LaVar accepts return to end role
By Jody Foldesy
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
In a surprising change of attitude, Washington Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington said he is accepting a role as a third-down defensive end and even indicated he shouldn't have bucked when Marvin Lewis played him there in 2002.
Arrington chafed two years ago when Lewis, then Redskins defensive coordinator, moved him from a coverage/run-to-the-ball role on third downs to a three-point stance. Although Arrington finished with 11 sacks, leading all NFL linebackers, he was eager to return to a more varied role last season under George Edwards.
Now he's needed back at defensive end. Washington picked up Phillip Daniels in free agency but still doesn't have a pure pass-rusher. Assistant head coach for defense Gregg Williams has been working Arrington at end in minicamp, and the three-time Pro Bowl pick is making the best of it.
"They want me to play defensive end — they want me to play defensive tackle — I don't care," Arrington said yesterday. "I want to win before it gets too late. I don't want the lights to go out on me or look back and say, 'Had I played defensive end and played it as well as I can play it, that might have been the difference.' I don't ever look back on my career that way."
Lewis forced Arrington to play end because, as the coach put it, Arrington "would not embrace the intricacies of playing coverage on third down." The role remained a battleground throughout the season, after which Lewis departed to become the Cincinnati Bengals' head coach.
"You know what? I might give Marv a call," Arrington said. "I do feel some of the things I said back then are definitely accurate. I also can see what his vision was, too. I'm getting older now. Two defensive schemes later, I honestly can understand what Marv was trying to get accomplished."
He added that playing end that year "gives me ... more confidence about trying to do it now."
Coles' toe worries
The right big toe of wide receiver Laveranues Coles remains a concern. Although coach Joe Gibbs said the club no longer is considering surgery, Coles' activity was trimmed back after some discomfort during Saturday's workout.
"[Head trainer] Bubba [Tyer] kind of wanted to be careful today," Gibbs said. "I think [Coles] was kind of sore because he hadn't run a lot. He's been resting his toe. And we talked yesterday about maybe a little different program for him, from a conditioning standpoint, where he's not pounding on his feet. I think he'll just work himself silly, so if anything you have to be a little careful there."
Indeed, Coles is known for his work ethic and determination to play through pain. He noticed his toe problem early last season but didn't reveal it publicly for several weeks, and even then it wasn't dubbed a stress fracture until late in the year. He started all 16 games and made it to the Pro Bowl as an alternate.
At the late-March minicamp, Coles said surgery was being considered as a "last resort." But Gibbs said that's no longer the case.
"I don't think so," Gibbs said. "He's outfitted with a new [support] in his shoe there, and he felt like that really helped. But I think it's just a matter of rest. The doctors feel like the best thing is to rest it."
Asked about his toe yesterday, Coles replied, "I'll let the trainers discuss that. I hate discussing that physical stuff."
Minicamp ends
Three days of furious play installation ended with yesterday's practice, the last of the offseason's second minicamp. Play generally was rough this weekend as coaches focused on introducing players — including 14 rookies — to a great deal of the offense and defense.
"I was real pleased to think that you could bring guys in three days ago and do as much as we did offensively and defensively," Gibbs said. "I was pleasantly surprised at how they picked things up."
The club now enters five weeks of offseason meetings and walkthroughs, which are capped by the final minicamp, June 4-6. NFL rules prohibit rookies from being with the team again until at least May 16, at which time players whose classes graduate can return.
"That's tough," Gibbs said. "You really try to challenge them to take home their notes and really study everything we've put in."
Thrash back
Wide receiver James Thrash returned to practice after skipping Saturday's workout when his daughter had to go to the hospital. Abriel, born April 26, returned home but apparently still needs to be monitored.
"We're really not sure what it is," Thrash said. "We're going to take her back, but everything seems OK right now."
http://www.washingtontimes.com/sports/2 ... -5332r.htm
