1. Corner DeAngelo Hall (hip), linebacker London Fletcher and left tackle Trent Williams did not practice Wednesday. But Williams we already knew was highly unlikely to play because of his high ankle sprain. Hall is a new one, so not sure how bad it is and what this means for Sunday. Fletcher? Hard to say. On Monday coach Mike Shanahan said his hamstring injury wasn’t that bad. However, it was bad enough to have Fletcher take himself out of Sunday’s loss at Carolina. You don’t play in 214 straight games by doing such things.
2. It’s amazing the streak that Fletcher is on considering the position he plays. It’s impressive for any position in the NFL, but especially one in which he’s getting hit by linemen time and time again. But Fletcher’s quickness has helped him avoid a lot of blockers and he’s usually the one delivering the hits. Still, you get hit a lot and for him not to miss a game is unreal.
3. Why has he lasted this long and played at such a high level while doing so? Because of moments like this one in training camp: During a drill against the first-team offense, Fletcher implored his defensive teammates to “get off the field!” by stopping the O. The way he shouted it, you would have thought it was a real game.
4. Back to the injury list: free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe (knee) was limited in practice, along with corner Byron Westbrook (hamstring). Quarterback Rex Grossman (pneumonia) was released from a local hospital Wednesday and coach Mike Shanahan said he would be at the facility later in the night to watch film of the Bills. Say what you want about Grossman, but he is a legit pro in many ways.
Also, safety Kareem Moore practiced Wednesday. Shanahan said he could be activated in time for Sunday’s game vs. Buffalo. However, they have three weeks to decide if they want to activate him off the physically unable to perform list.
5. Though speculation on Chris Cooley’s future in Washington started the minute he was placed on injured reserve, Shahanan said he still factors in their plans.
Cooley is done for the season after breaking his left index finger and also because of issues with his left knee. Shanahan said Cooley only needed to do rehab work right now, but was unsure if surgery would be needed later.
“We’re hoping to have him back and playing at a high level,” Shanahan said.
The coach also blamed the lockout, in part, for Cooley’s situation.
“It hurt not having the OTAs and not having a chance to rehab [with the team] in the offseason,” Shanahan said, “so when he came in we didn’t really know where he was.”
Should Cooley return? Sure if they want him. It’s hard to gauge his future based off this season because of the injuries. But he looked good last year catching 77 passes. Fred Davis is a primary target at tight end now, but Cooley can still help.
6. Shanahan on John Beck vs. the Panthers: “It’s the first of many games for him. I’m looking forward to seeing him grow as a quarterback. He’s a natural leader and now we’ll get a chance to see him in live situations, something I’m looking forward to seeing.”
7. Receiver Niles Paul is among those who will get increased opportunities with Santana Moss sidelined. Paul did not have a pass thrown his way this season until this past Sunday, when he finished with two receptions.
Maybe that will stop some DBs from talking to him about his blocking.
“I hear some comments on the field like, ‘Is that all you do is block?’ “ Paul said. “I make sure I get them back for saying that…. [But] I’m so used to this, I come from Nebraska. Every week I didn’t know if they were going to pass me the ball or not.”
8. One more thing from Paul about his route-running, which he says has improved:
“Coming out of college, being a bigger physical receiver, I never had to run crisp routes,” he said. “I could manhandle corners in college. I can’t do that here. I have to be crisp in and out of my routes and not show any [sign] as to what I was running.”
9. The Redskins added two players to the active roster: tight end Dominique Byrd (who was once ahead of Fred Davis on the depth chart at USC) and guard/center Jonathan Compas. Byrd has been cut by Arizona and Seattle already this season.
“He’s an athlete,” Shanahan said of Byrd. “He was the best pass-catching tight end out there; he did impress me [Wednesday].”
As for Compas, he said, “He’s quick. We liked the way he played in preseason with New England.”
10. Here’s an interesting article on some of Byrd’s off-field issues in the past. Also, in 2008, Byrd pleaded no contest and received three years probation to a DUI charge.
11. Leonard Hankerson said he probably shouldn’t have tweeted after the game about the commotion surrounding his wrong route Sunday. But he did appreciate Beck sticking up for him Monday.
“But it wasn’t a big deal to me,” he said. “We all make mistakes. We all have each other’s backs. That’s part of the game; stuff’s gonna happen.”
12. Receiver Santana Moss said doctors told him he might miss as little as three weeks with his broken hand. Shanahan had said Monday that it could be five to seven weeks. Moss said doctors told him three to six.
Regardless, Moss said missing this much time, “wasn’t disappointing. That’s life in this sport. …I’m getting a little mini-vacation. I won’t treat it like a vacation; I’ll stay on my grind until I can go again.”
13. Moss said he helps the young wideouts when asked, but he’s not aggressively tutoring them. Usually, he said, he’ll chime in with tips when they’re just talking in a group.
“Every day we talk so I’m pretty sure I’m helping them or giving them something they might not have heard every day,” he said. “Before you know it you learn something.”
14. Finally, Beck is familiar with Buffalo quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick from growing up near him in Arizona. They competed against one another as kids, though Beck is two years older and often competed vs. Fitzpatrick’s older brothers, one of whom broke his collarbone in a game vs. Beck’s high school.
Fitzpatrick also said, “I do remember he was a really good backstroker. That was the main thing when he was nine or 10; he was one of the best backstrokers in the state.”
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