The first game started with a mistake that led to a 52-yard Cincinnati Bengals pass completion, but ended with a team-high seven tackles. The second game was highlighted by a visit from his parents, but lowlighted by a 23-play New York Jets scoring drive that consumed nearly 12 minutes.
Three-and-a-half weeks into his first NFL training camp, Reed Doughty, like all rookies, has been put through the wringer, a month loaded with highs and lows and moments of excitement and frustration.
Now, though, comes the serious part for Doughty, the Washington Redskins’ sixth-round pick from Northern Colorado. Two preseason games remain — tomorrow at New England and Thursday against Baltimore. Two cut-down dates remain — Tuesday and Sept. 2.
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Although he’s a draft pick and is listed as the second-team safety behind Adam Archuleta, Doughty knows the deal: When the Redskins open the season against Minnesota, he could be on the 53-man roster, he could be on the practice squad or he could be back home in Greeley, Colo.
“I won’t feel anything until that Sept. 2 deadline,” said Doughty, who is periodically sharing his thoughts on the transition with The Washington Times. “It’s been difficult because you never know. You’re working so hard and then you think for a second that you might not be here.”
Doughty has nine tackles in two games.
“I didn’t have a dismal showing but not a ’Wow, this guy is good,’ showing,” he said. “I need to pick it up a little bit.”
• • •
The Redskins’ first-team defense had limited Cincinnati to minus-9 yards on nine snaps before leaving late in the first quarter on Aug. 13. Doughty’s first play was memorable — and forgettable.
From the 38-yard line, Bengals quarterback Anthony Wright handed off to Kenny Watson. Seeing this, Doughty and cornerback Kenny Wright charged toward the line of scrimmage. But Watson pivoted and pitched back to Anthony Wright.
Doughty put on the brakes, but it was too late. T.J. Houshmandzadeh caught Wright’s pass and was tackled by Doughty after a 52-yard gain. Two plays later, the Bengals scored to make it 9-0.
Doughty took full responsibility for the play. Kenny Wright was correctly playing the run in the Redskins’ cover 2 defense.
“I had the No. 1 receiver and when he came to [block] me, I was supposed to stay inside him,” he said. “But he never touched me. He came inside and — boom! — just took off.
“The last thing you want to say is, ’Oh, [darn],’ and then slow down. What I was thinking running after him was if there’s any chance the ball is under-thrown, I’ll get another go at it. Luckily, it was.”
Said assistant head coach-defense Gregg Williams: “Scrimmage is one thing, but the games teach you some hard, tough lessons. First play in an NFL game, beat on a flea flicker. He’ll never forget that play his whole life and I’m not going to let him forget.”
And Doughty won’t let himself forget about it, either.
“Don’t you think another team will try a gadget play or play action on me now?,” he said. “I haven’t proven myself in that area yet and they’re going to come after me until I do prove myself.”
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Seven years ago, Pierson Prioleau was a rookie safety with the San Francisco 49ers and carried the helmet and shoulder pads of veterans like Merton Hanks, Tim McDonald and Ken Norton Jr. back to the locker room.
“If pads were lying around, I’d pick them up — it didn’t matter which position they played,” Prioleau said.
Now it’s Prioleau who gets his pads carried, usually by Doughty, who also handles Archuleta and newcomer Antuan Edwards’ gear. Edwards arrived just last week, replacing Ben Emanuel, who had arrived only the week before. Because of injuries, the secondary has seen rapid turnover.
Doughty has benefited by staying healthy. He hasn’t missed a practice and one of the players he’s competing against — Curry Burns — missed nearly two weeks with a hamstring injury.
“It’s always caught my attention, having guys in and then out of here all the time and playing with different guys,” Doughty said. “I’m definitely not used to that. What it’s made me realize is that you have to come here every day, focus, do your best and try to get better.
“I can’t worry about being here one day and maybe gone the next. If you’re giving effort, that won’t make them keep you here, but if you’re giving effort and getting better, you have a chance.”
Doughty’s adjustments to the NFL game are daily, from the tempo of special teams practice to trying to improve without knowing what — if any — role he will play.
Prioleau said rookies fight with slowing their heartbeat down in the preseason. They always want to make a hit so they’re prone to over-running plays.
“You don’t know what you’re good at yet,” he said. “You have to find a role and see where it fits within a defense. The more he keeps playing, the more he’ll find his strengths.”
• • •
Saturday against the Jets, Doughty was on the field for New York’s 23-play, 76-yard drive that took 11:58 and included four penalties, a fumble, the no-huddle offense, four third-down conversions and one fourth-down conversion.
“You have to get off the field and we had plenty of opportunities with third-and-whatever,” Doughty said. “We’re in great condition on this team and I was tired, but not absolutely exhausted. But I was really frustrated.”
In the four days of practice between the Bengals and Jets games, safeties coach Steve Jackson stressed two things to Doughty.
“First, use my eyes better … on different coverages, we key on different people and I felt like I did that a lot better in the second game,” Doughty said. “Second, he told me to trust my abilities. Sometimes, after a flea-flicker, you play scared and on your heels, but I can’t do that because I won’t be able to make any plays.”
After the Jets game, Doughty got a one-day break. His parents flew in from Colorado on Saturday afternoon, attended the game and had lunch in the District before heading home so his father, Marlon, could be at school Monday morning to coach his middle school football team.
“They saw pretty much every game I played in college,” Reed said. “It was really nice to spend some time with them because even though I love football, it’s good to talk about other parts of your life.”
And as he heads into the two most important games of his life, Doughty received plenty of confidence from his parents.
“They have a different perspective than the coaches,” he said with a laugh. “And sometimes, I enjoy that even though it’s not the most accurate.”
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