1. Trent Williams said he’ll be ready to play Sunday. Mike Shanahan seems to agree and it’s his opinion that matters most. By the way, Williams said he doesn’t want to wear a brace but that his “mama” wants him to. Guess we’ll find out who makes the decisions, huh?
2. Albert Haynesworth returned to practice, but he’ll be a game-time decision Sunday. Haynesworth had been in Tennessee since Oct. 7 following the death of his half-brother. Shanahan said they want to make sure he’s in the right shape “mentally and physically” before deciding whether or not he’ll play.
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“Obviously he went through a tough six days,” Shanahan said. “Anytime you’re away for six days, there’s conditioning obviously. We understand what happened and the crisis he was dealing with. Hopefully he can get back in shape and do the things he needs to do to help us win.”
3. Linebacker Rocky McIntosh (concussion) did not practice and will see a doctor Friday to see about getting cleared. If McIntosh can’t play, rookie Perry Riley would be active for the second time. He or H.B. Blades would replace McIntosh.
4. Don’t assume that Riley would replace McIntosh. In many ways, it wouldn’t make sense. Riley is a downhill linebacker who comes up hard against the run. The Colts are a passing team. It would make more sense to use Blades in the nickel or Reed Doughty in the dime, giving the Redskins better cover guys. Really, would you want Riley dropping into zones vs. Peyton Manning in his first real action?
5. That’s not a knock vs. Riley; I liked what I saw this summer in both practice and games. But Blades can cover better. That said, if it was against a running team, I’d want Riley just to have a bigger body in the lineup. The ability to get off blocks is crucial in any defense, but it’s even bigger in this defense. Why? Because the linemen aren’t always occupying enough guys for the linebackers to avoid these plays.
6. I also don’t buy the notion that McIntosh is having a terrific year. When the Redskins didn’t sign him to an extension this summer, I thought it smart for at least one reason: see how well he can do in this defense first. I think he’s been OK; he has a hard time getting off blocks and is ordinary in coverage. He still has to prove he can be effective in this defense.
7. Just a hunch, but Brandon Banks will score on a punt return Sunday night. The Colts’ have allowed a couple long punt returns and nobody hits the corner like Banks. His aggressiveness will hurt at times; he likes to sneak a peak before catching the ball to see his lane. That could lead to some miscues on occasion. But it will lead to a big runback Sunday night.
“Usually the great ones do that,” Shanahan said. “They want to see the coverage. They want to see if they should fair catch it or have the chance to return it. The guys that worry me are the guys that want to fair catch it all the time. Those are the guys I’ve got a problem with.”
8. Submit a question for Redskins mailbag. I’ll answer it Friday.
9. Here’s a look at the chess match between the defense and Manning.
10. Tight end Chris Cooley knows what it will do for the offense if Anthony Armstrong continues to shine. “It opens it up. I don’t think you’ll see guys get more or less catches, you’ll see guys like me and Santana have their averages go up…. Once you see guys making more plays, you get bigger plays.”
