Redskins Notes
» Jon Jansen fared well in his return to right tackle. But that doesn’t mean he’ll win back the starting job.
He might hold the position for a second week because Stephon Heyer tweaked his sprained shoulder blocking on a kick attempt.
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“Jon did a fine job,” Redskins coach Jim Zorn said. “He was very aggressive and excellent in the run. He had no mental errors at all. He got walked back, but for the most part his pass protection improved. It was a very strong outing; it’ll be a very tough decision.”
» Defensive end Jason Taylor was walking around without a limp at Redskins Park, but his status for Sunday’s game at Philadelphia remains uncertain.
“He’s on his way back,” Zorn said of Taylor. “If he walked in here he’d probably say I’m playing, but we truly don’t know. Things are progressing well.”
» Right guard Randy Thomas exited the game with turf toe, but Zorn said they weren’t yet sure how bad it is. Also, corner Shawn Springs (calf) stayed in Dallas to be with his father who remains in a coma at an area hospital.
What we’ve learned
» Corner Carlos Rogers has greatly matured as a player. He’s always been physical, but this season he’s been much more consistent in coverage. Rogers has increased the amount of film study he does and it shows. He is not getting fooled as much as in the past. When both Fred Smoot and Shawn Springs were forced out Sunday, Rogers responded with three critical breakups in a row. He’s off to the best start of his young career, surprising given his knee injury last year.
» Redskins coach Jim Zorn loves calling plays. He loves being able to fool the opposition as well. On Santana Moss’ 53-yard catch, Zorn had a little twist for Dallas: he lined up Moss in the slot after using him split wide all game. The slot receiver typically does not run a fly pattern. Moss gave corner Terence Newman a double move and blew past him for the easy completion. It set up Shaun Suisham’s 20-yard field goal for a 17-7 lead.
» The Redskins don’t think too highly of Erasmus James at this point. James was inactive for the second straight week despite a need for more defensive ends with Jason Taylor sidelined. Instead, they opted for rookie draft pick Rob Jackson. James’ strength is a problem for the coaches and until that changes he won’t get much action. The Redskins did miss Taylor’s rush potential; nickel rusher Chris Wilson didn’t get close to Tony Romo. Washington had no sacks in 47 pass attempts.
Player of note
Durant Brooks • P
Turns out the rookie can kick a little bit. After his first two games, there was some doubt. But in the past two weeks Brooks has averaged 44.5 yards on eight punts. Sunday, he averaged 42.8 net yards and dropped two punts inside the 20. Brooks and the punting unit contained Dallas’ dangerous returner, Adam Jones, holding him to 14 yards on three returns.
QB watch » Jason Campbell
Campbell is the NFL’s only starting QB with at least 20 pass attempts who has yet to throw an interception. He’s thrown 146 passes without an INT, 16 shy of setting a new franchise record. The Redskins have not thrown an interception in their last eight regular-season games. Campbell has done a fantastic job of finding his second and third options rather than forcing the ball to his first.
