November 7-- Lloyd Back, Campbell on board with game plan

WR Brandon Lloyd returned to practice after missing a meeting last week and subsequently was deactivated for the Jets game.. Joe Gibbs said he and lloyd met today and agreed to “put things in the past,” with the hope of “going back to work to find a way to make him productive again.” Asked specifically why he is optimistic things will progress with Lloyd, Gibbs paused and said, “all I’m saying is we are going to go back to work.” For me, this means nothing changes in terms of the depth chart.
Lloyd declined comment coming off of the field today..
He did stay after practice and was spotted taking extra reps with Jason Campbell..

Injuries: WR Santana Moss (heel), DT Cornelious Griffin (back), CB Fred Smoot (hamstring) and LB Marcus Washington (hamstring) all were held out of practice, most if not all are expected to return at some point this week and be available to play against the Eagles..
G Pete Kendall (coaches decision) was limited in practice..

Smoot said he is likely to have to sit out practice this and subsequent weeks due to the hamstring injury but in terms of playing on Sundays said, “I have to.” With Carlos Rogers out, the team is going to play it safe with Smoot during the week but is likely to attempt to let him go on Sundays.. Smoot admits he is going to need “a little luck,” to get through the season and said the most important thing is if the hamstring gets re-injured, that it happens to a different part of the muscle.. Another flare up in the same spot would be big trouble..
Smoot has done this before, a few years back when he was with the Skins, he played through a bruised sternum while not practicing the weeks leading into games..
Marcus Washington says he hopes he has turned a corner with his hamstring injury.. He called the injury a “smart” injury, meaning it can surprise you how injured it remains even when you think it is feeling better, (see last week when he had a setback late in the week and missed the Jets game)..

Philly injury report: All of these players took part in full practice but are listed anyway: WR Jason Avant (groin), WR Reggie Brown (neck), WR Kevin Curtis (knee), CB William James (foot), WR Greg Lewis (chest), T Jon Runyan (glute), CB Lito Sheppard (knee), TE LJ Smith (back), RB Brian Westbrook (shoulder)

I asked Donovan McNabb when he joined us for a conference call whether this would be the final time he faced the Redskins as the Eagles QB (of course assuming that these two teams don’t somehow face each other in the playoffs).. His answer was an interesting “I don’t know. That is not up to me.” He did say the right thing by claiming he would like to remain in Philadelphia for the duration of his career despite the negative media attention he constantly receives..
Smoot told me he thinks the criticism of McNabb is undeserved and that if he played for any other city, even Washington, “he’d be beloved if he did the same things by keeping them in contention. Ya’ll just find something else wrong with the Redskins if he played here.”

Jason Campbell pulled the “players play, coaches coach,” mantra today hoping to alleviate any suggestion he is not happy with the play calling.. He said he likes the idea of being a risk taker, he wants to liken himself to Brett Favre saying, “he threw a lot of touchdowns and a lot of interceptions but he wouldn’t have made all the plays he made if he didn’t take chances.” Campbell said he has no issue with anything the coaches have done with the game plans or in game play calls..
Asked if he thinks this team is good (in my opinion, the true question of the week), he responded: “We are a very good team. Winning on the road after the Patriots game showed our character.”


Quick note, check out my man Steinberg's blog from the Washington Post today where he details the media scuffle in the locker room during the last home game..

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/dcsportsbog/2007/11/seeking_transistor_radio_for_s.html#more


Two quick notes (and while I don't think it painted Larry and myself in a bad light) worth mentioning from my viewpoint (and understand I didn't actually witness the incident)
The reporter in question never did nor has apologized for breaking into a live broadcast.. It would be like me walking up to Joe Gibbs while he's on Channel 4's set Mondays in their 6PM newscast and interrupting George Michael and asking a question.. It's patently absurd, and if he didn't know he was in the wrong then because he mistook what was happening, I get it, but in the end when it was explained what he did, the least he could have done was apologize to the broadcasters for breaking into a live exclusive interview session.
Kelli Johnson is live outside the Skins locker room on Comcast interviewing players and coaches on a live post game show, I wouldn't walk up to Gregg Williams while he's on with her and ask a question..
If this reporter has as much experience as is suggested by Steinberg, then he knows that too..

Plus, and this is the most important part, it's not like Chris Samuels or anyone isn't available to the media following this exclusive interview. Jason Campbell might go on radio, but he also does a group session. The reporter could have gone up to Samuels locker after he finished with Larry, Sonny and Sam and asked the same questions, just as I did!
I wouldn't even ask a question during that part of our broadcast because that's not my job and I work for the network!!!

Defending his colleague is honorable by Steinberg, and indeed I like Dan a lot.. His work is irreverent and interesting. But in the end, the guy was wrong, and even if it was an honest mistake, he never made ammends for it. That should have been pointed out.. But I understand Larry and I started it all anyway by making it public in the first place.

OK men..