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Redskins Insider: December 28, 2008 - January 3, 2009
Gray Happy Here but Would Like to Move Up
Redskins secondary coach Jerry Gray interviewed for the vacant head coaching position in Detroit yesterday, flying back late last night after a day of meetings with ownership and team management. Gray, who interviewed for Houston's head coaching position three years ago, said that, while he very much enjoys his current...
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Jason La Canfora
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January 3, 2009; 12:30 PM ET |
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Redskins by Position: Linebackers
When Gregg Williams created the foundation of this defense in 2004, he did so with linebacker as the key position. The belief was that they should be the heart and soul of the group, making big plays, pressuring the quarterback, affecting the game in coverage. But that simply was not...
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Jason La Canfora
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January 2, 2009; 2:28 PM ET |
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A Quick Wild-Card Detour
Wild-card weekend is nearly upon us and The League looks at each of the matchups. With Indianapolis going to San Diego, there's really only one burning question: Should Norv Turner (you remember him) be credited or blamed for the Chargers' 8-8 record? Ahead of Baltimore-Miami, we asked if Chad Pennington...
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Cindy Boren
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January 2, 2009; 8:16 AM ET |
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Redskins by Position: Safeties
Happy New Year! All the best to you in 2009; hope you're in need of nothing stronger than a few aspirin today as we take a look at the Redskins' safeties. On a team badly in need of a shot of youth and talent across the roster, this is one...
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Jason La Canfora
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January 1, 2009; 1:24 PM ET |
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Cerrato Looks Ahead
Vinny Cerrato, the Redskins' executive vice president for football operations, praised coach Jim Zorn most for his work with quarterback Jason Campbell and, while stopping well short of declaring Campbell the quarterback of the future (that will be evaluated on a yearly basis, he said), did toss a few compliments...
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Jason La Canfora
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December 31, 2008; 1:40 PM ET |
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Redskins by Position: The Cornerbacks
The secondary was the strength of the team. It was very consistent, exemplary really, when you think about the tepid pass rush and lack of support it received. With the signing of DeAngelo Hall in midseason, there was an abundance of riches here, but many within the organization are bracing...
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Jason La Canfora
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December 31, 2008; 8:15 AM ET |
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Gray a Wanted Man in Houston?
Redskins secondary coach Jerry Gray confirmed that, while he loves his job here, he is very interested in being a defensive coordinator again. He will interview with Detroit for its head coaching job, and while it isn't certain that he will land a head coaching gig, he seems very likely...
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Jason La Canfora
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December 31, 2008; 5:49 AM ET |
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Unrestricted and Unexpurgated
Nearly every morning this season, Jason Reid has grabbed a cup of coffee, carefully chosen his wardrobe and artfully applied his makeup, then headed to his state-of-the-art studio to do an Unrestricted video. You watch it, you think he's the Lou Rawls of sports journalism: smooth, relaxed, one-take Jason. Yeah....
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Cindy Boren
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December 30, 2008; 10:00 AM ET |
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Redskins by Position: The Specialists
The season ends, the positional recaps begin. Let's start with the easiest positions on the team to recap. Special teams was an issue much of the season, and the kicking and punting games were serious concerns. Kicker Shaun Suisham fell into a funk, was the least accurate kicker in the...
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Jason La Canfora
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December 30, 2008; 8:08 AM ET |
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Gray Permitted to Interview in Detroit
Redskins secondary coach Jerry Gray has been granted permission to interview for the head coaching vacancy of the Detroit Lions, a league source has told Jason Reid. The Lions, the first NFL team to go 0-16, fired coach Rod Marinelli today and requested permission to interview Gray. Gray has been...
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Cindy Boren
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December 29, 2008; 5:03 PM ET |
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Final Skins by the Numbers
The Redskins finished the season ranked 19th in offense, based on yards; eighth in rushing yards per attempt; and 24th in passing yards per play. Most importantly, they were 28th in scoring, and 24th in red-zone touchdown percentage. They were 26th in third-down efficiency. Jason Campbell finished 19th with an...
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Jason La Canfora
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December 29, 2008; 4:00 PM ET |
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To 2009 -- and Beyond
The NFL officially announced next year's opponents (it isn't a big secret and you guys have been all over it for weeks, but I thought you might want to see how the rest of the division shakes out). Also, here are some key dates: The 2009 regular season will open...
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Cindy Boren
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December 29, 2008; 3:30 PM ET |
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Zorn Elaborates on Surgical Lineup
Jim Zorn said four Redskins are scheduled for offseason surgery, with none of the procedures too major. Starting guard Randy Thomas's neck surgery, to alleviate a bulging disc he has been playing with for over a month, is the most significant, with defensive tackles Kedric Golston (bone spurs) and Anthony...
By
Jason La Canfora
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December 29, 2008; 3:00 PM ET |
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Zorn Lays Out Offseason Plans
Jim Zorn donned a suit and tie to address his team for the final time this season, wanting to set a tone for the offseason. Zorn, his staff and the football operations side will spend the coming weeks planning the course of the organization, and while he anticipates there will...
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Jason La Canfora
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December 29, 2008; 2:00 PM ET |
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Clinton Being Clinton
What happens when you put a former Redskins running back, a present Redskins running back and a microphone together? Magic, sheer magic and an easy Bog entry for Steinberg, who owes these guys a nice gift basket. The ripper would be Riggo, the rippee Portis, the repartee pure gold....
By
Cindy Boren
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December 29, 2008; 1:04 PM ET |
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Montgomery to Have Knee Surgery
Jason La Canfora reports: Defensive tackle Anthony Montgomery said he will undergo surgery soon on his left knee. "I'll get it 'scoped either this week or next week," Montgomery said. He has not decided whether to have surgery here or to have it performed by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham,...
By
Cindy Boren
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December 29, 2008; 12:40 PM ET |
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Campbell on the Offense
Quarterback Jason Campbell said he is not focusing on his contract situation - it expires after the 2009 season - and is bracing for possible "shocking" personnel moves as the Redskins proceed through the offseason. "I'm not even worried about it," Campbell said when asked whether he thought he did...
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Jason La Canfora
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December 29, 2008; 12:20 PM ET |
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Washington, Perhaps Moving On
It was pretty tough to listen to linebacker Marcus Washington address the media a few minutes ago and not think he isn't on the way out, too. Washington was injured again for much of this season, and the Skins can save about $4 million against the cap by releasing him....
By
Jason La Canfora
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December 29, 2008; 11:55 AM ET |
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Rogers, Possibly on the Way Out
Alot of people around here would not be surprised if the Redskins give big bucks to corner DeAngelo Hall, and part with corner Carlos Rogers this offseason, as I've been writing lately. Rogers is among those people. Rogers said he has wondered whether he has played his last game in...
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Jason La Canfora
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December 29, 2008; 11:46 AM ET |
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A Change in Postseason Postmortem
The Redskins are handling the immediate beginning of the offseason a little differently than they have in years past. Under Joe Gibbs, the Redskins' staff - coaches, scouts and executives - usually began two weeks of arduous meetings the day after the season ended. They would break down every play,...
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Jason La Canfora
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December 29, 2008; 11:15 AM ET |
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Thomas, Golston Headed for Surgery
Right guard Randy Thomas is scheduled to undergo a minor procedure on his neck next week, Thomas told Jason Reid today. "I don't want to get too specific with it, but it's just something I need to get done," he said. "I played with it, so it's not that serious."...
By
Jason La Canfora
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December 29, 2008; 10:20 AM ET |
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An Unrestricted Look Back
Jason Reid looks back at the season that was. ... Feel like chatting today? I'm up at 11 a.m. for the usual Monday morning postgame post mortem....
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Cindy Boren
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December 29, 2008; 9:36 AM ET |
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Monday Morning H-Back
Well, that was some ending, eh? A big drive ties the score, then the Redskins allow the winning field goal as the clock expires. Well, first things first. This wasn't a team worthy of being in the playoffs or capable of doing any damage there, which means that losing Sunday...
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Jason La Canfora
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December 29, 2008; 7:01 AM ET |
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Looking at the Draft and Opponents
Jason La Canfora and Jason Reid report: By virtue of their 8-8 record, the Redskins will end up picking higher in April's draft, and also will face a weaker schedule as the last-place team in the NFC East. They will face conference foes Detroit and St. Louis next season., rather...
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Cindy Boren
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December 28, 2008; 10:30 PM ET |
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Kelly, McIntosh to Avoid the Knife
Jason La Canfora reports: Rookie wide receiver Malcolm Kelly, who was inactive or hurt much of the year, said no future procedures are planned for his left knee (he had arthroscopic surgery early in the season and the knee repeatedly was drained). Linebacker Rocky McIntosh, who has also required several...
By
Cindy Boren
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December 28, 2008; 9:31 PM ET |
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Kendall, Evans Hope to Return
Jason La Canfora reports: Two of the Redskins' starters will be eligible for unrestricted free agency in March, with guard Pete Kendall and end Demetric Evans both saying they hope to be back with Washington after a season-ending 27-24 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park. Evans, who...
By
Cindy Boren
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December 28, 2008; 9:28 PM ET |
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Skins Lose, 27-24
Well, at least it didn't require overtime to settle this. Again, I'm an idiot for predicting a Skins win. I thought they would hold onto the ball and pound it out, but Clinton Portis was pretty poor again today, the fumble changed the game, and the defense, despite its lofty...
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Jason La Canfora
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December 28, 2008; 6:21 PM ET |
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Skins Cling to the Lead
Well, I'm an idiot. So much for ball control, bleeding the clock, putting up one more TD. Portis' fumble was the second big turning point of the game - aside from the Martz brain cramp - and now we've got a ballgame. Skins have looked poor stopping the run and...
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Jason La Canfora
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December 28, 2008; 6:21 PM ET |
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Skins Lead by 10 at Halftime
This turned out to be one of the better quarters of the season (with the game turning, by the way, on that bizarre Martz formation and call on third-and-one). The Redskins scored on three straight drives, which is pretty rare, and put up two TDs in the same quarter after...
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Jason La Canfora
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December 28, 2008; 5:32 PM ET |
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Niners up 7-0 after 1 Quarter
The Redskins were getting ripped up on defense. The Niners had lots of gashing runs; why Mike Martz threw a pass on that last third and 1, with a chance to keep running it down their throats, well, guess that's why he's a genius. At the endof the quarter, the...
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Jason La Canfora
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December 28, 2008; 4:46 PM ET |
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Week 17 Inactives
The Redskins are scratching DE Rob Jackson, LB Tyson Smith, OL D'Anthony Batiste, DT Ryan Boschetti, G Will Montgomery, T Devin Clark and WR Malcolm Kelly. (In hindsight they easily could have put this kid on IR at midseason.) Colt Brennan is the third QB. As for the 49ers' inactives,...
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Jason La Canfora
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December 28, 2008; 3:01 PM ET |
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A Quick Look Back ... All the Way to July
After something like 23 weeks and 161 days, here we are at the end of the season for the Redskins. Maybe it's only natural to be reflective at this time of year, but I can't stop thinking back to that first day of camp, July 20, and the trade for...
By
Cindy Boren
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December 28, 2008; 11:58 AM ET |
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