 }})
Via the WaPo, but it is the best observations from yesterday and he does call the Redskins by name.
RICHMOND – Saturday marked the first day of padded practices and the hottest day yet of training camp. The Redskins had a fairly spirited practice despite a field temperature of 108 degrees.
● Saturday’s morning walk-through and afternoon practice drew a crowd of 5,266 fans, according to the Redskins.
● Griffin had another sharp day of practice, completing nine of 11 passes, including going 5-for-5 in the two-minute drill, when he hit Andre Roberts, Jordan Reed, DeSean Jackson, Roberts again, and Ryan Grant to move his team into field goal range with time running out. Griffin’s throw to Grant was the most clutch as it came on fourth-and-4 and with Ryan Kerrigan bearing down on Griffin after beating Brandon Scherff. That play set up what would’ve been a last-second field goal.
● We saw Griffin do a little running today, some on designed plays, some on broken plays. He’s still fast, but he didn’t seem to be as lightning fast as he once was on one play where he tried to get to the edge with Stephen Paea in pursuit. Griffin did beat the defensive end and cut upfield for a nice gain. But that 'oh wow’ factor wasn’t there. Was Griffin going all out? Hard to say. And is the speed he has now enough to still get him out of trouble and hurt defenses? Certainly.
RICHMOND VA, AUGUST 1: Redskins fans during day 3 of the Washington Redskins training camp in Richmond VA August 1, 2015 (Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post) Redskins fans endured high temperatures — as did the Redskins — during Day 3 of camp in Richmond. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post)
● Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy again flip-flopped, as Cousins worked with the second team and McCoy with the third. Cousins had a couple of nice throws, including a roll-out pass to Roberts and a deep pass along the right sideline, but otherwise struggled. McCoy didn’t look great. He threw an interception to cornerback Tajh Hasson after badly missing wide receiver Tony Jones.
● Duke Ihenacho returned to the starting lineup a day after Jeron Johnson worked with the first team and Ihenacho the second. (Ihenacho worked with the first team on Day 1). The fourth-year pro made some noise, both against the run and the pass. Ihenacho got a good read on running back Matt Jones and drilled him in the hole, stopping the ball carrier in his tracks with a loud thud. Later, Ihenacho displayed good closing speed as he caught up to Pierre Garcon on a crossing route and swatted away a Griffinpass. It’s only three days, but so far, Ihenacho has flashed a little more than Johnson.
● Junior Galette still needs a couple more days of work with the strength and conditioning coaches before he starts practicing, Gruden said. But that hasn’t stopped Galette from finding ways to contribute. After completing his work on a side field, he came over to watch the 1-on-1 rushing/blocking drills. At one point, defensive end Corey Crawford (an undrafted rookie) got knocked off balance after engaging with a lineman. Crawford got back in line after losing his battle and Galette pulled him aside and demonstrated to Crawford a better way to shoot with his hands and maintain control of the lineman.
● Jordan Reed and Niles Paul garner the bulk of the attention whenever tight ends are discussed. But Logan Paulsen has consistently lined up as the starter in base packages. Many times, it’s a run play or a pass to Jackson or Garcon. On plays where the tight end is involved in the passing game, Paul will either join Paulsen (we’ve seen a lot of two-tight end sets) or replace him. Reed has been the third option.
● Ryan Kerrigan spent much of today’s practice lining up at right outside linebacker and going against left tackle Trent Williams. This is a change for Kerrigan, who for the first four years of his career has played almost exclusively on the left side, facing right tackles. Kerrigan admitted this was a new challenge and that facing Williams “usually really makes you feel really bad about yourself.” Williams got the better of Kerrigan both in their matchups during 1-on-1 drills, pancaking him twice, and during team drills. Unlike a lot of tackles, who struggle to match Kerrigan’s strength, Williams absorbed Kerrigan’s bull-rushes well. And Kerrigan also struggled to fight through Williams’ counters to his moves. Kerrigan said he has to learn how to be as effective with his left hand as he is with his right, which he uses primarily when engaging tackles while rushing from the left side. Kerrigan said Joe Barry told him he’d be moving around a lot this year, rather than camping out on one side.
● After one of Williams’s victories over Kerrigan, a fan yelled, “Yeah, Trent! Hey, pay the man! Pay the man!”, referring to Williams’ unresolved contract status. Williams turned, pointed at the fan and grinned.
● Kedric Golston gave rookie guard Arie Kouandjio his welcome-to-the-NFL moment today. Matched up in 1-on-1 drills, Golston (a 10th-year veteran) absolutely manhandled Kouandjio and violently threw him to the ground.
● Trent Murphy remained in the starting lineup with Galette still getting back into top shape. Murphy has a clear edge over Preston Smith, who hasn’t done anything to stand out. When they drafted him, people within the organization believed that Smith already was better than Murphy. However, that was before they got to see the improved Murphy on the field for practices. While Murphy has gotten stronger and more effectively fights through blocks, Smith has been swallowed up by blockers and neutralized. Brandon Scherff handily won his matchups with Smith, knocking him to the ground soon after the linebacker fired off the ball on one play.
● The most impressive rookie of the draft class by far is Jamison Crowder, who electrified with his speed on an end around and also made a couple of tough catches. Crowder also used speed and crisp route-running skills to shake defenders and get open for catches.
● Cornerback DeAngelo Hall didn’t take part in Saturday’s action because it was a planned day off. The 12th-year veteran practiced fully on his twice-repaired Achilles’ tendon and hasn’t experienced any setbacks.
● With Hall out, and Bashaud Breeland also sidelined, David Amerson started opposite Chris Culliver. Justin Rogers again served as top nickelback. Jay Gruden said that rookie Tevin Mitchel and safety Kyshoen Jarrett also could see some time covering slot receivers. Coaches don’t believe that Amerson is best suited for this position, so they will keep him on the outside. Amerson said, however, that he believes he could cover slot receives just fine if given the opportunity.
● Backup offensive tackle Willie Smith sat out Saturday’s practice because of a sore Achilles’ tendon.
● Jackson dislocated a finger on his left hand and sat out a portion of the 11-on-11 segment late in practice. He did return to action, however, and made a catch.
● Mitchel injured his right shoulder late in practice and left the field with a pair of trainers for further evaluation.
Observations from Day 3 of Redskins training camp - The Washington Post
RICHMOND – Saturday marked the first day of padded practices and the hottest day yet of training camp. The Redskins had a fairly spirited practice despite a field temperature of 108 degrees.
● Saturday’s morning walk-through and afternoon practice drew a crowd of 5,266 fans, according to the Redskins.
● Griffin had another sharp day of practice, completing nine of 11 passes, including going 5-for-5 in the two-minute drill, when he hit Andre Roberts, Jordan Reed, DeSean Jackson, Roberts again, and Ryan Grant to move his team into field goal range with time running out. Griffin’s throw to Grant was the most clutch as it came on fourth-and-4 and with Ryan Kerrigan bearing down on Griffin after beating Brandon Scherff. That play set up what would’ve been a last-second field goal.
● We saw Griffin do a little running today, some on designed plays, some on broken plays. He’s still fast, but he didn’t seem to be as lightning fast as he once was on one play where he tried to get to the edge with Stephen Paea in pursuit. Griffin did beat the defensive end and cut upfield for a nice gain. But that 'oh wow’ factor wasn’t there. Was Griffin going all out? Hard to say. And is the speed he has now enough to still get him out of trouble and hurt defenses? Certainly.
RICHMOND VA, AUGUST 1: Redskins fans during day 3 of the Washington Redskins training camp in Richmond VA August 1, 2015 (Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post) Redskins fans endured high temperatures — as did the Redskins — during Day 3 of camp in Richmond. (John McDonnell/The Washington Post)
● Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy again flip-flopped, as Cousins worked with the second team and McCoy with the third. Cousins had a couple of nice throws, including a roll-out pass to Roberts and a deep pass along the right sideline, but otherwise struggled. McCoy didn’t look great. He threw an interception to cornerback Tajh Hasson after badly missing wide receiver Tony Jones.
● Duke Ihenacho returned to the starting lineup a day after Jeron Johnson worked with the first team and Ihenacho the second. (Ihenacho worked with the first team on Day 1). The fourth-year pro made some noise, both against the run and the pass. Ihenacho got a good read on running back Matt Jones and drilled him in the hole, stopping the ball carrier in his tracks with a loud thud. Later, Ihenacho displayed good closing speed as he caught up to Pierre Garcon on a crossing route and swatted away a Griffinpass. It’s only three days, but so far, Ihenacho has flashed a little more than Johnson.
● Junior Galette still needs a couple more days of work with the strength and conditioning coaches before he starts practicing, Gruden said. But that hasn’t stopped Galette from finding ways to contribute. After completing his work on a side field, he came over to watch the 1-on-1 rushing/blocking drills. At one point, defensive end Corey Crawford (an undrafted rookie) got knocked off balance after engaging with a lineman. Crawford got back in line after losing his battle and Galette pulled him aside and demonstrated to Crawford a better way to shoot with his hands and maintain control of the lineman.
● Jordan Reed and Niles Paul garner the bulk of the attention whenever tight ends are discussed. But Logan Paulsen has consistently lined up as the starter in base packages. Many times, it’s a run play or a pass to Jackson or Garcon. On plays where the tight end is involved in the passing game, Paul will either join Paulsen (we’ve seen a lot of two-tight end sets) or replace him. Reed has been the third option.
● Ryan Kerrigan spent much of today’s practice lining up at right outside linebacker and going against left tackle Trent Williams. This is a change for Kerrigan, who for the first four years of his career has played almost exclusively on the left side, facing right tackles. Kerrigan admitted this was a new challenge and that facing Williams “usually really makes you feel really bad about yourself.” Williams got the better of Kerrigan both in their matchups during 1-on-1 drills, pancaking him twice, and during team drills. Unlike a lot of tackles, who struggle to match Kerrigan’s strength, Williams absorbed Kerrigan’s bull-rushes well. And Kerrigan also struggled to fight through Williams’ counters to his moves. Kerrigan said he has to learn how to be as effective with his left hand as he is with his right, which he uses primarily when engaging tackles while rushing from the left side. Kerrigan said Joe Barry told him he’d be moving around a lot this year, rather than camping out on one side.
● After one of Williams’s victories over Kerrigan, a fan yelled, “Yeah, Trent! Hey, pay the man! Pay the man!”, referring to Williams’ unresolved contract status. Williams turned, pointed at the fan and grinned.
● Kedric Golston gave rookie guard Arie Kouandjio his welcome-to-the-NFL moment today. Matched up in 1-on-1 drills, Golston (a 10th-year veteran) absolutely manhandled Kouandjio and violently threw him to the ground.
● Trent Murphy remained in the starting lineup with Galette still getting back into top shape. Murphy has a clear edge over Preston Smith, who hasn’t done anything to stand out. When they drafted him, people within the organization believed that Smith already was better than Murphy. However, that was before they got to see the improved Murphy on the field for practices. While Murphy has gotten stronger and more effectively fights through blocks, Smith has been swallowed up by blockers and neutralized. Brandon Scherff handily won his matchups with Smith, knocking him to the ground soon after the linebacker fired off the ball on one play.
● The most impressive rookie of the draft class by far is Jamison Crowder, who electrified with his speed on an end around and also made a couple of tough catches. Crowder also used speed and crisp route-running skills to shake defenders and get open for catches.
● Cornerback DeAngelo Hall didn’t take part in Saturday’s action because it was a planned day off. The 12th-year veteran practiced fully on his twice-repaired Achilles’ tendon and hasn’t experienced any setbacks.
● With Hall out, and Bashaud Breeland also sidelined, David Amerson started opposite Chris Culliver. Justin Rogers again served as top nickelback. Jay Gruden said that rookie Tevin Mitchel and safety Kyshoen Jarrett also could see some time covering slot receivers. Coaches don’t believe that Amerson is best suited for this position, so they will keep him on the outside. Amerson said, however, that he believes he could cover slot receives just fine if given the opportunity.
● Backup offensive tackle Willie Smith sat out Saturday’s practice because of a sore Achilles’ tendon.
● Jackson dislocated a finger on his left hand and sat out a portion of the 11-on-11 segment late in practice. He did return to action, however, and made a catch.
● Mitchel injured his right shoulder late in practice and left the field with a pair of trainers for further evaluation.
Observations from Day 3 of Redskins training camp - The Washington Post
