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edskins safeties Reed Doughty and LaRon Landry collided at least


twice last Sunday. The second time likely kept Doughty from intercepting aMatt Schaub pass, a would-be turnover that could have preserved Washington’s lead. The first time sent a grimacing Doughty to the sideline. So I asked himWednesday


what that felt like, absorbing the brunt of a LaRon Landry hit in the belly. “Just like it does any time you


get hit by a semi running through your stomach,” he said. “I’ve never been hit like that before. I’ve had the wind knocked out ofme, but that was an entirely different experience.


Quick Fix


Excerpt from voices.washingtonpost.com/hard-hits HARDHITS


Johnson’sdismissal makes littlesense


Well,Larry Johnson’s stay in


Washingtonwas short-lived. Johnson, brought inbyGeneral ManagerBruceAllenandCoach Mike Shanahan,was one of three formerProBowl running backs expectedto leadanoffensive juggernaut.First,FastWillie Parker got theproverbial ax, and nowhe’s joinedonthe scrapheap by Johnson. Keepinmind, Idon’thave any


problemwitha teamworking to get better, I reallydon’t. Idohave aproblemwhena teamcuts a guy two games into the season, saying hedoesn’t fit your scheme. I’m confused, because all offseason andthroughout training camp people atRedskinsParkwere gushing abouthowthesePro Bowl backswere looking in practice.Weheardinnumerous interviews abouthowthey plannedtouse this three-headed monster. Sowheredidall the excitement go? Johnsontouchedthe ball all of


five times before theRedskins decidedhedidn’t fit the scheme?


D.C.SPORTSBOG


“I’m a Washington Nationals fan, but I like the Yankees.”


—Bryce Harper, the Nationals’ latest No. 1 draft pick, during an interview on 106.7 The Fan, in which he also cited the Cowboys, Lakers and Duke among his favorite sports teams.


Again, I’mconfused, because after yourelease Johnsonyou bring ina guy theBillsdumped? YoucutLarry Johnsonafter five carries forChadSimpson,who was cut by one of theworst teams intheNFL? Shanahandoesn’t talk about


anything to themedia, sowe are left to speculate about every decisionmade.Thismovemakes mewonder ifwe really brought in the engineer of those SuperBowls inDenver or another ticket-seller like Steve Spurrier or JoeGibbs his secondtime around?Does this guy stillhave it or ishe just another ona long list of coaches who came back tomake a couple dollars andpositionhis sonto be headcoach? One thing’s for certainforme:


neitherAllennor Shanahanare explaining themethod.And, if I recall correctly, Shanahanwas “fired” inDenver. It feels like a scene out of “TheUsual Suspects,” only I’mnot really surewho Keyser Soze is.Five carries, people!Andthrowin announcements ongameday that a certaindefensive tackle is inactive because ofhis ankle, but he’swalking aroundjust fine? —LaVarArrington


D.C. SPORTS BOG Dan Steinberg


I’mactually thankful he hitme where he did and not the spleen or the kidney or something, because thatmight have ended my career.” Thenmore reporters


approached, and asked the same question. “Square in the stomach,”


Doughty said, describing the hit. “And yeah, I know what


KLMNO 6


3


somebody feels like if they’re drowning, I’ll tell you that. I could not breathe.” (Incidentally, Landry has


something of a new slogan this season, which he imported from his friend’s home in Louisiana and now uses to break defensive backfield huddles: “Meat and potatoes.” “Meat and potatoes are a full-


coursemeal,” he explained. “So it’s a lot of protein, a lot of carbohydrates, the bulk of everything. It’s a big deal, it’s the real deal. Say we’re about to get into themeat and potatoes of the game, the intense part of the game, we need to put out. So we break withmeat and potatoes on three, let’s get it.” Newspapermeetings need to


THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2010


WASHINGTONPOST.COM/SPORTS Football Insider 2010: Download a free iPhone app for Redskins news. Search for “Football Insider” or “Redskins” in the iTunes store.


LaRon Landry, the ‘unguided missile’


end this way. I demand it.) Anyhow, this seemed like an


occasion to ask other Redskins about Landry’s 2010 style, since he leads the NFL in tackles and has already beenmentioned by Sports Illustrated’s Peter King as a defensiveMVP candidate. “LaRon is crazy out there,


man,” Brian Orakpo said. “He a wildman.When you know he’s coming, it’s like a bullet hitting you in your gut.” “Having to block him[in


practice] is damn near the same thing,” wide receiver Anthony Armstrong said. “You get little stingers, you feel a little woozy.” “Imean, he just comes with


reckless abandonment,” Byron Westbrook said. “I can just imagine it hurting.”


“He’s an unguidedmissile,”


defensive coordinator Jim Haslett said. “We’ve got 11 guys running to the ball, so you’ll have a little bit of that.” “Man, that joker’s physical,”


Artis Hicks said. “His rookie year, I was watching aMonday night game, Redskins versus the Eagles, he came and killed a receiver on a crossing route. I said, ‘Man, that guy is nice.’ He’s a punishing tackler.” “Whenever you’re around


guys like that, you have to insert yourselfmore, because if you wait and hesitate a little bit, he’s coming, so you’re liable to get hit,” Phillip Buchanon said. “I mean, there’s gonna be some real serious violence, I know that.We just need himto hit the


quarterback a littlemore often, that’s it.” Whichmeans less hits on his


teammates, I suppose. On the fourth-quarter would-be interception, Doughty said the ball wasmoving too quickly for either player to call the other off, and that the crash “barely knocked the wind out ofme.” But he said the earlier smash-up was “absolutely” the hardest he’s ever been hit at any level of football, that he hadmoved Andre Johnson out of the way “and in the process gotmyself into the sightlines.” “Honestly, I’ve never been hit


like that,” Doughty said. “We all know he can hit hard. You just hope he’s not hitting you.” steinbergd@washpost.com


WASHINGTON POST LIVEWITH IVAN CARTER 5 P.M. ON COMCAST SPORTSNET Rick Maese will be in studio along with CSN Redskins analyst DocWalker and NFL handicapper Brandon Lang.


Hot Topic Wizards Insider Excerpt from voices.washingtonpost.com/wizardsinsider


Growing pains on the horizon


Lack of chemistry, experience are obstacles for Wizards


as team rebuilds for future BY MICHAEL LEE


Fortunately for theWizards, theywon’t


enter this seasonwith the unnecessary pressure that comes fromimpulsive talk of championships, or even the playoffs. Having hit the reset button afterwinning a combined 45 games the past two seasons, they are the beneficiaries of low expectations. If they fail, no problem; it’ll take time. If they surprise, it’s all gravy. These are the beginning stages of


rebuilding, arrivingwith the shiny, new foundation ofNo. 1 overall pick JohnWall. Butwhile having the top pick offers hope for the future, it should also comewith tempered expectations.Remember,most teams have to be pretty bad to be in contention towin the lottery. And, in the lottery era, only fourNo. 1


picks have led their teams into the postseason in the first season. So, itwould be unfair to expectWall towin right away, especiallywhen theWizardswill be among the youngest teams in the league this season,with only three players having more than six years ofNBAexperience on the roster inGilbertArenas, JoshHoward andKirkHinrich. Theywill also feature seven playerswith fewer than four years of NBAexperience, including three rookies. There certainly is intriguing, if


unproven, talent in rookiesWall,Kevin Seraphin and Trevor Booker, new acquisition Yi Jianlian and holdovers Andray Blatche, JaValeMcGee,Nick Young andAl Thornton. But newowner Ted Leonsis is hopeful that theWizards are building a talented young core that can develop and growtogether.He’swilling to be patient to an extent, as long as the team continues tomake progress. Chemistry could potentially be a


TELEVISIONANDRADIO


MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL 4:30 p.m.


COLLEGE FOOTBALL 7:30 p.m.


GOLF 1 p.m.


Houston atWashington » MASN, WXTR (730 AM), WFED (820 AM, 1500 AM)


Miami at Pittsburgh » ESPN, WWXT (92.7 FM),WWXX (94.3 FM),WTEM (980 AM)


PGA Tour, Tour Championship » Golf Channel


HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL 7 p.m.


South Lake (Fla.) vs. Apopka (Fla.) » ESPN2 only from Comcast. AUTORACING


Bowyer penalized after car fails inspection ClintBowyer’s race-winningcar


at New Hampshire failed an in- tense NASCAR inspection Wednesday, earning the driver a 150-point penalty that could wipe outhis championshipchances. NASCAR also fined crew chief


Shane Wilson $150,000, and sus- pended himfor thenext six Sprint Cup races. Car chief Chad Haney was also suspended six races, and team owner Richard Childress was docked 50 owner points. The teamplans to appeal thepenalty. Bowyer won Sunday’s opening


race in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship to vault from 12th to second in the standings. Thepenaltydropshimbacktolast place, 185 points behind leader DennyHamlinwith nine races left todetermine the champion. NASCAR said the No. 33 Chev-


rolet fromSunday’s race had been altered and did notmeet its strict specifications. Bowyer was permitted to keep the victory at New Hampshire —


problem.Arenas’s ability tomeshwith Wallwill be an issue until they prove on the court that it isn’t. There is little separation in talent among the bigmen and small forwards, a lot of young players competing forminutes, andHoward, HiltonArmstrong, Young, Thornton and Yi are playing for contracts next summer. But things could alsowork out smoothly if the players find themselves having similar interests and common goals, hanging out after practice and games and forming friendships. Those things generally have to play out. Last season, theWizards had a deep, talented, veteran cast but could never get on the same page. Aside fromyouth and inexperience, the


DIGEST


NASCAR does not typically strip wins and an official said the Rich- ard Childress Racing teamproba- blywaspunishedenough. Thecarpassedits initial inspec-


tion at New Hampshire on Sun- day, but was taken by NASCAR back to its North Carolina re- search and development center. It was there thatNASCARfound the rear end of the car had been ma- nipulated by Richard Childress Racing.


COLLEGEFOOTBALL Texas andMarylandwillplay in


2017 and 2018, giving the Long- horns their first ACC opponent since 2002. TheteamswillplaySept.2,2017,


in Austin, then face off at FedEx Field on Sept. 1, 2018. Both games will be season openers. It’s the second scheduled game forMary- land at FedEx Field; the Terpswill playNotreDame there in2011.. . . . The NCAA suspended North Carolina defensive back Kendric


BurneysixgamesandsafetyDeun- taWilliams four games for receiv- ing improper benefits. Both play- ers must also repay benefits to become eligible, though the school plans to appeal the length of the suspensions.


CYCLING AlongtimefriendofLanceArm-


strong’s testified before a federal grand jury hearing evidence con- nected to allegations of doping in professional cycling,peoplefamil- iarwiththe case told theAssociat- ed Press. The people, who spoke on condition on anonymity be- cause the case is ongoing, said Stephanie McIlvain appeared be- fore the panel, which met all day. Her attorney, Thomas Bienert, was also seen outside the area where the grandjurymet. McIlvain is important to the


case because she was present in the hospital room where Arm- strong was being treated for can- cer in 1996, when former team- mateFrankieAndreuandhiswife, Betsy, claim the cyclist told doc- tors he had used performance-en- hancingdrugs.


GOLF Ernie Els was elected to the


World Golf Hall of Fame on the first ballot. Els has won 62 times around the world, including two U.S. Opens and a British Open. Doug Ford and Jock Hutchison werechosenthroughtheveterans’ category, and former president George H.W. Bush was selected through the lifetime achievement category. . . . U.S. captain Corey Pavin said


thewife of PhilMickelson is plan- ning tomake the trip to theRyder Cup in Wales next week. Amy Mickelson has only been to the golf course one time since she had breast cancer diagnosed. She showed up in the final hour at Augusta National to watch her husband win the Masters for the thirdtime.


MISC. Juan Martin del Potro said he


will return to tennis next week in the Thailand Open, ending eight months on the sideline afterwrist surgery. The 2009 U.S. Open champion had surgery inMay but has not played since a loss Jan. 24


CHERYL SENTER/ASSOCIATED PRESS


Clint Bowyer (33) had moved from 12th to second place in the Chase for the Cup standings after his win inNewHampshire. After the penalty for his car failing inspection, he is back in last place, 185 points behind leader DennyHamlin with nine races remaining.


intheAustralianOpen. . . . Josh Wolff came on as a late


substitute and scored on a diving header seven minutes into sec- ond-half stoppage time, and the MLS Kansas City Wizards over- came a two-goal deficit to top the visitingHoustonDynamo, 4-3. . . . The Cleveland Cavaliers signed forward JawadWilliams to a one-


year contract. . . . The California State Athletic


Commission said UFC middle- weight title contender Chael Son- nen tested positive for steroids following a loss to Anderson Silva last month in Oakland. The com- mission suspended Sonnen’s li- cense.


—Fromnews services


LAURA RAUCH/ASSOCIATED PRESS Trevor Booker, a 6-foot-7 rookie out of Clemson, will compete in a crowded front court.


Wizards also are in the unenviable position of being in the SoutheastDivision— arguably the toughest division in theNBA, with newly-formed Super FriendsDwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh in Miami, the Eastern Conference champion once-removedOrlandoMagic, theAtlanta Hawks and the Charlotte Bobcats.All four of those teamsmade it to the playoffs last season, and none took any noticeable steps backward this offseason. TheWizards are filledwith


unpredictable probabilities and question marks. But, if theWizards are able to get the full potential out of their top players, then there is a chance that they could sneak into playoff contention.Miami, Boston, Chicago,Orlando,Atlanta, Milwaukee and possibly Charlotte should secure the top seven spots in the East, but


theWizards arguably have asmuch talent as the other seven teams in the conference. Toronto and Cleveland lost all-star talent this summer andwill likely fall.NewYork andNewJerseywhiffedmightily in free agency and could struggle again (unless one of themcanmake a deal for Carmelo Anthony). Then you have Indiana,Detroit and Philadelphia. Afterwinning the lottery lastMay, the


Wizardswould needmuchmore good fortune to avoid a return trip to Secaucus, N.J., next season. But theWizardswant mostly to be a competitive, exciting team. Aplayoff appearancewould be a pleasant surprise.And, another lottery tripmay not be too terrible.After all, it could potentially lead to another building block to add to an already encouraging foundation. leem@washpost.com


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