No-shows disappoint players at minicamp They tout the benefits and say they’re not worried about the players who never showed. So they’ll watch their film, tweak their games accordingly, show up one more time, then head home for the summer content that they shook at least some rust from their games.
Not that everyone is willing to ignore who did — or did not — attend the Redskins’ players-only minicamp. The most high-profile players who have yet to show are tackle Trent Williams and safety LaRon Landry. At least Landry is an established player — who rarely attended offseason workouts in non-lockout years.
But Williams is a second-year player coming off an inconsistent rookie season. That’s why guard Kory Lichtensteiger said it would help to have the starting line attend. On Wednesday, only he and Will Montgomery were there, though center Casey Rabach had participated in four of the first five workouts.
“We’re here, so we think it’s valuable,” Lichtensteiger said. “I don’t know why everyone else doesn’t. I know some people have to book a flight, but we have rookies here that are booking flights and first-year guys that don’t have a lot of money in the bank booking plane flights. So I don’t think there’s a whole lot of good excuses not to be here, honestly.”
Williams said he did not know about these workouts until Monday. He also told ESPN 980 that he thought this session was just for backs and receivers.
“I feel like it’s a big deal,” Williams said. “If I wouldn’t have found out Monday that the workouts were Tuesday, then I probably would have been there. It was a last-minute deal.”
A big knock on Williams coming out of college was his work ethic, not just in the weight room but in the classroom as well. But he’s spent the offseason working out in Houston and said he recently started boxing three times a week to improve his endurance and hand-eye coordination.
“I plan on trying to be in the best shape of my life,” Williams said.
Not everyone cared about those who were missing.
“Everyone has their own preparation and own thing going on,” tight end Chris Cooley said. “We’re not going to be disappointed in anyone not showing up. All I would say is … I feel this is making me a better player and this is preparing me to play this year.”
To help make it better, Cooley was going to host a barbecue Wednesday night for the offensive players to review film shot by a friend of quarterback John Beck. Cooley and Beck watched film from Tuesday’s workout later that night.
“There were adjustments I was able to make today after watching subtle things instead of just coming out and running,” Cooley said.
Beck said when they’re running plays live, they can’t focus on little things such as where the receiver is when he makes his cut.
