A couple quick notes from covering training camp
Hi guys. My name is Mike Prada, and I'm the senior editor of SB Nation D.C. and the webmaster of our Wizards blog Bullets Forever. Kevin asked me to share some observations from training camp, since I've been able to cover the first two days (not today, I'm heading out of town) with a press credential. Here are a couple quick thoughts:
- Albert Haynesworth: Obviously, this whole thing has been beaten to death, but in case it wasn't clear, Haynesworth's "test" isn't exactly the kind of standardized exercise that everyone takes. It's actually a conditioning drill turned into a "test" specifically for Haynesworth. Strength and Conditioning Coach Ray Wright explained the whole thing yesterday. Basically, the test is a variation of a drill the players often do during their OTAs, and anyone who didn't attend more than 50 percent of the OTA sessions had to do it as a "test" before training camp. Haynesworth was the only one who didn't pass that threshold (though Andre Carter and Rocky McIntosh were close), so he had to take the drill-turned-test.
- Mike Shanahan said he thinks anyone on the team could pass the test "in their sleep," but that's somewhat debatable. It's a bit unclear whether the players were timed when doing the drill in OTAs, and it's less clear whether the defensive linemen had to do it in 70 seconds, then 73 seconds. Some players, like Phillip Daniels, said they could pass the test easily. Others, like DeAngelo Hall, said he's not sure players on the team could pass it even at 100 percent. Ultimately, the best way to classify the "test" is that's it's standard, but probably not as easy as Shanahan thinks.
- One thing that was interesting is that Daniels said he thinks the test gets harder every day because of the wear and tear on your body. However, Wright disagreed with that statement, saying it gets easier because you learn how to find the right pace to run when you fail it. Pretty much everyone I talked to, from Hall to Daniels, also said you needed to train for the test to pass it well.
- There's been shockingly little talk about Donovan McNabb, other than in the most general terms. (That's probably because of Haynesworth). McNabb looked about as expected, not standing out, but not messing up a ton. Perhaps the most interesting McNabb quote came from Santana Moss after Day 1. "The good quarterbacks look backside and say 'That third read might be first read.' That's what separates offenses in this leauge. You look at some guys and you ask 'Well, how did he get that many yards.' But he didn't get all those yards from being first read all the time. He got it because when defenses were in off coverage and gave him a mismatch, that offense had a good quarterback and knew where to find him. I feel like that's what Donovan brings us."
- In general, everyone's very excited about Kyle Shanahan's new offense. Moss said one thing he loves about it is that Shanahan gives players the freedom to freelance if the play breaks down. "He runs schemes that are not always so finely stitched. Sometimes, you get an offense where a guy has something written and he says 'This is what I want you to do,' even though he knows defenses in this day and age are going to play differently. He's one of those guys that has [the play] written, but he'll also say, 'Hey, if you can make something out of it differently, let's do it, because we want to make a play out of it, we don't want to just throw it into coverage.' He's one of those guys that's very flexible on how you get open, as long as you and the quarterback are on the same page." I was also told that one reason Jason Campbell got sacked so much is that Jim Zorn's offense didn't really have hot routes. He was supposed to run the play, regardless of the pressure. Take that for what you will.
- More Kyle Shanahan - I talked to Fred Davis, and he said that the most exciting thing about Kyle's offense is that he knows he can get both Davis and Cooley plenty of opportunities. Cooley echoed that sentiment as well. So far, we've seen a lot of that, with Davis making a couple nice catches running down the seam in the middle.
- Speaking of Davis, I asked him whether some of the fan criticism he got in the first year and a half bothered him at all. He admitted that he felt people didn't understand that he was behind Cooley and just needed his opportunity to shine. "Sometimes, you have to tune [fans] out, because sometimes, they're just wrong."
- Wide receivers: There's been a lot of talk about Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly playing on the second unit. When Shanahan said Joey Galloway and Roydell Williams were ahead of them on the depth chart, I thought he misspoke, but it's true. Shanahan said those two were more impressive in OTAs, though he added the caveat that Thomas and Kelly had nagging injuries that dropped them down a bit. I actually think Thomas has played pretty well, so we'll see what happens there. Kelly is still struggling with his hamstring, so it's been tough to evaluate him.
- Clinton Portis looks very good, and I think he's rejuvenated from playing with Mike Shanahan. He seems thrilled to be reunited with Shanahan, even downplaying McNabb's impact to say so. "I wouldn't say that it was Donovan that rubbed off on guys. I think it was the organization," Portis said when asked about McNabb's impact on the vibe at training camp. "With Coach Shanahan coming in setting the rules, everybody abiding by the same rules, I think that it has players buying in."
- Larry Johnson is running really hard, finishing off runs more than 20 yards upfield. He seems thrilled to be back here in D.C., and he's admitted to us that he sees a real opportunity. However, he's also dropped three easy screen passes in the first two days, passes Brian Westbrook would gobble up. Willie Parker's played ok, but Ryan Torrain continues to impress. Don't be surprised to see Torrain leap ahead of Parker.
- The starting defensive front 7, for the most part, has been Adam Carriker, Ma'ake Kemoeatu and Kendrick Golston up front, with Lorenzo Alexander, London Fletcher, Rocky McIntosh and Brian Orakpo at linebacker. Andre Carter has been rotating in a bit for Alexander, but for the most part, he's been on the second team.
- Trent Williams looked very good in his first practice, and both Orakpo and Derrick Dockery praised his effort. Shanahan did too.
- One guy turning heads here is Terrence Austin. Austin made a couple really nice catches on Friday, and was practicing a bit as the punt returner as well. Shanahan was very happy with him, saying it's very impressive that he came in only in June (because he was still at UCLA) and picked up the offense so quickly. Austin also said he's eyeing that punt return job, because everyone has told him the way to stick on an NFL roster is to make an impact on special teams. I really think he could be a huge asset this year on special teams, and he could be a solution to the punt return woes.
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Comments
Shanahan to Haynesworth:
You want special treatment, think you are better than everyone else?
You got it. Here is a test to prove if you are really all that.
I don’t think Shanahan thinks the test is all that easy. I also think Haynesworth will pass it on his first day back after his next day of rest. He was close on his first day, and the exhaustion from the previous day’s drills will make it difficult to pass the test until then.
BCS Evolution -- Punctuating the Equilibrium - twitter
the test criteria as described by the coaches is pretty straightforward. though if only 50% participation is required, that is really not a hard hurdle to hit. so there are probably a lot of people who cant pass who are practicing. so from that view, it seems the test is a joke. if all the players can do it but albert, then they would have the higher ground.
as for albert, if you think the test is hard, go to the bathroom first- kinda make sense, no??? at a min, we all know it is not fun to run when you have to pee. i cant imagine being being a little fat and weighing 300+ lbs (he does look noticeably trimmer!) and having to stop and go 71 seconds into it makes me wonder if he did not have to go beforehand! something just does not add up on his end either.
regardless, the “test” is a joke. defensive linemen do not run 300 yards straight in games. its a test that measures nothing practical other than can a guy pace himself to run three hundred yards twice in under 70 or so seconds resting three and a half minutes between sets. a real test, an appropriate test, would be to have him push a blocking dummy twenty five yards, wait 30 seconds, and have him do it again twelve (or i would do twenty times). that is closer to the conditioning they need in a game. it also helps level the field from the fast and weak strong and slow. now time that!
you could give the receiver a similar test blocking only 5 yards, then breaking contact and running fifty yards.
they should pay me to test their real, game time, conditioning- lol !!!
by les boulez bomber on Jul 31, 2010 11:43 AM EDT reply actions
les boulez you aren't the only one taking this kind of stance on the conditioning tests.
Matt Bowen has an article “An Inside look at the NFL Conditioning Tests” http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/An-inside-look-at-the-NFL-conditioning-tests.html. These tests may not be standard across all teams and they may have been used more when the off season work was not as intense around the league. All in all I thought Bowen wrote a good article.
by Jefferson1935 on Jul 31, 2010 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions
He is not running 300 yards straight.
He is running 25 yards, turning around and running 25 yards, times 6. The turning around is the hard part for a 300 pounder.
Only the linemen would have difficulty with this drill with the time limits set. The linebackers and RB’s would be fine while the WR and secondary would have goal times closer to 50 second. Most of the team could do this in their sleep.
A lineman who can change direction on a dime is a scary thing to consider.
BCS Evolution -- Punctuating the Equilibrium - twitter
the time is specific to each position so they considered that by giving them 40% more time. WR have to do it in the fifty second range.
i m not sure your point. he received 21 million dollars and had to work out at the team facility 8 times over the summer. then he took the test when he was unprepared and had to pee 71 sec into it. he publicly and directly challenged his boss, a veteran,respected super bowl winning coach’s authority. what did u expect to happen? are you defending him?
previously, i stated i do not believe this particular test is practical for measuring game time conditions for a lineman. i think both sides could have done a better job. but there is more to the story than just the test. there is the fact that the guy does not know the defense because he did not show up. there is the fact that albert came in last year completely out of shape and was out of shape all year. there is the fact that albert might not be participating in the practices but he is receiving personal one on one coaching to learn his gap assignments (not one off spur of the minute help but dedicated 15min blocks of time). they may feel he is just too far behind right now and his not knowing what to do, where to go, which blocker to occupy would just confuse everyone and slow the whole team defense from coming together and functioning smoothly. and they may just be at a point where they feel the best thing for him is to improve his conditioning until he has a better idea what they are asking of him?
my point being that there is a lot to the story in addition to a test. the club said that players were informed that not participating in 50% of the workouts would result in having to take this test and pass it as a condition to practice in camp. albert chose not to participate. he was paid 21mm dollars. he is owed 3mm dollars or so this season. i am sure he will find a way to pass the test. the day of rest should help him a lot.
by les boulez bomber on Aug 1, 2010 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions
I expect him to pass today (?).....
and I agree that they have purposely been using this time to catch him up on scheme. Hopefully he will be in with the second teamers by Monday. I agree that there is more going on here than meets the casual eye.
It's not really a test
By forcing Albert to do something difficult to rejoin the team he is insuring participation in next years otas. Players see that their lives will be harder if they don’t show up to the 50%. Shanahan is using big al to drill in the importance of the TEAMS offseason program.
by speddfreak on Jul 31, 2010 12:12 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
Thats how I see it too
Shanny couldn’t care one way or another if Haynesworth makes the team, but he’s thinking long term to make sure that no one else pulls what Albert did in the future.
Part of me is worried about Shanahan losing the locker room by being such a hard ass, but I think he’s perfectly content with letting his assistants develop the personal relationships with the players while he stays more aloof.
Great report, good details, thanks!
Can’t believe Zorn’s offense didn’t run hot routes. What an a**hole.
"By far the worst performers on the team are in the front office." – Sally Jenkins
when ur punter can throw, why bother. we’ll just get em on fourth down. lol
by les boulez bomber on Jul 31, 2010 12:42 PM EDT up reply actions
I thought I saw at least 6 or 7 hot routes
during the Swing Gate debacle. Just sayin’ :)
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
This is sexy news
Willie Parker’s played ok, but Ryan Torrain continues to impress. Don’t be surprised to see Torrain leap ahead of Parker.
and this too
One guy turning heads here is Terrence Austin. Austin made a couple really nice catches on Friday, and was practicing a bit as the punt returner as well.
We need a couple of lesser known guys to emerge. The RB and punt return positions could look much better if this keeps up.
Crack another Keg of Kool-aid
My heart lept when I read those words.
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
Thanks Mike
Thanks for the update Mike. Good job.
I'm most surprised by Andre carter being on the second team
but I can’t say I’m at all disappointed. I love Alexander, and from all reports I’ve heard so far, he is really taking to the OLB position.
I’m also excited to hear Austin is performing well. His presence as a 4th WR and a PR/KR will be exciting to see.
Keeping my fingers crossed that Torain make the team over Parker.
Don't ever let failure get you down. Remember, a very successful major league hitter failes 70% of the time.
Great for Alexander
I am shocked that he beat out Carter, but, as you said, good for him. If he is gonna get a better rush, put him there.
by BigOLinemen on Jul 31, 2010 10:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Mike Prada...
Taking over D.C. Sports. But I am excited about Clinton Portis looking good!
Go Redskins! Go Wizards! Go Nationals! Go Capitals! Vamos United!
Prada
Great to see you over here on Hogs Haven. Great writing. hopefully haynesworth can pass the test and stop distracting the team
Thomas and Kelly
It’s disappointing to me that Thomas and Kelly still haven’t stepped up. While they can’t help being injured, at some point what matters is whether or not they can contribute and they have yet to do so.

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