1. Left tackle Trent Williams (knee/toe) jogged and ran on the treadmill Thursday. Now there’s some hope that he might be able to practice Friday. He didn’t seem to be limping as bad as he was on Wednesday. Still, that would be quite an improvement.
2. The good news for Williams is that it’s his toe that’s bothering him more than his knee, according to coach Mike Shanahan.
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3. Jammal Brown practiced at left tackle Thursday, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said. But is that a ploy to keep St. Louis guessing who would replace Williams? Don’t know. If the Redskins want the least disruption along the line, they’d start Stephon Heyer. If they want a two-time Pro Bowler, they’ll start Brown.
4. Keep in mind that St. Louis’ best defensive lineman is Chris Long, who plays left end. Yes, he’ll move to the right side on occasion. The Redskins are fortunate because St. Louis lacks an elite pass rusher. Instead, the Rams are a blitz-happy team.
5. Jim Haslett is catching some heat for blitzing so much (unofficially 34 times), but here are Houston QB Matt Schaub’s numbers vs. the blitz Sunday: 20 of 34 for 235 yards and a touchdown, with four sacks and an interception. When the Redskins didn’t blitz? He was 19 of 24 for 262 yards and two touchdowns. So the real problem lies in coverage, whether by the players or the schemes. And it’s not just the secondary. That could be a function of playing a new scheme (in which some players are miscast).
6. Also, it means the Redskins don’t pressure well enough with four guys. Paging Albert Haynesworth. If he could get started, then it would improve the pass rush dramatically. If not, watch for an air show against certain quarterbacks. Some of whom are on the schedule real soon.
7. By the way, Haynesworth did practice in full Thursday. Have to believe he’ll play Sunday.
8. Running back Clinton Portis is really on a “I’m always disrespected” kick this year. More so than other years. Sometimes he has a point; in this case I think it’s overstated. However, when asked today if he admires Steven Jackson for putting up big numbers with bad teams, Portis laughed and said, “I’m familiar with that.” No, he’s not. Jackson’s Rams won six games combined the past three years; Portis’ Redskins won 21.
9. Inside linebacker London Fletcher is on pace to record around 145 tackles this season, which would make that a typical year. However, he’s making tackles now in part because the Redskins are allowing more plays by the opposition. Anyway, he doesn’t have as many tackles as you would think because he’s being asked more to take on lead blockers and allow others to make tackles. “That’s the case,” Fletcher said.
10. Safety Kareem Moore is well-versed in Shannyspeak. When Moore was asked if he’d feel a sense of accomplishment running out with the starters Sunday, he said, “It’s a good accomplishment, but if I am starting or not, I just want to help the team.” In other words, we don’t know if he’s starting. I will say, I’d be stunned if he does not. And so would you.
11. Kyle Shanahan’s honest assessment of Larry Johnson: “It was tough for Larry. I really like Larry. I just think it’s a bad situation for him. Larry is a guy who needed more carries to get it going. In his role with our team, that was tough for him to get.”
12. Adam Carriker on if he has something to prove to the Rams: “A little bit. They traded me for a donut and a cup of coffee.” Awesome quote.
13. Receiver Anthony Armstrong (groin), safety Chris Horton (ankle/groin) and nose guard Anthony Bryant (head) did not practice Thursday.
14. For St. Louis, tight end Mike Hoomanawanui (ankle), linebacker Chris Chamberlain (toe) and defensive tackle Darrell Scott (ankle) are out. Defensive tackle Clifton Ryan (migraines), tight end Bill Bajema (knee), safety Chris Dahl (head) and receiver Laurent Robinson (foot) did not practice. Safety Oshiomogho Atogwe (thight), running back Steven Jackson (knee), corner Kevin Dockery (hamstring) and tight end Daniel Fells (knee) were limited.
