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Redskins Insider 6voices.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider


McNabb, Sellers miss practice Redskins quarterback


DonovanMcNabb and fullback Mike Sellers did not participate inMonday’s practice because of injuries suffered in Saturday’s 23-3 preseason loss to Baltimore, and neither the players nor CoachMike Shanahan could say whether they would return for Friday’s game at the New York Jets. McNabb was wearing a boot


on his left foot in themorning, then wore what appeared to be an air cast on his left ankle duringMonday’s afternoon practice. “I still don’t really know how


bad it is,” Shanahan said. “He’s getting treatment.We’ll just kind of figure it out day by day.” Sellers injured his left leg


while blocking against the Ravens and watched practice fromthe sidelineMonday. “You always get nervous


when you get injured,” Sellers said. “You never know how bad it is or what’s happening. I think anybody, any time you get injured, you’re nervous. “It’s calmed down quite a bit


JONATHAN NEWTON/THE WASHINGTON POST AlbertHaynesworth talked with CoachMike Shanahan and defensive leader London Fletcher, and all parties seem eager to put issues to rest. Redskins aim to put problem in past redskins from D1


well. And then we’ll see where he’s at from that standpoint.” After a tumultuous weekend,


whenHaynesworth criticized the team for trivializing his illness, followed by news that he was suffering from rhabdomyolysis, a condition marked by the break- down of skeletal muscle, both sides were careful with their words Monday.Haynesworth de- clined to answer questions in the locker room, and Shanahan re- fused to respond to Haynes- worth’s Saturday postgame com- ments or discuss their relation- ship.


While Shanahan did not dis-


cuss Haynesworth’s health woes, he did reveal after practice Mon- day that he has spoken with the disgruntled defensive lineman. “I’m not going to go through


the communication that I had,” Shanahan told reporters. “I had a conversation with Albert. I don’t discuss that for obvious reasons. Andif you guys want to talk about football, we’ll talk about football. But [to] keep on talking about things outside of football is com- pletely ridiculous.”


Shanahan wasn’t the only per-


son who pulled Haynesworth to the side on Monday. Following the team’s morning walk- through, linebacker London Fletcher, last year’s defensive cap- tain, met with Haynesworth for several minutes near the back entrance of the building. After their discussion, Fletcher spoke with reporters and said the team is ready to move forward. “We’re not going to have any


issues,” Fletcher said. “Some- times there’s frustration that takes place on football teams. Moving forward, I think we’ll be great.” In the locker room, players


have clearly grown tired of dis- cussing the ongoing soap opera, which has been among the league’s biggest preseason sto- ries, dominating headlines and highlight shows. “At some point, you got to stop


going back and forth with it,” linebacker Lorenzo Alexander said. “But I think Albert has been doing a good job until then. Just a bad judgment call on his part, as far as forcing it out. “You can’t go back and forth in the media with this type of thing,”


he continued. “It’s only going to cause distractions and this is all we’re going to focus on.We’re not going to focus on the game and what happened in the game, what’s going on with the Jets.We talk about Albert and Coach Sha- nahan going back and forth. Frankly, I’mtired of talking about it.”


Wide receiver Devin Thomas


called RedskinsPark “dramacity” and said: “it’s getting tiresome, always hearing about some Al- bert problems. But like I said, hopefully things can get solved and all that can stop, just focus on football.” That’s what the team’s coaches


are trying to do. On Saturday, Haynesworth sat out the first half and entered the game in the third quarter. “He did play 19 to 20 plays and got a little tired at the end, which is typical for some- body that misses a few days of practice, even though he didwork out Friday — we got a little run- ning in,” Shanahan said. “But we felt like we needed to


work him some in that nose tack- le position, which is kind of like a workout.” Haynesworth looked well in


limited action, tallying his first sack of the preseason. But he also left the game on a third-down goal-line situation. Shanahan de- clined to say whether Haynes- worth was too winded to partici- pate in the play. But clearly, he still believes Haynesworth has to get in better shape to contribute at a peak level. “Sometimes I’ve got to prac-


tice a guy and get some playing time in a preseason game just to get back in football shape,” Sha- nahan said. “But people will prac- tice if they’re going to play during the regular season. He needed some reps in there, that’s the only reason we put him in.” Haynesworth did take some


first-team reps with the Redskins’ nickel package last week, but it’s not clearwhat he’ll be asked to do Friday night when the Redskins visit theNewYork Jets. Of course, that could be look-


ing too far ahead. Haynesworth’s relationship with the coach — and his role in the defense — is still a day-to-day process. “He’s just got to get going.


That’s all,” Haslett said. “It’s time to stop all this and let’s go.” maeser@washpost.com


QB Campbell is looking for fresh start out West campbell from D1 “I look back on it just saying it


prepared me for this part of my career,” Campbell said Saturday of his Redskins tenure. “I went through a lot of things there, a lot of changes. . .Playing the quar- terback position, you get blamed for a lot of stuff. A lot of stuffwas just way toomuch, though.” Former Redskins coach Jim


Zorn said fans and others may have assigned Campbell more blame than he deserved. Zorn, who had a record of 12-20 in two seasons as the team’s head coach, said the Redskins could have won with Campbell at quarter- back if the rest of the club had been functioning smoothly. “He was progressing as well,”


Zorn said. “Think about the pressure that he was under with all the criticism. He had been there longer than Iwas. And that was part of the issue. Peoplewere tired of seeing him, right? Butwe could have pushed through with him. We couldn’t push through with some of the injuries we had.” Zorn, now the quarterbacks


coach of the Baltimore Ravens, said he expects Campbell to succeed in Oakland if the Raid- ers’ offensive line performs well. “Watch him,” Zorn said at the


Ravens’ training camp earlier this month. “If they protect him and they give him an opportuni- ty to move the chains and move the ball and not have to go to drastic schemes to protect him, absolutely he’s going to be fine. “Now, his big growth has got


to continue to be decision-mak- ing. . . He does have a lot of talent. . .He’s learned a lot in a couple years.” Zorn inherited Campbell


from his predecessor, Joe Gibbs, who drafted Campbell in 2005. The Redskins went to the play- offs twice in Gibbs’s second go- around as coach, but neither


CHARLES REX ARBOGAST/ASSOCIATED PRESS


“I look back on it just saying it prepared me for this part ofmy career,” Jason Campbell said of his five years with the Redskins.


time was with Campbell at quar- terback. Once was with Mark Brunell in the 2005 season, a year before Campbell took over as the starter. The other came when backup Todd Collins took over for an injured Campbell and led a late push to the playoffs in the 2007 season. Former Redskins quarterback


Joe Theismann said it “remains to be seen” if Campbell can be a winning NFL quarterback. “Do we really know how good


he is or how good he could be? I don’t think we do,” Theismann said by telephone last week. “There have been so many vari- ables in his career with the constant changes in coaches, sys- tems, personnel, everything.He’s a quiet guy. He needs to be assertive. But I do believe he has a chance. Up until now, he never really had a chance. So many things were stacked against him.”


Theismann said he believes


that Campbell has a legitimate opportunity to thrive in Oakland because the Raiders favor the kind of down-the-field passing game in which Campbell might excel. “He’s in a system that’s com-


plementary to his style of play,” Theismann said. “And anything has to be an improvement over the protection he got from his offensive line last year in Wash- ington. The fact is, he’ll be up- right more often, and that will give hima chance to succeed.” The Raiders have gone seven


straight seasons with at least 11 losses. But owner Al Davis has raised expectations for his 28- year-old quarterback. Davis said in a recent radio interview that Campbell reminds him of Jim Plunkett, who won two Super Bowls with the franchise. Davis also said he doesn’t expect Campbell to let himdown.


The Raiders have won both


their preseason games, and Campbell showed some positive signs in Saturday’s 32-17 triumph over the Bears. He scored a touchdown on a quarterback sneak to cap a crisp opening drive, and zipped some throws to receivers en route to amassing 170 passing yards in one half of work. But Campbell also made mistakes. He threw an intercep- tion on one pass when an accu- rate throw might have produced a touchdown, and was stripped of the ball for a fumble on a sack by Bears defensive end Julius Peppers. “I’m pleased with his adjust-


ment to the offense,” Raiders Coach Tom Cable said after the game. “I think he was better [Saturday] than he was last week. I thought there were some times that he was under heavy duress. He didn’t have timemay- be to do some things when there were openings.” Said Campbell: “This game


was a lot more comfortable. The last game, I had a couple jitters before the game started, the first time with a new team. But this game, I was just glad to be out there playing football.” During the offseason, the


Raiders hired Hue Jackson, a former Redskins offensive coor- dinator under Steve Spurrier, as their top offensive coach. That means another full slate of changes for Campbell, who wasn’t with the Redskins when Jacksonwas there. But he should be accustomed to that by now. “I don’t know if it ever gets


easier,” Campbell said. “But this is probably one of the most comfortable ones to be a part of because you come to a team where you’re accepted. The team is young and hungry. Guys want to win, and you’re able to [show] your leadership. . . It’s a fresh start.”


maskem@washpost.com


. . . I expect to play every week. Now, whethermy trainers tell me I can, I don’t know.” Shanahan said that if this


were the regular season, Sellers would be listed as questionable for the game against the Jets. The teamsigned fullback Carey Davis over the weekend. There was better news about


rookie left tackle TrentWilliams. Despite suffering a forearm contusion Saturday and spending the second half in a sling, Williams expects to practice fully this week and play Friday. “I’mfine,” he said. “I’mA-


OK.” Williams said he injured his


forearmin the first quarter but played through the pain. He iced the armand wore the sling to reduce swelling, he said.With his armwrapped,Williams practiced regularlyMonday and knows his performance against the Ravens showed he has room for improvement.


NFLNOTEBOOK


Report: Rooney asked to leave Giants press box


Steelers owner, U.S. ambassador to Ireland lacked credential


BYMARKMASKE DanRooney, thelongtimeown-


er of the Pittsburgh Steelers, is a memberof theProFootballHallof Fame. He has the NFL’s minority interviewing rule named for him becauseofhisworkontheleague’s diversity committee.He is theU.S. ambassador to Ireland. Noneof thatapparentlyhelped


him Saturday night when he re- portedly was asked to leave the press box at the New Meadow- lands Stadium because he lacked theproper credential to be there. According to the Pittsburgh


Post-Gazette,Rooney flew in from Ireland to watch the Steelers-Gi- ants preseason game in person, and was talking to people in the press box before the game. A press box attendant told


Rooney to leave and return to the private box for which he had a credential. Rooney complied, ac- cording to the report. . . . New England Patriots quarter-


back Tom Brady said during a radio interview Monday he’s not following the HBO show “Hard Knocks,” which is featuring the New York Jets’ training camp this summer. “I hate the Jets,” Brady said


during his regular appearance on Boston radio station WEEI, ac- cording to an account of the com- ments in the Boston Globe, “so I refuse to support that show.” l TITANS: Chris Johnson ran


foratouchdown,VinceYoungout- dueledMatt Leinart yet again and Tennessee beat the visiting Arizo- naCardinals, 24-10. Johnson scored on his sixth


carry, an eight-yard run that capped an 85-yard drive. Johnson was restedthe rest of the game. Youngonceagaingot thebetter


ofLeinart,whois tryingtoholdoff Derek Anderson for the starting job in Arizona. Young was 9 of 13 for 128 yards and left after four serieswith a 10-0 lead.Meantime, the Cardinals went three-and-out ineachof Leinart’s three series. l GIANTS: Quarterback Eli


Manning is back and ready to go. Manning returnedtopractice and left no doubt that he intends to play inSaturday’snext-to-lastpre-


seasongameagainst theRavens in Baltimore. “I’m feeling great,” Manning


said.Manningwas held out of the gameagainst thePittsburghSteel- ers on Saturday because the team was concerned that a gash on the left side of his forehead would reopen if he were hit or that it would be irritated or infected by wearinghishelmet. The 12 stitches thatwere need-


ed to close the wound were re- moved Friday, four days after the quarterback was cut in a game against the Jets. The team plans to add a little


extra padding to his helmet to protect thewound. l DOLPHINS: Coach Tony


Sparanosaidhedoesn’t expectPat White to play Friday against At- lanta, an indication the second- yearquarterback’s roster spot is in jeopardy. White took three snaps to run


out the clock in the opening game and didn’t play Saturday at Jack- sonville. He’s fourth on the depth chart behind Chad Henne, Chad Pennington and Tyler Thigpen, and Sparano has said he’ll keep only three quarterbacks. l RAMS: A.J. Feeley is not


practicing, a sign that No. 1 draft pick Sam Bradford may start at quarterback thisweek. Feeley has undergone an MRI


examfor a thumb injury and also hurt his elbow in the first quarter Saturday atCleveland. l BEARS: In onemove, a lot of


experience at quarterback was added. Todd Collins, 38, signed with the team. He has played for Washington,KansasCity andBuf- falo. He is expected to battle the injured Caleb Hanie for the No. 2 spot behindstarter JayCutler. l JETS: All-Pro center Nick


Mangold is close on a contract extension that would make him one of the highest-paid players at his position. Mangold is sched- uled to earn $3.3 million in the final year of his five-year rookie deal. l COWBOYS: Scratch two


more starters with injuries. That brings the total to four. And it’s looking less likely that


DezBryantwillplay inany exhibi- tiongames,either.Thebright side, said Coach Wade Phillips, is that almost everyone is expected back for the seasonopener.


The Associated Press contributed to this report.


“I hadmy ups and downs,” he said. “It’s a game to learn from.”


Safety knows 3-4 defense The Redskins’ newest safety


hasmore experience playing in the 3-4 defensive scheme that Washington uses than any other safety on the roster. The way the Redskins deploy their safeties is very similar to the way Tyrone Carter played in his six years with the Pittsburgh Steelers. “It’s just like learning how to


walk again,” Carter said. “It’s easy.” Carter signed with the


RedskinsMondaymorning and practiced for the first time in the afternoon. He comes to the Redskins with 10 years of NFL experience, including 53 starts and 151 total games. Last year, he appeared in all 16 games for Pittsburgh, starting 12 in place of injured Troy Polamalu. Carter tallied 72 tackles, two


interceptions, one sack, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in 2009. He was added to beef up the


safeties with the loss of Kareem Moore, who injured his knee in Saturday’s game against Baltimore. Shanahan confirmed that


Moore, projected to start at free safety this season, underwent arthroscopic surgery onMonday and will be out four to six weeks. “Hopefully, it’s sooner rather


than later,” Shanahan said. Defensive coordinator Jim


Haslett said Carter can play both free and strong safety, but will focus on the strong safety position with the Redskins. Reed Doughty and Chris Horton will battle for the starting free safety job. “He knows the defense,”


Haslett said of Carter. “He’s played in the defense a long time. Imight have to pick his brain a little bit.” Playing in the Steelers’ 3-4


scheme, Carter appeared in two Super Bowls. “I know what it takes. I’ve been there, done that, I’ve seen it,” Carter said. “I know what it takes to be a champion.” —Barry Svrluga and RickMaese


TUESDAY, AUGUST 24, 2010


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