Players-only minicamp is considered a success
As quarterback John Beck dropped back to pass, he spotted a blitzing defender. So he did what he’s always been instructed to do: throw to the vacated area. Except that corner DeAngelo Hall was waiting. And had this been a real game, Hall would have returned the interception 90 yards for a score.
But it was only May. And this was a teaching lesson. The only problem? There were no coaches to consult and no film to watch. Such was life at the Redskins’ players-only minicamp that ended Thursday. Another one will be held in June if the NFL lockout continues.
It’s debatable what the players could learn from these sessions considering the majority of the roster couldn’t or didn’t show — 39 players participated Thursday. But those who did attend say they were helped. The fact that 10 of the 12 rookies took part in all three days was a bonus, too, they said.
“It was great to see all the rookies out there,” center Casey Rabach said. “We gave them a crash course of what this offense and defense is. The other thing is just getting the guys back together and doing football-related stuff. We definitely didn’t want to show up when this thing ends and have it be the first time we’re on the field. So it was a couple of great days.”
For Beck, it was another step in trying to win the starting quarterback job for this season. He left with a taste of what he must do, and plays like the one that ended in a Hall interception should help. Or so Beck hopes.
After the play, Beck quizzed Hall on why he played it the way he did. In a normal offseason, that play would be dissected by the coaches to prepare the quarterbacks how to react the next time they see it.
“It would be good to be there with [offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan] to say, ‘What can we do here?’?” Beck said. “This guy played it perfectly, what can we do? Those situations come up in a game. … My answer now would be now I know that can be the situation, and if I feel he’s flat-footed and trying to jump something, I just chuck it out of bounds.”
The lack of film was discussed by the players, and even Beck said he considered bringing a camera. But the logistics of getting everyone together to watch proved problematic.
“Obviously you can’t correct a whole lot of stuff on the field,” Rabach said. “You can’t rewind it 10 times and get the full correction. For the young guys, it’s good to hear the verbage and how stuff comes out of the quarterback’s mouth and the different calls we have on the line of scrimmage. It’s good to get some timing between the quarterbacks and the receivers.”
But not having the coaches instructing or someone videotaping had its plusses, too.
“It’s nice to be able to dust it off without being on film and being evaluated,” guard Kory Lichtensteiger said. “You can do it for yourself and gauge where you’re at and not have in the back of your mind, ‘If I screw up, who’s watching? And what’s going to happen?’ It’s been good.”
As linebacker London Fletcher, who organized the workouts, said, “We made progress.”
