Peterson (Minnesota) 1,195
Frank Gore (San Francisco) 1,159
Matt Forte (Chicago - rookie) 1,099
Marion Barber (Dallas) 1,082
Michael Phillips
November 20, 2008 1:11 PM
One of the things that coach Jim Zorn is trying to emphasize is tempo—and the two players most responsible for that are quarterback Jason Campbell and center Casey Rabach. This week, Zorn advised Campbell that when he needs to enforce a tempo, he doesn’t always need to wait for Rabach to instruct the offensive line. By the same token, Rabach enforces tempo in the huddle.
“Casey needs to get his group in the huddle and to the line of scrimmage. You almost have to wait for him to get to the line and make his calls so the QB can start his cadence. I always tell the quarterback, force the issue. That creates the tempo. He has to be watching the clock, but if you have to say something verbally, you just have to do it. The clock doesn’t matter.“
Another item that was noted is that while the Redskins ran a majority of the time in the first eight games, they’ve passed a majority in the last two. Zorn dismissed that, saying that it was because the team trailed in the fourth quarter, which will create an unusually large number of passing situations.
Michael Phillips
November 20, 2008 1:08 PM
With the one-year anniversary of Sean Taylor’s death next Thursday (Thanksgiving), Redskins coach Jim Zorn addressed Taylor’s memory with the team yesterday in Ashburn, preparing them for the emotional week ahead. He shared what he remembered about the event in Seattle.
“We were so far away from it, but it was just a shock. Imagine that happening to somebody on our team, and what a shock that would be, and what a shock it must have been.
“I think the thing I didn’t really know is how much that guy impacted almost every man on this team, from the players to the coaches to the owner. It was deeply felt and it was an absolute gash to this football team. One of the things I did today in our team meeting was brought out, I have a picture in my office with Sean. It’s a collage of Sean. And I brought that in because I know it’s really close to when he died last year.
“I wanted to make sure our guys knew he was the kind of player who they want to practice like and play like. And that’s part of the memory we need to keep alive on this football team.“
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