Jim Turner

Turnersportsdesk.com

July 29, 2010

Expect Competition – Mike Shanahan is a pure competitor and a riverboat gambler so you can expect training camp to be all about getting back to extremely physical, no-nonsense Redskin football.  One of the first things Mike Shanahan will do away with is this front runner mentality that has permeated this football team. He will make it known that veterans can lose jobs if they are out performed. Highly drafted rookies are not guaranteed anything but an opportunity to show what they bring to the table.

Expect injuries – Shanahan runs physical, competitive camps so expect to see injuries.  Why did Shanahan go out of his way to collect seasoned running backs? He did it because with his physical style of play all of them will likely see action. If Clinton Portis is back down to his Denver playing weight he will become fast but fragile again. Although Portis is listed as the starter going into camp don’t be surprised if Larry Johnson is the starter going into the season. The Redskins are going into this camp thin on the line so another injury could prove disastrous.

Expect zero slack – Veterans are going to be expected to produce or they will be gone. Rookies will be expected to fill in and not be a weak link. Shanahan is all about accountability and stepping up when your number is called. Guys like Laron Landry will no longer be allowed to make dumb mistakes and continue to start. Carlos Rogers better solve that double-move susceptibility or his wish to be traded or cut will be honored. Fred Davis better be over his childish tendencies or he will become nice trade bait. The bottom line is accountability is back in fashion At Redskin Park. Players will be held accountable for their lack of preparation and their failure to execute.

Expect Surprises – There will be some old faces that you love sent packing. There will be some new faces that you had high hopes for cut. The purpose of camp is to set in place the building blocks for a championship run.  Some maybe really talented but not fit this system. Some guys will be asked to take on different roles and they may bulk.

Expect media generated camp controversy – In the interest of full disclosure I am not a fan of public camp. I’d prefer the Redskins seclude themselves and concentrate on team building. I would happily trade public camp for more wins because the players had fewer distractions.  In physics it is called the observer-expectancy effect because a subject inevitably changes their behavior when they know they are being observed. The job of the media is to report the story but for a beat reporter that has covered this story 1000 times it gets boring. They make it interesting by creating issues where none exist. Now some genuinely report something they perceive as an issue while others have more devious intentions. The Redskins have a large media following so it is advised that you take a lot of the coverage with a grain of salt.