After what seemed like a longer-than-usual offseason, the Washington Redskins will finally begin their 2013 training camp practices. The Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center was abuzz with testosterone-laden activity yesterday as players had reported to camp and several of them spoke to the media. There is peace and good health abundant in Richmond, Va. in 2013.
The main event, of course, was Robert Griffin, III’s press conference and much discussion surrounded his knee and his relationship with head coach Mike Shanahan. It was actually surprising how long it took for the question to come up of whether or not he and Shanahan agreed on the course of action towards “easing” him into a full practice but it was finally asked.
“I think we’re on the same page,” Griffin said. “When we sat down and talked about what I was going to do in training camp and the weeks to follow, it was a good moment for me because all of the hard work that I had paid off and they’re going to allow me to get back out there and do what I do. And that’s play football and lead and just have fun with the guys. I think we’re on the same page right now. You know, we all make mistakes. Last season, we all understand that. We’ve all talked about it. It’s time to move on. We’re moving forward and hopefully moving up to a Super Bowl.”
As part of the process towards keeping the second-year QB healthy, the decision by Shanahan to not play him in any preseason games is somewhat of a concern. While it’s true that any player can be hurt in those inconsequential games, there is also a benefit to playing in them. Because the plays are so controlled, and because the outcome of the game makes no difference to the season, there is less chance of Griffin being hurt if he doesn’t have to scramble for that first down or if he doesn’t have to scramble out of the pocket to throw that pass. He can easily make the decision to get out of bounds or stay in the pocket with no serious consequence to the season. By the same token, the “football shape” that guys talk about getting into comes in those last hard practices and preseason games. The getting hit, the reading of a different team’s defenses, and the mentality of getting hit… it’s all part of getting ready for the regular season… but with a lot more control on the part of the coaches.
“Contact is important,” a current starter told me recently, “because no conditioning you do in the offseason can prepare you for what you are going to do physically while running in games and in training camp.”
Because of Shanahan’s decision to not play him in the preseason, the Heisman Trophy winner will have to get that important ‘contact’ during training camp. Fortunately, he appeared to be okay with that… sort of.
“I’ve only got one year of experience and I know everybody points to that, but that one year was big for me,” he said Wednesday when asked about how he would respond to not playing this preseason. “And last year in the preseason, first year in the league, I kind of got a lot of the jitters out. You get to play against those guys. The preseason [games]… like they say… aren’t real games. But for those snaps for those guys that are playing, they are playing for real. That’s the way I like to look at it. So I got to get those jitters out and just feel that NFL atmosphere. Whether it was a good preseason game or a bad preseason game, you get those out. And then the first game of the season we played the [New Orleans] Saints and it was all-go from there. This year, I don’t get that opportunity to get any jitters out, but I think that having the one year of experience of playing [was important] and there’s no jitters on Monday Night Football.”
It sounded like he was resigned to the fact and, in his position, that’s about the best one can hope for. His coach, apparently, while a wily vet in the coaching world, learned a lot from what happened to his star player last season and that has to be respected. He feels it’s best to keep RGIII out of the preseason and he certainly knows more about coaching football than most people so… at least he admits that he is still learning, even with his advanced experience.
“I learn every year,” Shanahan said yesterday on Comcast SportsNet. “In fact, I reviewed a number of those [injury] situations this year. You’ve got [offensive linemen] Tyler Polumbus, you’ve got Kory Lichtensteiger, [wide receiver] Pierre Garcon. I look at different scenarios throughout the year. But at the end, it really doesn’t make a difference.
“What you’re trying to do is make sure your communication ─ not only with the players ─ are as good as it can be. Players gotta be honest with you. You gotta be honest with players. Players grow, coaches grow. And that’s what you’re looking for. You’re looking for honesty, you’re looking for all the different positions you grow as a staff, and I’m looking forward to this football team.”
While Robert’s health is important to success of the team this year, so are many of the other guys coming back from injury. Safety Brandon Meriweather is an extremely important injury return for the roster. Recalling last November’s win against the Philadelphia Eagles – the one and only game Meriweather played in last season – gives one a glimpse of what Washington’s secondary can be and it’s exciting. He made a huge impact. Whether it was winning the bet (to see who would have more tackles) that he and teammate DeAngelo Hall made before the contest (there were a couple of tackles they were both in on) or just his typical energy, the safety made a difference. He had one interception and flew all over the field any time he was on it — up until he tore his ACL after playing just over 30 minutes. The coaches saw it:
“I think everybody saw his impact,” Mike Shanahan said about the safety. “We saw it throughout the preseason. He gives us a lot of energy back there and you can see what type of football player he is. He proved it today.”
His teammates saw it:
“He was a tone setter back there,” linebacker London Fletcher told the media said after that game. “Making some hard hitting tackles, getting an interception. Just his savvy….you can definitely appreciate him being back there.”
The fans saw it:
“Aw man,” a faithful member of RedskinsNation, Sam Blackburn, said outside FEDEX Field after the game. “Did you see how Meriweather lit up the defense? It was like a different team out there.”
And in only the way Meriweather can voice something, he denied the importance of his being there:
“I don’t think it was me,” he said when asked about his impact on his squad. “I actually think the fact that all four starters were actually together for the first time just brought an [uptick] to our defense. We realized that everything falls on us, so we played like it.”
Now, think for a moment about how prolific the Redskins’ offense was last season during those last seven wins of the season. Tight end Fred Davis tore his Achilles in Week 7 against the New York Giants and yet, Washington still scored over 27 points in six of the nine games from which Davis was absent. They won seven of them. With Davis on the field, think of the additional weaponry Griffin is afforded. He had 13.5 yards-per-reception average and 326 yards-from-scrimmage in seven games in 2012. With his size, he is a big match-up problem for defenses. The 2008 second-rounder is another really important return to the roster from injury for this team.
The benefit of a healthy Pierre Garçon’s presence on the field has been well-documented. The wide out made such a difference in the success of the offense that the Redskins only lost one game in which he played. And he wasn’t totally healthy at any point past the first game against the New Orleans Saints. He has been cleared to practice this week and, having had the benefit of playing catch with his quarterback over the minicamps and OTAs this offseason; things can only get better for the offense.
Between Garçon and Davis, previously injured offensive lineman Kory Lichtensteiger, Griffin and his other weapons; the offense will stretch defenses, reduce double teams to blithering idiots and make plays after the catch. If he and his signal caller both stay healthy this season, Garçon is on tap for 85 receptions, 1,335 yards and nine touchdowns in 2013.
Linebacker Brian Orakpo is another player returning from injury that should be a boon to the team. The 2009 first-round pick is recovering from a pectoral injury sustained in Week 2 last season and, if the defense’s low ranking during the season is any indication of his value to the team, defensive coordinator Jim Haslett is singing in the shower these days. “Rak” is definitely happy to be practicing again with his teammates and fellow linebackers: London Fletcher, Ryan Kerrigan and Perry Riley.
“It’s good. We got our core four back,” Orakpo said earlier in the offseason. “It’s still early — we are trying to jell and fix the mistakes we had last year. But I really feel like it is going to be a good season for us… very good.”
And those teammates are happy to have him.
“’Rak, he’s what you call a difference maker,” Fletcher said yesterday during his press conference. “So for him, he can help make some of the other players better. When you’re able to pressure the quarterback, get sacks on the quarterback and also — from a game plan standpoint — the offensive coordinators, they have to account for him. So he’s going to help other guys play better football. Again, last year ‘Rak was out and guys had to step up. [Linebacker] Rob Jackson came in, played well for us and a number of other guys came in and played well for us. So you’ve got to have depth on your football team because injuries happen. But I think if we can be as healthy as possible, keep our starters and continue to add guys in there who will play a lot of football for us, that’s going to make a difference for us.”
Unfortunately, defensive lineman Adam Carriker is going to require another surgery on his leg and he and the coaching staff are being very tight-lipped about what exactly the setback was that is making this necessary. For the most part however, the team is getting some extremely important guys back from injury. Add the many returning starters with some intriguing new players and this year’s training camp should be very productive. If that does indeed turn out to be the case, then the outlook for the Washington Redskins’ 2013 season is bright.
Hail.
Diane Chesebrough is Chief Editor, writer and photographer for SportsJourney Broadcast Network. Accredited media with the NFL, she has been a feature writer for several national magazines/periodicals. Follower her on Twitter: @DiChesebrough