By James A. Lyons
By arming the rebels, we're aiding al Qaeda
Will Montgomery practiced Wednesday through a sprained right knee. But that didn't mean the Washington Redskins' starting center's knee injury was minor.
It was the first week of Washington Redskins training camp when Alfred Morris entertained the question. Darrel Young was hurt, and the unassuming sixth-round pick out of Florida Atlantic was asked if he had been asked by the coaching staff to fill in at fullback.
Before Kory Lichtensteiger answered the question Monday afternoon, he wanted to find some wood on which to knock. Two victories from a division title is no time for a jinx.
When Trent Williams ran into Kory Lichtensteiger on the third play of the Washington Redskins' Thanksgiving Day victory over the Dallas Cowboys, the pain was overwhelming. The left tackle suffered deep left thigh bruise but refused to come out of the game.
MetLife Stadium could have been the scene for Robert Griffin III's greatest NFL triumph (so far). The Washington Redskins had the New York Giants beaten. That is, until Eli Manning found Victor Cruz for a 77-yard touchdown.
Understanding the reality of where his Washington Redskins are after eight weeks, coach Mike Shanahan on Monday busted out the phrase that players agreed best describes the upcoming game against the Carolina Panthers: "I think everybody knows that it's a must-win game," he said.
Lorenzo Alexander's life was simpler four years ago. He did not have a family of five. He did not own a pilates studio in Ashburn, and he did not have a strong foothold professionally as a co-captain of the Washington Redskins.
Many around the NFL have criticized Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Greg Schiano for breaking commonly accepted football etiquette and having his team crash the opposition's victory formation. That includes several Washington Redskins players, who more than anything else said they don't get why Schiano and the Bucs would endanger opponents in such a way.
Trent Williams tried. After leaving Sunday's loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on the Washington Redskins' second offensive play from scrimmage with a right knee injury, the left tackle attempted to come back.
The Washington Redskins gained 459 yards against the New Orleans Saints and left the Superdome with an impressive upset victory. But the offensive linemen that plowed the way for those yards offered a lukewarm assessment of their play.
Robert Griffin III: three sacks, no touchdowns.
Left tackle Trent Williams made progress Tuesday in working back from a bone bruise in his left foot. As the Washington Redskins prepared for Saturday's preseason game against the Chicago Bears, he took part in about half of team drills before sitting out the remainder.
The left tackle that practiced with the Washington Redskins' first-string offense on Saturday afternoon was planning for his retirement two weeks ago. The left guard was a rookie. So was the right guard. And he practiced next to a right tackle who played with the second string all offseason.
There's a strong chance quarterback Robert Griffin III will make his Washington Redskins preseason debut Thursday night without half of the first-stringers on offense.
Adam Carriker could carve out an hour or two of family time each day during training camp in his first two seasons with the Washington Redskins. If the club's plans for 2013 become reality, though, that will be replaced by team-bonding time.
Right guard Chris Chester said offensive linemen take special pride in being responsible for skill players enjoying success.
"The challenge there is you have to win one of those spots," Chester said. "If we're right, there's not really a great way to defend it."
