THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2010
KLMNO PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL
Redskins Insider
6voices.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider
Houston’s Foster
proving he belongs At times, running back
Arian Foster wondered whether he would have an NFL career. “I’ll be lying if I said that
didn’t crossmymind,” Foster said in a conference call with reporters Tuesday afternoon. But Fostermade it to the
NFL with the Houston Texans, and it appears he could stay a while after rushing for 231 yards in a season-opening victory over the Indianapolis Colts. The second-year player’s strong running helped the Texans hold off the Colts, 34-24, despite Peyton Manning’s 433-yard, three- touchdown performance. Not bad for a former
undrafted rookie free agent. And the Redskins, who play host to the Texans on Sunday at FedEx Field, undoubtedly will focus on trying to slow down the unheralded back. “I really didn’t know that
much about the NFL draft process,” said Foster, who went undrafted in 2009. “I knew that if you didn’t get drafted, you didn’t get drafted and that was it. Then I started researching it when everything transpired and I found out there was a lot of great players in this league that went undrafted. So, I decided to go to work and I decided to be one of those guys.” Foster signed with the
Texans after the 2009 draft and was a backup last season. In six games, including one start, he rushed for 257 yards —with a 4.8-yard average— and three touchdowns. InWeek 1 against the Colts,
Foster had a 7.0-yard average on 33 rushes and scored three touchdowns. Foster rushed for 2,964
JOHN MCDONNELL/THE WASHINGTON POST Offensive coordinatorKyle Shanahan is one of four members of the Redskins’ staff who worked for GaryKubiak inHouston last year. Redskins, Texans mirror each other redskins from D1
the Texans in January. Then he hired Richard Hightower, who was with Houston from 2006 to ’08, to assist with the Redskins’ special teams; Matt LaFleur, a Texans’ offensive assistant the past two seasons, to coachWash- ington’s quarterbacks; and Ray Wright, who was on Houston’s strength and conditioning staff since 2002, to head the Redskins’ department. While each brought his own
skills to Washington, they also brought a wealth of knowledge about Texans’ players, playbook and tendencies. Publicly, Red- skins’ coaches played down any advantage that might give them, but they acknowledged that Kyle Shanahan could lend a hand to defensive coaches. “A little,” Kyle Shanahan con-
ceded. “They pretty much know what they’re doing though.” Kubiak played under Shanah-
an in Denver as John Elway’s backup. When Kubiak’s playing career ended, Shanahan hired him in San Francisco as a quar- terbacks coach and then made him offensive coordinator in Denver — “when I had no business being one at a very
young age,” Kubiak said. When Kubiak became head
coach in Houston in 2006, he hired Kyle Shanahan as his re- ceivers coach. Kyle Shanahan then served as the team’s offen- sive coordinator the past two seasons, calling plays in 2009 for a unit that was ranked No. 4 in the league. “We got inside knowledge of
their scheme and their person- nel,” linebacker London Fletcher said. “So we’ll definitely ask Kyle some questions.” Kubiak points out that Kyle
Shanahan is well-versed in the Texans’ defense as well. After all, that’s the group he worked against every day in practice. “He’s going to have a good idea
of what works against that de- fense,” said quarterback Rex Grossman, who played for Hous- ton last year. “It’s kind of a mind game between [Kyle and] their defensive coordinator because they know each other so well. Bottom line is, it boils down to execution.” When the Redskins have the
ball Sunday, the game very well could resemble a Texans 11-on-11 drill from last season. Kyle Sha- nahan has brought over the same basic offense, and Houston de-
fensive coordinator Frank Bush is essentially relying on the same defensive packages. “We’ve gone against them ev-
ery day for four years,” said Kyle Shanahan. “We know how to attack each other. There’s no secret about what we like to do against each other. It’s more of, what are we going to do?” Kubiak says the Texans are
running the same basic offense as they did last season, though Redskins coaches warn that ev- ery team makes changes from year to year. While the base offense might be the same, the execution certainly looks differ- ent – at least through one week. Kyle Shanahan’s Houston of-
fense had the league’s top-ranked passing attack a year ago. Quar- terbackMatt Schaub averaged 36 pass attempts an outing and had 50 in one game. In the Texans’ win over Indianapolis last Sun- day, Schaub attempted only 17 passes and totaled just 107 pass- ing yards. Meanwhile, running back Arian Foster had 231 yards on 33 carries and was named the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Week. Offensive coordinator Rick Dennison is charged with calling plays on Sundays, though Kubiak still plays an active role.
“Kyle was very aggressive.
Coach Kubiak may not be as aggressive,” Grossman said. “But it’s the same package of plays. It’s the same offense, same running game, same plays. There’s no doubt our defense is going to have an advantage.” Kyle Shanahan points out,
though, that Texans’ coaches are familiar with him and his ten- dencies aswell. “They knowwhat I like, I know what they like,” he said. But it goes beyond the Shana-
hans. Kubiak, Bush and Denni- son, as well as Texans defensive backs coach David Gibbs, receiv- ers coach LarryKirksey and tight ends coach Brian Parianiwere all a part of Shanahan’s staffs in Denver. While Kubiak’s coaches might
have a great understanding of Shanahan’s
zone-blocking
scheme and Shanahan’s staff might feel they know the weak- nesses on Houston’s roster, they can spend only a few days game- planning and moving the chess pieces around. On Sunday, their ties won’tmatter asmuch. “Once the ball snaps,” Kyle
Shanahan said, “it’s just foot- ball.”
maeser@washpost.com SALLY JENKINS Some observers far from a locker room are making too many observations jenkins from D1
New York Jets, either. She seems to have received ruder treatment fromRush Limbaugh and Keith Olbermann. The other day Sainz went out
to the Jets’ facility to interview quarterbackMark Sanchez, and while she was there, some Jets seemto have acted 14 years old and lost it, because she is a formerMiss Universe contestant and she wears tight jeans (she’s also amarriedmother of three with amasters degree). None of the comments were overtly rude, but they were inappropriate and unprofessional, and another journalist complained on her behalf. Sainz herself told TV Azteca she did not feel insulted, or harassed. “It was definitely a joking
tone, very amicable,” she said. “I wasn’t offended.” Jets ownerWoody Johnson
has apologized for his team’s juvenile conduct. It should have ended there.
But it didn’t,mainly because
everybody else started losing it, too. Limbaugh attacked Sainz for her jeans and cleavage, calling her “boobalicious;” Glenn Beck suggested she wanted the publicity, an impression Sainz did nothing to discourage by going on every talk show in creation; a women’smedia group suggested the Jets undergo “sensitivity training;” and then Portis had to get into it, suggesting women reporters can’t go into locker rooms without fainting fromlust. “You put a woman and you
give her a choice of 53 athletes, somebody got to be appealing to her,” he said. “You know, somebody got to spark her interest, or she’s gonna want somebody.” So now we’re locked into an
interminable debate about appropriate professional conduct for women. Despite the fact that this all started with a handful of guys acting unprofessionally.
Let’s dispense with the
dumbest part of this whole controversy, the question of what Sainz was wearing. She had on jeans and a collared white shirt, but I don’t care if it was Doctor Dentons and a nose ring. It’s her prerogative to wear what she wants, and the only people entitled to judge its professional appropriateness are her bosses at TV Azteca, who apparently are fine with it. And if she dresses for attention, what of it?Women have been using dress as a formof communication since Queen Elizabeth I of England first put on pearls. Contrary to Olbermann’s
speechifying, one woman’s neckline doesn’t define all women in the business,much less “undermine” them. If I had to put a word to that assertion, I’d call it sexist. Themore interesting and less
easy part of the discussion concerns the locker room. Factually, the issue is simple: It’s
not a question of whether women belong in locker rooms. It’s the law. Equal access in the workplace wasmandated in 1979 by a federal judge. But that doesn’tmake it comfortable for anyone. If a locker roomis a
workplace, it’s an inherently awkward one socially. Portis, for all of his silliness, did get at something real in his remarks, the central uneasiness of player- media relations in the locker roomenvironment. In what other profession does one set of people do business with another while they’re partially or wholly unclothed?He’s right: It’s unnatural. But that’s not just about women. It’s the job of themedia to get
inside a player’s character and thoughts, to critique and document a team’s progress and flaws, and to pass that knowledge on as accurately as possible to the public. It’s vital to engage athletes in the locker room, where they experience
their tempers and celebrations. It’s an exposing situation—for everybody. But that’s true whether we’re
talking about women covering the NFL, ormen covering the WNBA (yes, they go into female locker rooms), ormen covering othermen. It requires a high level of professionalism—from everyone. Given the nature of the job,
it’s actually surprising there aren’tmore tensions between reporters and athletes. It’s a testament to the professionalism on both sides that we get along as well as we do. The vast majority ofmen in locker rooms are extremely polite, and that includes Portis, whomI’ve never known to be anything but respectful. (To be honest, the worst sexists I evermet were a couple of editors in suits at Sports Illustrated, not half- clothed players.) There have been just a
handful of serious incidents of sexual harassment in locker
rooms that I can think of in the past 25 years, themost notorious in 1990 when ZekeMowatt of the New England Patriots hurled vulgarities at BostonHerald reporter Lisa Olson after she had written some critical pieces. Almost invariably, the debate
about women in the locker room is carried onmost fiercely by outsiders—fromthe fans who harassed Olson to the commentators who have opined on Sainz’ wardrobe. What all the outsiders ignore
whenever the locker room controversy awakens, as it does every 10 years or so, is thatmale athletes and female reporters have thousands upon thousands of amiable professional dealings each week, without incident. They talk; they interview. They argue; they swap jokes, and trade insights. It’s uncomfortable at times, sure. But it’s not that big a deal. All it takes is a little courtesy, a little humor, and some terry cloth.
jenkinss@washpost.com
JOHN MCDONNELL/THE WASHINGTON POST
CoachMike Shanahan spoke with Clinton Portis about the running back’s remarks about female reporters in locker rooms.
yards—with a 4.6-yard average—and 23 touchdowns during his four seasons at Tennessee. Still, every team passed on himin the draft. He believes he is proving he deserves to be in the league. “I like to think ofmyself as
a cerebral player,” Foster said. “I had different offensive coordinators in college, and every time I learn a different offense, I like to learn the whole concept. I like to learn the ‘why’ I was doing what I was doing instead of being a drone out there. I think that slowed the game down eventually forme. I started to learn what defenses were doing and why they were doing it. “I think that translated to
the professional level.We had a pretty complex scheme in college as far as pass protection.” Foster is focused on team
goals this week against the Redskins. “Go out there and get this
win. That’s themost important thing,” Foster said. “I just want to take baby steps. You can’t win the Super Bowl without them.We will just go out there and play football.”
Haynesworth ailing Defensive lineman Albert
Haynesworth was limited in practiceWednesday because of an ankle injury, according to the Redskins’ injury report. It is unclear howmuch
Haynesworth participated in practice as the Redskins began preparations to host the Houston Texans Sunday. Haynesworth, a two-time all- pro selection, played but did not start in the season- opening victory over the Dallas Cowboys. The Redskins and
Tennessee Titans reportedly have had ongoing trade talks about Haynesworth, whomthe Redskins have paidmore than $32million since February of 2009. Haynesworth’s salary is $3.6million this season.
Shanahan, Portis talk CoachMike Shanahan
spoke with running back Clinton Portis about Portis’s remarks about female reporters in locker rooms, Shanahan said after practice Wednesday at Redskins Park. Shanahan declined to
reveal the details of his conversation with the team’s top back, saying their exchange would remain “private.” Suffice it to say, however, Shanahan likely made it clear that Portis should bemore careful during interviews. Last week, Shanahan spoke
with tight end Chris Cooley after Cooley revealed in a radio interview that Haynesworth worked primarily with the scout team while the Redskins prepared to face Dallas inWeek 1. Cooley and Portis have weekly segments onWJFK (FM-106.7). The teamissued a
statement Tuesday saying it would “take the necessary steps to remind everyone” about the team’s policy concerning appropriate behavior. But Shanahan said he did not broach the subject with the teamWednesday. —Jason Reid
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