Receiver DeSean
Jackson tweaked his left hamstring, but coach Jay Gruden called it a minor
pull. Gruden said Jackson
has had a good camp so far and that they just want to make sure he’s “right”
when it comes to his health.
Nose
tackle Barry
Cofield had hernia
surgery recently and will miss the rest of the OTA sessions. Gruden said they
are hoping to have him full-go by the start of training camp and said, “He
should be in good shape.”
Chris
Neild and Kedric Golston worked as the first two nose tackles
with Cofield out of the lineup.
Receiver Leonard
Hankerson also continues to rehab his ACL injury. Both he and cornerback Richard
Crawford, who tore multiple ligaments, ran on the side Thursday. Hankerson was
not running as fast as he could and still looked affected by his knee. “We
don’t want to rush him back,” Gruden said. “Let’s get him back 100 percent,
whether the time is the start of training camp, middle of training camp, third
game.”
Safety Phillip
Thomas is practicing after missing last season with a Lisfranc injury. It
can be a tricky injury to recover from, especially if the athlete has surgery,
as Thomas did. But Thomas said he feels normal when running on the field.
Defensive
end Stephen Bowen, recovering from microfracture surgery, did a little
work off to the side. He did not expect to return by now, so his limited work
is not a surprise.
Cornerback Tracy
Porter, recovering from shoulder surgery, also ran off to the side.
Robert Griffin III worked on being
more consistent with his mechanics in the offseason and there was a difference.
The past two years his base was wider as the Redskins wanted to shorten the
stride. He also got into a habit of holding the ball lower, leading to a longer
windup when he threw. but in practice Thursday, Griffin held the ball higher – at the top of
the numbers. He also threw with a more narrow base. He likes doing this because
he feels more free, giving him the ability to bounce the pocket a little
better. Not every quarterback throws with the same base, much like not every
hitter uses the same stance at the plate. Griffin
also was throwing more over the top; less windup. So the ball came out a little
quicker. He was not always accurate, but he was not off as much as he was, say,
last summer when coming back in training camp. And keep in mind that even as a
rookie in practice Griffin
would have off days throwing the ball. regardless, Griffin’s fundamentals were more consistent
than they were during the season. The key will be transferring it to the season
when it gets chaotic in the pocket.
His weight transfer was different as well;
much more quiet but a definite transfer. Saw it on a deep ball to receiver DeSean
Jackson. griffin escaped the pocket on one play and looked like he was going to
tuck and run. But he pulled up before he crossed the line and hit Pierre
Garcon along the sidelines. Keenan Robinson lined up next to Perry
Riley with the No. 1 defense. It’s only May, but it’s still telling when
considering that he missed all of last season and part of his rookie year. They
also signed Darryl Sharpton and Akeem Jordan, who worked with
the second team. Adam Hayward also worked some with the second team
at inside linebacker.
The linebackers’ versatility will be a huge
part of the defense this season, as you would expect. The key is that they now
have three outside linebackers – Brian Orakpo,Ryan Kerrigan and Trent
Murphy -- who are comfortable with their hands in the dirt, rushing from a
two-point stance or dropping into coverage.
Murphy beat Tom Compton during
11-on-11 work with a quick spin move to the inside. For a tall guy, Murphy does
a nice job staying low on his spin.
Second-year linebacker Brandon Jenkins was
mostly limited to rushing the passer last season, but saw him in coverage some
Thursday. Here are the players I saw returning kicks Thursday: Lache
Seastrunk, Chris Thompson, Nick Williams, Andre Roberts and Rashad
Ross.Chris Baker lined up at left end with the starting defense (keep in
mind Stephen Bowen can’t work). Chris Neild was in the
middle with Barry Cofield sidelined (hernia surgery) and Jason
Hatcher was on the right side.
Rookie corner Bashaud Breeland still
needs to be less grabby. Saw him tuggingSantana Moss’ jersey downfield before
the veteran caught the ball. Saw Breeland tugging other jerseys as they broke
on a route (after the allotted five yards of contact). Not sure all the
receivers quite appreciated his hands. Breeland was beaten on a double move by
receiver Pierre Garcon. One thing Breeland said he needed to do was to keep his
eyes on his man. He lost him this time, peeking too long into the backfield and
awaiting a throw that wasn’t coming. Instead, it turned into an easy deep
completion.
Maurice Hurt worked at right tackle
with the third unit. Josh LeRibeus worked at left guard with the
second unit.
Jackson’s speed was evident, especially on an end around. He was in traffic
as he ran around the end, on the side opposite the media so it was hard to tell
who it was at first. But he was moving at a different speed, which was the
first clue as to who it was. Corner Chase Minnifield will get into a
lot of tussles this camp – a safe prediction. He nearly got into one with tight
end Niles Paul Thursday. Minnifield is physical and feisty and that
will never please those running routes in practice. This time, Minnifield was
grabbing Paul on the entire route and at the end Paul shoved him. Minnifield
bounced up and shoved him back. It didn’t escalate.
Minnifield did pick off a Kirk Cousins pass
in zone coverage. Minnifield sank deep on the route and grabbed a pass that was
intended for Williams.
It was tough to see running back Chris
Thompson’s speed last season, whether in spring, summer or before he was shut
down during the season. He was coming off a knee injury. But he’s a year
removed from that injury and the speed was more evident. Still worry about his
durability, but he looked fast after running with a pass in the open field.
Safety Tanard Jackson ran with
the third defense. Corner David Amerson looks more comfortable in
press coverage and is using his long arms to his advantage when jamming
receivers. Saw him do this a couple times, showing good technique and not
getting beat in this look. It’s something he needed to work on as a rookie and
I’m sure the learning curve will continue. But with his length and speed it’s a
necessary tactic for him to learn. the
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