We’ll probably be recycling that headline for the next few weeks.
Clinton Portis was simulating practice with the running backs, but not actually practicing. He was wearing sweats, but walking through the drills as Ladell Betts, Shaun Alexander, Mike Sellers and Rock Cartwright were actually doing them.
Pete Kendall, Antwaan Randle El and Anthony Montgomery were all out. Shawn Springs, Betts, and Jason Taylor were all in.
The team was working on punting situations, with Ryan Plackemeier punting from inside the 1-yard line. The wind was seriously affecting his punts, and you could see him adjusting to that as practice went on.
Michael Phillips
November 19, 2008 1:59 PM
Updates from the Redskins locker room:
—Apparently coach Jim Zorn is more fired up than usual about this week’s game against the Seahawks. The players with connections (Shaun Alexander, Ryan Plackemeier, Pete Kendall, etc.) were a little more indifferent about it. Fred Smoot offered the best line: “It’s like being in a room with your ex-wife. Nobody knows her better than you, but you hate her.“
—It turns out that some NFL players don’t know that a game can end in a tie. Alexander said the number could be as much as 50 percent. This was raised because Donovan McNabb was unaware of the rule after the Philadelphia-Cincinnati game.
—Pete Kendall said the key to third-down success for the team is going to be first-down success. He said that you will always have a pad percentage when you’re trying to convert third and 7.
Practice begins shortly, I’m going to start layering up.
Michael Phillips
November 19, 2008 12:25 PM
Quick note straight from the team….
The Washington Redskins announced today that they have signed linebacker Steve Octavien to their practice squad. He will fill the spot vacated by Curtis Gatewood, who was signed to the Kansas City Chiefs active roster. Octavien will wear No. 56.
The 6-foot, 238-pound Octavien went to training camp with Kansas City this season after the Chiefs signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Nebraska. Octavien played in 22 games, with 10 starts, for the Cornhuskers from 2005-07 after transferring from William Rainey Harper College.
Andy Thompson
November 19, 2008 9:45 AM
SNOWMAKING HAS BEGUN AT WINTERGREEN RESORT
Michael Phillips
November 19, 2008 8:03 AM
Last week we had the excitement that comes with a rivalry week game against the Dallas Cowboys, and the bonus suspense of Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts fighting knee injuries.
As we return to Ashburn for the first day of practice today, it looks like this will be a much tamer week. Portis and Betts will both play Sunday, and the 2-8 Seattle Seahawks don’t inspire much hatred.
One item of note is that because of the trip to the West Coast, the Redskins will travel to Seattle on Friday, instead of the usual Saturday departure. They will practice Friday in Ashburn before leaving, then conduct their standard Saturday and Sunday walkthroughs in Seattle. Today is the first of three days of practices, and we’ll have a full locker room report and updates throughout the day, including a talk with coach Jim Zorn’s old boss, Seattle coach Mike Holmgren. The fun starts at noon.
Darryl Slater
November 18, 2008 3:21 PM
Virginia Tech’s coach comments a coaching legend who helped him along the way.
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