1. Free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe did not practice for a second straight day because of a knee injury suffered in the loss to Philadelphia on Sunday. Atogwe said he hurt his knee in the first quarter, but continued to play.
“After watching the film I could see how it was inhibiting me,” he said. “But during the game I couldn’t really feel it. I definitely noticed it because it affected the way I was running, but you have the strength and fortitude to play through.”
However, the fact that Atogwe hasn’t practiced yet this week does not bode well for Sunday, even if he says he plans on playing.
2. Kareem Moore will not take his place. Moore remains on the physically unable to perform list and has yet to practice. Coach Mike Shanahan said they would not have Moore practice one day and then play Sunday.
Moore struggled last season anyway, so it’s hard to imagine he’d be able to come in and play better than any other safety on the roster. Reed Doughty would replace Atogwe; keep in mind that Atogwe has not played very fast at all, whether because of age, hamstring or knee issues. He was never considered a speedy safety anyway.
3. Corner Byron Westbrook also did not practice because of a hamstring injury suffered Wednesday. Shanahan said of both players, “We’re afraid if we push them, we’ll set them back.” Shanahan said he won’t know how serious Atogwe’s knee injury is until he tries to practice.
And corner DeAngelo Hall (toe) was limited in practice.
4. Jammal Brown will stay at right tackle for a good reason: The Redskins have made enough changes to the offensive line. The last thing they need to do is move a fourth player around. Besides, Brown has not worked at this spot for more than a year. Not sure he has the quickness at this point to play left tackle.
5. Talked to Erik Cook for a story regarding the line, with his height a part of the tale. At 6-foot-6, he’ll be the NFL’s tallest starting center.
“I know I have to be low,” Cook said. “I know the defensive linemen and nose guards I’ll be going up against, they definitely have an advantage of getting under me. But I think I’ve been doing a good job staying low and being more powerful.”
6. Tight end Fred Davis blamed himself, in part, for Rex Grossman’s benching.
“I feel I could have probably saved him,” Davis said. “If he didn’t have those two interceptions, maybe …”
Oh, but he did. And he had many others. And Grossman was benched for more than one bad showing. If it had only been about the Eagles game, Grossman would still have his job.
Davis, though, said on the first pick, “I couldn’t see the safety and the ball probably wasn’t in the right place, but I still feel the player I want to be, I could have probably reacted differently and attacked it more.”
And on the second one thrown his way: “The second one was my fault. That was all me right there. I should have adjusted my route that way earlier. Usually in the open field I run it that deep, but it was red zone so you have to cross over.”
7. Loved talking to Panthers receiver Steve Smith on a conference call the other day. He loves quarterback Cam Newton, saying he’s a leader. But Smith also is thrilled that he’s a big factor again. He already has 32 catches, 14 fewer than last year.
“I’ve just been sitting on the shelf for two years,” he said. “You just have to throw some new batteries up in there. Some people have batteries up in the freezer trying to save them. That’s what I was – in the freezer. In this new offense, they want to see if I can play, if I can still run. I wouldn’t say I’ve been rejuvenated, just taken the reins off and be allowed to run these routes and get downfield.
“Deion Sanders talked to me before the game and he said I have opened doors for a lot of people because the same people writing about Cam as far as, ‘he can’t read coverages,’ are the same people saying, ‘You don’t want a veteran like Steve Smith on this team. He can corrupt a young guy. He’s past his prime. He can’t run anymore. He’s lost a step.’ I’m undersized. I’m not supposed to be playing this game anyway at 5-9, 195 pounds and yet I’m playing, I’m a No. 1 receiver and I’m putting up decent numbers. I’ll take them so I’m happy for that.”
Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett coached against Smith when he was New Orleans’ top man. He called Smith, “the most competitive guy I’ve seen playing that position.”
8. What would the Redskins have done if Erik Cook hadn’t been able to play vs. Philly? Logan Paulsen would have entered at guard or center. He’s the emergency backup O-lineman, as a third tight end on any team would be.
9. Kyle Shanahan on John Beck’s mobility: ““I think anybody can tell, I’m not giving away a secret that Beck is faster than Rex. So I think he can do more with his legs, but I know he’s not faster than all of those guys on the defense. You can do a little bit more with his legs, but you definitely can’t totally depend on it.”
10. The Redskins dealt with a small mobile quarterback last week; this time they get a large one in Newton. Makes it challenging for linebackers and even linemen to tackle him.
“Having more than one guy will help,” nose tackle Barry Cofield said. “You have to hit him in the midsection. You can’t hit him high, you can’t hit him low. A lot of times it’s twisting… you kind of roll and twist him to the ground so he can’t absorb your hit and he’ll throw an incompletion or throw it away.”
11. Receiver Anthony Armstrong (hamstring) and running back Tim Hightower (shoulder) both practiced in full again Thursday. Should play Sunday.
12. Corner Phillip Buchanon should be healthy, too. Kevin Barnes didn’t exactly shine as the nickel corner vs. the Eagles. Whether or not Buchanon is ready for that role remains to be seen.
13. Rookie defensive end Jarvis Jenkins remains in Washington and sits in on meetings. So, yes, he can get something out of what otherwise is a lost season. Haslett said Jenkins showed him how he could run up the stairs Thursday.
“We’ve had a couple of guys here last year – a guy went on IR and we didn’t see him all year. He went home or whatever,” Haslett said. “I love the way Jarvis prepares to play the game and the way he’s done his rehab. If you probably gave Jarvis another month, he’d probably be ready to play. I mean he works hard and he tells me what he does at night… He ran up the steps today and it was impressive… He just can’t plant and go side-to-side.”
If you’re wondering who that player was who left? Haslett didn’t say, but the only defensive players last season who went on IR early enough in the season were safety Chris Horton (in November) and linebacker Robert Henson (in September).
14. To subscribe to my Friday insider email reports, click here. By the way, talked to former NFL scout Russ Lande about college quarterbacks. That’ll be in the report this Friday.
15. Talked to Brian Baldinger for his insight into the Redskins-Panthers game. He worked the Redskins game on the radio last week and has called some Panthers games, too. That’ll be in the Expert’s Take on Friday.
