Washington Redskins safety LeRon Landry is still recovering from surgery he had on his toe last month.
The good news is that the Redskins expect Landry to be 100 percent healthy in time for training camp.
The toe slowed Landry for many of the offseason workouts, eventually forcing him to opt for surgery. ( Read More…)
Washington Redskins head coach is confident that starting wide receiver Santana Moss won’t be disciplined by the NFL following the news that Moss allegedly received HGH from Canadien doctor Anthony Galea, who was accused of drug smuggling, conspiracy, lying to federal agents, unlawful distribution of HGH and introducing an unapproved drug into interstate commerce last week. Shanahan has said that he feels “very good” about the situation.
Moss, who was one of a handful of athletes who allegedly received HGH from Galea, has declined to comment on the story to the media, but told his teammates that he had no idea that the doctor was injecting him with HGH during the three times he was treated by him.
While one Westbrook brother faces an uncertain future with the Philadelphia Eagles thanks to a bum knee and two concussions, the other Westbrook brother just put himself in hot water with his franchise.
Byron Westbrook, the less heralded brother of Brian Westbrook, was arrested early on Friday for driving under the influence.
Westbrook was pulled over around 2 a.m. Friday morning in Maryland, after an officer saw his Mercedes cross the center line of the road several times. The arresting officer said she smelled alcohol on him and made Westbrook go through field sobriety tests. (He failed and was arrested.)
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Before the first of two major end-of-season division games, the Redskins made their first major managerial decision during the week last week, firing GM Vinny Cerrato in favor of Bruce Allen.
On Monday night, the Redskins sure didn’t look like they were playing for their jobs, as the New York Giants stormed into FedEx Field and whooped on the ‘Skins, 45-12, in a game that might have been more of a blowout than the final score indicates.
While the Giants drove their first two possessions straight down the field into the end zone, the Redskins couldn’t even muster a first down until their fourth drive of the game.
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The Washington Redskins have looked like world-beaters for the first three quarters in the past three weeks, as they’ve been leading the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints going into the final 15 minutes of each game.
But just like the last two weeks, the ‘Skins couldn’t close the deal when it counted, and the Saints escaped FedEx Field with a highly improbable win yesterday, with a 33-30 triumph in overtime.
QB Jason Campbell led the ‘Skins offense effectively all day, as they piled up 455 total yards of offense on the beleaguered Saints defense. Campbell had one of his best days as a Redskin, going 30-of-42 for 367 yards and three touchdowns (along with one late interception).
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The Washington Redskins placed TE Chris Cooley on season-ending injured reserve on Tuesday, after a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles dropped them to 3-8 on the season.
“I talked to Jim last week, and he said, ‘Listen, if we win [at Philadelphia] and there’s any thought of a playoff push, if we win a couple of games, we’ll keep you on that thought,’ ” Cooley said. “So then I went in yesterday, he said, ‘You know, we said that if he we won, we’d keep pushing it, but if we lose, IR.’ And that’s probably best for me.”
Cooley broke his ankle in the first game against the Eagles this season, but had been discussed as a possibility to return by the last few games of the season. In his place, TE Fred Davis has filled in admirably, becoming one of QB Jason Campbell’s favorite targets.
Cooley learned last week that he’d still be forced to wear a walking boot for another week, likely shutting down all hopes that he could return to the team this year.
Regarding this year and the Redskins’ uncertain future, Cooley had some interesting insights:
“I don’t know. It feels almost like a transition year,” Cooley said. “Obviously there’s going to be change at the end of the year, but as far as guessing what that change will be, I have no idea.”
For the second straight week, the Redskins had managed to open up a lead on a superior NFC East rival into the fourth quarter, and appeared on their way to registering a major road upset.
Then, just like last week’s last-minute loss against Dallas, the ‘Skins fell apart late in this one and allowed the Eagles to storm back and steal a win, 27-24, to keep pace with the Cowboys in the NFC East.
The Redskins got an early boost from Eagles coach Andy Reid, who made the dunceheaded decision to open the game with an onside kick. Shockingly, his move backfired, giving the Redskins a painfully short field and allowing them to score a touchdown within two minutes, stunning the home crowd in the process.
The Eagles battled back, taking a 10-7 lead after blown coverage by the Redskins left WR DeSean Jackson wide open in the end zone, but Jason Campbell and the ‘Skins weren’t done yet. The Eagles managed to move the ball between the 20s consistently all day, with ‘Skins DT Albert Haynesworth sidelined, but their much-documented red zone woes continued, as they kicked three short field goals to keep the Redskins in the game.
After a third quarter interception of McNabb by the ‘Skins brought them down to the Eagles 10-yard line, and with a 21-16 lead, it looked like the Redskins might be cruising to a huge divisional victory.
Yet the Eagles battled back in the fourth quarter, with McNabb rallying the offense for a huge fourth quarter drive that ended with RB Eldra Buckley’s first TD (and a 2-point conversion from LeSean McCoy to tie the game). The Eagles defense made a stand, and the Eagles offense moved the team into field goal position to give them the lead for good.
For the Redskins… yet another disappointing loss in a season filled with losses like this.
The Washington Redskins’ backfield got even more bad news on Sunday, as backup running back Ladell Betts reportedly tore two ligaments in his knee during the game against the Dallas Cowboys, and will be forced to miss the rest of the season.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, an MRI showed that Betts tore the anterior cruciate ligament and posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Betts was injured in the first quarter of the game against the Cowboys, a game where the Redskins led the whole way… until Dallas punched in the game-winning score with three minutes left.
Betts had gotten the opportunity to start because the ‘Skins normal starter, Clinton Portis, continues to recover from a concussion that he suffered two weeks ago. Portis visited a concussion specialist over the weekend instead of playing, and he has already been ruled out for this week’s upcoming game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
“It’s just one of those things where someone else gets an opportunity,” linebacker London Fletcher said. “They aren’t going to cancel the game in Philadelphia because the Redskins aren’t healthy.”
The Redskins also lost their right guard, Chad Rinehart, for the season, as he broke his right leg early in the third quarter of the loss to Dallas. He had season-ending surgery this morning.
The Redskins ruled RB Clinton Portis out for a key divisional matchup against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
Portis suffered a concussion after a helmet-to-helmet hit that he suffered against the Falcons two weeks ago. He hasn’t been able to return since.
With the NFL’s increased focus on concussions and head injuries to its players this season, there’s reason to believe that the ‘Skins will play the situation with Portis safe rather than sorry.
Ladell Betts will start in place of Portis for the second straight week.
The Redskins may be scared off by what just happened to another divisional rival - as Eagles RB Brian Westbrook suffered a second concussion last Sunday in his first week back, three weeks after his first concussion against the Redskins. While the Eagles haven’t come out and said it, many expect Westbrook to be out for the rest of the season (although doctors do predict a full recovery).
The Washington Redskins pulled off one of the most unlikely upsets of the season on Sunday, as they handled the Denver Broncos on all sides of the ball, beating them 24-17 at home on Sunday.
The ‘Skins turned the game with a huge momentum-swinging play midway through the second quarter. With fourth-and-20 on the Broncos’ 35, the Redskins lined up with tight end Todd Yoder split wide as a receiver in a field goal formation, clearly advertising a fake, but coach Jim Zorn had to call a timeout because Washington only had 10 men on the field.
Then, they lined up the exact same way, and actually ran the fake. Punter/holder Hunter Smith rolled right, then threw across his body, hitting FB Mike Sellers in stride with a 35-yard game-tying TD that knotted the game at 14.
“The way we play as a team these days, with these close games, you really need momentum-builders and things like that,” said Smith. “I thought it was the right call.”
“They were setting up something — we knew it,” defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday said. “They came back, and I think they may have even yelled out on their sideline, ‘Let’s just punt it. Let’s just punt it.’ And I guess we just bought into it, because we didn’t lock in on the play and what was going on. It seems like it took forever to unfold. You’ve got to know coming into a game like this, with a team like this, to expect it.”
“They definitely got the momentum,” Holliday said, “and, from there on, it seems like we never got the momentum back.”
Washington held Denver scoreless after halftime, as QB Kyle Orton was injured right before the half and did not return in the second, leaving Chris Simms in under center for Denver. While Simms does have NFL starting experience (with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), he hadn’t played at all this season and the rust showed. Simms finished only 3-of-13 for 13 yards, with an interception, and the Redskins D locked the Broncos down to only 36 yards of total offense after halftime.
