The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

Redskins Get Down to Business

On day three of training camp, coaches and players began to settle in and focus more on the details. Position coaches spent extra time working with players on technique before 11-on-11 drills closed out practice.
For the third day in a row, both offensive and defensive squads broke up onto separate fields and practiced against each other. This created some unusual matchups.

At one point, Laveranues Coles donned a green cap over his burgundy helmet and played defensive back. His assignment: cover Gari Scott. On the other practice field, Brandon Noble wore a blue cap on his helmet and tried to pass protect against Norman Heuer.

"Be quick on the feet!" shouted linebackers coach Dale Lindsey.

Later, from assistant head coach-defense Gregg Williams: "Work on your angles, let's go!"

With Champ Bailey traded to Denver, Fred Smoot has stepped to the forefront of the Redskins' secondary. He openly invites offenses to line up the team's top receiver against him. Joe Gibbs obliged on Sunday, working Laveranues Coles against the fourth-year cornerback.

On Monday, Smoot had an easier go of it, covering young receivers Sean Dillard and Jafar Williams on successive plays. Later, Smoot knocked away a deep pass to Taylor Jacobs, drawing a chorus of "Smoooooooot" cheers from the fans in attendance.

Last year, Smoot stepped up as one of the team leaders after playing through several injuries. His easygoing personality has caught the attention of Joe Gibbs.

Asked what impresses him about Smoot, Gibbs said: "His sense of humor. Fred keeps everyone going. I don't care whether it's off the field, on the field, warm-ups. He always has some kind of joke, comment--or he's making fun of someone. He's probably making fun of me, I just haven't heard it yet."

Here are more of the highlights from Monday morning's practice:

Play: During 11-on-11, Chad Morton caught a short pass from Patrick Ramsey, then crisscrossed the field weaving his way past defenders. Once in open space, he turned on the burners, racing for an easy touchdown. Morton caught 15 passes last year for 484 yards and one touchdown.

Player: With all eyes on Mark Brunell and Patrick Ramsey, it's easy to forget that Tim Hasselbeck started the Redskins' last four games last season. On Monday, he threw a dart into double coverage--and a third defender was a few steps away--to wide receiver James Thrash for a completion. On Sunday, Gibbs praised Hasselbeck, saying: "I like Tim. He jumps out there and does something good in every practice."

Quote: "It all depends on how Sean plays, what he does in the preseason and the plays he makes in practice. But I think it is going to be very competitive at safety. We have some guys back there who are tough guys and can make plays." -- Joe Gibbs, on Sean Taylor's chances of earning a starting job.

Atmosphere: With coaches and players focused on the hard work ahead, Monday morning's practice had a subdued, business-like tone. It was befitting of the weather, which was downcast but not too humid. Among the players who signed autographs were Darnerien McCants, Thrash and Marcus Washington.

Notes:

-- The Redskins will hold another practice on Monday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. This will be the last open practice until Wednesday afternoon.