Redskins Insider

Betts: 'I'm on the road to recovery'

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:39:10 -0500

Just got off the phone with running back Ladell Betts, who will miss the remainder of the season after tearing his anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in Sunday's 7-6 loss to the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium. Betts is a hard worker and a consummate professional, and he had been playing extremely well in place of Clinton Portis, who has been sidelined because of lingering effects from a concussion. I was disappointed for Betts because he plays the game the right way, and he now has a long way to go before he returns to the football field. "The nature of this injury is I won't be back for a while," he said. "I got my ACL and my MCL, so I'll be out for a minute. That's pretty much all I know right now. I have to decide when I'll have surgery and go from there." Reconstructive surgery

Redskins add Mason and a guard

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:24:50 -0500

As they placed Ladell Betts, Chad Rinehart and Eddie Williams on the season-ending injured-reserve list, the Redskins have signed running back Marcus Mason and guard Paul Fanaika from the Philadelphia Eagles' practice squad, according to Redskins blogger Matt Terl. Fanaika was a seventh-round pick by the Eagles in April out of Arizona State. He's 6-foot-5 and weights 327 pounds. Mason's return for his fourth stint with the team had been expected since the severity of Betts' injury became known Sunday.

Edwin Williams: 'The story has just begun'

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:39:25 -0500

When Washington Redskins right guard Chad Rinehart went down with an injury early in the third quarter of Sunday's 7-6 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, undrafted free agent Edwin Williams became the latest name to go through the revolving door and land on the Redskins' offensive line. Williams, a former Maryland Terrapin, is the 11th offensive lineman to step into the lineup this year on a unit that has suffered a string of injuries. And with Rinehart out for the season with a broken fibula - the second-year guard underwent surgery on Monday and will be placed on the season-ending injured-reserve list, Coach Jim Zorn said - Williams may be the 10th lineman to start for Washington this season. It would be a quick rise up the depth chart for Williams, who was among the surprises on the 53-man roster after impressing coaches during training camp. "I feel like sometimes

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Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:39:25 -0500

Zorn explains his thinking on FG attempt

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:52:07 -0500

Coach Jim Zorn has come under fire for so many things this season, it's sometimes hard to keep track of who's upset with him and about what. During the long delay in the final seconds of the first half in Sunday's 7-6 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, I received a lot of email from fans who hoped Zorn would take a shot into the end zone when play resumed. The Redskins were leading, 3-0, and Zorn, with no timeouts remaining, played it safe after the break, attempting a 39-yard field goal that place kicker Shaun Suisham missed. The email I received at halftime was complimentary toward Zorn compared with the stuff after the game. Fans were frustrated that Zorn would be so conservative in that situation. I mentioned what occurred in my game report but was not critical of the decision because I thought I understood Zorn's thinking. Quarterback Jason

Injuries have Zorn scrambling

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 14:10:33 -0500

During his news conference today, Coach Jim Zorn confirmed that running back Ladell Betts will miss the rest of the season because of torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments, the team plans to bring back Marcus Mason to help Rock Cartwright and Quinton Ganther and top cornerback DeAngelo Hall could miss this week's game against the Philadelphia Eagles because of a sprained knee. "I don't expect to have him back," Zorn said of Betts, who will be placed on the season-ending injured-reserve list. Hall finished Sunday's 7-6 loss to the Dallas Cowboys despite a sprained MCL, "but he may be out for a week," Zorn said. "Depends on how fast we can get him back. "He's not an injured-reserved candidate. I guess I have to say that now, I guess. He played hard. He finished the game. We'll see how fast we can get him back."

Portis to miss Eagles game; Betts to IR

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:35:49 -0500

Coach Jim Zorn's quick injury update..."I'll talk about this [rash of injuries] for years to come," Zorn said. " 'Wow, remember back in 2009...' " : Clinton Portis will not play Sunday in Philadelphia. "The question is whether he will play against the Saints as well," Zorn said. "We'll get him moving that week [before the Saints game] and see how he's reacting." Zorn said there has been no consideration given to shutting him down for the season. Zorn confirmed that Ladell Betts is out for the rest of the season with medial collateral and anterior cruciate ligament tears; he said that surgery is possible. According to Redskins PR (via Matt Terl), Betts will be placed on the season-ending injured-reserve list. Chris Cooley will have to wear his walking boot another 10 days or so. "That is not good news for me, " Zorn said. As with Portis, there has

Haynesworth uncertain of status for Sunday

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:12:07 -0500

Pro Bowl defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth was disappointed about missing Sunday's 7-6 loss to the Dallas Cowboys because of an ankle injury. But Haynesworth was pleased with how well the defense played -- the defensive line in particular. "I knew they were going to step up and play," he said. "I knew they were going to do that." Haynesworth said he was not sure about his status for Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. "It could be lot better," Haynesworth said of his ankle. "It could be a lot worse." Despite being 3-7, the Redskins must stay focused and play for pride at this point, Haynesworth said. "As long as we keep working, as long as we don't hold our heads down, we'll be fine," he said.

Carter -- no surprise -- remains upbeat

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:03:21 -0500

Just finished talking to veteran defensive end Andre Carter, who is one of the most positive individuals I've ever covered. I asked Carter if he feared things would become strained between the offensive and defensive players after Sunday's 7-6 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. The offense again struggled while producing only two field goals and wasting another strong effort by the defense. Carter expressed confidence the players and coaches would remain united because "negativity only brings more negativity, so you just always have to bring optimism and keep working. One thing about us, we're very pleased about how the offense has been moving the ball. We've been running well. "With the passing game, you can tell they've kind of shortened it up a little bit because the protections have been a little shaky, which can happen, but there's been times where they've been able to give Jason [Campbell] time. One

Betts has torn ACL and MCL

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:07:20 -0500

Although the Redskins have not yet reviewed the results of Ladell Betts's MRI that was scheduled this morning, they believe he has suffered torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments and will undergo season-ending surgery, a league source said. The source, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to comment on the team's medical dealings, stressed that the severity of Betts's knee injury -- suffered in the first quarter of Sunday's 7-6 loss to the Dallas Cowboys -- could not accurately be determined until medical personnel reviewed the MRI exam. But the Redskins suspected Betts had multiple torn ligaments after he was removed from the game, and Coach Jim Zorn after the game revealed that Betts, at the very least, tore his MCL. With top running back Clinton Portis already ruled out of the upcoming game against the Philadelphia Eagles and Betts expected to be sidelined for the team's

Gray ponders defense's role in loss

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:12:24 -0500

The Dallas Cowboys are tied for 13th in the NFL (with the Pittsburgh Steelers) in scoring with an average of 23.1 points per game, but the Redskins, minus Albert Haynesworth on defense, gave up only a touchdown in Sunday's 7-6 loss at Cowboys Stadium. "You held a team that averages [26.8] points a game at home to seven," said secondary coach and defensive spokesman Jerry Gray. "If we'd have said we was going to hold the Dallas Cowboys to seven points, you'd think we would be stupid. There's no way. Come on. poll by twiigs.com "I thought our guys did a great job of putting a great plan together. We stopped the run, didn't give up the big pass. We let a guy [Tony Romo] scramble. ... You look at it, he made some plays. He's a Pro Bowl quarterback, but if we hold Dallas to seven points and they

Missed kicks leave Suisham with 'awful' feeling

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:40:23 -0500

Washington Redskins kicker Shaun Suisham entered Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys a perfect 12-for-12 on field-goal attempts this year. But after the Redskins' difficult 7-6 loss, Suisham spent time answering questions about his first two misses -- either of which could have won the game for the Redskins. "I feel awful," Suisham said. "The guys worked so hard today. You got a tight game like that, and you miss a couple field goals, it's very frustrating and disappointing." The first miss came well within Suisham's range, a 39-yarder at the end of the first half which Suisham hooked wide left. The play, though, came after a great deal of confusion in which the officiating crew took an inordinate amount of time to review whether Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell had thrown an incompletion before he stepped out of bounds on the prior play. The officials also seemed befuddled about whether

Gray says he'll address Memphis talk later

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:27:32 -0500

Redskins secondary coach Jerry Gray, who reportedly is among at least four candidates being considered for the University of Memphis head coaching position, declined to comment on whether he plans to pursue the position. "We'll talk about that later," Gray said after the game. Larry Porter, LSU running backs coach, reportedly is the front-runner for the job.

Haynesworth leaves big cleats to fill

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:15:30 -0500

Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth missed his first game since signing a $100 million free agent contract during the offseason. Haynesworth suffered an ankle sprain in last week's win over Denver and wasn't able to practice in the days leading up to Sunday's game at Dallas. Haynesworth has missed at least one game because of either injury or suspension every season since his rookie year in 2002. Kedric Golston started in Haynesworth's place. After making 12 starts last year, Sunday marked Golston's second start of the season. Fourteen Redskins took part in at least one tackle on Sunday. Golston was not one of them. "It was good to start, come out here and just not let my teammates down," Golston said. "I have a lot of respect for London Fletcher and the guys on this team and my D-line coach and Coach [Greg] Blache. I know they can trust me, I

Rinehart is latest player to be out for season

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 18:56:49 -0500

The Redskins have likely lost a third offensive linemen for the season. Chad Rinehart, who started four games for the Redskins at right guard this year, suffered a broken fibula in Sunday's 7-6 loss to Dallas. "We'll have a better assessment," Coach Jim Zorn said after the game, "but it is fractured." Rinehart was taken off the field on a cart in the third quarter, his right leg protected by an air cast and a close-up of his frustrated face broadcast above on the Cowboys' 11,500 square-foot video screen. The team's second-round pick in 2008 out of Northern Iowa, Rinehart has had an up-and-down season. After starting in Weeks 3 and 4, he was benched and didn't start again until the Denver game. "He didn't go in the corner, pout or suck his thumb when he got benched," offensive line coach Joe Bugel said last Friday. "He just worked harder

Betts has ligament tear, Rinehart broken fibula (updated)

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:26:38 -0500

Ladell Betts has a torn MCL and Chad Rinehart has a broken fibula, according to Coach Jim Zorn. Betts will have an MRI tomorrow. "It is bleak," Zorn said. "Being 3-7 is bleak." Said secondary coach Jerry Gray: "I think if you hold any team in the NFL to seven, you should win the game." Zorn added that Clinton Portis will be out next week, although he's not yet a candidate for the injured-reserve list, Rick Maese reported via Twitter. Offensive coordinator Sherman Smith said that the team will need to pick up a running back for next week and he mentioned Marcus Mason as a possibility. He's available and familiar with the Redskins' offense. poll by twiigs.com