Redskins/Texans Day 3 Practice Observations: 

By Robbie Duncan

“Boy, that escalated quickly… I mean, that really got out of hand fast.”

That it did, Ron Burgundy, that it did. If you don’t know what I’m talking about than give ESPN or NFL Network a look and if you don’t know that quote above then shame on you! Go watch Anchorman! Camp today was cloudy and rainy…very rainy. It rained all practice. My weather app told me there was a six percent chance of rain, so of course I went without a jacket or poncho and of course it did in fact rain. I couldn’t even use my phone to keep people updated on what I saw. I know, you’re crushed. With my complaints aside, camp today took a brutal turn. During the first session of 11 on 11, not three plays into the series a small fight broke out. After that a fight broke out after each rep. There were four fights total and the last one was like watching the WWE’s Royal Rumble. The only thing missing was The Rock storming in and hitting guys with his signature “Rock Bottom” move.

Here’s my take on the fights and brawl. Yes, the Texans were instigators and yes the Redskins were right to have each other’s back, but there were consequences. The problem is that because the teams finished practice separately from each other the day was a wasted opportunity in my opinion. I say wasted because that was another chance to get quality reps against a good team with a great defense in bad weather conditions. It’s not often you meet those kind of conditions in a practice setting and this really could’ve used it. Let’s be real here, Brandon Scherff and Morgan Moses needed all the reps they could get against JJ Watt. Not that they have been bad, but they were getting quality reps against the best in the NFL which would’ve only made them better. I’m making this point because the Redskins 11 on 11 segments against each other today after the teams were separated were not good, in my opinion. It seemed slow, half-assed, and deflated *insert Deflate-Gate joke here*. As a fan I liked that the skins fought the Texans and showed that they’re not a team to push around but looking at the big picture today was a wasted opportunity. I’ll stop rambling now *steps down from soapbox*. 

Anyways what you really clicked on this blog to see were my observations from today’s practice, so here they are:

• Willie Smith filled in for Trent Williams today while Williams got a veteran’s day off. Needless to say there was a big drop off between the two of them. Smith struggled majorly against Trent Murphy (who I should add is getting better each day). Please stay healthy Trent.

• Another lineman who had a bad day, and now sadly seems to be going viral, is Josh LeRibeus. The poor fella was playing center against Vince Wilfork and was driven five yards into the backfield. But wait, there’s more!!! While he was driven into the backfield by Wilfork, he was also driven into running back Matt Jones. Don’t worry you can see this play on the interwebs anywhere, maybe even on SportsCenter and NFL Network. It was that bad….

• Evan Spencer had his best day today. I did not see him drop any catches today and he continued to show his ability to get open.

• Ryan Grant is just Mr. Clutch, or is it “Clinic” like Coach Gruden called him. Either way, Grant to me is very talented at getting himself in good position to make the catch. He made some really impressive catches during one on ones that the refs took away from him calling them incomplete. We are without a doubt deep at the wide receiver position. 

• Highlight play of the day went to wide receiver Reggie Bell. During redzone seven on sevens, Bell caught a pass from Kirk Cousins in the back of the endzone one-handed while falling backwards. It was very impressive. The whole crowd went “Woah…..” and Kirk Cousins sprinted to him to celebrate the catch. Bell even got a couple pats on the back from the DB’s he was going against as he jogged back to the huddle.

• With the very little (and I do mean little) reps the Redskins offense got against the Texans defense, I thought we were running the ball well.  Alfred found a nice hole on the second play of the series and gained about 15 yards on the play. Not three plays later the brawl broke out. But I already touched on that I believe.

• Moses and Scherff had another solid day. Both seem to be getting better each practice to me, especially Scherff at RG. I’ll highlight one play where Moses during one on ones. He kicked a little too far out to Trevardo Williams, Williams immediately took the inside rush lane. Moses managed to adjust to it quickly and stop the rush using quick feet.

• Spencer Long is showing to me now why they made the move of Scherff to guard. Long struggled badly in one on one’s today and showed that his technique needs work. One play especially where he was lined up at Center, lunged at Terrance Knighton with his head down. As an offensive lineman, you don’t want to do that especially against a guy like Pot Roast. I’m not sure Long can push Lavaou (who’s quietly having a decent camp) for the LG spot. 

• Robert had a couple of plays where he probably took too long in the pocket but he didn’t have a bad day. The highlight play from him today was during the two minute drill portion of practice where we went through his progressions, saw nobody was open, and then darted out of the pocket for a 10+ yard gain. FYI, Robert ran out of bounds.

• I mentioned Trent Murphy is getting better each practice, and I really think he is. These past three days he’s managed to get into the backfield numerous times. Sure today he went against a backup in Willie Smith but he did exactly what he should’ve: dominated him. He appears to be more reactive in his pass rush. I think Kung Fu Master Joe Kim seems to be helping Murphy out in this. Murphy: “I know Kung Fu…” Kim: “Show me.” Sorry, couldn’t resist.

Like I said earlier, practice today had a lot of potential to be a great chance to face bad weather conditions against a good team like the Texans. Maybe I’m nitpicky with this but it’s little things like that that help make a good team. Today was also my last day at Redskins Training Camp. I had a lot of fun and enjoyed being able to update fans with what was going on in Richmond. Now it’s time to watch the guys under the lights in the preseason games and see who shines. “Can’t wait!”

Me neither, Bart Scott, me neither.