FRIDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2010
KLMNO PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL NFLNOTEBOOK
Vikings game still bound for outdoors
ASSOCIATED PRESS The executive vice presi- TRACY A WOODWARD/THE WASHINGTON POST The Redskins were forced to moveWednesday’s practice to their hard, artificial turf field at Redskins Park because the facility’s grass fields were frozen solid. Lack of indoor practice site limits Redskins redskins from D1 “Any time you can have a full
practice, and go through it full speed and run, it’s better than walk-throughs” in a gymnasium, cornerback Carlos Rogers said Thursday. “Walk-throughs [are] more mental and getting things down. “You can be tough and say, ‘It’s
Redskins weather.’ But to have that full practice, I think that’s better than anything.” Six times this season, the Red-
skins have postponed practice or changed venues because of in- clement weather. OnWednesday, the team moved practice to its rarely used, hard, artificial turf field atRedskins Park in Ashburn because the team’s grass fields were frozen solid. “The choices were limited,” CoachMike Shana- han said. They were even more limited
Thursdaywhenit snowed and the team didn’t have enough time to charter buses to a nearby fitness facility. Equipment managers shoved bags of balls and cameras for filming practice into the backs of SUVs. Earlier thismonth, rain forced
the Redskins to practice on in- door basketball courts. In Sep- tember andOctober, playerswere bused to an empty airport hangar atDulles InternationalAirport. In August, practice was delayed five hours by rain.Each time the team went indoors, Shanahan de- scribedthepracticesas littlemore than “jog-throughs.” On other days, the team has
trained outside regardless of the temperature, but its cold-weather production in recent years has beendismal.Washingtonis5-17 in games in November, December and January since 2008, includ- ing its 1-4mark this season.
League building boom An indoor training facility “is
something, in my opinion, that you need,” said Charley Casserly, the Redskins’ general manager for23yearsuntilSnyder firedhim in 1999. But “obviously I was on
property, preventing the organi- zation fromundertaking any con- struction on more than half the land. Only the expanse located in front of the team’s headquarters would be available for additional building.Whenthe late JackKent Cooke owned the Redskins, the teampaid justmore than $5mil- lion in 1991 for the plots on a former dairy farm. Back then “itwas talked about,
but not really in detail,” Casserly said. “None of us — including [former head coach] Joe Gibbs— thought we needed it. . . .We felt the weather was never really that bad.” The county allowed bleachers
record 20 years ago saying you didn’t need one.” Indeed, when Redskins Park
opened in Ashburn in 1992 with Casserly at the franchise’s helm, he spent little time considering the benefits of an indoor facility. But Casserly, now an NFL pre- game analyst for CBS Sports, has altered his viewpoint over the years, citing various changes in circumstance: theRedskins’ com- mitment to holding training camp at the facility; the later end to the NFL season; the possible addition of twomore regular sea- son games in the next collective bargaining agreement; and the proliferation of such facilities among the Redskins’ competi- tors. More than a dozen bubbles or
indoor facilities have been erect- ed byNFL teams since 1999. Redskins Executive Vice Presi-
dent Bruce Allen said through a spokesmanthat the teamis “look- ing into our various options re- garding an indoor facility,” but Loudoun County officials said no proposals have been submitted either for building on existing property at Redskins Park or pur- chasing nearby land for such a facility. “From time to time over the years, they have expressed a de-
Redskins Insider Excerpts from
washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider
Rogers plans to play against Cowboys Hishamstringsno longer sore,
cornerback Carlos Rogers plans to return to the lineup Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. “I’ll be ready to go,” Rogers
said Thursday. “They’re a hun- dred percent,” he said of his hamstrings. “If they was any- thing less than that, Iwouldn’t go out there.” Rogers hasmissed three of the
last four games because of ham- string injuries to both legs. After missing the Week 11 victory over Tennessee because of one sore hamstring, Rogers returned to the lineup in the Week 12 loss to Minnesota. He pulled his other hamstring
in the first half against the Vi- kings and sat out after halftime. Rogers missed the next two games, losses to the New York Giants and Tampa Bay, while rehabbing. Although Rogers has sat out
practice thisweek forprecaution- ary reasons, “I’ve been running,” he said. “With me running, even with running on the treadmill, I still can put it to the highest I can go. If I can keep going, what I normally did before I was hurt, I know it’s fine.” However, two other injured
Redskins, defensive linemen Ke- dric Golston (groin and elbow) and Phillip Daniels (abdomen), couldbe listedas game-timedeci- sions for Sunday’s matchup at Cowboys Stadium. On Thursday’s injury report,
Daniels was limited in practice and Golston did not participate. Outside linebacker Lorenzo Alex- ander (hamstring), return spe- cialist Brandon Banks (knee) and safetyKareemMoore also did not practice.
Gano vows rebound When place kicker Graham
Gano reported to work Wednes- day at Redskins Park, the dress- ing stall tohis rightno longerwas assigned to punterHunter Smith, who was released Tuesday after he mishandled the snap on a costly botched point-after at- tempt against the Buccaneers. Gano and Smith had grown
close since Smith re-signed with the team in October, and Gano could have been the one to go after he failed to convert two short field goal attempts in the 17-16 loss at FedEx Field, which helped eliminate the Redskins frompostseason contention. “It’s difficult to see anybody
that’s your teammate get re- leased,” Gano said. “I walked in and saw his locker was cleaned out, I was sad. He’s one of my friends.” Gano, who hasmissed 10 field
goal attempts this season, said he expects to have a strong perfor- mance Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium. “I think I’mat the lowest I can
get right now, but I know what I can do,” he said. “I’m gonna just keep getting better from here on out. I’mgonna have a great game this week in Dallas.
TONI L. SANDYS/THE WASHINGTON POST
“I’m gonna just keep getting better.” said Graham Gano, who missed two field goals against the Bucs. “One day, people are gonna
forget about that game. I’m gon- na look back and I’mgonna laugh at it. Of course, I’m disappointed now. But I’mconfident I’mgonna have a great career here. I think that’s theway I have to look at it.”
Defensive additions The Redskins have signed de-
fensive lineman Jeremy Clark to their active roster and added
rookie defensive lineman Joe Jo- seph to the practice squad, the teamannounced Thursday. Clark, listed at 6 feet 3 and 295
pounds, began his NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2007 as an undrafted rookie free agent. He has bounced around the league with many teams, spending most of his time on practice squads. A four-year starter at Ala- bama, Clark could provide help
along the defensive line. The team has suspended two-time all-pro defensive lineman Albert Haynesworthwithout pay for the remainder of the season. Joseph, listed at 6-2, 315, was
originally signed by the Tennes- see Titans as an undrafted rookie free agent. The formerUniversity of Miami player also spent time on the New York Giants’ practice squad.
—Jason Reid
sire to have an indoor practice facility,” said Charles Yudd, an assistant county administrator in Loudoun. “Itgoesbacktoeventhe previous coach, andmaybebefore that. . . . [But] currently there is no proposal thatwe’re looking at. They haven’t submitted anything . . . It would have to be reviewed by the county.” Only eight other teams — San
Diego, San Francisco, Oakland, Jacksonville, Arizona, Denver, Cincinnati and Carolina—do not own indoor practice facilities or domed stadiums in which they canwork out. Bad weather is rarely a signifi-
cant issue in the California cities and Jacksonville. Arizona, which struggles with scorching temper- atures in late summer and early fall, rents a bubble from Arizona
StateUniversity.Cincinnatiuses a nearby indoor soccer facility, and Denver utilizes a bubble at a rec- reation facility. In the NFC East, only the Red-
skins must improvise when the weather
turnsdour.TheNewYork Giants and Philadelphia Eagles have indoor practice facilities on-
site.TheDallasCowboys’practice bubble collapsed in May 2009, injuring 12 people. The team hasn’t yet decided whether it will construct another indoor facility.
In the meantime, the team buses players to Cowboys Stadium when inclementweather hits. Allen declined further com-
ment on the Redskins’ plans, ac- cording to Senior Vice President Tony Wyllie. The team’s former executive vice president for foot- ball operations, Vinny Cerrato, and head coach Jim Zorn — now the quarterbacks coach for the BaltimoreRavens—alsodeclined to comment. Shanahan said Thursday that
he had made his feelings clear to Snyder. “He’s very aware of my thoughts,” the head coach said. “Obviously I don’t have to go into detail. But, obviously, you want the preparation that you need to get ready for a game.”
Flood plain a factor The cheapest way to remedy
the problem — putting a bubble over one of the four existing fields at Redskins Park, an approxi- mately $3 million proposition — is not, an option at all, according to county officials. All four fields are situated on a 100-year flood plain, which means no perma- nent structures may be built there. The team offices sit just outside the flood plain on a hill. The floodplainrunsdiagonally across the Redskins’ 159-acre
to be erected around the field whentheRedskinsbeganholding training camp at Redskins Park a decade ago because they were temporary structures. The fields themselveswere allowed because theywereconsidered“open-space recreation areas,” according to Terrence Wharton, Loudoun County’s director of building and development. Though there is an indoor
sports facility in Sterling called the Dulles Sportsplex, the Red- skins have not inquired about using it, according toMarcus Dil- lon, the facility’s general manag- er. They would be limited by the 35-foot ceilings,whichare toolow for kicks or long passes. Constructing a brick-and-mor-
tar facility rather than erecting a bubbleoveranexistingfieldcould increase the cost by a factor of 10. The Detroit Lions spent $36 mil- lion on a permanent indoor facili- tythatwas completedin2002and ispart of the team’sheadquarters, according to a teamspokesman. One county official said the
Redskins “are looking for some- thing that is kind of a huge barn” by the airport, and Yudd said there are various plots available in Loudoun that would work for the venture. “There are vacant sites that
have a variety of planning and zoning requirements,” Yudd said, “if somebody’s interested.”
shipleya@washpost.com maeser@washpost.com
dent of the NFL visited the University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium on Thurs- day and vowed that it will be the site of next week’s Vi- kings-Bears game despite concerns about player safety on its frozen field. “We are planning on play-
ing here,” Eric Grubman said as hundreds of workers be- hind him continued to clear snow and ice from the out- door facility. “If we can’t, at that point we’ll figure out what we’ll do next.” Despite an offer from the
Indianapolis Colts to host the Monday night matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium, and con- cern expressed by several players from both teams, Grubman called football a “cold-weather sport” and not- ed that several other NFL teams including Buffalo and Kansas City play in outdoor stadiumswith no heating sys- tems to keep their fields warm. Grubman also visited the
Metrodome, where repair work was temporarily halted because of unsafe conditions four days after the roof col- lapsed under the weight of snow and ice. Grubman declined to talk
about backup plans or dead- lines for a final decision be- cause, he said, they wouldn’t come into play unless TCF is deemed unsuitable. Also Thursday, the Vikings
announced that ticket-hold- ers for the gamewill be seated at TCF Bank Stadium on a first-come, first-served basis. The Metrodome’s capacity is 64,000 seats, and TCF Bank Stadiumholds 50,000. Ticket-holders for the low-
er level at theMetrodomewill get access to the lower level at TCF Bank Stadiumuntil seats fill up. Ticket-holders for the upper level at theMetrodome will only have access to the upper level at TCF Bank Sta- dium. Per university policy, no
alcohol will be served and no outside food or beverageswill be allowed. l BROWNS: Rookie quar-
terback ColtMcCoy is expect- ed to start Cleveland’s final three games, starting Sunday against Cincinnati. McCoy sat out the past
three gameswith a high ankle sprain, but after he looked good in practice on Wednes- day, Coach Eric Mangini de- cided to move him back into the starting lineup ahead of Jake Delhomme. It’s unusual for Mangini to announce his plans at quarterback, but he felt McCoy has earned the opportunity. l STEELERS: Tight end
HeathMiller hasmissed prac- tice because of an exercise-re- lated headache, putting his status for Sunday’s game against the Jets in question. Miller sustained a concus-
sionDec. 5 against Baltimore, causing him to miss last week’s game against Cincin- nati. He was cleared to re- sume practicing and did so Wednesday, only to be held out of Thursday’s practice. l BRONCOS: Tim Tebow
is gettingmore snaps at prac- tice, with starter Kyle Orton nursing bruised ribs, and the rookiemight even get his first extended action of the season when Denver visits Oakland this weekend. l CHIEFS: Quarterback
Matt Cassel was limited in practice and his availability for Sunday’s game at St. Louis remained unclear. He under- went an emergency appen- dectomy Dec. 8. Coach Todd Haley said Cassel and backup Brodie Croyle were both be- ingpreparedaspossible start- ers against the Rams. l JETS: Cornerback Dar-
relleRevis has been limited at practice by “a little soreness” in his right hamstring but expects to play in the team’s game at Pittsburgh on Sun- day. l LIONS: Detroit signed
cornerback Eric King, a day after putting cornerback Brandon McDonald on in- jured reserve with a broken arm. King was waived by the Cleveland Browns on Tues- day.
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