1. Quarterback John Beck tweaked his groin in practice and said he hopes “it’s nothing serious.” Beck hurt his groin when he stepped up into the pocket and took off running. He sat out the rest of practice.
“I don’t want to let my competitiveness get me back out there and I hurt it worse,” he said. “I don’t want to stand on the side and watch my reps. At the same time I don’t want to make a dumb decision to go back out there.”
Coach Mike Shanahan said Beck’s groin was a “little tight.”
“Hopefully there is no setback,” Shanahan said.
Beck is fortunate that there’s no practice Sunday, giving him a full day of rest. But in a quarterback battle, he doesn’t want to miss any time.
2. Speaking of the QB battle, Shanahan said of making a decision, “I probably won’t let you know before the first game who is going to play.”
3. Tight end Chris Cooley (knee) and receiver Brandon Banks (knee) both are expected to return to practice Monday, Shanahan said. Cooley had fluid drained from his left knee.
“I’ve had to watch practice the last two days and it drives me bonkers,” Cooley said.
4. Linebacker Ryan Kerrigan (knee), who has not practiced since July 29, said he’s hopeful that he’ll return in a couple days. Shanahan originally said he hoped Kerrigan would only miss a couple days. But he’s now missed seven practices.
“We’re just being precautionary right now,” Kerrigan said. “That’s what the brace is for. I should be back before long.”
Kerrigan also changed his jersey number to 91.
5. Right tackle Jammal Brown missed practice to attend a funeral. Sean Locklear replaced him with the first unit.
Shanahan said of Locklear, “He’s been in the zone system and the power system. He’s a good athlete.”
6. The Redskins also cut linebacker Robert Henson. That’s not a surprise considering the Redskins re-signed Horatio Blades and Rocky McIntosh and drafted Perry Riley last season. They also have Lorenzo Alexander who is learning to play inside. There was no room for Henson, a sixth-round pick in 2009 best known for his Twitter controversy. The Redskins also released defensive lineman Joe Joseph and linebacker Kyle O’Donnell.
7. When the current regime looks at the roster, it has to shake its head at what it was handed in terms of young players. Just look at the 2008-09 drafts, which produced 16 players. Of those 16, only one projects to being a starter: linebacker Brian Orakpo. It’s possible that when the season starts 10 of those picks will be gone; nine already are. The current group has drafted 18 players the past two years; if they want to top the previous two years they’ll need to produce more than, oh, one starter. That shouldn’t be difficult. But to contend eventually they’ll want to get seven or eight starters out of the two drafts combined.
8. Punter Sav Rocca finally arrived from Australia, reaching Washington Friday late afternoon. The trip took about 25 hours. He did not punt in practice.
“My head was spinning last night,” said Rocca, who also will hold.
Rocca remained in Australia working to get his visa. He said the process usually takes two to three weeks, but it only took five days this time. He needed to have a contract to start the process.
9. The Redskins haven’t released how many fans attended Fan Appreciation Day, but safe to say it was a large crowd and caused a small traffic jam for those coming to the facility. The Redskins bused in 17 charters with 1,100 kids from Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, Loudoun County and Washington, D.C.
10. Shanahan told the crowd afterward, “Talk is cheap. You’ve got to do it on the field and we plan on doing it on the field.”
