…Running back Clinton Portis will miss his second straight game because of a concussion. Portis worked again in the morning and has less blurred vision. But he has not yet recovered enough from the concussion, suffered in the first quarter of the Nov. 8 Atlanta game to return.
“I’m going to rule him out,” Redskins coach Jim Zorn said after a rainy afternoon practice today.
Analysis: Ladell Betts will make his second straight start. Betts was terrific last week with 114 yards rushing, but the biggest thing, teammates say, is that Betts is able to practice. It makes a difference. Given the amount of six- and seven-man fronts that Betts faced, Portis likely would have had similar success. Portis tends to face more eight-man fronts. However, the rhythm of the running game is better when the back is able to practice often.
…Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth wore a walking boot on his sprained left ankle today and now is a game-time decision, Zorn said.
If Haynesworth can’t play, then Anthony Montgomery will definitely be active. The Redskins need to counter Dallas’ big bodies up front, and its desire to run a power game, with beef of its own. So even if Haynesworth does play, Montgomery could be active for that reason.
…Tackle Mike Williams also will be a game-time decision. But he won’t start even if he is healthy. I’ll be curious to see what happens when he’s fine; if he gets moved to right guard again. Stephon Heyer is inconsistent at right tackle and tends to give away the plays. Just watch him: you can tell if it’s a pass because he’ll set with his back foot a little deeper.
…Do not expect the Redskins to use linebacker Brian Orakpo much on Dallas tight end Jason Witten. The Redskins have done a good job limiting him in coverage; he’s only allowed the one touchdown pass vs. Carolina. More often than not, he’ll be moving forward. The Redskins will be creative against him. Green Bay used corner Charles Woodson vs. Witten. The Redskins could use Carlos Rogers vs. him; he has size and can run. That would enable DeAngelo Hall to stay on the outside vs. Miles Austin. But I’m not sure how the matchups will go. They can also rotate looks, which makes sense.
…By the way, the Redskins still haven’t said if Rogers will start. But it would be surprising if he didn’t. They’ve raved about how he’s responded to the benching; that’s the tipoff. Also, reading Rogers’ body language, he seems to be calm and not the least bit upset.
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