August 7--PM practice, Whittacker cut

The team released injured guard Will Whittacker and replaced him on the roster with RB Dee Brown.. Brown has played for Cleveland, Carolina, Pittsburgh and most recently Kansas City.. The Skins got thin at running back when Ladell Betts suffered a Jammed neck/stinger yesterday in practice so the team wanted to have enough RB’s entering this weekend’s pre-season game with Tennessee..
Prior to camp, my sources had told me they wanted to toughen up Whittacker, that he had talent but needed to become more physical.. The high ankle sprain was going to keep him out at least a few weeks, but it was obvious by his immediate release (injury settlement) that Whittacker hadn’t quite lived up to Joe Bugel’s expectations..

The afternoon practice like the morning was shortened due to the threat of a heat index of around 110 degrees.. There was a breeze and in fact it wasn’t as hot as in the morning but the coaching staff had already adjusted so the team only practiced for an hour and skipped their daily walk through.. There is one lone practice tomorrow, the final one open to the public at 7PM.. Gibbs will address the crowd beforehand, the band and cheerleaders will perform as well..

Laron landry is receiving rave reviews from his coaches.. Gregg Williams described him in the run game as a guy who will be all over your back.. Asked about Landry, secondary coach Jerry Gray smiled and simply said, “He’s going to be a good player.” It’s his speed and London Fletcher’s ability to get to the ball that has coaches openly talking about the increase in team speed on defense this year.. The Redskins were a quick team the first two years under Gregg Williams, they appear to have improved their team speed immensely this summer, something to note come Saturday when it goes live in Nashville..

Gray was laughing when asked about the imminent tough decisions he has about the corner and safety positions later this month.. He said if you don’t have tough decisions, you probably aren’t going to be very good.. There are at least two veteran names on the chopping block in the secondary forthcoming if for no other reason then shear roster spot numbers alone..

Injuries: FB Mike Sellars (knee), T Chris Samuels (knee), RB Clinton Portis (knee), TE Tyler Ecker (groin), WR Jason McAddley (cramping), DE Bryant Shaw (cramping) were all held out of practice..
Rb Ladell Betts was limited with his neck injury, WR Brandon Lloyd (shin splints) returned after missing the past few practices..

Gibbs said Chris Cooley has been working some at fullback and Mike Sellars (before he got injured) at TE.. The team is hoping FB Pete Schmidt ( who is returning from a bruised shoulder) will ultimately win the back-up FB/TE job.. When the Al Saunders offense was implemented, Cooley went to being more of a traditional tight end the H-back (the reference to the hybrid position under the Gibbs offense). It was an interstsing distinction to have these two working at several spots.. Cooley of course is mainly looked at as a receiving threat, Sellars more of a blocker, but the trading of spots offers some insight into a flexibility the offense is looking to expand on..

OK men