In the latest sign of how quickly Brandon Noble has rehabilitated his left knee, the Washington Redskins defensive tackle has been dubbed a starter as Saturday’s start to full-squad training camp approaches.
Aug. 17 will mark the one-year anniversary of Noble’s gruesome injury in a preseason game against the New England Patriots. That night Noble tore his ACL and MCL and dislocated his kneecap, and there was speculation he might not play again.
Instead, he earned coach Joe Gibbs’ first player of the week award, was cleared for full-squad drills in early June and is in line for the job Washington envisioned when he signed a four-year, $7million contract in spring 2003. Yesterday, Noble thanked Gregg Williams’ defensive staff for having the confidence to stick with him through rehab.
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“It’s a brand-new staff coming in here making big changes, and you’ve got a guy who’s pretty much chewed his knee up who you don’t really know and don’t know if he’s going to come back,” Noble said. “They’ve given me every opportunity to prove myself so far, and I expect that to continue. Hopefully I can live up to their expectations.”
Noble said he is slated to be the starting nose tackle alongside newly signed Cornelius Griffin. Joe Salave’a is working behind Noble, and Jermaine Haley trails Griffin at the “three-technique” spot, where the defender lines up on the outside edge of the guard and is expected to get more backfield penetration.
Even with Noble ahead of schedule, the defensive line is considered the Redskins’ biggest question mark. No lineman had more than 2 sacks last season, and linebackers LaVar Arrington and Marcus Washington are expected to provide the bulk of pressure.
Although it remains unclear whether Noble will be ready for the Sept.12 opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he is optimistic.
“That’s my goal,” he said. “Unless there’s some kind of setback, that’s my expectation.”
He added that his knee, after more than a month of rest, “feels great.”
“Definitely after two weeks of [offseason practice], it was sore and tired,” Noble said. “But that’s to be expected. I’ve got to get used to that.”
QBs split snaps
Mark Brunell and Patrick Ramsey said they pretty much split first-string snaps in the first day of a three-day passing camp. Although media weren’t permitted to watch, club sources corroborated that Brunell and Ramsey both got extensive work.
“We’ve got a system that’s not a first team, second team, third team,” Brunell said. “You just rotate, and who’s in there is in there.”
The quarterback battle is expected to be the hottest topic when full-squad camp opens Saturday. The current practices technically are part of training camp, but they are optional for veteran linemen and closed to the public and media. Most players, including a number of veteran linemen, were on hand.
Extra points
The Redskins announced several camp schedule changes. Practice on Tuesday, Aug.3, now is closed; a 4:30p.m. workout had been scheduled. Practice on Wednesday, Aug.4, has been pushed back from 9:30a.m. to 2p.m. A total of 12 practices will be open between Saturday and Aug.10. …
Arrington professed no concern his contract dispute won’t be resolved before the season starts, invoking the financially ambivalent example of newly retired Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams.
“Doesn’t matter,” Arrington said. “It’s not worth the money. I’m like Ricky. I’m going to play while I’m happy, and it doesn’t matter what it is that tries to make me unhappy. When I’m unhappy with the whole situation of football, I’ll walk away. But right now I don’t feel that way. Right now I feel poised to give everything I have to have a great year, to lead this team. … I’m over it. I’m definitely over it. I’m just ready to play.”
Arrington’s arbitration hearing, in which his lawyers will argue the Redskins removed a $6.5million roster bonus from the final draft of his contract, is expected to take place in November.
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