Now that he has left the Redskins, Rogers is holding on to interceptions ASHBURN — Yes, the topic of interceptions came up. Carlos Rogers dropped them in Washington, but he already has caught three in San Francisco. Former teammates and coaches have noticed, and even Rogers sees the irony.
So here’s Fred Davis on his favorite Rogers story: “Him dropping every interception.”
And there’s DeAngelo Hall: “He’s finally started to catch the ball. He’s been calling me after every interception, so I knew he had a lot.”
– John Keim
| Notes |
| » Left guard Kory Lichtensteiger said he faces six to eight months of rehabilitation following last week’s surgery to repair the ACL, MCL and medial and lateral menisci in his right knee. The toughest part, though, is dealing with it mentally. Lichtensteiger suffered his season-ending knee injury Oct. 16 against Philadelphia. “I felt this was kind of my year to do big things, a contract year and everything. It’s not great timing,” he said. Left tackle Trent Williams said the injury resulted from a cheap shot by Eagles end Darryl Tapp after an interception. Neither the game broadcast nor the coaches’ tape showed the injury. Lichtensteiger said he can’t say it was a cheap shot. “I knew he was going to try to hit me, so I’m like, ‘I’m going to go hit him first,’?” Lichtensteiger said. “And as soon as I hit him, I planted awkwardly on it.” |
And finally Rogers: “I’ve been getting [grief]. The talk I’ve been hearing from people I know is like, ‘Man, how you all let Carlos go? I’m glad he’s catching the ball. I wish he would have caught it from us.”
But Rogers is now catching them with San Francisco after six seasons with Washington (and only eight interceptions). The cornerback signed a one-year deal with the 49ers, hoping to parlay this season into the big contract he has long sought.
“If he was as consistent as we would have liked, then we would have signed him long term,” Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said. “I liked him as a person. He was wanting that big payday, and we weren’t going to make that commitment long term.”
Rogers, though, said he knew he wanted out of Washington two years ago — before the current staff had arrived. He grew tired of the constant chaos in the organization, particularly during the Jim Zorn era.
So by the end of last season, both sides knew they would head in different directions.
“I felt like it was time for me to leave,” Rogers said. “I’m past the Redskins. I’m over them. I just want to go out and play and have fun against my friends for bragging rights. I have no hatred to the coaches. With that coaching staff, my mindset was already to get out of Washington anyway. They’re just the next opponent in my way.”
But he also said he’s close with special teams coach Danny Smith and safeties coach Steve Jackson, both of whom were here when he was drafted in 2005, and he valued the tips he received from secondary coach Bob Slowik last season.
“It’s not always negative with me towards that team,” Rogers said. “I had fun times in Washington, a lot of good relationships. The fans were unbelievable.”
Nor is it negative toward Rogers. They called him an underappreciated player. And while he had his drops, he also was in position to make plays. He considered his first job to break up plays rather than catch passes. Rogers knows the Redskins might try to throw some double moves at him, which got him burned in seasons past. But they also know Rogers had good qualities at cornerback.
“He was a good teammate, a good cover guy who could tackle,” safety Reed Doughty said. “He did not have a lot of balls caught [on him]. He was a good player.”
Said Hall: “You always miss having a guy like Carlos around. He’s funny. He’s entertaining. He’s a good player. He’s finally starting to catch the ball. We could have used that.”
But when Rogers visits with San Francisco on Sunday, he won’t be worrying about what the Redskins could have used or their injury plight.
“That’s them,” he said. “The team I’m on is 6-1, and we’re headed in the right direction.”
