Ryan O'Halloran
Hey folks. We're in between practices at Redskin Park. This is my fourth training camp and it is probably the second hottest day since 2004 -- the only one that felt worse was the opening day last year. The Redskins went for 65 minutes this morning and might go for only an hour this afternoon. We'll get started at 2 p.m.
Ryan O'Halloran
OK, let's get started. The Redskins are in Day 12 of training camp and they start the preseason schedule Saturday night in Nashville against the Tennessee Titans. I'll be answering questions for the next hour and I have several already ready in the mailbag. But if you want to have a question about the Redskins or the NFL, shoot me an email at skinsmailbag@washingtontimes.com
Ryan: How's Clinton Portis going to be in game condition if he doesn't play? Also I heard Earnest Byner on the Doc Walker show, and it sounds like he's frustrated with CP. Is that the feel at the Park? I also heard Clinton say that he's tired of all the long faces around there about him not playing.
Ryan O'Halloran
That's a good point about Portis. We have to give him the benefit of the doubt and think he came to camp in good condition. He has been limited to riding the stationary bike and standing around during practice. I'm sure he's doing plenty of work behind closed doors. As for Byner, I think the entire offensive staff is probably frustrated because Al Saunders wants to use Portis has a workhorse back and right now, it doesn't appear as if he'll be up to the task. As for Clinton, take anything and everything he says with a big grain of salt.
Ryan: What your thoughts on the length of the preseason? Should it be shorter with an additional regular season game? Does it come down to economics for the teams?
Ryan O'Halloran The preseason is way too long in terms of time before the first preseason game and number of preseason games. The only sports that do the preseason right are the NBA and NHL -- a half-dozen games and then into the regular season. I think eventually the preseason will be three games with 17 regular season games (8 home, 8 road, 1 international). The economics now are two home preseason gates, which feature the same prices as a real game. The league would have to make sure teams had two preseason home games every other year.
Ryan: Any early word on the prospects and performance of Alex Buzbee
(Georgetown) Chris Wilson (from Canada) or Anthony Montgomery the big
tackle?
Artis Jones
Ryan O'Halloran Defensive boss Gregg Williams said Buzbee is coming along nicely after a rough start to camp when he discovered quickly that training camp is different than mini camp. I still expect Buzbee to be a practice squad candidate. Wilson is a part of the defensive line group that faces long odds. Finally, Montgomery also earned Williams' praise this morning -- he'll definitely be a part of the DT rotation if he keeps up his solid play.
Ryan: I was wondering if you knew why Jason Campbell did not play any of the 11 on 11 portion of the scrimmage. I would think he good use as many reps as he could get. No fear of injury because you couldn’t hit the QB. Didn’t need to see Brunell that much. We know what he can do. Also, I didn’t enjoy watching Demetrius Evans, our supposed quality backup end, get blown off the ball ten yards on a sweep by a rookie left tackle. Wilson, Richmond
Ryan O'Halloran: The company line from the Redskins on Campbell not playing the Ravens in an 11-vs.-11 situation is that they wanted to get the other quarterbacks work with the other reserves. I don't think his not playing is that big a deal -- he needs reps against live competition so it will be interesting to see how much he plays against Tennessee. On Demetric Evans, I didn't see the play you're referring to -- sorry.
Ryan: Is Sean Taylor going to demand Ed Reed, type of money when the skins, negotiate with Drew Rosenhaus, afterwards are the skins going to have enough cap room to extend JC's contract because simple fact is they can't afford to lose him to free agency. Armen, Annandale
Ryan O'Halloran:Reed signed a seven-year, $40 million extension with $15 million guaranteed last year with Baltimore. It's safe to assume that contract will be the starting point when Rosenhaus sits down with the Redskins -- probably after this season. The Campbell situation is interesting. If he has a good 2007 season, they will probably extend him to keep him off the market for foreseeable future. But I doubt they have the cap room to extend both players in one off-season.
RyanI was thinking about trying to catch a Redskins road game at some point this year, get a taste of what the scene is like at another NFL stadium. Based on your experience covering games around the league, which one would you recommend I try to get to?
Steve Koren, Rockville
Ryan O'Halloran:I'll be making my first trip to Lambeau Field in October so that would be the one to recommend although I think tickets to a Packers game could be costly. Among the stadiums I've been to, my favorites (in no order) are Philadelphia, Chicago, Kansas City, Seattle and Tampa Bay.
Ryan: We haven't heard too much about the Skins D-Line this year; do you think the old vets will get most of the playing time this season or will the young players get more of a look? Are there any young players on the defensive line who has caught your eye so far? Alex
Ryan O'Halloran:I haven't explored the defensive line issue just yet because I want to see some preseason games before making an early judgement. Watching practice, though, I've been impressed by Cornelius Griffin and Joe Salave'a and think the young guys are making some progress. Ideally, the Redskins would like Griffin and Kedric Golston to start at tackle, Phil Daniels and Andre Carter to start at end. Buzbee does have a pretty good motor and might be in the future plans. If the DL struggles in September, you'll be hearing a lot about it.
Ryan: Do you think some of the injuries in the preseason can be attributed to the new offseason programs that substantially limit the ability for players to fully recover from one season to another? Isn’t it more of a year-round season now with OTAs and mini-camps?
Ryan O'Halloran:That would start an interesting discussion in any NFL locker room. Last year, some Redskins veterans thought the team's intense off-season program sapped them heading into the season. Joe Gibbs adjusted the program, letting players work out on their own. Football is definitely year-round and I think there is something to be said that too much is required of the players when a guy like Portis develops tendonitis less than a week into camp.
Ryan: Do we have to listen to Bryant Gumbel for another year on the NFL Network? One word, awful!
Ryan O'Halloran: Unfortunately, Gumbel is back for another season. I didn't watch the Saints-Steelers game the other night but I'm told Gumbel was more tolerable because he let Cris Collinsworth do most of the heavy lifting. Good news for Redskins fans, though -- Gumbel isn't doing Saturday's game against the Titans. Some guy named Spero Dedes is doing play by play and Marshall Faulk is the analyst.
Ryan Was it really 140 degrees on the field in Baltimore the other day for the Skins-Ravens scrimmage? I know NFL teams take precautions to prevent dehydration, but aren't they just asking for a Korey Stringer-like catastrophe when they insist on playing meaningless scrimmages in the middle of the afternoon in August? Gary Fogel, Reston
Ryan O'Halloran: Yep, it was 141 on the FieldTurf according to the Ravens public relations staff. When the heat becomes that excessive, my first reaction is that they are asking for trouble. But since the Stringer death six years ago, the NFL has gone great lengths to make sure there isn't a repeat. The Redskins cut short their first practice this morning and their practice this afternoon and the St. Louis Rams have moved several practices to their indoor facility because of the heat.
RyanTake your pick: Which knee injury should the Redskins be most concerned about: Clinton Portis, Chris Samuels or Randy Thomas? Donald Sanger, Falls Church
Ryan O'Halloran: Samuels without a doubt. If Portis is shelved for a long period of time, the Redskins' coaches trust that Ladell Betts can fill the void. If Thomas goes down at right guard, Mike Pucillo can be serviceable if pressed into starting for 2-3 games. But without Samuels protecting Campbell's blind-side? Yikes. Rookie Stephon Heyer is running with the first team now and veteran Jason Fabini has a groin problem. My guess is if Samuels develops a long-term problem, the Redskins would move Todd Wade from left guard to left tackle.
The mailbag is officially empty. Appreciate the questions sent in. I'll be back next Tuesday at 2 p.m. to review the Tennessee game and look ahead to the Pittsburgh game.
