Players, coaches are talking turnaround
ASHBURN – Shortly after his teammates verbally sparred, Phillip Daniels wanted to make sure it wasn’t worse. So he spoke with both Mike Sellers and Clinton Portis. He pronounced the matter over; a one-time situation.
Recommended Stories
“If two guys are fighting every day, it’s a problem,” Daniels said.
Rock Cartwright, meanwhile, checks on teammates at lunch, gauging their mindset.
» Redskins secondary coach Jerry Gray is pleased with how strong safety Chris Horton responded to no longer starting. Thing is, he actually played more than Reed Doughty this past week.
Who plays more often is dependant on what the opposition’s offense wants to do. More runs usually means more Doughty.
But Gray said Horton benefited from the demotion in status.
“Sometimes you can get comfortable,” Gray said. “You don’t want young guys to get comfortable. You want them to understand that, ‘I was a rookie, I was fortunate enough to come in and play and now if I want to be that solid starter, I have to keep working for that job.’ That’s the thing that happens.”
» Defensive end Phillip Daniels (biceps), left tackle Chris Samuels (neck) and punter Hunter Smith (groin) did not practice Thursday. Defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin (elbow), defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth (ankle), defensive tackle Anthony Montgomery (knee) and running back Clinton Portis (calf) were limited.
Coach Jim Zorn said he expects Daniels to practice Friday. Even if Daniels can play Sunday, the Chiefs use a lot of three-receiver sets. That would force the Redskins to use more nickel packages in which Daniels would play less.
For Kansas City, left tackle Branden Albert (ankle) missed his second consecutive practice.
» Though the tight ends might help out more in protection, don’t expect them — or at least Chris Cooley — to spend their entire day aiding the offensive linemen. Cooley only stayed in to block a little more than usual vs. Carolina after left tackle Chris Samuels was hurt.
“I can’t pass protect him the whole day,” Zorn said. “We have linemen who can do it. I won’t change too much up with Chris. I’ll get him the ball and he has to be a part of the offense.”
“I don’t think we’re angry,” Cartwright said. “I think we’re a little frustrated … I tell them to keep pushing because we’re gonna get this thing turned around.”
As the Redskins (2-3) prepare for Sunday’s game vs. Kansas City (0-5), they do so amid much speculation about their coach. And each day seemingly brings a new set of issues. Injuries. Heated exchanges. Consultants. Players pointing at ownership. Personnel shortfalls. Media boycotts (a tiny minority).
From the outside, it appears to be a team in turmoil — a notion that players would strongly disagree with.
“I haven’t seen much of anything that’s hurting us,” Daniels said.
Still, some players have said the coach does not have the backing of all the players. Corner DeAngelo Hall said Wednesday that there’s no panic yet, but that “you’re a couple steps away from getting ready to panic.”
But team leaders keep harping on one thing: It’s a long season.
“Young guys have said, ‘Man, I didn’t know the NFL was like this,'” said Cartwright, one of the team’s captains. “I tell them this is the business you chose, so you have to take the good with the bad. Right now we’re going through a bad time. But everything is a process and as long as you’re able to deal with that process to get where you’re going, you’ll be OK.
“There’s definitely light at the end of the tunnel. That’s all I’m telling guys.”
And what might appear negative to some does not appear that way to the players or coaches. Redskins coach Jim Zorn, whose seat grows hotter with each loss, said he never viewed the Sellers-Portis situation in negative terms. Nor is he bothered that some players have decided not to speak with the media.
Rather, Zorn looks for one thing to let him know how the team feels.
“Just complete giving up,” he said. “I would be upset about that. I’d have to step in and say, ‘Let’s recognize what we’re doing here and then try to get that changed. But I haven’t seen that, not at all.”
Zorn does not hold regularly-scheduled meetings with the six captains to check the temperature of the team. But he said there was constant communication.
He also said he doesn’t worry about talk on the outside about his job, saying he doesn’t need any sort of vote of confidence from ownership. Nor is he pondering any what-ifs.
“I can’t get into all the ramifications because that’s in the future,” Zorn said. “I really am dealing in the present. I won’t spend a lot of time thinking about the panic issue.”
