Redskins Release Fox, 2 Others...Taylor Out 10 - 14 Days

After the horrible showing in Charlotte you would think the Redskins would cut half the team, well no, just three. Veteran Vernon Fox was one of them according to Redskins.com. The other two were back up defensive end Dorian Smith and defensive tackle Babatunde Oshinowo (both were buried on the depth chart). It was a little surprising to see Fox cut due to his special teams skills, but the newly drafted safeties Kareem Moore and Chris Horton have had a good camp and appear they will stick. The Redskins will cut two more before Tuesday for the 75 man roster limit (I think Devine and Gant).

In other news, good news...and old news, Jason Taylor appears to just have a knee sprain and is expected to be out 10 - 14 days. The slow motion recap with Joe Theismann having flashbacks made me think Jason Taylor was doneski. Well, the dude seems lucky...and the Redskins horrible night in Charlotte is not as bad as it could have been.

Still, I did not see any contribution from Taylor or Carter...or any defensive starter really. They are starting to look counterfeit. They've got one week to get things right. Gonna be a long week in Ashburn for these guys. Let's hope Taylor recovers quick and take Manning out on the opening drive.

Hail.

Redskins Training Camp - Friday (Day 6)

The parking lot was completely filled by 8:45...by far the biggest turn out so far. I can imagine what tomorrow's Fan Appreciation Day will be like...been there, done that. Great to go to it if you're a kid....but I feel bad for the parents and others that become a herd screaming for autographs in 90+ degree heat. I personally leave FAD for the younger ones that are up and coming Skins fans.

Redskins Training Camp Fans - View from the 50

Practice was very similar to the previous ones...the players start off in their usual position drills. D-Line in the left far field, LB's and DB's in the middle of the far field, O-Line on the right far field, RB's on the left of the front field, and the QB's and Receivers on the right of the front field.

Just like yesterday, a lot of the players did drills that focused on technique, and where to go (blocking, routes, etc.). Again, a lot of passing...running backs, tight ends, and obviously the wide receivers were catching a lot of passes. Campbell is continuing to look good. Here's some things I noticed from Fridays practice:

• Justin Tryon (#20) looks really good, the guy is smallish but covers well and is quick. Definitely making this squad. He makes the younger receivers look bad, and hangs with the vets when he covers them.

• Anthony Mix (#19) is inconsistent. I was pulling for him due to his past with Jason Campbell, but a lot of passes thrown to him have ended up on the ground. But every now and then he pulls in a great catch. I think he's better in redzone and goal-line drills due to his height, but so is Malcolm Kelly (#12).

• Jason Taylor (#55) was lining up on the right a lot today, with Andre Carter (#99) on the left. They collapse the pocket very quickly and Campbell and Collins seem hurried when those two are bull rushing. I think Greg Blache will be alternating them to throw off offenses. I also saw Taylor leading a little more today, he had a bunch of defensive players bunched up and was telling them what to do.

• Ladell Betts (#46)got dinged up on a running play. The Skins are doing full contact 11 0n 11 drills and the crunching hits are echoing on the field. Betts went up the middle and cut left only to end up at the bottom of a pile of burgundy jerseys. He was slow getting up, and was hesitant about walking for a moment, then the trainers helped him off the field...he remained on the sideline.

• Derek Devine (#2) has looked pretty decent in his QB3 competition with Colt Brennan. It has been said that Jim Zorn brought Devine to the Redskins from Seattle, and Colt Brennan was Vinny Cerrato's pick...will be interesting to see who wins.
  

• Chris Cooley (#47) and Fred Davis (#86) catch everything. A lot of stuff in thrown to them in the middle, so it looks like Zorn purposely wants them matched up against linebackers...which they should have an advantage.

• Demetric Evans (#92) continues to have a good camp. He lined up on the left, and batted a Todd Collins pass to the ground. Great depth guy that can sub for Carter or Taylor. He's got a baby face but the dude is big.
  

• Stephon Heyer (#74) was lining up at LT as Samuels backup and was holding his own. Dude is big.

• Fred Smoot (#27), Shawn Springs (#24), and Carlos Rogers (#22) have all been practicing and look good. Along with Justin Tryon (#20), we could have a solid CB stable heading into the season. Knock on wood.

Random pictures from Washington Redskins Training Camp (Day 6)

Redskins Training Camp - Thursday (Day 5)

I swung by training camp on the way to work. So far, I've gone Sunday, Tues, and Thurs. The largest crowd was today by far. I guess not many wanted to come out in Sunday's heat, or Tuesday's storm.

As usual the defense was on the far field, the O-line was out there too in their usual corner with Buges, the offense was on the front stage for the fans to Ooh and Ahh over, and the kickers....ahh, screw the kickers...they were somewhere I am sure.

The first part of practice is all drills. Mostly about formations and where to go for any particular play and working on technique. For a first time head coach it seems Zorn has this really organized...surprisingly organized.

Defense
So, the defense, the veterans really get it easy...I saw Jason Taylor and Andre Carter taking it easier than the others...still working, just not as much. A couple drills involved chasing each other around a big hoop and then hitting a bunch of dummies while running and dive tackling the last one. Demetric Evans was getting a lot of work, and he seems to have a lot more swagger than years past. Overall, the D-Line seems to have good camaraderie and the size and speed of Carter/Taylor makes you envision Tony Romo's head crammed up his a** for a safety come September 28th.

Redskins Defense

O-Line
The O-Line looked like they were getting mostly technique work...slow motion footwork and hand placement drills conducted by Buges. Like the D-Line, the vets didn't work as much and I noticed Jon Jansen, Casey Rabach, and Randy Thomas taking a knee in the shade of the trees. Probably thinking about Jansen's RV.

Jansen, Rabach, Thomas loungin'

Offense
The offense skill positions were another story. Zorn & Co. worked the hell out of them...they were moving from one drill to another with constant rotations of players. Jason Campbell looked rusty on Sunday, but improved Tuesday, and by today he was slinging the ball accurately with zip. Cooley continues to have a good camp as usual, and Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El have looked better than last years camp. The thing that stands out the most are the Rookies...Devin Thomas, Malcolm Kelly, and Fred Davis all have very good hands. They're also very fast....or quick is a better way to describe it, and they use smart moves to get open in space. There is a ton of passing going on in this training camp....more than Gibbs 2.0 and even more than Spurrier's camps. And get this...the running game has opened up too...I have seen a lot of runs for decent gains this camp...courtesy of Clinton Portis, Ladell Betts, Mike Sellers, and Rock Cartwright. And...they all have been catching passes out of the backfield too!

11 on 11 drills

Good luck defending this offense...it's looking really good only 5 days into camp.

Hit of the Day: London Fletcher knocked the shit out of Ladell Betts...but Betts held onto the ball.

Catch of the Day: As I mentioned, there were a lot of them...some nice corner end zone catches by Devin Thomas, Randel El, Moss...all looking good. Sellers has been catching a lot too...and Fred Davis has continues to impress.

Pass of the Day: Jason Campbell on 11-11 drills threaded the ball to Chris Cooley in traffic and in stride...Cooley cut the second he caught the ball and ran up the middle of the field for what would have been a long gain if it were a game

Jim Zorn's Z-Shades

I plan on getting to Friday's practice a little earlier to get a better spot and more details.

Phillip Daniels Injury

I stopped by Redskins Park Sunday (start of camp) to see the Zorn era kick off. Unfortunately, Phillip Daniels blew his knee out right in front of me that day. I was only about 15 yards away but I was using my binocs to get a perspective of details. With my binocs I could see Daniels lay on the ground in pain as trainers delicately maneuvered his left knee as if it was a ball of dough. I then saw Dan Snyder walk up to investigate, he placed his hand on his forehead as if he was shocked, upset, and also thinking what to do next...all in one motion. He turned around, took a few steps, then turned back to Daniels and observed. Then, Cornelius Griffin walked up to Daniels as he remained on the ground...peeked his head over the kneeling trainers...and quietly turned around and approached Andre Carter. I'll never forget the look on Griffin's face as his lips mouthed "It's his knee". Andre continued towards Daniels, kneeled down and said something to him, then allowed the trainers to continue their work. The Cart then arrived. I have never seen a huge athletic person have so much trouble getting off the ground...then need the assistance of two men (half his size) to help him walk 3 feet to The Cart.

A fan to my left asked his friend, "How bad do you think it is? Out for the preseason?", his friend replied, "Career ending". After seeing what I saw through my binocs I agreed with the later.

It was really bizarre, the first Offense vs. Defense drill of Redskins Training Camp 2008, and a starting defensive end goes down for the season and possibly his career. The play itself was almost in slow motion. There was a little bit of intensity as they walked up for the fist play of 7 on 7 drills, but they were really just trying to make sure they were all going in the right place for the play...no contact, just a fast paced rehearsal.

But, the show must go on, and it did. Not just the expedited trade for Jason Taylor, but within seconds of Daniels falling to the ground and Jason Campbell frantically waiving his arms to the trainers, the entire Redskins team and staff walked around Daniels as he lay on the ground, put the ball on the ground about 20 yards down field, and continued the drill. The team is a machine, and the best machines don't skip a beat when a piece breaks.

Hat's off to Daniels, I really hope he gets better soon, and sticks around no matter the outcome. The 2008 Redskins training camp started out with a horrible injury to a starter, but the way the team conducted itself...players, coaches, and front office...should be a positive note in how this team now operates as a whole.