Post by ccboy on Nov 16, 2008 9:19:31 GMT -7
;)Portis doesn't do 'limited fashion'
November 16, 2008 9:00 AM
Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
Portis
Redskins coach Jim Zorn said he might be willing to play running back Clinton Portis (knee) "in a limited fashion" Sunday, but I have a hard time believing that. If Portis says he can go -- which seems like a stretch -- he'll start and carry the ball at least 18 times.
He's been in this type of situation several times before. When Portis takes the field, there's no such thing as "limited fashion." Portis is not a change-of-pace back. He needs carries to bang away at a defense. He's also one of the best pass-blocking backs. If he's active, he won't allow Zorn to ease him into the flow.
If he plays, he'll have 20 carries and 100 yards. If he's not able to go, the Redskins could struggle mightily in the running game.
Cowboys-Redskins, Clinton Portis, Jim Zorn, Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys
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Springs vs. Owens XI
November 16, 2008 7:00 AM
Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
It's looking like Redskins cornerback Shawn Springs (calf) will play against the Cowboys on Sunday night. Springs injured his calf in the third quarter of the Redskins' win at Texas Stadium earlier this season.
But in the first half of that game, Springs provided defensive coordinators across the league with a blueprint for defending Terrell Owens. Springs jammed T.O. at the line of scrimmage and refused to let him get into his normal routes. Over the next couple of weeks, Bengals cornerback Leon Hall and Cardinals cornerback Rod Hood took similar approaches.
Springs and T.O. have met 10 times during their careers, and both players have had their moments. Springs is the type of big, physical corner that can give T.O. fits. The Cowboys will try to put T.O. in motion a lot more Sunday in an attempt to make it tougher on Springs and Carlos Rogers.
The Cowboys desperately need T.O. to get back on track. He was a non-factor when Brad Johnson and Brooks Bollinger were in the game. I think the Cowboys will try to go to him early in the game.
Cowboys-Redskins, Shawn Springs, Terrell Owens, Brooks Bollinger, Brad Johnson, Leon Hall, Rod Hood
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Anatomy of the Hall acquisition
November 15, 2008 11:59 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
As the NFC Beast was first to report, the Redskins talked to defensive captains London Fletcher and Cornelius Griffin before signing cornerback DeAngelo Hall. On Saturday, Washington Post Redskins beat writer Jason La Canfora provided a blow-by-blow account of how this deal went down.
Coach Jim Zorn was quick to point out that Hall wouldn't have been signed had he not been on board with the deal. Zorn also called defensive coordinator Greg Blache and secondary coach Jerry Gray to let them know what was going on.
"If I was dead against it, there was no way it could have happened," Zorn said. "Vinny wouldn't put that on me, 'You have to take him.' And I wouldn't do that to Greg [Blache]: 'You have to take him.'
"There is definitely a working relationship with everybody. That makes it good, and it should be that way in a midseason [acquisition], and probably even that way in every situation, even in the draft."
From reading La Canfora's story, it looks like special teams coach Danny Smith was the only assistant who was completely opposed to the signing. And for good reason. The Redskins had to release special teams ace Leigh Torrence to make room for Hall. The Redskins have Hall working as the jammer on the punt unit. You know he's thrilled about that.
I spent some time visiting with Cowboys assistant secondary coach Brett Maxie this past week. Maxie coached Hall for three years in Atlanta and he couldn't say enough nice things about him. He said Hall had "great ball skills" and that his reputation for being bad in the locker room was completely fabricated.
Cowboys-Redskins, Cornelius Griffin, DeAngelo Hall, Greg Blache, Jerry Gray, London Fletcher, Jim Zorn
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Audibles: NFC East Week 11 preview
November 14, 2008 3:57 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
Dallas Cowboys (5-4) at Washington Redskins (6-3), 8:15 p.m. ET
The Cowboys aren't officially calling this a must-win game, but they might as well. Quarterback Tony Romo returns after missing three games with a broken right pinkie. I've had an up-close look at the splint, and it gives him a lot more flexibility than the previous one. Romo's still experiencing some pain when he throws longer routes, but he says it's not affecting his passes.
The Cowboys have hinted at tweaks they've made to the offense throughout the week. From what I've been told by sources at Valley Ranch, those tweaks include a lot more no-huddle and more pre-snap motion for Terrell Owens. You might recall that it was Washington that provided the blueprint for how to defend T.O. in press coverage. The good news for the Redskins is that cornerback Shawn Springs should finally be able to play again. Springs, Carlos Rogers and Fred Smoot should give the Redskins a lot of options. And it looks like cornerback DeAngelo Hall will be ready to go.
The Redskins will probably be without running back Clinton Portis, who is nursing a knee sprain. Portis shredded the Cowboys defensive line at Texas Stadium earlier this season, so it would be a huge loss. Ladell Betts is a capable backup, but he's also been sidelined with a knee injury. Coach Jim Zorn has talked about teaching Shaun Alexander some different things, but he's not a good option.
The Redskins will try to take a couple of shots early at Pro Bowl cornerback Terence Newman, who is returning from a sports hernia. Santana Moss burned Newman on a deep ball in the Redskins' win, and Jason Campbell will look to find him on several hitches and screens. Moss' hamstring wasn't right against the Steelers, and it affected how Campbell played. That said, look for a big game from Chris Cooley. At some point, he'll be matched up with Ken Hamlin or Keith Davis. And that's not a good situation for the Cowboys. Cooley's learned his trade by studying Cowboys tight end Jason Witten -- and he's learned well.
The Redskins can lose this game and still be in the hunt for a playoff game. If the Cowboys lose, they can pretty much rule themselves out.
November 16, 2008 9:00 AM
Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
Portis
Redskins coach Jim Zorn said he might be willing to play running back Clinton Portis (knee) "in a limited fashion" Sunday, but I have a hard time believing that. If Portis says he can go -- which seems like a stretch -- he'll start and carry the ball at least 18 times.
He's been in this type of situation several times before. When Portis takes the field, there's no such thing as "limited fashion." Portis is not a change-of-pace back. He needs carries to bang away at a defense. He's also one of the best pass-blocking backs. If he's active, he won't allow Zorn to ease him into the flow.
If he plays, he'll have 20 carries and 100 yards. If he's not able to go, the Redskins could struggle mightily in the running game.
Cowboys-Redskins, Clinton Portis, Jim Zorn, Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys
Read comments or leave a comment
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Springs vs. Owens XI
November 16, 2008 7:00 AM
Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
It's looking like Redskins cornerback Shawn Springs (calf) will play against the Cowboys on Sunday night. Springs injured his calf in the third quarter of the Redskins' win at Texas Stadium earlier this season.
But in the first half of that game, Springs provided defensive coordinators across the league with a blueprint for defending Terrell Owens. Springs jammed T.O. at the line of scrimmage and refused to let him get into his normal routes. Over the next couple of weeks, Bengals cornerback Leon Hall and Cardinals cornerback Rod Hood took similar approaches.
Springs and T.O. have met 10 times during their careers, and both players have had their moments. Springs is the type of big, physical corner that can give T.O. fits. The Cowboys will try to put T.O. in motion a lot more Sunday in an attempt to make it tougher on Springs and Carlos Rogers.
The Cowboys desperately need T.O. to get back on track. He was a non-factor when Brad Johnson and Brooks Bollinger were in the game. I think the Cowboys will try to go to him early in the game.
Cowboys-Redskins, Shawn Springs, Terrell Owens, Brooks Bollinger, Brad Johnson, Leon Hall, Rod Hood
Read comments or leave a comment
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Anatomy of the Hall acquisition
November 15, 2008 11:59 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
As the NFC Beast was first to report, the Redskins talked to defensive captains London Fletcher and Cornelius Griffin before signing cornerback DeAngelo Hall. On Saturday, Washington Post Redskins beat writer Jason La Canfora provided a blow-by-blow account of how this deal went down.
Coach Jim Zorn was quick to point out that Hall wouldn't have been signed had he not been on board with the deal. Zorn also called defensive coordinator Greg Blache and secondary coach Jerry Gray to let them know what was going on.
"If I was dead against it, there was no way it could have happened," Zorn said. "Vinny wouldn't put that on me, 'You have to take him.' And I wouldn't do that to Greg [Blache]: 'You have to take him.'
"There is definitely a working relationship with everybody. That makes it good, and it should be that way in a midseason [acquisition], and probably even that way in every situation, even in the draft."
From reading La Canfora's story, it looks like special teams coach Danny Smith was the only assistant who was completely opposed to the signing. And for good reason. The Redskins had to release special teams ace Leigh Torrence to make room for Hall. The Redskins have Hall working as the jammer on the punt unit. You know he's thrilled about that.
I spent some time visiting with Cowboys assistant secondary coach Brett Maxie this past week. Maxie coached Hall for three years in Atlanta and he couldn't say enough nice things about him. He said Hall had "great ball skills" and that his reputation for being bad in the locker room was completely fabricated.
Cowboys-Redskins, Cornelius Griffin, DeAngelo Hall, Greg Blache, Jerry Gray, London Fletcher, Jim Zorn
Read comments or leave a comment
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Audibles: NFC East Week 11 preview
November 14, 2008 3:57 PM
Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley
Dallas Cowboys (5-4) at Washington Redskins (6-3), 8:15 p.m. ET
The Cowboys aren't officially calling this a must-win game, but they might as well. Quarterback Tony Romo returns after missing three games with a broken right pinkie. I've had an up-close look at the splint, and it gives him a lot more flexibility than the previous one. Romo's still experiencing some pain when he throws longer routes, but he says it's not affecting his passes.
The Cowboys have hinted at tweaks they've made to the offense throughout the week. From what I've been told by sources at Valley Ranch, those tweaks include a lot more no-huddle and more pre-snap motion for Terrell Owens. You might recall that it was Washington that provided the blueprint for how to defend T.O. in press coverage. The good news for the Redskins is that cornerback Shawn Springs should finally be able to play again. Springs, Carlos Rogers and Fred Smoot should give the Redskins a lot of options. And it looks like cornerback DeAngelo Hall will be ready to go.
The Redskins will probably be without running back Clinton Portis, who is nursing a knee sprain. Portis shredded the Cowboys defensive line at Texas Stadium earlier this season, so it would be a huge loss. Ladell Betts is a capable backup, but he's also been sidelined with a knee injury. Coach Jim Zorn has talked about teaching Shaun Alexander some different things, but he's not a good option.
The Redskins will try to take a couple of shots early at Pro Bowl cornerback Terence Newman, who is returning from a sports hernia. Santana Moss burned Newman on a deep ball in the Redskins' win, and Jason Campbell will look to find him on several hitches and screens. Moss' hamstring wasn't right against the Steelers, and it affected how Campbell played. That said, look for a big game from Chris Cooley. At some point, he'll be matched up with Ken Hamlin or Keith Davis. And that's not a good situation for the Cowboys. Cooley's learned his trade by studying Cowboys tight end Jason Witten -- and he's learned well.
The Redskins can lose this game and still be in the hunt for a playoff game. If the Cowboys lose, they can pretty much rule themselves out.