Redskins Insider

Rogers praised for response to benching

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:45:04 -0500

Coach Jim Zorn praised cornerback Carlos Rogers for responding well in practice this week after having been benched early in the Week 10 victory over the Denver Broncos, but Zorn would not commit to Rogers starting opposite top cornerback DeAngelo Hall on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys at the new Cowboys Stadium. "He could" start, Zorn said. "But right now, we've got a little mix going and we like what we're seeing out there. I like what I'm seeing in Carlos and how he's responding to the situation. "Sometimes it happens where you've just got to bide your time and wait for your next opportunity. I know with Carlos it'll come. And I think he knows it'll come as well." Secondary coach Jerry Gray has been similarly impressed with Rogers's approach this week. "He's responded great. He understands what he has to do and it's nothing new," Gray said. "The

Bugel: Rinehart 'deserved a chance'

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:00:15 -0500

Benched after briefly starting at right guard earlier in the season, second-year guard Chad Rinehart remained focused and continued to work hard, and offensive line coach Joe Bugel noticed. Bugel convinced Coach Jim Zorn that Rinehart should be given another opportunity to work with the first team, and the former third-round draft pick responded well during the Week 10 victory over the Denver Broncos at FedEx Field. Rinehart is scheduled to make his first career start (fourth overall) Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys at the new Cowboys Stadium, and he has earned it, Bugel said. "I felt during that time where he wasn't a starter, watching him on the scout team servicing the defense, he was doing a heck of a job," Bugel said. "He was staying extra practice, getting in some work, and it came to the time where the kid deserved a chance. You know what I mean?

Haynesworth a game-time decision for Sunday

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:26:25 -0500

Pro Bowl defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth (ankle) will be listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys at the new Cowboys Stadium, Coach Jim Zorn said today after practice at Redskins Park. "Albert was on the treadmill today working," Zorn said. "It'll be a game-time decision whether he can go or not. I'm going to lean more toward having him up [active], seeing what he can do. "I'm an optimistic person and I'm definitely going to wish that for myself with Albert because we'd love to have him on the field. But it will be a game-time situation."

Portis sees another concussion specialist

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:45:33 -0500

The Redskins sent running back Clinton Portis to Pittsburgh today for a consultation with another specialist to gauge his recovery from a concussion suffered Nov. 8 in Atlanta. Portis has not practiced this week and will miss his second straight game Sunday. "Each day Clinton has done a great job in communciating how he's felt, and that's what it's going to take," Coach Jim Zorn said today. "And also, we communicate, we continually send him to send [team physician Anthony Casolero] and now we're going to send him to Pittsburgh to see a specialist there. So we're going to make sure that we take care of all those details." The Redskins aren't certain when Portis will be ready to return. Their priority, Zorn says, is Portis' health and well-being. "We're for Clinton getting well, and I think he is too," Zorn said. "It just takes a continual communication. And I want to

Defense prepares for Cowboys' attack

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:42:20 -0500

The Redskins gave up 40- and 75-yard touchdown passes in the first quarter of their Week 10 victory over the Denver Broncos. Obviously, the defense must do a better job Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys at the new Cowboys Stadium. "Well the big plays come from [Dallas quarterback] Tony Romo," secondary coach Jerry Gray said. "He scrambles a lot, and does a lot of things to get guys open, and receivers are always working down the field. You see Miles Austin, all of the sudden he comes up with a 200-yard game because he works after the catch. It's not just, 'I'm going to beat you.' He actually works to get open, and he does a great job. That's really what you want to do when you've got a wide receiver like that." The Redskins' defense ranks No. 1 against the pass, giving up an average of 162.7 yards and

This year, Romo will see a new pass rush

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:50:23 -0500

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo has taken a lot of heat for his poor performance late in the season and during the playoffs. But Romo sure knows how to extend plays, Coach Jim Zorn said. "It is just awful to have to cover longer than you really want to," Zorn said. "We've got to try to get to him and make him be concerned about" the pass rush. poll by twiigs.com The Redskins (3-6) are last in the NFC East and the Cowboys (6-3) are atop the division. For the Redskins to pull closer to the Cowboys, they must corral Romo in the pocket and end passing plays quickly. "When he extends, when he moves around, when he flinches the ball, it causes the secondary, the linebackers, to hesitate, to go, to move," Zorn said. "And then if he can pull it down and have time to hit somebody else,

Portis ruled out; Haynesworth a gameday decision

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:20:10 -0500

Running back Clinton Portis (concussion) was officially ruled out of Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys, but he might accompany the team on the trip, Coach Jim Zorn said today after practice. "Clinton is going to continue to be monitored, he's going to continue to be checked, but we're not going to play him this week," Zorn said. Portis suffered a concussion early in a 31-17 loss in Week 9 to the Atlanta Falcons and sat out Washington's 27-17 victory in Week 10 over the Denver Broncos. Portis's vision "is just a little bit blurry," Zorn said. "It's just foggy enough for me to not trust. I want to see him practice.

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Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:20:10 -0500

Sellers prefers to let actions speak for him

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:59:42 -0500

After word emerged about the locker-room altercation earlier this season between running back Clinton Portis and fullback Mike Sellers, some Redskins fans criticized Sellers's blocking on Internet message boards and sports-talk radio shows. During a 16-13 victory in Week 4 over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Portis went to coaches in an effort to have Sellers demoted for what Portis deemed to be poor blocking. Apparently in siding with Portis, fans criticized Sellers for the team's unproductive running game to start the season, believing Portis would have been more effective if Sellers had blocked better. But many in the organization told me Sellers's blocking was not what had derailed the running game. Portis was not in top form to start the season and his lackadaisical attitude toward practice did not help. After watching Ladell Betts and Rock Cartwright gain chunks of yards since Portis has been sidelined with a concussion, I

Fletcher, defense work to stop Romo, big plays

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:11:10 -0500

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo often has succeeded at eluding pass rushers in the pocket. His ability to move well and give receivers more time to break free from coverage has resulted in many big plays for the Cowboys in Romo's four seasons as a starter. "He is a tough quarterback. He has great pocket awareness," middle linebacker London Fletcher said. "He has a great ability to extend plays, to buy time. He knows how to get everything out of a play. He's good at that." Although Romo struggled against pressure in the Cowboys' 17-7 loss in Week 10 to the Green Bay Packers, he is capable of making things happen even against an effective pass rush, players said. And the Cowboys have made players capable of helping Romo produce long gains. Also, the Redskins gave up 40- and 75-yard touchdown passes in the first quarter of their 27-17 victory

Orakpo, defense learn from Cowboys' game

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:41:47 -0500

The Green Bay Packers had five sacks and pressured quarterback Tony Romo throughout their 17-7 victory last week over the Dallas Cowboys. Redskins defensive end Andre Carter has eight sacks, rookie defensive end/strong-side linebacker Brian Orakpo has seven and Cowboys starting right tackle Marc Colombo is sidelined for the remainder of the season because of a broken left fibula. Romo has been sacked 22 times overall, third-year tackle Doug Free will make his first career start Sunday against the Redskins at Cowboys Stadium and Washington's improved pass rush has provided reason for optimism in a battle of NFC East rivals, players said. "We feel like our pass rush has been definitely a strength for us this season, especially lately," middle linebacker London Fletcher said. "Andre and Brian have been able to create a lot of pressure on the quarterback and also been able to get some sacks. The back end,

Haynesworth, Gurode say incident is history

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:08:09 -0500

When the Redskins signed Albert Haynesworth, you knew there'd be a whole new wrinkle to Dallas Week, thanks to that 2006 incident in which Haynesworth, playing for Tennessee, stomped on Andre Gurode. Haynesworth discussed that incident as well as others involving anger management with Jason Reid and, last winter, told him: "There was nothing I could do but just take responsibility for it, take a look at myself and just try to be" a better person, Haynesworth said. "Talking about it [with a counselor] really gave me a chance to open up. I look back at it and . . . it's almost like I wasn't the one doing it. It was all in, like, slow motion. I don't even remember a lot of what happened. But it was me. I did it, and it's hard to accept that you did something like that. It was just a really hard

For Betts, what happens after contact is key

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:06:07 -0500

Ladell Betts is a "low-maintainence" back. He practices hard, eagerly approaches whatever running play is called and always runs hard. "We didn't change the run game necessarily to accommodate Ladell [Betts]. We ran our stuff," Coach Jim Zorn said. "And what he did was push up into the hole, and ran through and fought for yardage." And he gained yards after being hit, which is key for a successful rushing attack, Zorn said. "Some of the 114-yard game he had -- I don't know how many yards were after contact -- but he had some after-contact yards," Zorn said. "That's a huge issue for him, and he worked it and so did Rock [Cartwright]. They worked extra to get that extra yardage, and that kept those chains moving for us." With the Redskins (3-6) facing the NFC East-leading Dallas Cowboys (6-3), they must continue to keep the running game going,

Byron Westbrook concerned for brother's health

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:15:58 -0500

Redskins cornerback Byron Westbrook said he is concerned for the career of his older brother Brian, the star running back for the Philadelphia Eagles who suffered his second concussion of the season Sunday. Brian Westbrook suffered his first concussion Oct. 26 against Washington at FedEx Field, and Byron Westbrook stood over him as doctors evaluated the situation. Brian sat out for two weeks and returned Sunday against San Diego, but he suffered another concussion. Now, the rest of his season -- and perhaps his career -- are in jeopardy. "Outside of football, I just want to make sure he's healthy," Brian Westbrook said. "That's still my big brother, and I still care for him and all. I want to make sure that he's fine with the fact that he might need to sit out a couple games, and hopefully that he doesn't end his career on something like this. It's

Zorn says Portis 'very doubtful' to play

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:43:25 -0500

Coach Jim Zorn stopped short of ruling Clinton Portis out for Sunday's game at Dallas, but he said the Redskins' star running back is "very doubtful" to play. "But I don't want to count him out," Zorn said Wednesday after practice. Portis wasn't present at practice and is at risk of missing his second game since suffering a concussion - the second of his career -- on Nov. 8 in Atlanta. Zorn said Portis worked out early Wednesday morning -- to get "a little sweat going," Zorn said -- and Portis experienced some blurriness. Portis attended the weekly team meeting but left Redskins Park to visit a Washington doctor and missed the running backs' position meeting. Zorn laid out a timeline that makes it seem very doubtful Portis will be ready for action against the Cowboys. Even if he stops experiencing symptoms, coaches want to wait a full 24 hours and retest

Campbell: A big game in Big D

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:55:32 -0500

Quarterback Jason Campbell had one of the best games in his career last season while leading the Redskins to a 26-24 victory over the Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium. Campbell completed 20 of 31 passes for 231 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He had a 108.4 passer rating while leading the Redskins to only their second victory in the last 13 games in Texas. The Redskins on Sunday make their first appearance and the new Cowboys Stadium, and Campbell is eager to face the NFC East leaders again. "It's a big game," Campbell said. "First and foremost, it's an NFC game. We're on the road, we're already behind in the conference. For us, each game is a playoff game for us, from this point on to the rest of the season. So every game is magnitude at the highest level you can get." Although the Cowboys (6-3) are