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Redskins Close Out Action-Packed Weekend
By Gary Fitzgerald
Redskins.com
August 1, 2004



First it was kicker John Hall nailing a 50-yard field goal that drew the "oohs" and "aahs" from the training camp crowd.
Then it was Ralph Brown laying a hit on rookie tight end Chris ey on a pass play, drawing a chorus of "Whoahs" from fans watching nearby.

It continued with Patrick Ramsey connecting with Laveranues Coles on a 20-yard pass. Ramsey pumped his fist into the air as fans applauded.

The Redskins wrapped up the second day of training camp on Sunday and there was plenty of on-field action for fans to get excited about. It seemed every other play drew some type of reaction, whether it was an ovation for Ramsey or words of encouragement to Fred Smoot covering Pro Bowl wide receiver Laveranues Coles.

For the second day in a row, Joe Gibbs termed practice as "rough."

"Everybody's got a good attitude and everybody's going after things, but we're not in a groove," Gibbs said. "Hopefully we'll keep progressing and get better as we go."

Perhaps the biggest news of the practice was rookie Sean Taylor returning to action after spraining his left knee last week. He contributed during a 7-on-7 drill, covering Clinton Portis on one play and recovering a fumble on another. Taylor also wore jersey No. 36 for the practice, swapping jerseys with cornerback Rufus Brown.

"Sean took some work," Gibbs said. "We eased him back into it."

With Taylor on the field, the defense seemed to pick up its intensity, at least as far as hitting was concerned. At one point, Mike Barrow tackled Chad Morton on a pass play and after the play offered to give the running back a hand. Instead, Morton got up on his own and scooted down the sidelines, drawing laughter and applause from fans.

Here are more of the highlights from Sunday afternoon's practice:

Play: Brandon Noble continued to show progress in his return from major knee surgery. On one play during 11-on-11, Noble broke into the backfield and reached Ladell Betts for a sure tackle. The team is being cautious with Noble, holding him out of two-a-days. He'll practice only once per day.

Player: Given Clinton Portis's penchant for making plays at training camp, he could become a fixture of Training Camp Reports. On one play, Portis burst past Rashad Bauman and then slipped between would-be tacklers Todd Franz and Ade Jimoh. Later, Portis dashed through the defensive line straight into LaVar Arrington. He tried to sidestep Arrington, but the Pro Bowl linebacker stayed with him. So Portis abruptly stopped and sprinted back to the huddle, drawing laughter from fans.

Quote: "It's a little bit different coming back to a football town. It was a little bit of a hiatus the last couple of years--and now I'm back. You actually feel good about putting the shoulder pads and helmet on and doing it in front of the fans."  Center Cory Raymer, discussing returning to the Washington Redskins after playing the last couple of seasons with the San Diego Chargers.

Atmosphere: About an hour before practice, a rainstorm passed over Redskins Park. The grounds crew already had a tarp covering the main practice field, the one closest to where the fans watch. The storm lasted about 15 minute and practice went on as scheduled. The heat and humidity returned, though, and after practice, many players were sweating profusely. Credit strength and conditioning coaches John "Mother" Dunn, John Hastings and Bobby Crumpler; the team has had no incidents of players leaving practice due to heat exhaustion.

Notes:

-- Defensive lineman Phillip Daniels sat out practice with an abdominal sprain and is listed as day-to-day. Fullback Mike Sellers was on the practice field Sunday afternoon, minus the protective boot. Sellers suffered a sprained ankle during a Saturday practice. He is also listed as day-to-day.

-- At one point during practice, Arrington shouted out, "I feel like Forrest Gump." Don't know what that means, but there it is.