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The Washington Redskins are swapping running backs left and right to cope with a rash of injuries. The 'Skins promoted James Davis from the practice squad to replace back-up running back Chad Simpson who broke his foot during pregame warm-ups of the Tennessee Titans game. (How does a thing like that happen?)

Simpson was on the roster as a back-stop to Ryan Torain who was filling in for starting tailback Clinton Portis who missed five games due to a groin tear. Torain is "97 percent certain" to miss the Minnesota Vikings game due to a hamstring injury, according to head coach Mike Shanahan. Washington is down to three healthy backs, Keiland Williams, Darrel Young and Davis.

If you are like me, and I know I am, you might be wondering what if Ladell Betts were here?

Betts was pushed out by the Shanahan regime. He is remembered in Washington for standing in for Portis in 2006. Portis, you recall, dislocated his shoulder in a preseason game and missed half the season. Betts had a career year with 1,599 yards of total offense, five touchdowns, and 81 first downs. Can't we use that performance now?

As good as it was, there are two problems with Betts' numbers. First, Betts scored but five touchdowns on 298 touches (rush attempts plus pass receptions), or one score for every 60 touches. Clinton Portis, playing with an injured shoulder, scored seven touchdowns on 144 touches. Portis was three times more productive per touch than Betts, or anyone else on the team. Where Betts was a rusher, Portis was a scorer.

Second, Betts was 27 years old in 2006. 

We hardly miss him. Keiland Williams (24) has 357 yards total offense on 73 touches with five touchdowns, roughly one score for every 15 touches. Betts, now 31 and with New Orleans, scored twice on 68 touches, a 1:34 ratio. Williams (5-11, 223 lbs) is near-identical in size and weight to Betts (5-11, 224 lbs) and Portis (5-11, 219 lbs).

If you are like me, and I know I am, you like the score to touch ratio provided by Williams and Ryan Torain (99 touches, four scores) and you like their youth.

Shanahan frustrates fantasy owners with his running back by committee schemes. But it works for real teams and especially for Shanahan. Philadelphia's emergence as the most dynamic young offense in the Beast adds urgency Washington's need to get younger.  

While we appreciate what 'Skins alum Betts did back then, there's no looking back now. 

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Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan updated the status of several injured players following the win over the Tennessee Titans.

Rookie safety Anderson Russell suffered a non-contact ACL tear on a first quarter punt return that led to a Titans touchdown. Russell clutched his leg and went down right before Titans punt returner Marc Mariani ran through the area en route to his 87 yard scoring run. He has been placed on injured reserve. What a tough break for Russell who was signed to the team November 8. it must have seemed that his dream had come true.  

Linebacker Rocky McIntosh suffered a groin injury and is sore. He is day-to-day.

Running back Clinton Portis aggravated his groin tear ans is awaiting the results of a MRI. then he will see "a couple of doctors," says Shanahan. That can't be good.

Running back Chad Simpson broke the fifth metatarsal in his foot and requires surgery. He has been placed on injured reserve. Simpson joined the team in September hoping for a shot to play. That is another tough break. Simpson injured his foot in pregame warm-ups. What we said of Anderson Russell and broken dreams goes double for Simpson.

Shanahan added that it looks unlikely that running back Ryan Torain will be ready for the Vikings game.

The Redskins promoted running back James Davis to the full roster from the practice squad. A roster spot is open. Shanahan hopes to fill it with a safety.

[picapp] And you thought the Washington Redskins had issues!

The NFL Network announced moments ago that the Minnesota Vikings have dismissed head coach Brad Childress.

The Vikings fell to 3-7 after the Green Bay Packers spanked them 31-3. The Vikings were expected to defend their division title and mount another challenge for the Super Bowl. Childress went so far as to fly to Mississippi to persuade Brett Favre to return for another run this year. When that did not work, the Vikings dispatched three players to Favre's home to appeal to his sense of teamwork.

It's gone horribly wrong for Minnesota. The Vikings post-season hopes are essentially done. Facing an issue with healthy receivers, the Vikings traded their 2011 third round draft pick to New England for prodigal player Randy Moss. Childress released him after three weeks without informing team owner Ziggy Wilf.

Bosses hate surprises. Wilf nearly fired Childress on the spot. Instead, he waited to see if there was an addition by subtraction effect to waiving Moss.

Minnesota succumbed to two ugly losses to division rivals Chicago and Green Bay, now tied at 7-3 for the NFC North division lead. That sealed Childress fate.

Childress led the Vikings to two division titles. His regular season record is 39-35.

The Vikings named defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier interim head coach.

Minnesota is due to visit the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field this Sunday, November 28.

You never know what team shows up when a coach gets fired. Will it be the poorly playing team that got the coach fired, or a newly inspired team that plays over its head?

The Dallas Cowboys are 2-0 since firing Wade Phillips three weeks ago. The Redskins fell victim to the winless St. Louis Rams in 2008 after they named Jim Haslett interim head coach. The Rams 19-17 win was one of only two victories that year.

The Redskins never beat a team quarterbacked by Brett Favre. This might have been the year to do it. Favre has thrown 17 interceptions to 10 touchdowns and has a measly 69.8 quarterback rating. The dysfunctional relationship between Favre and Childress had a corrosive effect on a team facing adversity.

Couldn't Wilf have waited one more week to make this move? 

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We know something old and something new about the Washington Redskins. Are you surprised that they went to Nashville and outlasted the Tennessee Titans 19-16 in overtime? No one in football expected that, apparently. Long-time Redskins followers knew our guys had strength of character. The only question was whether they could suck up last week's shocking loss to Philadelphia enough to steal a win in Tennessee.

The answer is yes.That character counts and that the Redskins have it is old news. So the win is a surprise, but not much of one.

The new lesson is that 'Skins got resilience, for this game anyway.

Washington entered the game without S LaRon Landry or DB Carlos Rogers. That should have put them at great disadvantage going against Randy Moss and the Titans offense. The Redskins lost S Anderson Russell early. Russell was activated as Landry's replacement. But the 'Skins lost LB Rocky McIntosh, OLs Derrick Dockery, Casey Rabach, and Artis Hicks. Lorenzo Alexander when down with a hamstring injury. Santana Moss ran well, but walked with a visible limp.

The biggest loss was Clinton Portis who reinjured his groin early in the game. He was done after five carries for 32 yards.

RB Chad Simpson injured his foot in pregame warm-ups. There must have been a connection between those injuries and the field. 

Any two of those injuries would have sunk last year's team. This year's group hung in there to win the game the way the Redskins won most of their others, by keeping the opponent close enough to pull it out in the end.

Tennessee's defense had their way against Washington's make-shift line. They sacked McNabb three times and got 10 quarterback hits. But McNabb did a better job (30/50, 376, 1 TD, 1 INT, 81.8 QB Rating)) against the Titans than Vince Young did against the Redskins. Despite his gaudy 107.6 QB rating, Young tossed for under 200 yards, threw no scoring passes and made Randy Moss irrelevant to the game. 

Santana was the best Moss on the field with 106 yards and a score.

Better bench strength

So much of what's been wrong with Washington in the Snyder era has been lack of depth. By following the mantra of win now, the team did not have the bench strength to overcome the inevitable injuries of a 16-game season. But today, back-benchers stepped in and did the job well enough to win.

Will Montgomery may have hastened Casey Rabach's departure as starting center. Keiland Williams is no Clinton Portis, but would you rather see Brian Westbrook in that spot? The Shanahans courted Westbrook, but he preferred to join San Francisco where he has disappeared on the 49er roster.

Westbrook is at the end of his career. Williams has a future in the NFL. That future is ours, unless someone high up in the Redskins organization discounts his value as Washington once did to LB Antonio Pierce and DB Ryan Clark. Westbrook on the roster would have impeded the development of young players like Williams and Ryan Torain. Joey Galloway seems to be in the way of Anthony Armstrong's and Terrance Austin's development.

The test for how much better Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen rebuild the team is their approach to preparing young talent to be starters compared to Snyder-Cerrato and Snyder-Gibbs. Shanahan gets high marks for finding Keiland Williams, but he's always done that with running backs. Lets see him do it wide receivers and offensive linemen with young players who are keepers.

Sleeping on the Redskins

Almost nobody gave Washington a chance to win today. ESPN's Beast blogger Matt Mosley went against the crowd to pick the Redskins. Others were over-impressed by the Eagles game. they assessed the Redskins as though Vinny Cerrato and Jim Zorn were still around.

If there is any value to having a coach like Mike Shanahan, it is his ability to come back from set-backs. More professional football analysts should have given more weight to Shanahan's value and to the character of the team. Shame on them for not doing so. (Redskins Hog Heaven wasn't certain of a win, but we figured the game to be close.)     

Vince Young is no Michael Vick. He's no Donovan McNabb, either.

How much does character count? Titans coach Jeff Fisher demoted Vince Young as starting quarterback following Young's post-game outburst. Young reacted badly Jeff Fisher's displeasure at his play. He threw his shoulder pads into the crowd of booing fans after the game and left LP Stadium without speaking to reporters as the league requires.

That's quite a contrast with Donovan McNabb's reaction after being benched in Detroit and after the Eagles beatdown. My colleagues at Total Titans told us of the difference of opinion between Fisher and team owner Bud Adams about Young. Young's unsmooth move may not phase Adams who's been known to flip a bird or two. We didn't see that from McNabb in recent weeks, or from Jason Campbell ever.

Character counts.

AP on NFL.com - Beat-up 'Skins beat Titans in OT; injured Young storms out after confrontation

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The best storyline going into the Washington Redskins - Tennessee Titans game on Sunday is Gil Brandt's NFL.com headline Reeling Redskins visit Tennessee to take on slumping Titans.

This game will tell us a lot about Redskins players and coaches. Will they be numb in Nashville? Or will they take out their frustrations against their next opponent?

No one gives Washington a shot against Tennessee. The eight members of ESPN's Pigskin Pick 'em crew all pick the Titans. Who can blame them? That just goes to show how a nationally televised, 59-point butt whuppin' influences people.

What happened Monday night?

Well, they could be wrong. Two things conspired against the Redskins in the Eagles game. They lost to the bye and ran a poorly conceived defense, perhaps because of distractions during the bye.

Pulling Donovan McNabb at the worst possible moment in the Detroit Lions game was a Vinny Cerrato-like move. Cerrato could have written Mike Shanahan's explanations for it. The uncomfortable resemblance of the Shannyskins to the Snyderskins left the coach and the staff under fire for the two-week bye period, losing the benefits of the two-week layoff.

On defense, the Redskins sacrificed yards to gain turnovers. The trade-off worked against most opponents, especially the Eagles in October. In the Monday night game, Washington laid off defensively out of concern for Michael Vick's newly found passing skills. Washington lost because the poorly conceived defense gave up yards and points without disrupting Philly's offense.

Losses that bad only come from huge disparities in talent, or poor preparation by the coaches. Washington won the first game, evidence of competitive talent at least. Coaching has to be better.

The loss overwhelmed several good points about the Redskins offense. Keiland Williams gained 139 yards of total offense and scored three touchdowns. Washington's 28 points was its highest scoring output of the season. Anthony Armstrong and Fred Davis made big plays leading to scores, or setting up scores.

The Haynesworth factor

Albert wants to leave. Shanahan wants to trade him. At some point, these two have to conspire to pull that off. Haynesworth has to have big games. Shanahan has to play him and talk him up more. Isn't that just what has been happening?

Haynesworth has been playing more and getting sacks. Shanahan has been talking him up. If they continue to work like that through the rest of the season, Washington may be offered something reasonable in trade for Big Al, say a third-round pick and a ham sandwich.

Big Al said he would always be a Titan. There is no better venue for Haynesworth to shine than in Nashville.

And, the winner is...

The Redskins fell seven places on the Bloguin NFL Week 10 Power Poll to 26th place. The Titans rank 12th.

The Titans are seven point favorites, an over-reaction to the Redskins' meltdown against the Eagles. Washington's offense has performed better on average than Tennessee. I look for Chris Johnson to have his way for a couple of touchdowns. Randy Moss may escape for a score.

Donovan McNabb will deliver a big play, or two. Clinton Portis return will make a difference in blocking if not running. I don't think the Titans know how fast Brandon Banks really is. This game will come down to field goals and could go either way...if the 'Skins are over their Monday night hangover.

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So, the Eagles ran 59 points on us, enough points, as John Riggins put it, to win two games.

So what? The season goes on. Our team is not the Washington Deadskins who play at DedEx Field. It's not as if whoopin's haven't happened to us before. And I don't mean some ancient game in the 1950s.

Turn on the WABAC Machine to October 27, 2007, Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Massachusetts.  The Washington Redskins visited and lost to the New England Patriots 52-7. Though the Patriots scored fewer points then than the Eagles did at FedEx Monday night, their margin of victory (45) was larger.

Yes, Virginia, the Redskins improved by two touchdowns since the last 50-point beatdown.

Now think about this. Joe Gibbs coached the team that lost to New England. The offensive line was still serviceable, though showing early onset old age.  The Redskins came into that game 4-2, a surprise given the disaster that was the 2006 season. Sean Taylor was still with us. Gregg Williams was still blitzing from the 4-3 defense.

Jason Campbell completed 21 of 35 passes and threw a late touchdown pass to Chris Cooley. He also tossed an interception and lost three fumbles that led to New England scores. Those factors changed the final score, but not the game's outcome. The biggest factors in the loss were that New England killed Washington's ground game (Portis rushed 11 times for 27 yards) and the 4-3 defense brought no pressure on Tom Brady.

The Redskins team that lost to the Eagles on Monday Night Football scored 28 points, their highest output this season, and gained 375 net yards. RB Keiland Williams gained 139 yards total offense and scored three touchdowns. Young players Anthony Armstrong and Fred Davis gained 154 yards on only four receptions. Redskins got skills--for the big play. You can work with that.

What the Redskins experienced in '07 and how they overcame it are object lessons now.

The 'Skins lost four of their next five games. Then they lost Sean Taylor when he was murdered in his home in an armed burglary. Then they lost their starting quarterback when Campbell went down in the Buffalo game. He was lost for the season.

Character counts most when times are at their worst. The '07 Redskins dedicated the rest of the season to something larger than them and set out on a quest for the playoffs.  They swept their last four games and made it.

The 2010 Redskins are not the equal of the 2007 bunch, nor have they endured as much. There are glaring deficiencies on the offensive line and wide receiver. The Redskins were embarrassed at home on national TV. Now we find out if Mike Shanahan constructed a team of character guys that can overcome adversity.

If the Redskins go on a four or five win streak, we will reassess Monday night's performance along with Mike Shanahan's coaching methods. Shanahan will regain some of the luster he lost with his "what would Vinny do" moment in Detroit.

The Redskins might be tempted to toss the video of the Eagles' game and move on. Perhaps they shouldn't.  Bill Belichick's mantra is to dwell on your (team's) mistakes so they are not repeated.  If we know anything about Shanahan, it's that he is a perfectionist. We expect no repeats of Monday night.

How Shanahan does it is a fascinating story that will provide fodder for Redskins bloggers all year long.

Point after: Professional athletes are big into sports psychology. The Redskins should be telling themselves now that Monday night's game was not them. They can do better. To understand that mindset, check out Denis Waitley's The Psychology of Winning, a great book or audio on the topic.

You will recognize some of the concepts from the book in the self-talk you hear high performers say.

Redskins Hog Heaven enjoyed a brief conversation with NFL Hall of Famer John Riggins, courtesy of the Van Heusen Pro Football Hall Of Fame Fans Choice campaign. We asked the questions. The Diesel answered. Note: my transcribing skills are not top-notched, so some of Riggins' answers are paraphrased without sacrificing accuracy.

You are the head coach of the Washington Redskins. What do you do to win nine games this season?

First, I would fire Albert Haynesworth.

The die is cast for the talent on the field right now. There is not a lot of talent on the offense, so there is not much you can do. Miami, Atlanta and Cleveland and other improving teams are doing it with young coaches, young talent and through the draft.

The Redskins don't seem to have an improvement plan. They go for the big fix.

Do you think Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen were aware of the talent level when they arrived here?

Shanahan and Allen were aware of the talent level. I don't believe they are as independent as they were told when they were hired. I don't buy that the owner is as hands-off as we are led to believe.

(Riggins suspects that Shanahan would not have gone along with trading a second round pick for Donovan McNabb unless influenced by the owner.)

Would you want to play for Mike Shanahan?

No, I would not. Shanahan's treatment of Albert Haynesworth did not impress me. Organized Team Activities (OTAs) are voluntary activities under the Collective Bargaining Agreement. There was no reason for Haynesworth to be singled out the way he was for skipping the OTAs.

Jeremy Jarmon attended the OTAs and mini-camp, but did not participate due to injury, but you never heard anything about him having to pass a conditioning test.

How would Joe Gibbs have handled Haynesworth?

Joe will have talked to him. No one is more dominant than Haynesworth when he wants to play, but he is dominant when he wants to be. No team can use that kind of player.

How would you feel about an 18-game regular season if you were still playing?

I would not be for it. All you are doing is getting rid of two preseason games, but it means more wear and tear on the body. Teams may need a bigger roster to account for that.

Name strength and a weakness on the Redskins offense.

[Pause] There are no real strengths on the offense. The weakest part is the offense's third-down efficiency.

Same question for the defense.

The blitz package can be a strength when it brings pass pressure. I am surprised that rushing defense can be on the weak side.

Some of my readers wish you were still with the team. Do you see yourself in a coaching or front office role with the Redskins?

No.

Clinton Portis is on the verge of breaking your team rushing record. Are you concerned?

It doesn't make any difference. It's not as if I set the league record for rushes. More power to him.

What do you want our readers to know about the Van Heusen Pro Football Hall Of Fame vote?

It's a great forum to support the former players of the Burgundy and Gold in an interactive format at http://www.fanschoice.com/sweepstakes.php. Grass root support might influence the Pro Football Hall Of Fame voters. (Fanchoice.com is not affiliated with the NFL). Buffalo Bills fans are very active, but it's early. We need Redskins fans to turn out for former Redskins Doug Williams, Gary Clark, Dexter Manly and Charles Mann.

Participants can win prizes that may include a Super Bowl event.

Some of our readers wondered how to reach you for personal appearances.

Speak with Tod Castleberry at 301-529-8377.

John Riggins scored 79 touchdowns and gained 7,472 yards in nine seasons with the Redskins. His career totals are 104 touchdowns and 11,352 yards. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1992. I still cheer for Riggins whenever I see the video of Riggins' run in Super Bowl 17. I yell RUNNNNN as though I'm seeing it for the very first time.