Camp Practice Blog: Training Camp, July 30
By Gary Fitzgerald
Redskins.com
July 30, 2007
Gary Fitzgerald
Redskins.com's training camp reports come to you as action happens at Redskins Park. Refresh this page or click F5 for the latest updates.
7:08 p.m. ET
Chris Samuels just walked out of Redskins Park wearing a brace on his right knee. He said he has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL. He is scheduled to have an MRI on the knee tonight to further evaluate the injury.
"We'll see how long it takes for me to get back out on the field," he said.
It's likely that Samuels will be sidelined for several practices, if not this Saturday's scrimmage and possibly a preseason game.
Samuels said that when the injury happened, his first thought was that his season was over.
Well, it appears Chris's season is not over. But it's certainly a scare we could do without.
6:50 p.m. ET
Quick tidbits from Joe Gibbs' post-practice media session.
On LaRon Landry's pending availability for practice: "I think with all of the OTA days that he was here helped him get in pretty good shape. Mentally, we'll have to get him caught up. We have quite a bit [installed] right now."
Gibbs talked quite a bit about Bill Walsh, who passed away on Monday. He didn't know Walsh too well, but he talked with him periodically when Gibbs's son Coy was a linebacker at Stanford from 1992-94. Walsh was the head coach of the Cardinal at that time.
Said Gibbs: "[Walsh] was one of the most creative coaches ever. The West Coast offense sort of permeated throughout the league, and he pioneered most of that. He was so successful with it.
"It was one of the premiere offenses in the league and a lot of teams are still running it."
On Jason Campbell, Gibbs said that the third-year quarterback has looked sharp the last two practices.
"The timing [of the offense] takes time, but I feel like he's starting to be crisp with his throws," Gibbs said.
6:30 p.m. ET
Here are more highlights from Monday afternoon's practice, as we wait for the official word on Chris Samuels's knee injury.
Santana Moss turned on Carlos Rogers to grab a sideline pass, managing to keep both feet in bounds. Or did he? A referee standing close by called it incomplete. Moss and Brandon Lloyd disagreed with the call, and let the ref know it. Said Lloyd: "You've got to ref the game, not watch it."
Ryan Boschetti, making a bid to earn a roster spot, broke through blocks to tackle Rock Cartwright for a loss.
Brandon Lloyd found himself running free downfield, but Todd Collins' pass was short.
Todd Collins completed a 25-yard pass to James Thrash, who found a seam between Ade Jimoh and Leigh Torrence for the reception. Collins would have been sacked by a hard-charging Jamaal Green, though.
Will Whitticker had a strong block on Cornelius Griffin to open up a huge hole for Ladell Betts up the middle.
In one of the nicest catches of the afternoon practice, Todd Yoder caught a 20-yard sideline pass with Khary Campbell, Anthony Trucks and Vernon Fox draped over him. Yoder held on as he rolled out of bounds.
6:25 p.m. ET
Vinny Cerrato said after practice that LaRon Landry's contract will get done this evening. Cerrato said that Landry is at Redskins Park reviewing the contract now.
Landry is expected to be available to practice on Tuesday.
6:15 p.m. ET
Practice ended at about 5:50 p.m. ET and there was a mad scramble for interviews.
Joe Gibbs said he thinks Chris Samuels suffered a knee sprain during practice, but he emphasized that it's best to wait for the official word from the athletic trainers.
Someone rolled onto Samuels's leg during a play in practice.
Gibbs also said that Mike Espy has a bruised knee.
More practice highlights to come, and more from Gibbs.
5:45 p.m. ET
Chris Samuels was just carted off the practice field. I did not see the play. The early word is that he's okay, but there'll be an update after practice.
5:40 p.m. ET
A large portion of practice has been spent on 11-on-11 work. This makes for a fun practice to watch. Here are some highlights, fast and furious.
Jason Campbell got the offense rolling early, even though he was working against the second-team defense. He threw a high-arching pass to Antwaan Randle El about 40 yards downfield. Randle El had two steps on his closest defender and caught the ball in stride for an 80-yard touchdown.
Shawn Springs grabbed Santana Moss on a short route, but Moss broke free and managed to grab Jason Campbell's pass for a 10-yard pickup. Springs was flagged for defensive holding. An annoyed Fred Smoot kicked the flag in disgust.
It worked the first time, why not try it again? Working against the first-team defense, Jason Campbell threw a perfect pass downfield to Antwaan Randle El, who had a step on his nearest defender. Randle El could not hold on, though.
5:25 p.m. ET
Mike Espy is not practicing this afternoon. Not sure what his status is, we'll find out after practice.
Espy walked off the practice field this morning looking like he was in good shape, though.
5:03 p.m. ET
Meet the newest Redskin: the team has added undrafted rookie Jake Nordin, a 6-2, 262-pound tight end out of Northern Illinois.
He finished his college career with 54 catches for 547 yards. He caught at least one pass in 21 consecutive games from 2004-06.
Nordin was with the New England Patriots in the offseason.
With seventh-round draft pick Tyler Ecker sidelined with a groin injury, Nordin provides another fresh face to compete for preseason playing time.
To make room for Nordin, the Redskins have let go kicker Tyler Fredrickson. That means Shaun Suisham is the only place kicker on the roster. Derrick Frost is the only punter on the roster.
Nordin is wearing jersey No. 14, the number previously worn by Maryland's Sam Hollenbach.
4:45 p.m. ET
It's time for the volleyball drill. A white volleyball is lofted high into the air, toward the goal line, and defensive backs race to it and try to swat it back into the field of play.
This is a special teams drill designed for players to work on keeping punts from bouncing into the end zone for touchbacks.
4:35 p.m. ET
As expected, LaRon Landry is not at practice. Every media outlet is reporting that the deal is done, but from the Redskins' perspective, he's still a holdout until he has signed his contract.
Landry has now missed six practices.
Gregg Williams expects Landry to make it up quickly.
"The mental part of the game is no problem for him," Williams said. "In the physical part of it, he's rare. He just has to come in and be smart."
Williams wants to make sure that Landry doesn't injure himself working too hard to catch up to his teammates, who are now six practices ahead of him.
4:25 p.m. ET
It's something that I've noticed all training camp: the Redskins' defense is putting a strong emphasis on forcing turnovers.
Gregg Williams acknowledged as much during his media session on Monday.
"You've seen Coach Gibbs really crack down on the drills that we're using in the practice format," Williams said. "We've always had an emphasis on takeaways, but we've got even more incentive on some of the drills we're doing in the practice settings because Coach Gibbs wants us to play that way."
4:05 p.m. ET
Players are starting to filter outside to practice now.
First player to arrive? Backup quarterback Todd Collins.
It's going to be a hot afternoon practice. Jason Campbell acknowledged as much by joking that he's going to be "working on his tan."
Al Saunders stopped by the Redskins.com TV tent, where the blog resides, and asked if we were going to have margueritas.
Also, I read on another blog that Mike Sellers was hurting and might sit out the afternoon practice. Well, Sellers has arrived at practice, wearing pads, so it looks like he's good to go.
3:39 p.m. ET
Just heard that Bill Walsh passed on. He was 75. He had been battling leukemia for several years.
Post-practice, Joe Gibbs is sure to be asked about his relationship with Walsh.
The two legendary coaches faced off against each other numerous times during the 1980s. In many ways, Walsh and Gibbs defined football during that era. Both won three Super Bowls during their respective careers.
As Gibbs is to the Redskins, Walsh is to the 49ers.
The first time Gibbs and Walsh squared off was on Jan. 8, 1984, in the NFC Championship game at RFK Stadium. The Redskins were favored, but the 49ers hung tough. Washington won 24-21 to advance to the Super Bowl.
Overall, Gibbs was 2-3 against Walsh-coached teams.
3:05 p.m. ET
We're back at Redskins Park for the afternoon practice, which should start in about an hour or so. Again, this one is closed to the public.
Our next open practice is scheduled for Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.
12:35 p.m. ET
Here are some highlights from 9-on-9 and 11-on-11 work as the team wrapped up Monday morning's practice.
Clinton Portis caught a swing pass in stride, then charged up-field. He split two defenders--Jerametrius Butler and Lemar Marshall--to burst into the secondary.
Pierson Prioleau leaped high to tip a pass, breaking up a play.
Jason McAddley made a nice grab of a Jordan Palmer pass, then absorbed a hard hit by Reed Doughty. McAddley bounced off Doughty and turned up-field.
Jason Campbell connected with Chris Cooley on a 40-yard touchdown pass. Cooley found space in the secondary and caught Campbell's pass in stride for the score.
Shawn Springs looks like he's rounding into form: he showed solid tackling form on a swing pass to Ladell Betts. Springs refused to let Betts get past him, standing him up until other tacklers could arrive.
Later, Springs recorded an interception, stepping in front of a Jordan Palmer pass.
Fourth-year defensive end Jamaal Green, vying for a roster spot, showed good play recognition. H charged Chris Samuels on a pass rush, then quickly drifted back into coverage when he saw that the play was a short pass to Rock Cartwright across the middle. Green arrived in time to help tackle Cartwright.
Omar Stoutmire logged an interception late in practice. Jordan Palmer's pass bounced off the hands of Marcus Mason and floated into the arms of Stoutmire.
12:30 p.m. ET
Here's a quick recap of some action from Monday morning's practice. Players were in full pads. We'll start with some 7-on-7 work.
Mike Espy grabbed a pass three yards short of the end zone, but he was met by Shawn Springs, who stood Espy up and refused to allow him to get into the end zone. Eventually, Springs tackled Espy--at the 2-yard line.
Rookie fullback Pete Schmitt received words of encouragement from Al Saunders after a nice grab.
11:55 a.m. ET
As I reported earlier this morning on Redskins.com, the LaRon Landry "deal" reported by other media outlets is not official.
I'm told that the deal is close--Landry's signature on the dotted line could be a mere formality.
Landry could be here for this afternoon's practice. I'd be surprised if he practices, though. Along with signing the contract, he may have to undergo a physical and a running test before he's allowed to practice.
11:50 a.m. ET
Gregg Williams hosted a lengthy media session after Monday morning's practice. Watch for the video of the media session on Redskins.com TV.
Williams spoke with a raspy voice. Anyone who attends training camp knows that Williams is among the most vocal coaches, so it's no surprise that he is losing his voice.
11:35 a.m. ET
Back for Monday. Two practices today--the first one ended about an hour ago. I caught the latter part of the morning practice, and I'll post some highlights shortly. I'll be back later blogging the afternoon practice.
So here's the deal with the blog. I am not reporting on every single play that occurs during practice. Too much happens, and it takes a few minutes to update the site. I do the best I can.
It's come to my attention that there's confusion about the blog and how I'm reporting on Chris Cooley. Yes, he has had a few dropped passes, as have quite a few other receivers. He has also snared more than his share of passes, mostly in routine plays that weren't blog-worthy.
So Cooley is having a fine camp.
I am reporting on what I see, as quickly as possible, but for now I'm going to avoid reporting on the minutiae or the routine. There's no agenda to sugarcoat this blog, as was suggested on a Redskins message board.
Now, I am not going to blog about formations or where players line up on a specific play. I'm not going to detail Al Saunders' pass routes.
Who told me not to reveal too much in my reports? Joe Gibbs himself.
As they say in the NFL, this blog is what it is.
Enjoy.
http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=27326
By Gary Fitzgerald
Redskins.com
July 30, 2007
Gary Fitzgerald
Redskins.com's training camp reports come to you as action happens at Redskins Park. Refresh this page or click F5 for the latest updates.
7:08 p.m. ET
Chris Samuels just walked out of Redskins Park wearing a brace on his right knee. He said he has been diagnosed with a sprained MCL. He is scheduled to have an MRI on the knee tonight to further evaluate the injury.
"We'll see how long it takes for me to get back out on the field," he said.
It's likely that Samuels will be sidelined for several practices, if not this Saturday's scrimmage and possibly a preseason game.
Samuels said that when the injury happened, his first thought was that his season was over.
Well, it appears Chris's season is not over. But it's certainly a scare we could do without.
6:50 p.m. ET
Quick tidbits from Joe Gibbs' post-practice media session.
On LaRon Landry's pending availability for practice: "I think with all of the OTA days that he was here helped him get in pretty good shape. Mentally, we'll have to get him caught up. We have quite a bit [installed] right now."
Gibbs talked quite a bit about Bill Walsh, who passed away on Monday. He didn't know Walsh too well, but he talked with him periodically when Gibbs's son Coy was a linebacker at Stanford from 1992-94. Walsh was the head coach of the Cardinal at that time.
Said Gibbs: "[Walsh] was one of the most creative coaches ever. The West Coast offense sort of permeated throughout the league, and he pioneered most of that. He was so successful with it.
"It was one of the premiere offenses in the league and a lot of teams are still running it."
On Jason Campbell, Gibbs said that the third-year quarterback has looked sharp the last two practices.
"The timing [of the offense] takes time, but I feel like he's starting to be crisp with his throws," Gibbs said.
6:30 p.m. ET
Here are more highlights from Monday afternoon's practice, as we wait for the official word on Chris Samuels's knee injury.
Santana Moss turned on Carlos Rogers to grab a sideline pass, managing to keep both feet in bounds. Or did he? A referee standing close by called it incomplete. Moss and Brandon Lloyd disagreed with the call, and let the ref know it. Said Lloyd: "You've got to ref the game, not watch it."
Ryan Boschetti, making a bid to earn a roster spot, broke through blocks to tackle Rock Cartwright for a loss.
Brandon Lloyd found himself running free downfield, but Todd Collins' pass was short.
Todd Collins completed a 25-yard pass to James Thrash, who found a seam between Ade Jimoh and Leigh Torrence for the reception. Collins would have been sacked by a hard-charging Jamaal Green, though.
Will Whitticker had a strong block on Cornelius Griffin to open up a huge hole for Ladell Betts up the middle.
In one of the nicest catches of the afternoon practice, Todd Yoder caught a 20-yard sideline pass with Khary Campbell, Anthony Trucks and Vernon Fox draped over him. Yoder held on as he rolled out of bounds.
6:25 p.m. ET
Vinny Cerrato said after practice that LaRon Landry's contract will get done this evening. Cerrato said that Landry is at Redskins Park reviewing the contract now.
Landry is expected to be available to practice on Tuesday.
6:15 p.m. ET
Practice ended at about 5:50 p.m. ET and there was a mad scramble for interviews.
Joe Gibbs said he thinks Chris Samuels suffered a knee sprain during practice, but he emphasized that it's best to wait for the official word from the athletic trainers.
Someone rolled onto Samuels's leg during a play in practice.
Gibbs also said that Mike Espy has a bruised knee.
More practice highlights to come, and more from Gibbs.
5:45 p.m. ET
Chris Samuels was just carted off the practice field. I did not see the play. The early word is that he's okay, but there'll be an update after practice.
5:40 p.m. ET
A large portion of practice has been spent on 11-on-11 work. This makes for a fun practice to watch. Here are some highlights, fast and furious.
Jason Campbell got the offense rolling early, even though he was working against the second-team defense. He threw a high-arching pass to Antwaan Randle El about 40 yards downfield. Randle El had two steps on his closest defender and caught the ball in stride for an 80-yard touchdown.
Shawn Springs grabbed Santana Moss on a short route, but Moss broke free and managed to grab Jason Campbell's pass for a 10-yard pickup. Springs was flagged for defensive holding. An annoyed Fred Smoot kicked the flag in disgust.
It worked the first time, why not try it again? Working against the first-team defense, Jason Campbell threw a perfect pass downfield to Antwaan Randle El, who had a step on his nearest defender. Randle El could not hold on, though.
5:25 p.m. ET
Mike Espy is not practicing this afternoon. Not sure what his status is, we'll find out after practice.
Espy walked off the practice field this morning looking like he was in good shape, though.
5:03 p.m. ET
Meet the newest Redskin: the team has added undrafted rookie Jake Nordin, a 6-2, 262-pound tight end out of Northern Illinois.
He finished his college career with 54 catches for 547 yards. He caught at least one pass in 21 consecutive games from 2004-06.
Nordin was with the New England Patriots in the offseason.
With seventh-round draft pick Tyler Ecker sidelined with a groin injury, Nordin provides another fresh face to compete for preseason playing time.
To make room for Nordin, the Redskins have let go kicker Tyler Fredrickson. That means Shaun Suisham is the only place kicker on the roster. Derrick Frost is the only punter on the roster.
Nordin is wearing jersey No. 14, the number previously worn by Maryland's Sam Hollenbach.
4:45 p.m. ET
It's time for the volleyball drill. A white volleyball is lofted high into the air, toward the goal line, and defensive backs race to it and try to swat it back into the field of play.
This is a special teams drill designed for players to work on keeping punts from bouncing into the end zone for touchbacks.
4:35 p.m. ET
As expected, LaRon Landry is not at practice. Every media outlet is reporting that the deal is done, but from the Redskins' perspective, he's still a holdout until he has signed his contract.
Landry has now missed six practices.
Gregg Williams expects Landry to make it up quickly.
"The mental part of the game is no problem for him," Williams said. "In the physical part of it, he's rare. He just has to come in and be smart."
Williams wants to make sure that Landry doesn't injure himself working too hard to catch up to his teammates, who are now six practices ahead of him.
4:25 p.m. ET
It's something that I've noticed all training camp: the Redskins' defense is putting a strong emphasis on forcing turnovers.
Gregg Williams acknowledged as much during his media session on Monday.
"You've seen Coach Gibbs really crack down on the drills that we're using in the practice format," Williams said. "We've always had an emphasis on takeaways, but we've got even more incentive on some of the drills we're doing in the practice settings because Coach Gibbs wants us to play that way."
4:05 p.m. ET
Players are starting to filter outside to practice now.
First player to arrive? Backup quarterback Todd Collins.
It's going to be a hot afternoon practice. Jason Campbell acknowledged as much by joking that he's going to be "working on his tan."
Al Saunders stopped by the Redskins.com TV tent, where the blog resides, and asked if we were going to have margueritas.
Also, I read on another blog that Mike Sellers was hurting and might sit out the afternoon practice. Well, Sellers has arrived at practice, wearing pads, so it looks like he's good to go.
3:39 p.m. ET
Just heard that Bill Walsh passed on. He was 75. He had been battling leukemia for several years.
Post-practice, Joe Gibbs is sure to be asked about his relationship with Walsh.
The two legendary coaches faced off against each other numerous times during the 1980s. In many ways, Walsh and Gibbs defined football during that era. Both won three Super Bowls during their respective careers.
As Gibbs is to the Redskins, Walsh is to the 49ers.
The first time Gibbs and Walsh squared off was on Jan. 8, 1984, in the NFC Championship game at RFK Stadium. The Redskins were favored, but the 49ers hung tough. Washington won 24-21 to advance to the Super Bowl.
Overall, Gibbs was 2-3 against Walsh-coached teams.
3:05 p.m. ET
We're back at Redskins Park for the afternoon practice, which should start in about an hour or so. Again, this one is closed to the public.
Our next open practice is scheduled for Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.
12:35 p.m. ET
Here are some highlights from 9-on-9 and 11-on-11 work as the team wrapped up Monday morning's practice.
Clinton Portis caught a swing pass in stride, then charged up-field. He split two defenders--Jerametrius Butler and Lemar Marshall--to burst into the secondary.
Pierson Prioleau leaped high to tip a pass, breaking up a play.
Jason McAddley made a nice grab of a Jordan Palmer pass, then absorbed a hard hit by Reed Doughty. McAddley bounced off Doughty and turned up-field.
Jason Campbell connected with Chris Cooley on a 40-yard touchdown pass. Cooley found space in the secondary and caught Campbell's pass in stride for the score.
Shawn Springs looks like he's rounding into form: he showed solid tackling form on a swing pass to Ladell Betts. Springs refused to let Betts get past him, standing him up until other tacklers could arrive.
Later, Springs recorded an interception, stepping in front of a Jordan Palmer pass.
Fourth-year defensive end Jamaal Green, vying for a roster spot, showed good play recognition. H charged Chris Samuels on a pass rush, then quickly drifted back into coverage when he saw that the play was a short pass to Rock Cartwright across the middle. Green arrived in time to help tackle Cartwright.
Omar Stoutmire logged an interception late in practice. Jordan Palmer's pass bounced off the hands of Marcus Mason and floated into the arms of Stoutmire.
12:30 p.m. ET
Here's a quick recap of some action from Monday morning's practice. Players were in full pads. We'll start with some 7-on-7 work.
Mike Espy grabbed a pass three yards short of the end zone, but he was met by Shawn Springs, who stood Espy up and refused to allow him to get into the end zone. Eventually, Springs tackled Espy--at the 2-yard line.
Rookie fullback Pete Schmitt received words of encouragement from Al Saunders after a nice grab.
11:55 a.m. ET
As I reported earlier this morning on Redskins.com, the LaRon Landry "deal" reported by other media outlets is not official.
I'm told that the deal is close--Landry's signature on the dotted line could be a mere formality.
Landry could be here for this afternoon's practice. I'd be surprised if he practices, though. Along with signing the contract, he may have to undergo a physical and a running test before he's allowed to practice.
11:50 a.m. ET
Gregg Williams hosted a lengthy media session after Monday morning's practice. Watch for the video of the media session on Redskins.com TV.
Williams spoke with a raspy voice. Anyone who attends training camp knows that Williams is among the most vocal coaches, so it's no surprise that he is losing his voice.
11:35 a.m. ET
Back for Monday. Two practices today--the first one ended about an hour ago. I caught the latter part of the morning practice, and I'll post some highlights shortly. I'll be back later blogging the afternoon practice.
So here's the deal with the blog. I am not reporting on every single play that occurs during practice. Too much happens, and it takes a few minutes to update the site. I do the best I can.
It's come to my attention that there's confusion about the blog and how I'm reporting on Chris Cooley. Yes, he has had a few dropped passes, as have quite a few other receivers. He has also snared more than his share of passes, mostly in routine plays that weren't blog-worthy.
So Cooley is having a fine camp.
I am reporting on what I see, as quickly as possible, but for now I'm going to avoid reporting on the minutiae or the routine. There's no agenda to sugarcoat this blog, as was suggested on a Redskins message board.
Now, I am not going to blog about formations or where players line up on a specific play. I'm not going to detail Al Saunders' pass routes.
Who told me not to reveal too much in my reports? Joe Gibbs himself.
As they say in the NFL, this blog is what it is.
Enjoy.
http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=27326
