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Ready to throw

By Mark Zuckerman
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
From the Sports section

Like the Washington Redskins as a whole, Mark Brunell didn't leave much of a lasting impression -- good or bad -- from the recently completed preseason.
The veteran quarterback had his moments, most notably in leading the Redskins' starting offense to a couple of touchdown drives against the Miami Dolphins and Atlanta Falcons. But those moments were so few and far between and his snaps with the first-string were so limited that fans may feel like they're entering the season without a clear idea about Brunell.
To which the soon-to-be 34-year-old said: Don't worry. Everything's going to be just fine.
"I've done this for 10 years," Brunell said. "So I kind of know what to expect."
Brunell's coaches and teammates concur. While the public may have little material with which to judge the new quarterback, the Redskins have been watching him in action since the first day of minicamp in late March.
And to a man, they like what they have seen.
"He had a good finish at Atlanta, and he had a heck of a practice today," assistant head coach for offense Joe Bugel said. "Lefty's right on course."
After an up-and-down training camp in which he faced daily competition from Patrick Ramsey for the starting job, Brunell closed out the preseason on a high note, completing four of six passes for 51 yards Friday night against the Falcons.
That apparently was all coach Joe Gibbs needed to see. He pulled his starting skill position players after one touchdown drive, saving them for this week's opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Not that Gibbs wouldn't have liked to see Brunell in action a little longer.
"You'd like to play them better than half the games and let them get in a real groove," he said. "But you can't do that, because it'd be stupid and they could get hurt. So how much do you play them, and how much do you get them out of there? It's a tough balance."
In Brunell's case, the balance was about one quarter under center each preseason game. He got in three offensive series in Washington's Hall of Fame Game victory over Denver, came off the bench for Ramsey the following week against Carolina, played nearly the entire first half in Miami and again backed up Ramsey in St. Louis before closing out the preseason with his one token drive against Atlanta.
When it was all said and done, Brunell finished 26-for-46 for 295 yards with one touchdown, one interception and a modest 74.1 quarterback rating. Hardly eye-popping numbers but still more than enough to make him the no-brainer choice over Ramsey, who struggled during his time on the field.
Along the way, Brunell became more comfortable with Gibbs' offense, which admittedly is a run-first system that asks its quarterbacks to, above all else, complete high-percentage passes and limit mistakes.
Brunell, who spent the last nine seasons in Jacksonville, said it didn't take long for him to learn the new offense. He also thinks he's a good fit for this system and vice versa.
"This offense has been very productive for Coach Gibbs in the past," Brunell said. "This thing hasn't just shown up after 12 years. It's been in place for decades. I think it requires you to be smart and make good decisions. But I think it fits. I think it fits every quarterback who's willing to work hard, study it and spend time in it."
Brunell's had plenty of time to study it. His trade to Washington became official March 3, and he immediately delved into Gibbs' playbook. The payoff for all the offseason work was evident on the first day of training camp, with Brunell feeling like he already knew the system like the back of his throwing hand.
"One good thing about the way things are done in football now [is] that offseason is much more intense than what we used to have," Gibbs said. "There's a lot more work there. That's good for a guy like Mark, and it's good for us as a new coaching staff, to be quite truthful. Because we spent a lot of those days out there, we were able to do a lot more work than what you used to be able to do in the NFL. So I'm glad for that."
And though Brunell didn't get a ton of opportunities to use his skills during the preseason, those that watch him every day in practice said he -- and the offense in general -- is prepared for the regular season.
"We got a lot of snaps together, trust me," wide receiver Laveranues Coles said. "It might not have been on gameday. But here at Redskin Park, we took our fair share of snaps. It might not show up on film or out there in preseason games, but Coach Gibbs makes it a point to make sure that we're well-prepared. We're not going to have any excuses about not knowing what to do."

Rookie ey likely to start against Bucs

By Jody Foldesy
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
From the Sports section

Washington Redskins coach Joe Gibbs rewarded Chris ey yesterday for his preseason of steady progress by essentially naming the rookie H-back to the starting lineup.
ey, a third-round pick out of Utah State, "probably" will start ahead of veterans Mike Sellers and Brian Kozlowski in Sunday's opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Gibbs said. The decision followed ey's strong showing in Friday's 27-0 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
"To be quite truthful, we feel real comfortable there playing a lot of guys," Gibbs said. "Going in to [the Bucs game], Chris will probably start."
Said ey: "I feel completely confident. I understand that it's a step up from the preseason. I'm going to take this step, do a lot of extra preparation and get ready to go."
ey's first preseason start came in the Falcons game. He caught two passes for 21 yards on the opening drive, which ended in a touchdown. On one of those receptions, he broke a tackle attempt by Pro Bowl linebacker Keith Brooking and used a shoulder to flatten safety Cory Hall.
"I think he's proven he's a pretty good runner after he catches the ball," Gibbs said. "He'll bounce off people and make things happen."
Gibbs also lauded ey's football intelligence, a trait that's vital for the H-back. The position is a hybrid of the tight end and fullback positions, and the player must perform duties ranging from opening rushing lanes to catching deep passes.
ey, who finished the preseason with five catches for 69 yards, became the second 2004 draft pick elevated to the Redskins' starting lineup. Safety Sean Taylor, the draft's fifth selection overall, was promoted several weeks ago.
Barrow 'not ready'
Middle linebacker Mike Barrow, who missed the entire preseason with tendinitis in his knee, sounds unlikely to play against the Bucs.
"He's not ready," director of sports medicine Bubba Tyer said after Barrow tested his knee at practice. Barrow declined comment as he exited Redskin Park. Tyer refused to rule Barrow out, saying those decisions don't need to be made until later in the week.
Barrow's dour prognosis comes as little surprise, considering he suffered a setback in his rehabilitation Aug. 23 and since has been proceeding with caution. Expected to start Sunday is four-year pro Antonio Pierce, who earned raves from coaches for his play this preseason.
Samuels, Thomas on course
Starting offensive linemen Chris Samuels and Randy Thomas moved a step closer to playing against the Bucs by practicing in a limited fashion. Both are expected to be full-go at practice tomorrow and play Sunday.
"I'm overexcited," assistant head coach for offense Joe Bugel said of the development.
Asked whether the pair would play, Bugel replied, "No doubt about it. They work too hard not to play."
Samuels, the left tackle, missed the Falcons exhibition after spraining his ankle Aug. 27 at St. Louis. Thomas, the right guard, skipped the past two weeks after straining a neck muscle while lifting weights.
Extra points
The Redskins were unable to sign veteran defensive tackle Bryan Robinson, who was cut Sunday by the Chicago Bears. Robinson, who played in Chicago under former Bears coordinator and current Redskins line coach Greg Blache, signed a one-year deal with the Miami Dolphins for about $1.5 million, an NFL source said.
Washington did pick up linebacker Dominique Stevenson off waivers, according to a source familiar with the move. Stevenson, who was released by the Buffalo Bills, is known as an adept special teams player. Clifton Smith was cut to make room for Stevenson, who played in Buffalo for former Bills coach and current Washington assistant head coach for defense Gregg Williams.
Gibbs said he would like to have any other personnel swaps done today so the team can devote its full attention to the Bucs tomorrow. ...
Taylor sat out practice but not because of his bruised thigh. An illness had the rookie visiting the doctor. Tyer was optimistic Taylor would return tomorrow. Also sitting out was safety Andre Lott, whose knee injury isn't considered serious. ...
The Redskins filled their practice squad by signing eight young players released among Sunday's final cuts: defensive tackle Ryan Boschetti, cornerback Rufus Brown, defensive lineman Nic Clemons, offensive lineman Pita Elisara, running back Sultan McCullough, offensive lineman Ben Nowland, wide receiver Gari Scott and cornerback Garnell Wilds. ...
The Cincinnati Bengals signed cornerback Rashad Bauman, whom Washington cut Sunday. Another recent Redskins release, wide receiver Cliff Russell, was added to the Bengals' practice squad. Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis was the Redskins' defensive coordinator when Bauman and Russell were selected in 2002's third round.

Like the Washington Redskins as a whole, Mark Brunell didn't leave much of a lasting impression -- good or bad -- from the recently completed preseason.

"We got a lot of snaps together, trust me," wide receiver Laveranues Coles said. "It might not have been on gameday. But here at Redskin Park, we took our fair share of snaps. It might not show up on film or out there in preseason games, but Coach Gibbs makes it a point to make sure that we're well-prepared. We're not going to have any excuses about not knowing what to do."