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As if the Washington Redskins could be any more banged-up
at cornerback, rookie Carlos Rogers had his bruised left biceps in a sling on
Monday after being hurt in the first quarter the previous afternoon at
Arizona.
Rogers' tenuous status for Sunday's critical NFC East
game with Dallas added to the list that includes fellow starter Shawn Springs'
strained groin and strained lower back suffered at Arizona and third corner
Walt Harris' strained calf suffered in practice last week.
"It puts us in a tough situation at corner,"
Redskins coach Joe Gibbs said. "We'll just have to see how all these
things play out."
If the three regular corners can't play, the Redskins
will be forced to go with little-used Ade Jimoh and perhaps practice squad
corner Dimitri Patterson against the Cowboys, although free safety Sean Taylor
is swift enough to play the position.
Jimoh has never started during his three seasons but made
a huge tackle on star receiver Larry Fitzgerald on third-and-1 at the
Washington 29 during the Cardinals' final drive.
"It was fun to be out there and to be able to help
my team," said Jimoh, who relieved the injured Springs in the third
quarter.
Quotes
and Notes
--Chris Samuels sprained his right knee and right ankle
on the final series at Arizona, but the offensive left tackle won't skip a
chance to sweep the Cowboys, a team he can't stand. Samuels taunted Dallas
fans as he left the field following Washington's stunning 14-13 comeback
victory in Week 2 at Texas Stadium that broke the Redskins' 10-game losing
streak there.
"My knee's not in that bad a shape," said
Samuels, who'll likely miss at least Wednesday's practice. My ankle's a little
swollen, a little painful. I'll get that down, and I'll be ready for
Dallas."
--With 105 rushing yards at Arizona, running back Clinton Portis pulled a little further ahead of Stephen Davis' team-record pace of
2001. Davis gained 1,432 yards. With 1,184 in 13 games, Portis is on track for
1,457.
"Clinton is on a mission," guard Randy Thomas
said. "He's trying to carry this team, and I appreciate him. We should
continue handing him the ball."
Indeed, coach Joe Gibbs has called Portis' number at
least 26 times the past three games. Portis didn't have many carries in any of
the first 10 games.
Player
Notes
--LB LaVar Arrington, inactive at Arizona with a bruised
thigh, should practice on Wednesday and play Sunday against Dallas.
--DT Joe Salave'a, out the past two games with plantar
fasciitis in his left foot, will return to practice on Wednesday and should
play Sunday.
--WR James Thrash, who has missed the past three games
with a pulled hamstring, will return to limited practice on Wednesday.
--DT Cedric Killings, sidelined the past two games with a
pulled groin, should practice on Wednesday.
--KR Antonio Brown's 91-yard touchdown at Arizona and the
94-yard touchdown by Ladell Betts on Nov. 13 at Tampa Bay gave the Redskins
their first pair of kickoff return scores in a season since Eddie Saenz took
two all the way back in 1947.
Report Card vs. Cardinals
PASSING OFFENSE: D-plus -- QB Mark Brunell had an ugly
first half with three interceptions in the red zone, only one of which was
tipped. Brunell also fumbled twice but didn't lose either. Brunell was
accurate when not picked (18-for-28), but 122 yards is pathetically little to
show for all those throws. WR Santana Moss caught seven passes but
uncharacteristically dropped two and averaged just 8 yards a catch. WR Taylor Jacobs had a lone 7-yard catch. H-back Chris Cooley couldn't hold onto
Brunell's second pass and had it bounce into the hands of Arizona's Antrel Rolle. Cooley didn't help his Pro Bowl cause with just 26 yards on four
catches. TE Robert Royal had two grabs for 23 yards
RB Clinton Portis had three catches for 16 yards. The offensive line
didn't allow any sacks.
RUSHING OFFENSE: A-minus -- Portis had a nifty 23-yard
run early, a fine 15-yard touchdown midway through and a powerful 8-yard
effort when his team absolutely needed it as he continued his strong five-game
stretch with 105 yards on 26 carries. RB Ladell Betts struggled in his return
after missing three games with a knee injury. OT Jon Jansen joined H-back Mike
Sellers in leading the way on Portis' TD run. Jansen also saved a big turnover
by recovering Brunell's botched handoff to Portis at the Washington 24 in the
fourth quarter. G Derrick Dockery was caught holding. Royal blocked well.
After being overwhelmed by the Cardinals for most of the fourth quarter as the
Redskins tried to kill the clock, the line, led by G Randy Thomas, came up big
on Portis' sealing 8-yard, third-down run, which allowed Brunell to kneel in
victory.
PASS DEFENSE: C -- FS Sean Taylor had a dazzling early
interception, missed a couple of tackles, and got a break from the officials
when he was beaten by WR Anquan Boldin (who had a big day) for a critical
apparent first down that was overruled at the end of the third quarter. CB
Carlos Rogers was beaten by fourth receiver LeRon McCoy for an early touchdown
and committed a bad late pass interference penalty while playing with a
bruised biceps. CB Shawn Springs played well until he was hurt. SS Pierson Prioleau sacked QB Kurt Warner and hung in there to recover the fumble. DT
Demetric Evans beat Fred Wakefield for a terrific sack. The rest of the line
wasn't very noticeable, although Phillip Daniels sacked Kurt Warner on the
first play but had it overturned by a penalty. MLB Lemar Marshall knocked down
a couple of passes. LB Marcus Washington got another. LB Chris Clemons
pressured Warner into an incompletion.
RUSH DEFENSE: A -- Taylor stopped J.J. Arrington on the
climatic fourth-and-2 at the Washington 29 with 2:03 left after CB Ade Jimoh,
pressed into service after Springs was hurt, dropped Larry Fitzgerald for a
1-yard loss on third-and-1. Marshall stripped Arizona RBs J.J. Arrington and
Marcel Shipp. LBs Washington and Warrick Holdman, playing for the injured
LaVar Arrington, recovered the fumbles. DT Cornelius Griffin had a tackle for
a loss.
SPECIAL TEAMS: A -- KR Antonio Brown was cut after
setting up Chicago's only points with a fumble in the opener, but he justified
his re-signing Sunday with a 90-yard kickoff return touchdown to put
Washington ahead in the third quarter. Brown had come close to breaking one
earlier before being tripped up by ex-Redskin R-Kal Truluck. K John Hall hit a
41-yard field goal. P Derrick Frost boomed a 55-yarder to get Washington out
of trouble in the fourth quarter. The coverage units did a good job against
dangerous return man Reggie Swinton.
COACHING: B-plus -- Joe Gibbs didn't abandon the run
despite trailing at halftime. Gibbs stuck with Portis and had his quarterback
just hand off and dink and dunk his way to victory. Gregg Williams' ailing
secondary had some trouble with Boldin but did a fine job on Fitzgerald. The
defense gave up four big pass plays in the second half, but none for
touchdowns. Special teams coach Danny Smith has done a terrific job despite
losing Hall, top tackler Sellers and return specialists Betts and James Thrash
for at least one game apiece with injuries.
