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.
Monday, November 23, 2009 at 6:43 pm by bryan
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).
Thursday, November 19, 2009 at 10:57 pm by bryan
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.
Monday, November 16, 2009 at 11:32 pm by bryan
Clinton Portis will not take the field Sunday when the Washington Redskins take on the Denver Broncos, as Portis continues to recover from a concussion he sustained in last weekend’s loss to Atlanta.
Portis was helmet-to-helmet hit in the first quarter of the Redskins’ 31-17 loss on the road at Atlanta last week and was knocked out of the game. He did not appear at the Redskins’ practice facility on Thursday.
“We kept Clinton at home just to get rest,” Redskins head coach Jim Zorn said. “That was kind of doctor’s orders.”
Portis last missed a game in 2006, when his season was cut short by hand and shoulder injuries. So far this year, Portis has not lived up to the lofty expectations he typically deserves, as he’s only accrued 494 yards rushing over eight games. Instability on the offensive line has made the Redskins’ entire offense stagnant this year, and Portis was unable to escape the curse.
Portis’ absence means that backup RB Ladell Betts will get his first start since 2006, assuming he’s healthy enough to go. He did not practice Thursday, as he’s nursing a sprained ankle, although Zorn expects Betts to be ready by Sunday.
Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 12:31 am by bryan
In some rare in-season candid comments, Redskins owner Dan Snyder revealed his disappointment with his team this year and vowed to continue to work to turn it around.
“We feel frustration and are disappointed for our fans,” Snyder told a crowd of fans at an event to celebrate the Redskins’ efforts to improve Maryland high school football fields. “Obviously our performance to date is not what we expected, and we hope to turn that around.”
Later, reporters followed Snyder to the parking lot for more questions, where he began to dodge questions about controversial issues regarding the Redskins lately, including a sign ban at FedEx field.
Instead, Snyder said, “I feel bad for the fans. I feel sorry for the fans, and we’re very, very appreciative of our loyal fan base. We just feel terrible. We’re disappointed. We’re embarrassed, and we hope to get it going soon.”
“It really hurts,” Snyder said. “We are really trying very, very hard, everyone at Redskins Park, the coaches, the players. The organization’s quite frankly held together well, and I think we’ve got an opportunity the rest of the season to hopefully get it going. But to date we’ve let everyone down, including ourselves, and we know that and we’re just apologetic. We’ve blown some games that obviously we think we should have won.”
Snyder did not respond to a reporter’s question about stripping head coach Jim Zorn of his playcalling duties, instead deciding to promptly end the interview there.
Thursday, November 5, 2009 at 8:13 pm by bryan
