Malcolm Kelly returned to practice Monday morning. Malcolm Kelly reinjured his hamstring Monday afternoon; the same injury that kept him out of the entire Washington Redskins training camp. As they said in that old song, if it weren't for bad luck, Kelly would have no luck at all.

By all accounts, Kelly is a decent enough fellow. A story in Monday's Redskins Insider described Kelly as having the best hands on the team as far as wide receivers go. That may go a long way to explain why the Shanahans are so interested in giving the man a shot to make the team--the need for good hands is so great.

Kelly and Devin Thomas were two of the first three players selected by the Redskins in the 2008 NFL Draft. To fans, they feel like first rounders, but they were second-rounders in a draft class team scouts thought was devoid of first round receiver talent. Kelly ought to be evaluated on that basis.

And on that basis, Kelly isn't the worst performer among his second round peers. That honor goes to Cincinnati's Jerome Simpson (1 Rec, 2 Yds, 0 TDs). Kelly just isn't near the performance we hoped.

St. Louis' Donnie Avery was selected immediately ahead of Thomas. In two seasons Avery has 100 receptions for 1263 yards and eight touchdowns. DeSean Jackson was selected by Philadelphia immediately ahead of Kelly. Jackson has 125 receptions for 2079 yards and 11 touchdowns. Kelly has 28 receptions for 365 yards and no touchdowns.

That Kelly is still here says there's something about him we fans don't see. Hog Heaven's Greg Trippiedi says Kelly is a good downfield blocker. Perhaps he has a deep understanding of the new playbook, or is an inspiring locker room leader. But please don't tell me the coaches are keeping Kelly around because he catches well in practice.

There are two words to describe players who practice well but can't get it done in games: "Taylor" "Jacobs."

The Redskins drafted Jacobs in 2003--ironically in the second round--to fuel Steve Spurrier's "Fun 'n' Gun" offense. Jacobs failed to launch though both Spurrier and Joe Gibbs said he had an awesome pair of hands in practice and was an asset to the team. In three seasons with Washington, Jacobs caught 30 passes for 315 yards and one touchdown.

Gibbs went looking for receiver help because of Jacobs. Unfortunately, he found Brandon Lloyd. Jacobs would be traded to San Francisco for Mike Rumph.

Kelly is no Taylor Jacobs. He has to write the end to his own story. That doesn't mean we have to watch. There comes a time to say "enough."

Malcolm Kelly isn't rugged enough for the NFL.

UPDATE: The Redskins placed Kelly on Injured Reserve for the 2010 season.

Point After: Taylor Jacobs ended his career with the Denver Broncos when he was released by Mike Shanahan.

It's the kind of story that makes team P.R. people cringe--and everyone else laugh.

Rumor-monger Pro Football Talk says Washington Redskins conerback DeAngelo Hall will not be punked by tall female reporters like Comcast SportsNet's Kelli Johnson. Hall insists that Johnson remover her heels before filming interviews with him.

"She was too tall. If I was 6 feet like [Carlos Rogers], I wouldn't have to do that, but I'm 5-11, so she definitely had to take them heels off for me," Hall said.

As a man, I understand the big difference between 5 ft. 11 in. and six feet. What man wouldn't want another inch or two?

The story doesn't give Johnson's height. Her profile on csnwashington.com notes her time as a four year starter on the University of Idaho's women's basketball team where she holds the record for three-point shots made (207) and was a .776 free throw shooter.

But stories like this make Hall look vain, or hyper-sensitive about his height. If he is the former, let it be about making turnovers. If he's the latter, then I point out that Santana Moss is the same height as Hall and we never hear such tales about him.

Time for Hall to grow up and be the bigger man.

Besides, tall women are hawt!

For six-time Pro-Bowler Chris Samuels and 42 other former NFL players, life after football has a lot to do with football.

Samuels was one of 96 minority (I hate that word) coaches to participate in the 2010 Bill Walsh Minority Coaching Fellowship according to a story released on www.nfllabor.com.  Steve Atwater, Terrell Davis, Michael Pittman, former Redskin Clarence Vaughn joined Samuels as interns on the Washington Redskins coaching staff.

“Everything was great,” says Samuels.  “I learned from a great group of coaches who are experienced in the NFL.  I was in a great situation to learn how to coach football.  I have always known that I wanted to coach football once I retired.  This is always what I wanted to do, so now I’m just going to the second phase of my life.”

Pro coaching slots have eluded African-American players even thought they have made up the majority of most NFL rosters since the 1970's (That's my impression. I haven't done the research.) Tony Dungy is the poster child of capable candidates who were ready, willing and able for assignment but never got a nibble even with strong backing from his boss, Steelers head coach Chuck Knoll.

Hall Of Fame coach Bill Walsh recognized the problem and established a minority coaching intern program with the San Francisco 49ers  in 1987. Dungy would get his shot after Dennis Green, a Walsh protege, signed him as defensive coordinator for the Minnesota Vikings. His performance building a rugged Vikings defense led the rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers to hire Dungy as head coach in 1996.

Every team eventually hired minority coaching interns, but a NFL study found that owners were not considering black candidates for head coaching positions. The owners in 2003 established the Rooney Rule that committed teams to at least talk to a minority candidate before making a head coach hire decision. Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney chaired the owners committee that developed the rule.

The NFL named its minority coaching program after Bill Walsh in January 2009. The program cycled over 1,300 minority coaches through NFL training camps since its inception. NFL head coaches Lovie Smith, Marvin Lewis, Mike Tomlin and Raheem Morris are graduates of the program. So is current Redskins wide receiver coach Keenan McCardell.

Which could lead to big things in the NFL for Samuels in less time, hopefully, than for Tony Dungy.

The Washington Redskins won their third preseason game by the oddest of scores, 16-11, over the New York Jets. While the coaches tear through game film to evaluate players, why don't we take a media spin to see how this story is playing out.

Redskins put up better effort....

"Only one preseason game remains before the stakes become much higher for the Redskins under Coach Mike Shanahan, and it appears Albert Haynesworth will be a big part of Shanahan's plans after all."

~Jason Reid, The Washington Post

Parker gets his shot, but Johnson shines

[Willie] Parker, who had only one carry heading into Friday's contest, said he wants to play as much as possible in the preseason finale next week -- a game he would have sat out of as a starter in Pittsburgh. 'I'd rather run the ball no matter what. Even if it's the preseason, I still want to get out there and show [what I can do],' Parker said."

(Parker said he did not get in a rhythm with the offense. He rushed eight times against the Jets, but only gained 16 yards.)

~Redskins Insider

Jets drop preseason game to Redskins....

"Sanchez was erratic in the Jets' 16-11 loss to the Redskins, a final dress rehearsal that the starters would love to forget. Six days after the first-team offense sputtered in Carolina, Sanchez & Co. looked lost for the better part of Friday night."

~Manish Mehta, New York Daily News

Minus McNabb, Redskins top Jets

"Mark Sanchez and the Jets' offense sputtered again, and the Washington Redskins, without an injured Donovan McNabb, beat New York, 16-11, in East Rutherford, N.J., on Friday night.

"Larry Johnson, competing with Clinton Portis and Willie Parker for a spot in the backfield for the Redskins, caught a screen pass from Richard Bartel and rumbled 15 yards for the winning score with 2 minutes, 13 seconds left."

~AP summary in The Philadelphia Inquirer

Jets Offense Sputters in Loss to Redskins

"EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. —The Jets worked all week at practice to establish some semblance of "rhythm" on offense, which has been an elusive concept throughout the preseason. With second-year quarterback Mark Sanchez under center, and the celebrity glare of HBO's "Hard Knocks" intensifying the challenge, many of the players acknowledged wanting—no, needing—to unearth some consistency against the Washington Redskins on Friday night.

"But with each incomplete pass and every stalled drive, the Jets fell woefully short of that goal at New Meadowlands Stadium. For the brash, self-professed Super Bowl contenders, it was another uninspired effort. To date, Mr. Sanchez & Co. are a work in progress at best, something close to a disaster at worst."

~Scott Cacciola, The Wall Street Journal

Hitting the bench gets new meaning for Woods, Redskins and Clemens

"People in Nashville still double over with laughter when discussing how Haynesworth became a $100 million player in Washington. His two great seasons with the Titans came when he had a contract on the line, his temper tantrums were epic and his offseason training sessions were spent mostly in the drive-through lane."

~Tom Weir, USA TODAY

Redskins' Clinton Portis sprains ankle vs. New York Jets....

"Clinton Portis, the Redskins' top running back, saw limited action in Friday's 16-11 win over the New York Jets and returns to Washington with an ankle sprain. It's indicative of an offensive unit that has hobbled its way through the preseason schedule, revealing as many problems as it has strengths."

~Rick Maese. The Washington Post

Redskins Knock Off Jets 16-11 in Preseason Dress Rehearsal

"It’s less of a rehearsal if the starting quarterback can’t play. And it’s not much of a test of the running game with the fullback out. Yet either of those circumstances could come to pass (or run) during the regular season. Teams lose front-line players to injury and need to know what the backups can do.

"'It wasn’t a perfect game, by no means,' Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan said. 'But it was a start.'"

~Larry Weisman, Redskins.com

Offense's TD Not Enough in Loss to 'Skins

'"We did some good things rushing the ball,' [head coach Rex] Ryan said of the LaDainian Tomlinson/Shonn Greene-fired ground game rolled to 161 yards at 5.0 per carry. 'That's a positive — that's who we are. But the big part of losing the game, and you've got to give the Redskins credit, is four turnovers. That was a stat that jumps out. We've got to do a better job in the red zone. We just have to start punching things in.'"

~Randy Lange, www.newyorkjets.com

Wide receiver Santana Moss is the top pick among Washington Redskins players in fantasy football drafts according to a breakdown published by NFL.com.

The NFL is running its fantasy drafts and the Skins are facing a skeptical set of potential owners. Moss was selected in the eighth round of most drafts as the 72nd pick on average. Andre Johnson (HOU), Larry Fitzgerald (ARI) and Randy Moss (NE) were the top three fantasy receivers and all selected in the second round of most fantasy drafts.

If you draft the Redskins leading receiver, it makes sense to draft his quarterback. Fantasy owners made Donovan McNabb a late 10th round pick, about the 100th player drafted. Aaron Rogers (GB), Drew Brees (NO) and Peyton Manning (IND) were the top quarterbacks. All were drafted in the fantasy first round.

It's a truism to grab a top tier running back early for your fantasy football team. Fantasy owners snapped up Chris Johnson (TEN), Adrian Peterson (MIN), Maurice Jones-Drew (JAC), Ray Rice (BAL), Frank Gore (SF) and Michael Turner (ATL) in the first round of their drafts. Washington's Clinton Portis was a 10th rounder, on average the 104th player drafted.

Owners drafted TE Chris Cooley in the 13th round, on average the 121st player picked. Tight ends tend to be drafted late because of a lesser chance to score fantasy points. Fantasy owners picked the position in the fourth round in the drafts monitored by the NFL. Dallas Clark (IND) and Antonio Gates (SD) were the top tight ends selected. Cooley and his Redskins cohort Fred Davis could be sleepers. The Redskins have issues at wide receiver that I don't think they will solve this year. That should make Washington's capable tight ends attractive alternatives for Donovan McNabb.

Fantasy owners add defenses and kickers in the last round; defenses because it's virtually impossible to predict their scoring potential and kickers because one is pretty much the same as another.

The Redskins 2009 defense would smother you without killing you. They suppressed opponents offensive yards and forced them into lower scores, but drive killing turnovers were rare. Fantasy scoring by the Redskins D was rare. Whether it's Washington's move to the 3-4, or Albert Haynesworth's shenanigans, fantasy owners are non-believers in our defense. They made the Redskins the 148th pick on average in the 15th round. The New York Jets, Washington's opponent in the third preseason game, was the top fantasy defense, selected in the sixth round, the 57th pick on average.

K Graham Gano brings up the rear as a 16th round pick, just another generic guy in a position fantasy owners consider a commodity.

The Skins are sleeper picks

Fantasy owners tend to be followers, more often influenced by prior years performance and by fantasy touts. So it's no surprise that they look askance at the Washington's 4-12 season last year. Everybody's mystified by the wholesale changes on the team and the effect on scoring potential. They may be discounting Washington's players too heavily. Owners are selecting the Eagles Kevin Kolb ahead of McNabb. A healthy Santana Moss should perform about as well as Steve Smith (NYG, fifth round, 41st pick on average).

Until the new-look Redskins answer a few questions and jell as a team, none should be drafted in the top three rounds of your fantasy draft. Yet, disdain for the  team means you can fill holes with quality players from Washington's roster. There's a good chance they'll be there if you need them.

Point After: I'm a retired fantasy baller, taking up the hobby for the 1990 football season and giving it up about five years ago. All of that time was with the same group of fellas in what we called Grom's Fantasy League. Most of those years, I played as Tony's Ponies (cute, eh?).

Competing against the same owners year-after-year made the season more fun, but more competitive and increasingly difficult. In 1990, fantasy football was a paper and pencil affair. The Internet and fantasy touts made it near-impossible to be the only owner to find an overlooked star who could win you the Fantasy Bowl.

Terry Allen was one such player. No one in my 12 team league would touch him in 1995 after two reconstructive knee surgeries. I admired him as a Viking rusher and took him late in the draft, in part because he signed with my hometown Redskins. Whenever Allen had a big game, the smart guys on fantasy forums cautioned "trade him NOW. He's got two bad knees."

Ten touchdowns later and that guy with the bad knees had Tony's Ponies in the Fantasy Bowl. I don't recall if I actually won (who knew records would be so important?), but I finished in the money that year. Allen is still one of my favorite fantasy players.

Internet fantasy cheatsheets  were just coming into vogue in 2002. Not everyone had them. The players in my league, including me, overlooked Broncos rookie running back Clinton Portis on draft night. Three games into the season, I noticed Portis' yards per carry (5.5) and added him to my roster. My fellow owners had lives. I had football.

Portis was a revelation as an edge rusher in Mike Shanahan's offense. He rushed for over 1500 yards and 15 touchdowns as a rookie. I was disappointed when Joe Gibbs converted him to a power back in 2004, even with the 47 touchdowns he's scored for Washington (not counting his three touchdown passes). Whether Portis can recapture his Broncos mojo with Shanahan in Washington remains to be seen, but will be fun to watch. Ironically, Shanahan may be the biggest impediment to Portis' fantasy performance. Shanny converted to running-back-by-committee (RBBC) in his old age. Larry Johnson's and Willie Parker's presence in Washington roster says Shanahan's going RBBC on Portis.

The take-away lesson? Championships are won by fantasy teams with strength in the middle of the roster. It's easy to draft your first rounder. Late round picks involve luck as much as skill. The trick is to hit on a well-chosen middle rounder, like Terry Allen, or to discover a fantasy free agent with potential, like Clinton Portis, before the other owners do. Building a fantasy roster isn't much different than building real ones.

Draft advice

1. Don't draft stars from your favorite team because they are on your favorite team. The corollary is don't avoid player on teams you hate because you hate their team. Like real life, fantasy GMs need to be ruthlessly dispassionate and pick players with the best potential to score. This was the single hardest lesson for me to learn. Whatever your views of Redskins and Cowboys, if you had to choose between Tony Romo and Donovan McNabb, pick Romo for his greater fantasy potential. It's OK. You get used to rooting against the Cowboys while hoping Romo has a big day.

2. Draft running backs early. Not every running back mind you. After the top nine or ten backs, talent levels out. Any of the remaining NFL starters will do as well as any other starter in a performance scoring league. Beware of RBBC teams.

With the rise of spread formations in pro football, I wonder how much longer this rule will apply. However, more receivers on the field don't mean more better receivers. Good wide-outs who are reliable scorers are hard to find, a fact well known to Redskins fans. Running backs first is still good draft policy, but trends may be shifting.

3. Diversify your team across the league. Sure, the Minnesota Vikings may be the most talented offense in the NFC, but you'll only get into trouble if you stock your roster with Brett Favre, Adrian Peterson, Percy Harvin and the Viking defense. You will have trouble with the starting roster for the Vikings' bye week and these guys could drag you down if Minnesota has a bad year. They might win you a Fantasy Bowl, but the risks aren't worth it when you can select comparable scorers from other teams.

4. You don't need a premier quarterback to win a fantasy bowl. Most scoring systems assign half the point value for a touchdown pass as for a touchdown run or reception. Running backs and wide receivers get you more fantasy points than quarterbacks. So, take care to get quality rushers and wide-outs first. Quarterbacks who will score 30 TD passes are the exceptions. So are running quarterbacks. Fantasy football loves running quarterbacks. If you can get Peyton Manning or Tom Brady early, do it. If Michael Vick emerges as Eagles starter, grab him. Otherwise, wait until a later round.

5. Pick kickers by their team and pick teams that are very high scoring or very low scoring. Kickers for high scoring teams have lots of point-after conversions. Kickers for low scoring teams have lots of field goal opportunities. After that, all kickers are pretty even.

If you take a good hard look at the details of the Redskins new 3-4 defense this preseason, well, you'll likely notice that our formations aren't much different from the way they were last year.  The Redskins ran a lot of odd fronts last year, taking advantage of the defensive line histories of OLBs Brian Orakpo and Chris Wilson.  This year, the biggest switch is that Andre Carter is going from the weak side to the strong side, and Orakpo is going to the weakside.  You pick Carter's hand up off the ground, slide the interior lineman towards the strong side, and move Rocky McIntosh inside the tight end and you have this year's base front.  It's not a big difference, so long as the offense lines up in a pro set with two receivers.

When the offense comes out in three receiver sets, the difference is night and day.  Last season, in rushing downs (usually first downs), the Redskins would try to defend three and four receiver sets with their base 4-3 personnel.  I shouldn't need to tell you how dumb this was, as even high school quarterbacks know when they see a linebacker splitting the distance between a tackle and a split end that 1) it's zone coverage, and 2) he's not going to get blitzed.  The Redskins rightly came under criticism last season for such practices, and as you might predict for a team trying to outnumber it's opponent in the box, fell to 20th in passing defense DVOA and stayed at the top of the league in rushing defense DVOA.

But this year, the Redskins have a new gameplan that is more in line with the modern game, where teams match defensive personnel to offensive personnel.  That in itself isn't surprising.  What is more interesting is how the Redskins line up in their front when they go with five plus DBs.  Those "odd" fronts that the team has employed since the beginning of last year, and will feature as a base set: they're gone in our pass defense sets.  The Redskins base nickel look, at least through two preseason games, involves a pair of down lineman, and two stand-up ends.  That's a four man front.  You could call it a 2-4-5 defense if you wish, but if I'm an offensive coordinator, I can't treat either Brian Orakpo or Andre Carter as stand-up linebackers when I know that two down lineman are dictate that they will be coming a lot.  It's essentially a 4-2 nickel formation (even front) from a 3-4 concept (odd front): the interior players are still trying to disrupt and eat up blocks (while still trying to pressure the quarterback, Mr. Haynesworth), trying to get one of the four linebackers free to hit the quarterback.

This is not an unprecidented defensive look, in fact the Redskins faced a similar scheme when they played the Arizona Cardinals in 2008, back when Clancy Pendergast was the defensive coordinator, and the Cardinals would go on to play in the Super Bowl, representing the NFC.  This version of the nickel defense hasn't exactly proliferated from there.  The Dallas Cowboys do something similar, but usually let DeMarcus Ware put his hand on the ground since, well, have you seen him in coverage?

But the question you'd want answered isn't is it unprecidented, its: will it work?  Can the Redskins get pressure on the quarterback in the situations they struggled in: long yardage, and third downs?  The advantage to using stand-up 'backers in the nickel defense is that until that rusher engages the offensive tackle, there's always some amount of doubt in the tackle's mind as to what he is going to see.  Most of the time, it's not going to matter that the rusher is in a two point stance: he's coming around the edge.  But having them as linebackers gives the flexibility to pick which gap you want to attack as a defense, and use the most creative schemes to attack that weakness.  It makes the other two linebackers more of a factor in the pressure scheme.  Stunts are easier.

But you trade in the first-step advantage that the defense has with the offense from putting one's face right down on the line of scrimmage next to the football.  You lose the muscle memory advantage of getting the leverage on an offensive tackle from a familiar three-point stance.  And that was one of the team's pass rushing strength's last season.

It's not a difficult transition to admit a mistake and let them rush with their hands in the dirt if they struggle early.  And I'm a huge proponent of double A-gap pressure, something this scheme can use that the previous scheme could not.  I think the rush will be more successful in the specific situations they struggled in last year.  But overall, I do think the pass pressure is going to take a small step backwards, and I'm not so sure it will be an adjustment step.  It will, however, be the first time in three years that the Redskins don't need the linebackers to be integral parts of the coverage unit to stop an offense.  And that can only mean trouble for opposing quarterbacks.  But last year, our ends couldn't be stopped by most protection schemes, and change in our nickel defensive look seems, at best, a bit unnecessary.

And as a prediction, I think the biggest plays for this defense are going to come after the quarterbacks throw the ball, rather than before.  That will also be a welcome change for a unit that has ranked near the bottom of the league in interceptions every year since 2006.

The build-up around the 2010 New York J-E-T-S-JETS JETS JETS reminds me of the hype around the 2006 Redskins and the Cowboys of 2007 ('08, '09 and '10). It's "their year." They can't miss the Super Bowl. Bet the rent money.

Super Bowl fever is a curse that jinxes any chance the Jets have for the Super Bowl. But it's human nature, not any voodoo that will do the Jets in.

The effect of everyone saying how good you are is that you start thinking you are better than you really are. So you relax. Not by much, mind you. Just enough to suppress championship performance.

You don't know you are doing it because you're still hustling. You're making every effort. Your owner goes out and buys that one last piece needed to win it all. In the Jets case, that would be LaDainian Tomlinson and Jason Taylor, as they shoo away RB Thomas Jones, S Kerry Rhodes and G Alan Faneca. How did that exchange for Brett Favre for Chad Pennington work out? 

Hype about their prospects leads CB Darrelle Revis to think he can leverage a new deal when he has three years left on his contract (They-can't-win-the-super-Bowl-without-me syndrome.)

Hype about their prospects brings HBO coverage and its distractions. Apparently, Rex Ryan is the only NFL coach who swears--as if any son of Buddy Ryan could do otherwise.

There's a fine line between confidence and complacency. Only in hindsight does one know when that line was crossed. Hype about the Jets impedes their path to the Super Bowl, along with the Patriots, the Dolphins, The Colts, the Chargers.... It's all so depressingly familiar to Redskins fans.

Familiar Faces

The NFL is a small world and a round one. Laveranues Coles is back with the Jets after a one year hiatus with the Bengals. Coles was a high performing receiver with the Redskins in the Spurrier system in 2003, but was frustrated by the Joe Gibbs offense when he snagged more catches (90) for fewer yards (950) and touchdowns (1) in 2004.

Coles was vocal about that with Gibbs who traded him to the Jets for Santana Moss. In five years with Washington, Moss exceeded Coles' '03 performance only once, in 2005 when he set the Redskins single season receiving record for 1483 yards and nine touchdowns.

Redskins owner Danny Snyder professed man-love last year for rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez, the one-year wonder out of Southern Cal. The Redskins couldn't move up in the draft order to get Sanchez and stuck by Jason Campbell. Check that. They were stuck with Jason in Snyderrato's view.

If Sanchez were on the roster, Donovan McNabb would not be here now. I have a hunch McNabb's numbers will be better than Sanchez's, regardless of the won-loss records for these teams. That's not to knock Sanchez. The guy is only in his second season, so his performance could go either way.

The take-away for Snyder is that players are like busses. If you miss one, another will come along. There is no such thing as a must-have free-agent player.

Point After: The New York Jets have been a favorite trading partner for the Redskins over the years. Randy Thomas, John Hall and Pete Kendall came from the Jets as have Moss and Coles.

The Redskins traded QB Patrick Ramsey to the Jets when a few of us thought Ramsey got a raw deal from Steve Spurrier's ill-fitting offense and Joe Gibbs' quick hook. We thought Ramsey was a first round talent who needed a fresh start anywhere else but here. It's a recurring theme around Washington.

How did the Skins miss out on G Alan Faneca when the Jets released him after the draft? Maybe the Jets aren't on Bruce Allen's speed dial yet. 

Fresh off a sprained ankle suffered in the Baltimore game, reports out of Redskins Park confirm that Donovan McNabb will miss next weekend's preseason game against the New York Jets.  Rex Grossman will start at quarterback.

"I don't think he could go if it was a regular season game," said coach Mike Shanahan, per CSNWashington's Ryan O'Halloran.

This, likely, is a bit of hyperbole on coach's part.  Perhaps this would be true if it was a regular season game preceding a bye week against the Detroit Lions, McNabb would sit the week with a sprained ankle.  If that regular season game came against the Dallas Cowboys at FedEx Field, uh, no McNabb would not sit out the game, swelling in the ankle or not.  This is the man who once played three quarters against the Arizona Cardinals in 2002 on a broken ankle.  Jason Campbell started all 16 games last year on a gimpy ankle.  Of course McNabb would play.

Coincidently, the third preseason game -- the regular season dress rehearsal as it is often referred to -- is being played against Rex Ryan's Jets.  The number one defense in the NFL last year.  The defense which, even if you can break down their secondary with route combinations, can still blow up your plays by finding the weak link in your pass protection unit, and quickly.  Rex Ryan's pressure defense got McNabb benched the last time they played, in Baltimore during the 2008 season.  There's nothing to prepare for, as the only time that Redskins could possibly see the Jets again this year is in Super Bowl 45.  Clearly, keeping McNabb out of the line of fire, and sacrificing Rex Grossman to the wolves, is the proper coaching decision.

We likely will not see McNabb again before the season opener vs. Dallas.  And, frankly, there's no reason for him to put himself out there before that.  He passed the preseason tests against the Bills, and outside of a badly underthrown deep ball against the Ravens with Anthony Armstrong behind the coverage, has looked the part of the quarterback that the Redskins traded for.  He's a veteran, and anyone who thinks he's in need of a tune up or more timing with receivers is overthinking the necessity for the preseason.  The number one thing is to make sure McNabb is as healthy as possible for the season.

McNabb's biggest problem might be that the Redskins haven't ever been able to block Dallas nose tackle Jay Ratliff, and haven't changed the interior of the OL since last year (with the exception of Artis Hicks, who replaces Mike Williams).  McNabb is very good when throwing under pressure, but there is pressure, which can be caused by Trent Williams giving the edge to DeMarcus Ware, and there's the other kind of pressure: when the opposing defensive tackle splits his double team on every passing play from the shotgun.  On those plays, you need your ankles to be strong enough to get out of the pocket, which isn't being made due to a mismatch on the defensive line.

The biggest news here isn't something superficial.  It's that McNabb needs to be able to move in the pocket -- and to get out of it -- in order to save his offensive line against the Cowboys.  If the swelling on his ankle is bad enough three weeks from now, he may be limited in his capacity to do so.  And that could tip the scales of that game in favor of his Cowboys.  Of course, with plenty of time to alter the gameplan for that game, the Redskins could take pressure off McNabb by ordering a heavy dose of Clinton Portis on the ground.  And thus, this ankle injury to Donovan McNabb is just one more move in the chess game that is the NFL regular season.

And Shanahan's statements on McNabb's health should be read in such a context.

I can't believe my lying eyes.

The Washington Redskins are three point favorites over the Baltimore Ravens when the two teams meet at FedEx Field Saturday night (7:00 PM EDT, NBC-4, Comcast SportsNet).

I won't take time to do the research, but I'm pretty sure that hasn't happened any other time this decade.

The game brings the return of Jim Zorn. I still feel a good deal of sympathy for Zorn for what he went through here. You can't say he didn't get a fair shot. He shouldn't have had a shot at all.

Zorn was Seattle's first football hero. He was to the Seahawks what Sonny Jurgensen is around here. The "Hawks never saw him as a offensive coordinator candidate, much less a head coach. Jim Mora got that job when Mike Holmgren stepped down. Only Washington's Vinny Cerrato saw Zorn as a coordinator, then coach when he could not convince anyone else to take the job.

Poor Zorn was over-managed and undermined from that point. I don't blame him personally for the doom that followed.

Yet, I cannot picture Zorn as Donovan McNabb's head coach, offensive coordinator, or quarterback coach. What does Zorn teach to McNabb? Play smaller. Stay medium. Ugh.

The Redskins acquired quarterback Richard Bartel from the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad because Zorn wanted to work with him. John Beck was briefly coached by Zorn, now Baltimore's quarterback coach, before the Shanahans traded for him. The Shanahans see Beck as a potential fit for their offense, thereby making him a threat to Bartel's stay on the roster.

Former Redskins offensive coordinator Al Saunders is the offensive consultant for the Ravens. That means Saunders could have more influence on Ravens playcalling than Zorn. Awkward.

Maybe Zorn has enough pull with the Ravens that Bartel will land there if the Skins cut him.

The NFL is a small world and a round one.

USAPlayers News: Washington Redskins Picked As Three-Point Favorites Over Baltimore Ravens At Home

Mike Shanahan's mantra in his first offseason with the Redskins could be summed up in a single word: competition.  At some junctures (Albert Haynesworth), this mantra has seemed rather hallow.  Competition with the 48 million dollar man?  Where do you find such players?  Still, in many facets of the roster, competition is more than just empty coach-speak, it's how the Redskins are going to rebuild their offense.

This is most true at the wide receiver position.  Shanahan, and Offspring Coordinator, Kyle, put their X's and O's -- as well as their Y's and Z's -- where their mouths were, putting Joey Galloway along with Santana Moss atop the depth chart at receiver.  Behind them are 2008 second rounders Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas Roydell Williams and AFL star Anthony Armstrong.  This development left most Redskins fans with one question: are they serious?

If a 38 year old receiver who was last relevant in 2007, and a 29-year old receiver who hasn't played a snap since 2007 can be fighting with each other to make it as a starting receiver of the Washington Redskins, how safe would it be to assume that the Redskins aren't planning to keep both of these guys?  Furthermore, the Redskins are giving Bobby Wade, a guy who didn't make the top eight on the depth chart at receiver, a look with the first team offense against the Ravens.  Should we as fans read into that move?

I'm not convinced Wade actually has a legitimate chance to make this team.  Along with Mike Furrey (who might get a similar look in the fourth preseason game), Wade is a potential option for the slot.  He ran some good routes against second teamers with Grossman distributing the ball, so lets see if he makes meaningful plays against a first team defense with McNabb tossing the rock.  Of course, unlike the largely successful careers of Galloway and Williams between 2005 and 2007, Wade has largely struggled to consistently contribute in the NFL, and will probably not make a significant impact on Sunday, confirming coach's suspicions evidenced by the depth chart.

This makes Anthony Armstrong the wild card that could spring major change for the Redskins.  As of today, I'd say that Armstrong is not likely to make the roster.  But I do think that one of the reasons that Armstrong is listed as number two on the depth chart is because Malcolm Kelly's health record is quickly becoming an easy one-liner.  If Kelly is healthy and productive by Week 3 of the preseason, we will likely forget all about Anthony Armstrong as an offensive contributor: Kelly is bigger and smoother in his routes, and neither is an explosive downfield player.  But these next two weeks might be do-or-die for Malcolm Kelly.

If Kelly is deemed to be injured goods for the season, and either goes on IR or is released, Armstrong becomes a serious contender to be the team's no. 3 WR.  He seems to play with a good field presence, and does strike me as a better option than Bobby Wade in the same role.  He can get open, and I think we've seen McNabb's trust for him to be where he's expected to be on a critical "hot" throw.  I can't overstress that.  Armstrong could get exposed in the third preseason game, when the Redskins will throw everything they have at the defense for three quarters, but I think he greatly improved his chances to make a difference this season vs. the Bills.

I also think the loser of the Galloway/Williams camp battle for starting 'X' receiver becomes a bit of a luxury for a team that needs to employ special teamers.  If the top three receivers in the rotation are Moss, Galloway, and Armstrong/Kelly, and there are just two spots left for Roydell Williams, Devin Thomas, and Terence Austin.  Austin is/was drafted as a special teams gunner, and, I think, Devin Thomas has shown to be a much more willing special teamer than most on the roster, even those with no chance of playing offense this season.  I think the team is plenty deep enough to keep an inactive 4th receiver (in this scenario, Roydell Williams), and then choose between the 2008 2nd rounder and the 2010 7th rounder to be the game day fourth receiver (5th on the depth chart, but 4th active receiver), and to be utilized heavily on special teams.

But that wouldn't be a very efficient use of a roster spot.  Which is why it does feel like Roydell Williams is fighting a losing battle, even though he's just a step out of the starting lineup right now.  If he badly out plays Anthony Armstrong, and Malcolm Kelly's knee proves unable to heal, and Bobby Wade doesn't impress, then I think both Galloway and Williams could make the team.  But that's a lot of ifs that need to occur, and none of them would be a welcome development for the Redskins.

There's also a doomsday scenario (from Vinny Cerrato's perspective, at least), where Kelly doesn't prove healthy and Devin Thomas proves to be expendable.  This would occur if Terence Austin were to obviously outplay Thomas on the second team offense the rest of the preseason, and take the 4th receiver job by stranglehold.  In this scenario, Armstrong beats out an ineffective Malcolm Kelly for the third receiver job, and both Kelly and Thomas are released.  Joey Galloway makes enough plays to prove he can still start in this league.  And then, Roydell Williams, Bobby Wade, and Mike Furrey are all in play for the 5th receiver job with some special teams duty (this might be the only outcome where Furrey could make the roster).

Brandon Banks is perhaps one punt return TD in three final preseason games away from forcing the team to keep a 6th receiver for a punt returning specialist.  He's not an offensive player, although the Redskins have been trying him as a direct snap man in a trick-play package.  If you're planning on having him, you might as well find something he can do.  But if Banks wins return duties, he can help the team win much more than any of the bottom three receivers will.

It's very likely that even though Kelly and Thomas have both been disappointments to date, most probable scenarios at wide receiver suggest that at least one almost has to see it through to the season, and it's really difficult to envision a scenario where Thomas is in trouble unless Kelly suddenly gets healthy.  A healthy Kelly might halve the chances of Devin Thomas making the roster, but that would take him from "nearly certain" to "about 50-50."  I think the Redskins willingness to use Joey Galloway on a deep route in the first game (and he was open) suggests he's almost as safe as Santana Moss on this roster (even without the contractual security).  That's tough news for Roydell Williams, who really must hope that no one steps into that 3rd WR job, leaving it wide open for his taking (if he can hold off Thomas).  Still, my gut says that until I see #12 on the field making a difference, Galloway, Williams, and Armstrong will all find roles on this team.  And that means Devin Thomas and Terence Austin are nos. 5 & 6.  But Banks can set this race up so there is no WR no 6.  Which is probably good for Thomas' chances as a receiver this year.  Or bad for his chances of making the roster.

In conclusion, there was light shined on the situation by the first preseason game, but the position is still very much a mess of "if/then" scenarios, and special teamers, and return specialists, and receivers who just were not expected to play NFL football this year, but could be major contributors to the Redskins and fantasy football teams alike.  Regarding these receivers: we can be certain that we don't have the answers.  But at least I'm hopeful that we finally might be asking the right questions.