Washington Redskins first-round draft pick Trent Williams is still unsigned and falling behind.
Williams is being penciled in as the team’s starting tackle, but he is missing valuable time because he has not yet signed a contract.
Only one first-round pick has signed with less than a week until training camp opens, which is causing major concern.
The Redskins offensive line was atrocious last season and Williams was brought in to help patch some holes. ( Read More…)
Washington Redskins head coach is confident that starting wide receiver Santana Moss won’t be disciplined by the NFL following the news that Moss allegedly received HGH from Canadien doctor Anthony Galea, who was accused of drug smuggling, conspiracy, lying to federal agents, unlawful distribution of HGH and introducing an unapproved drug into interstate commerce last week. Shanahan has said that he feels “very good” about the situation.
Moss, who was one of a handful of athletes who allegedly received HGH from Galea, has declined to comment on the story to the media, but told his teammates that he had no idea that the doctor was injecting him with HGH during the three times he was treated by him.
Still, the NFL could suspend Moss whether he knowingly took the HGH or not. Commissioner Roger Goodell has made it clear that he’s going to be proactive about disciplining players to maintain the integrity of his league. Multiple players, including star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, have been suspended without ever being found guilty of anything in the court of law.
In light of this story and the possibility that Moss, the team’s No. 1 receiver, could miss time this season, rumors have swirled about Terrell Owens joining the Redskins. The embattled Owens, who spent last season in Buffalo, has yet to find a home. It would be an interesting acquisition, reuniting him with quarterback Donovan McNabb, with whom Owens had a tenuous relationship during their season together in Philadelphia.
Washington Redskins starting running back Clinton Portis has been cleared to participate in the team’s minicamp following a concussion suffered last season. The injury caused him to miss the second half of the season.
It’s big news for Portis, who has been the subject of trade rumors this offseason and needs to make a good impression on new head coach Mike Shanahan, who traded him to the Redskins while he was the head coach and general manager of the Denver Broncos.
This is further evidenced by the fact that Shanahan has brought in Larry Johnson and Willie Parker to compete for reps at running back. Neither of those players will be satisfied with a spot on the bench so the pressure is on Portis to put last season’s struggles and injury behind him.
The Washington Redskins have signed defensive tackle Maake Kemoeatu to a two-year contract worth $7 million.
Kemoeatu was released by the Carolina Panthers as he tries to recover from surgery on his torn achilles tendon.
The defensive lineman missed the entire 2009 season and is still nowhere close to being ready to play.
He didn’t draw much interest because of his ongoing recovery, but the Redskins didn’t seem concerned about his health.
Kemoeatu didn’t live up to expecations after signing with the Panthers following a breakout season in Baltimore.
The Redskins found themselves in a familiar situation at halftime, trailing one of the league’s worst teams and on the verge of seeing their season slip away, this time for good. The offense was again struggling to score, this time held scoreless in the first half, and the last 30 minutes could have been as long as Jim Zorn had left in his NFL head coaching career.
But the offense found its way in the nick of time, and Jim Zorn lived to coach another day as Washington edged the visiting Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 16-13.
Jason Campbell struggled mightily early but came on late, throwing two touchdowns in the second half to lead the Redskins’ rally. His 59-yard hookup with Santana Moss capped a 16-point third quarter from a re-energized offense, and the defense had a strong second-half showing as well to seal the victory. Campbell bounced back after throwing two interceptions in the first half, and silenced the boo birds for at least one week. He finished 12 of 22 for 170 yards in his worst showing of the season.
Hobbled Clinton Portis suited up and rushed 25 times for 98 yards in a gutsy performance. Tight end Chris Cooley led the team with five catches, but it was Moss’ double-move, catch and run that proved to be the difference. The defense harassed Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Johnson in the first start of his career. After a hot start, Johnson struggled and finished 13 of 22 for 106 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
The 19-game losing streak is over for the Detroit Lions, thanks to the Washington Redskins’ complete and total ineptitude on offense.
A week after managing a paltry nine points against the St. Louis Rams (who, the week before, were lit up by Seattle 28-0), the Redskins had done nothing to inspire confidence going into their game with the Lions. But going up against a team with 19 straight losses, not even the most cynical fan would have expected what happened.
The Redskins looked like they didn’t even belong on the field for the first half of their 19-14 loss to the Lions on Sunday. They were outplayed and outclassed in every aspect of the game as the Lions worked their way to a 13-0 halftime advantage.
QB Jason Campbell came out fired up in the second half, hitting speedy WR Santana Moss for an 57 yard bomb to bring the game within six points. But Stafford and the Lions weren’t done there – they scored a touchdown early in the fourth quarter to effectively put the game out of reach for the Redskins.
The Skins haven’t scored more than 17 points this season – and wasted a huge red zone opportunity in this game that ended up costing them. They went for it on fourth-and-1 from Detroit’s 1-yard line, RB Clinton Portis got stuffed, and Stafford drove 99 yards down the field to break the Redskins’ morale early.
The Skins draw Tampa Bay this weekend, giving them one more chance to sort out their offensive woes before heading to Carolina next weekend. With second-year pro Josh Johnson getting his first start for the Bucs, the defense must do their part to give Jason Campbell and the offense some breathing room.
The Redskins beat the Steelers 17-13 in FedEx Field’s 2009 opener (not counting that raging Paul McCartney concert a few weeks back) with very little help from the starting offense. Game ball? Fourth string rookie Chase Daniel from Missouri.
Jason Campbell stumbled out of the gate early against Pittsburgh, completing only 1 pass (out of 7 tries) to Chris Cooley for 10 yards. It wasn’t all bad for the starting offense, as they drove to a field goal on their opening drive against the Super Bowl champs, however; they faced 2nd and 2 at the Steelers’ 3-yard line before getting stuffed twice and settling for a field goal.
Without starting QB Ben Roethlisberger, who was being held out after suffering a foot injury in practice this week, backup QB Charlie Batch led Pittsburgh on a courageous comeback, taking a 13-10 lead into the start of the fourth quarter. Batch played not much better than Campbell, completing only five of 14 passes for 63 yards.
Then, Chase Daniel’s heroics took over. He led the game-winning scoring drive with barely a minute expired in the fourth quarter, and the Redskins ran the clock out from there.
Overall, the Redskins put up some frighteningly paltry passing statistics (thanks to ESPN’s box score):
Washington QBs against Pittsburgh, 8/22/09:
C/A YDS YPA TD INT
C. Daniel 6/8 58 7.3 2 0
C. Brennan 3/5 42 8.4 0 1
T. Collins 5/9 39 4.3 0 1
J. Campbell 1/7 10 1.4 0 0
Team 15/29 137 4.7 2 2
After an alarming 23-0 shutout against the Baltimore Ravens last week, attention has turned towards the Washington Redskins’ defense and whether they’ll have to carry the offense this year.
The Washington Post released an article earlier this week detailing the depth on the Redskins’ defensive line. With free agent prize Albert Haynesworth and rookie Brian Orakpo impressing, “it has been the big guys on defense who more often have gotten the better of those on offense,” according to the Post .
The article in the Post details a number of players on the ‘Skins second line that could be difference makers if calamity strikes the first line during the season.
The Washington Times detailed the one-on-one skirmishes from Tuesday morning:
“Rookie linebacker Brian Orakpo, defensive tackles Albert Haynesworth, Cornelius Griffin, Kedric Golston and Lorenzo Alexander and defensive end Renaldo Wynn got the better of Chris Samuels, Derrick Dockery, Casey Rabach, Chad Rinehart and Jeremy Bridges.”
Coach Jim Zorn? It might be time to go back to the drawing board this week.
The Redskins opened the 2009-2010 season on Thursday with a preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens, which they lost 23-0.
Starting QB Jason Campbell played two drives, going 3 for 6 for 38 yards. Both of his drives ended in punts.
Even more troubling? The Redskins did not cross the Ravens’ 30-yard line all night. The Redskins struggled to move the ball the entire night, only crossing midfield on three of their 12 drives.
ESPN quoted Campbell as saying, “We didn’t attack them just yet because we’re just getting into a rhythm, but I felt good,” he said. “I really felt comfortable. Having some experience helps a lot.”
No doubt Coach Zorn is grateful for a month more of preseason. It looks like the Redskins might need all the prep time they can get.
