AUGUST 6, 2019 Warpath 3LAST CALL
Coach Jay Gruden enters his sixth
and possibly last training camp this
summer, that is if he doesn’t get his
team to the playoffs.No right way to beat the heat
Training camp is the great public
second-guessing. Everyone has an opin-
ion on how it should be done when the
Redskins arrive in Richmond on July
25.
I’ve seen brutal training camps.
Marty Schottenheimer over-
saw twice daily practices of
full contact. There were no
walk throughs. About the
only break I saw was Schot-
tenheimer teaching the team
how to line up for the na-
tional anthem so they didn’t
look stupid come the presea-
son game. I thought that was
dumb, but maybe Marty was
ahead of his time.
Marty’s only training
camp led to an 0-5 start. The sole rea-
son Schottenheimer wasn’t canned at 0-
3 is owner Dan Snyder fired Norv
Turner the previous season with three
games remaining and didn’t want an-
other public outcry over interference.
Jim Zorn’s first camp was the defini-
tion of Club Med. He even created “Z-
screens” on the sideline to shade
players. I’ve never seen that otherwise
on a football field. The team opened 6-
2 and everyone wondered if Zorn’s ap-
proach was genius. Well, it all fell apart,
going 4-20 in his last 1½ seasons.
Norv Turner’s camps were balanced.
So were Mike Shanahan and Joe Gibb
camps. Steve Spurrier’s were whatever
defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis de-
cided.
In the end, there’s no one right way
to approach training camp for coach Jay
Gruden, who opens his sixth summer
with Washington. Gruden tends to be a
little easier on players than his prede-
cessors, but then the current collective
bargain agreement cuts way back on
pad popping. None for a few days and
only one full contact drill daily. If the
team sometimes doesn’t feel ready in
September, this is partially why. Then
again, other teams seem ready so maybe
it’s not the reason why.
Gruden has a dilemma. This is prob-
ably his last year unless making the
playoffs so there’s a grander sense of ur-
gency to push players harder. The team
also has several job competitions that
must be decided. And, rookie quarter-
back Dwayne Haskins needs time toshow whether he’s ready for the pros.
So Gruden can’t hide his starters like
usual this preseason. The offense needs
its starters around both quarterbacks so
no more one series and out. However,
the defense can play sparsely since it’s
most together and veterans.
The bottom line is Gru-
den can’t be afraid to play
them in the preseason. In-
juries happen like Reuben
Foster going down one
minute into the first OTA on
a freak mishap. It stinks to
lose someone needlessly, but
that’s life in the NFL.
That said, training camp
is not a game. It’s practice.
Hence, it’s boring. Fans are
always amazed how dull it can be, but
the Redskins aren’t playing a game after
all. The crowd tends to watch passing
drills, seven-on-sevens and 11-on-11s.
At least the Redskins are finally practic-
ing in the mornings and walk throughs
in the afternoon. It’s somewhat cooler
in Richmond before noon than after.
You go to training camp for memo-
ries. The first time seeing Case Keenum
and Haskins, Marquez Sweat and Lan-
don Collins. You go for autographs and
the chance to be so close to players.
And you go because it’s free. What else
in life is free?
This may be the last summer in
Richmond, though the team has a deal
through next year. They’ve left early be-
fore. (See Frostburg, 2000) Richmond
has been a good home for training
camp. Good facilities, fan friendly
setup. Close enough to be a day trip
from Washington. Maybe it hasn’t been
the financial boom to the host city as
expected, but that’s normal when deal-
ing with NFL teams. Nobody makes
money off the NFL, but the NFL.
Overall, it should be an interesting
summer with so many new faces, a
quarterback competition and a few
other jobs at stake. Usually, the roster is
largely set, but this may be more open
than past years so we may see more
players trying to impress.
Who do I think will be the starting
quarterback come September? My
guess is Keenum, but it’s really close.
Haskins looked solid in offseason
camps as did Keenum.Think of it this way – if the team
stumbles early after facing four playoff
teams in five weeks, it’s easier to go
from Keenum to Haskins than the other
way. Starting the rookie early and then
benching him makes it harder for Hask-
ins to return. If Keenum fails, then go
to the future passer and finish the sea-
son. If the season is trashed, it’s harder
to go to the stopgap veteran.
Forget worrying whether Haskins
can mentally handle a bad start. That’s
just hover-parenting. If he can’t handle
bad times, then his stay in Washington
won’t be long. Haskins needs to learn
about getting up after knocked down
because it’s going to happen a lot.
Meanwhile, thanks again for joining
us another season. There are two issues
in August to cover training camp so
keep looking for us.LINEUP
http://www.ASMpublishing.com3 ............First Down4 ...........Training Camp Offers Plenty of Jobs6 ............Warpath’s Guide to Camp8 ............Picking passer won’t be easy11 ............Looking for a No. 1 receiver12 ..........Is it running by committee?15 ..........The firm of Landon & Collinsprevails17 ..........Photo Shoot: Offseason activities18 ..........Redskins Roster19 ..........Redskins Depth Chart20 .........No Pressure, No Diamond21 ..........3 Big Thoughts22 .........2019 NFL Schedule23 .........From Where I’m SittingPUBLISHER American Sports Media, LLC
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