The past year unfolded like a football nightmare. It started with a sports hernia and segued to other injuries, preventing cornerback Shawn Springs from playing much of the season. Which, in turn, led to whispers about his durability. And it nearly ended with his departure from Washington.
Not thatShawn Springs is bothered by any of that now. He shrugs off trade rumors, proclaims himself healthy, and promises to remind everyone that he’s still a top corner.
“It was just one of those years,” Springs said. “I showed it in spurts, but not on a consistent basis. This year I want to get back to showing it on a consistent basis.”
The Redskins need that to happen. Springs — who turned 32, a precarious age for corners, this offseason — played only nine games last year; in his absence, the pass defense suffered. With a healthy Springs, the Redskins have a versatile No. 1 corner.
Against Carolina last year, the Redskins stymied the passing game by having Springs cover Steve Smith, with help, and Carlos Rogers covering the other side without help. The strategy worked. But Springs’ injury-filled season prevented that from being an every-game occurrence.
“I think he is [still capable of being in the elite],” cornerbacks coach Jerry Gray said. “He’s physical and he doesn’t mind covering because he has the speed. If he’s not injured and plays 16-18 games for us, he’ll be a factor. You’ve got to be on the field on a consistent basis. When you’ve got that, you’ve got a good player. When you don’t, you get rusty.”
Springs suffered a sports hernia after the first preseason game last summer. He later had problems with a hamstring and then broke a shoulder blade.
And Springs says he wasn’t bothered by the offseason trade talk (in addition to a request for a pay cut, which he rejected, to reduce his $7.3 million cap figure).
“It’s part of the business,” Springs said of the trade discussions. “It’s flattering — it means other teams want me. I worry when other teams don’t want me.
“The only thing I worried about was getting myself into the best shape. Fans and media made more of it than what it was. Everyone kept asking me how do you feel about it? But it was out of my control. If they don’t want you, they don’t want you.”
Training camp notes
» Safety LaRon Landry remained unsigned as of Sunday night, though coach Joe Gibbs expressed optimism for the second straight day that a deal could be struck soon. It helps that No. 7 overall pick Adrian Peterson, selected one spot behind Landry, signed with Minnesota Sunday.
“I’m hoping it happens any second,” Gibbs said. “We’re closer and closer.”
Landry has missed four practices.
“Anytime you’re missing, you miss a lot,” Gibbs said. “We’ve put in a lot. The advantage is that the [organized team activity] stuff we do, he’s up to date on that. He’s smart so we won’t have a problem there. But you don’t want it to add up and miss six, seven, eight workouts. That’s a tough deal.”
» Right guard Randy Thomas could miss several more days of practice after getting a shot of cortisone in his knee on Friday. Thomas had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee on June 13 and has not done any team drills. Jason Fabini worked in his place with the first team Sunday.
» Thunder and lightning forced the cancellation of Fan Appreciation Day Sunday. Lightning actually struck in one of the fan parking lots outside Redskins Park, leaving a blackened patch on the grass. Fan Appreciation Day has been rescheduled to 7 p.m. Aug. 8. The Redskins eventually practiced, but it lasted only approximately 50 minutes.
» Collision of the day: Running back Derrick Blaylock held onto a Mark Brunell pass despite being run over by linebacker Anthony Trucks, who arrived just as the ball did.
