Time to get started. I think this is the ninth Redskins chat of the season.

The team returned to practice yesterday after six days off. They're off today before starting preparation for the Detroit Lions tomorrow.

But there was a bit of news today. Turns out that Clinton Portis' right knee injury is not the same as the tendonitis that kept him out of the preseason. Bubba Tyer was in the media room an hour ago to tell four of mediafolk that Portis sustained a bruised knee against the Giants but that wasn't the reason he wasn't on the field at the end of the game.

I expect Portis to play Sunday against Detroit. Santana Moss is another story.

Let's get to the questions

From Tim:
Let's review -- the Redskins have played 3 games and we have two players on offensive line who perhaps couldn't start for most teams and they are not young plus we have brought in 2 receivers because one we gave 2 draft picks for doesn't play during the game. WE NEED A GENERAL MANAGER. Joe is fine as coach and team organizer, but is not gifted in picking players.

Ryan O'Halloran:
I disagree and agree with Tim on some of his points. Compared to the last few years, playing Wade and Fabini in place of Jansen and Thomas is an upgrade over the depth issues. Those two players aren't Pro Bowlers but they're better than guys like Mark Wilson, Jim Molinaro, Cory Raymer -- guys pressed into service. They're on-par with Ray Brown. ... Where I agree -- the trading of draft picks for Brandon Lloyd may go down as a worse decision than signing Adam Archuleta. At least ol' Archie started for a half a season. Gibbs' strength isn't picking players (that was Bobby Beathard's job in Gibbs Version 1.0). A GM isn't coming anytime soon, though.

From Kevin in Fort Lauderdale:
You wrote that Brandon Lloyd did not participate in post practice drills w/ the other receivers and QB's. What is the deal with Lloyd? Is he a malcontent? Was his talent in S.F. fleeting? Is he buried in the coaches' doghouse?

Ryan O'Halloran:
Glad you picked up on that -- it was pretty noticeable to a couple of us. Lloyd doesn't come out to the field 90 minutes before the game to work with Cambpell, either -- that's Cooley, Randle El, Thrash and now Caldwell. I don't think he showed a lot of talent in SF. As for being a malcontent/in the doghouse, that's a tough thing to speculate on but let's assume they're not happy with him.

From SkinsLover:
Is Lloyd not showing effort in practice? And what's up with signing all these receivers?

Ryan O'Halloran:
Lloyd's lack of playing time is generating more questions this year than Archuleta's awful play did last year. Anyway, we don't see enough of practice to form an opinion on whether a guy is working hard. What's up with the signing of McCardell specifically is that Moss' groin thing may be a season-long concern and after Randle El, the Redskins don't exactly have a lot of proven play-makers on the roster. Thrash is a great special teams player but a possession receiver at best.

From CNYSkinFan in Syracuse:
With a 13 game grind coming up -- how worried should we be that Portis is still hurting after coming off a week of rest during the bye week? Is this gamesmanship by Gibbs or is Portis really hurt? Is this why Portis was not at the end of the game against the Giants?

Ryan O'Halloran:
There should be mild concern about Portis' new right knee injury. The best thing about Clinton is that he plays hard -- every play. The worst thing about Clinton is that he never takes plays off. That means he'll get banged up. Trainer Bubba Tyer said about an hour ago that Portis' knee injury did not prevent him from being available on the final plays against the Giants.

From Gary in Reston:
How brutal could this month be for the Redskins' secondary?

Ryan O'Halloran:
It could be gruesome. The Lions are first in passing yards, the Packers are fourth, the Cardinals are 12th, the Patriots are third. The Redskins rank 13th in pass defense but have to get some turnovers and sacks to slow those teams down.

From Barry in Richmond:
Were the players surprised they got all of last week off?

Ryan O'Halloran:
Not really. But they were definitely thankful. Gibbs had supposedly floated some hints that the team would get the entire week off with a win over the Giants. After the loss, most of us expected him to practice Tuesday and Wednesday. But he said he met with a few of his veterans on Monday and decided it was best to have six days off. We'll see if it works this week.

Ryan O'Halloran:
A bye week evidently means fewer questions so I'm cutting this chat short so I can finish up tomorrow's Insider. I'll be back next week at 2 p.m. to chat about the Lions game and look ahead to the Green Bay game.

I'm back here at Redskin Park. The typical day-off stuff means not a lot is going on today. The players have to report at 7 a.m. Wednesday for film review and then they'll get into the Green Bay game plan.

The Lions game was probably pretty boring for those at home, but looking at the game from a couple different angles, it was interesting. This is especially true when watching it on the DVR. Gregg Williams and Al Saunders both called smart game plans. Williams never once rushed more than four defenders and the Redskins still got five sacks. He opted to give up everything the Lions wanted to take underneath because he was confident his linebackers could make the tackles. And they did.

Saunders, meanwhile, altered the passing game plan without Santana Moss. Only two of Jason Campbell's 29 attempts traveled further than 20 yards.

The Packers are an interesting team. Obviously Brett Favre is playing well and as Joe Gibbs said on his radio show earlier today, the Pack isn't make much of an effort to run the football. Defensively, they have two solid corners (Al Harris and Charles Woodson) and a prime-time pass rusher (Aaron Kampman).

Let's get to the few questions I've gotten so far. If you have one, send it along to skinsmailbag@washingtontimes.com

From Skinslover in Atlanta:
I'm looking ahead. I think the Cowgirls will lose their next two games first to the Pats, and then to Your Vikes. Will Jackson be back by then for the Vikes and what do you think there chances are to win with or without him?

Ryan O'Halloran:
Glad to start with a question regarding my Vikings, who stink like all get out. Dallas will lose to New England on Sunday in the Game of the Year So Far. But the Cowboys will throttle the Vikings in two weeks. The Cowboys could be 8-1 (although that means they've won at Philly and the Giants) when they host the Redskins in November. If the Vikings have Jackson at QB, they have ZERO chance. Dallas got big-time lucky last night, though.

From Gary in Reston:
Was it me or was Mike Martz out to lunch on Sunday?

Ryan O'Halloran:
No, it wasn't you. It was befuddling how Martz called the Lions' plays. He didn't adjust whatsoever once the Redskins showed they weren't going to be blitzing at all. And for some reason, he didn't use Kevin Jones until the second half. Granted, the Lions had some success with draw plays but the Redskins were giving that up -- sacrifice the 5-yard carry to defend the 15-yard crossing route. And the Lions defensive coaching staff -- they should return their paychecks. They made no effort to pressure Jason Campbell -- he was put on the ground only twice in more than 30 dropbacks.

From Barry in Centerville:
With four games played, how would you grade the following players: Jason Campbell, Clinton Portis, Sean Taylor, Chris Cooley and Shawn Springs?

Ryan O'Halloran:
Jason Campbell -- B: He has four touchdowns, three interceptions, 869 yards passing and an 84.3 rating. He's had some bumps in the road, but that's to be expected. There's no question he's the guy to lead this team.

Clinton Portis -- B: Portis has 66 rushes for 299 yards and three touchdowns. He has also caught 9 passes. He gets a good grade because he didn't have a training camp and yet stepped in right away with 17 carries against Miami. And the guy plays his butt off.

Chris Cooley -- C: He has three touchdowns but only 10 catches for 80 yards in four games. He's been an average player but mostly because of what defenses are doing to cover him.

Sean Taylor -- B: Has two interceptions and isn't missing nearly as many tackles as last year.

Shawn Springs -- Incomplete. I still think they're working him into the lineup.

From Tom in D.C.:
You mentioned the five road games coming up in today's story. What's your prediction on how they come out of his seven-game stretch?

Ryan O'Halloran:
Here goes (subject to change): lose at Green Bay, win over Arizona, lose at NE, win at NYJ, win vs. Philly, lose at Dallas, win at Tampa Bay. ... That would leave the Redskins at 7-4. In the dreadful NFC that would leave them in great position for a wild card berth since Dallas remains the NFC East favorite. The worst case is they go 2-5 during the stretch.

From Bill in Bethesda:
What's surprised you so far in the NFL this season?

Ryan O'Halloran:
In the NFC, New Orleans falling apart (0-4) tops the list. The Saints were bad defensively last year but the offense covered their butts. Now the OL is a turnstile, McAllister is out for the year and the Saints are finished. What this year will show is that Reggie Bush isn't an every-down, between-the-tackles NFL running back.
In the AFC, San Diego's struggles are interesting. But at 2-3, they're only a half-game out of the division lead so I think they might be OK although I said last week they were finished.

Ryan O'Halloran:
Well, that's it for this week. No more questions in the Inbox. See ya next week.

Hey everybody from Redskin Park. Welcome to another live chat, reviewing Green Bay and previewing Arizona.

Open locker room was from 12:30-1:30 today. Joe Bugel said he expects Casey Rabach and Todd Wade to play against Arizona. Lorenzo Alexander has been moved from defensive tackle to left offensive tackle behind Chris Samuels. Marcus Washington will try to increase his workload today in practice, which just started.

Send questions to skinsmailbag@washingtontimes

From Henry in Virginia Beach:
Don't you think a big problem with this team is Al Saunders? We have a good Defense and a good QB now but Al is messing it up with his play calling and lack of feel for the game. First, when was the last time one of those reverses actually gained more then 5 yards, so why must we run some version of them 3 times a game? In GB it was raining and guys were dropping and fumbling balls all over the place but lets have 9 guys handle the ball on a rainy day when nobody can hang onto.good play! Second, 3 and 1 Saunders calls a pass to Sellarsguess what Al another drop. Another 3 and 1 and Al pitches the ball back 4 yards to CP and he doesnt even get back to the line of scrimmage.

Ryan O'Halloran:
No, Al Saunders isn't a big problem. Dropped catches are the problem. Portis fumbling is the problem. A creaky offensive is the problem. The reverse has been a successful play for the Redskins since 2004, especially with Moss and Randle El. Before Moss slipped, remember, he fumbled. On third-and-1, that's not an automatic run down against the Packers because Green Bay knew any important run would be going to the left side. Granted, there are always going to be nit picks within any game as it relates to play calling but I think Saunders has called some good games.

Barry in Reston:
What's the latest with the offensvie line?

Ryan O'Halloran:
Center Casey Rabach is expected to play. ... Right tackle Todd Wade hopes to play but will be replaced by current right guard Jason Fabini if he can't go. ... If Fabini moves to tackle, Rick DeMulling or Mike Pucillo will play right guard. ... The big deal is Rabach. If he was unable to play that would require a lot of juggling -- Pucillo to center, DeMulling to right guard, Fabini to right tackle and who knows what kind of chemistry that group would have.

From Pete in Arlington:
How surprised are you by the way the defense is playing?

Ryan O'Halloran:
I thought the defense would be improved but their play has been surprising. I thought they would move up to around 15th or 16th in the league (up from 31st). Instead, they're in the top five (don't have the statistics in front of me). It's already drawing comparisions to the 2004 team but there's a different, I think: Even though they didn't give up yards in '04, they didn't exactly create a ton of turnovers or sacks. This team is on their way to doing that.

From Thad in Annapolis:
After a big win it seems that skins have a let down, with the coaching staff that they have in place this should not happen but it does why?

Ryan O'Halloran:
You're right -- this team has been prone to letdowns ever since Gibbs came back in 2004. Three years ago -- beat Tampa in opener, lose next four; Two years ago -- start 3-0, lose two straight; start 5-3, lose three straight; Last year -- get back to 2-2, lose three straight. This year -- start 2-0, lose to Giants. ... As to why it's happened this year, the Giants loss was a complete letdown. The Redskins for sure thought they would be 3-0 heading into their bye. As for Green Bay, circumstances (injuries) have to be considered but if you're a road underdog, I'm not sure if a loss can be classified as a letdown. As for the coaching staff, I'm sure they're trying to push some buttons this week.

From John in Fairfax:
Do the Cardinals have a chance in you-know-what of winning Sunday?

Ryan O'Halloran:
There's always a chance but in the Cardinals' case, it's not much of a shot, especially if Tim Rattay has to start at quarterback. He's been with the team less than two weeks. The Redskins will win 24-6.

Ryan O'Halloran:
Practice update: Not practicing today are Stephon Heyer, Casey Rabach, Todd Wade, Shawn Springs (in Texas with his ill father) and Pete Kendall (rest). Fabini was at RT, Pucillo at C, DeMulling at RG and Lorenzo Alexander at LG.

Ryan O'Halloran:
That's it for this week. I'll be back Tuesday to talk about the Cardinals and Patriots.

The Redskins are still waiting for the result of cornerback Carlos Rogers' MRI exam, but it's almost certain that he'll be out at least a month. That would be if Rogers only injured the MCL in his right knee against New England. If it's the ACL, Rogers is done for the year.