T. WILLIAMS SEEMS
LIKE SHORT-TIMER
The tale of Trent Williams not showing up at
training camp was certainly interesting if not irritat-
ing.
First, Williams said nothing publicly so every-
thing came from sources. Initial reports said
Williams was upset over his contract that lasts two
more seasons. It seems other tackles are now getting
paid more than Williams’ five-year, $66 million.
Well, that’s natural. Quarterbacks continually leap
past each other.
Williams took a long-term deal for the security
and big bonus. In a sport where one play can end a
career, it’s a smarter move than risking yearly con-
tracts hoping for more money. Sure, Kirk Cousins
got away with it, but he was fortunate.
With the blowback over money, the next sce-
nario offered Williams was upset with the team’s
medical staff and didn’t trust them anymore after un-
dergoing a procedure on his scalp. Oh, so it’s not
about money? Please, people say all sorts of things.
Even if either reason for skipping minicamp was
true, Williams should have shown better than not
to attend. He wouldn’t have been on the field be-
cause of the recent medical procedure and a team
captain shouldn’t hold out.
Williams has been a standout player on a series
of mediocre teams. But, the Redskins can’t afford to
extend his deal. Not when he’ll be 33 in two seasons,
missed 29 percent of snaps over the last three years
and only played 16 games in two of nine seasons. In
two years, Williams may be through and the team
looking for his successor rather than not worrying
about $10 million-plus in dead money on the books
for extending him now.
The medical claims? Who knows? Sure, it’s pop-
ular to say the team doctors and trainers haven’t
done a good job given the massive injuries over the
last two years. But, it’s not like the team suffered
10 players with strained hamstrings where better
stretching and conditioning would have avoided it.
Broken legs or joint injuries are not about the med-
ical staff. Reuben Foster tearing his ACL and LCL
during OTAs was purely bad luck, not a bad doc-
tor.
The Redskins invest a lot in their medical depart-
ment with pricey rehab equipment. After all, they
have millions of dollars invested in players. They
want them to be happy. These aren’t witch doctors
with papermill degrees.
Maybe there’s something to what Williams al-
ludes to over the medical staff, but money always
seems to resolve things. The Redskins should offer
a gentleman’s agreement to discuss a contract exten-
sion next year. The team doesn’t have a healthy
backup for Williams so both sides need to play nice.
We’ll see.MINICAMP THOUGHTS
Naturally, all eyes were on quarterbacks Dwayne
Haskins and Case Keenum. But it’s always fun to
watch rookies and rehab players to see what they
can do.
Perhaps the most impressive player was receiver
Cam Sims. Don’t’ remember him? He was injured on
the opening kickoff last year and missed the season
with a high ankle sprain. Wow, one play. The 6-feet-
5 receiver has been impressive in offseason camps,
though. Exceptional hands, good speed. He could
be something special this season.
Trey Quinn can really fly across the field. The
question is can he stay healthy. But, Quinn’s exciting
to watch.
The best running back in camps was Samaje Per-
ine, who ironically may be the odd man out.
Adrian Peterson is just a pro. I enjoy watching
him practice and talk afterwards. Teammates watch
AP because he’s going to Canton on the first ballot.
Case Keenum mentioned overcoming the heat
one day. It was 90, but little humidity. Oh man is he
going to hate training camp in Richmond.
I liked what I saw from Ryan Anderson.
You can never tell much from linemen until the
pads go on, but Wes Martin should be a lock at left
guard. Just looks the part. That and Ereck Flowers
was awful in camps, especially when working at
tackle while Williams was out. Flowers has no hori-
zonal speed.
Finally, there was a bigger sense of urgency on
the field. Gruden knows he’s facing a playoffs-or-
bust scenario. He even joked about it. So, light a fire
under the team.IS NEW OC NEXT
SEAN MCVAY?
Listening to incoming offensive coordinator
Kevin O’Connell at the podium gave me a flashback
to Sean McVay. I’m thinking – Jay’s found another
one?
Actually, O’Connell is a year older than McVay
so the latter was a bit younger when becoming the
Redskins OC. But, O’Connell is a dynamic speaker
with lots of ideas after a brief stint in the NFL as a
third-rounder passer who only played part of two
games. It’s obvious he knows the game, understands
how to develop passers and could one day be a head
coach if on a successful team.
But man, it felt like a déjà vu moment.TRENT WILLIAMS
KEVIN O’CONNELL
CAM SIMS
3 big thoughts
By Rick SniderAUGUST 6, 2019 Warpath 21