Skins’ frustration is mounting

The Redskins say it’s not as bad as it looks. They explain each situation away.

But there’s no denying that after seven games and entering the bye week, the 2-5 Redskins are a team fraying at the edges, a mixture of frustration and disappointment.

There’s a reason.

“We know we should be doing better,” receiver Antwaan Randle El said.

Redskins coach Joe Gibbs said he’d be willing to change anything to turn it around. But there are few changes he can make. He reiterated that Mark Brunell will continue to start at quarterback. There may be some changes with the offensive and defensive schemes, but probably nothing dramatic.

They’ll spend the bye week trying to rid themselves of the frustrations of a season that has turned sour.

“We’ve got guys who get frustrated because they don’t get the ball or don’t make plays,” Gibbs said. “That’s what’s going on when you don’t get things done the way you want.”

The frustration was evident in Sunday’s 36-22 loss at Indianapolis. Randle El and Brandon Lloyd were caught yelling at each other on the sideline, and running backs coach Earnest Byner pulled Lloyd away.

“We were keeping each other cool,” Randle El said. “That’s the way we go about it. It’s better to let it out on each other and have an understanding than to take it out on another team after the whistle.”

Gibbs said, “That’s part of the game. It’s emotional. Guys come off and they’re upset; I’ve had all kinds of fits on the sideline.”

Receiver Santana Moss drew a 15-yard penalty for head-butting defensive back Jason David, who had hit Moss from behind.

“He cheap-shotted him,” Gibbs said of David. “[Moss is] lucky he didn’t get hurt. … [But] you’ve got to try and control yourself.”

But later in the game Moss head-butted a Colt, which drew no penalty.

Then there was punter Derrick Frost, who drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for taking his helmet off as he yelled at the officials after the whistle blew prior to a punt attempt on a kickoff. Frost said it stemmed from several incidents over the past four games.

“It’s not an excuse for what I did,” he said. “I was trying to smash the ball and hit it well. They blew the whistle and I just lost it.”

Bye Week notes

» Linebacker Lemar Marshall and running back Clinton Portis both have high ankle sprains, though both were termed mild. Still, it’s an injury that can sideline players for several weeks. Portis left Redskins Park Monday with a walking boot on his left ankle and underwent an MRI, though results were not yet known Monday night.

However, it’s uncertain if either player will miss the Dallas game on Nov. 5.

Wide receiver Santana Moss has a strained left hamstring. Quarterback Mark Brunell has a strained muscle in the side of his ribs and bruised legs. He might not practice today.

Cornerback Carlos Rogers’ thumb is out of the splint.

» Portis said the players aren’t questioning the offense, and still believe in it. But he does wonder about his place in the offense.

“When you don’t get the production we’re capable of, you question yourself and whether you’re the person for the offense,” he said. “I feel like I can adjust and adapt to anything. But at the same time if it’s not there, it’s not there.”

» The Redskins were caught unaware of a rule on kickoffs. Unless it’s a free kick, such as one after a safety, the ball must be kicked offa tee. That’s why officials blew the whistle when Derrick Frost was about to punt the ball on a kickoff. The ball was at the 10-yard line because of an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and offsides penalties.

“I was just doing what I was told,” Frost said.

» Antwaan Randle El drew the initial penalty after his 87-yard punt return; he ran into the goalpost and fell down in celebration. But a new rule penalizes players for leaving their feet.

“I guess I didn’t have the full understanding,” he said.

“A Mickey Mouse rule,” coach Joe Gibbs said.