Here are some quotes not included in this week’s edition:

THN: Your final years in San Francisco were tough but has this game marked your lowest point in your Redskins tenure or even your whole career?

AC: In my career I have played in many upsets. That’s one thing about competing in anything that you do. There are winners and there are the unlucky ones, but only on that day. Detroit was the better team that Sunday. That’s my perspective on the game. However, I am fortunate to say there are more games ahead of us.

THN: How vital do you think Jon Jansen was to the Lions for giving them information about the Redskins offense and defense?

AC: I can’t even tell you. I am not surprised if he told his teammates and coaches what we did. Then again, each team has scouts that evaluate an opponent so whatever Jansen said I am sure Detroit was ahead of the game.

THN: I’m paraphrasing a little bit here but after the game DeAngelo Hall said something along the lines of “people here on this team think they’ve arrived and haven’t made a play in the league yet.” What/who does that refer to and if you know what he’s talking about, do you agree?

AC: I don’t know who he is referring to. I admire D-Hall’s emotion and fire. I think the important thing is to stop overanalyzing what we did or didn’t do and just play Redskin football.

THN: Is a change of attitude, culture and approach needed for the whole team? Why or why not?

AC: The only thing we can choose is what we want to be as a team. We have started off slow but this is the beginning of the season. The change in environment and culture doesn’t matter because no matter what happens we will still have the same players within the organization.

THN: It seems to me that guys like you and Phillip Daniels and the majority of the veterans take your approach to the game of football and each contest seriously. Do you believe there are guys on the team that don’t take things as seriously and are just content with banking paychecks?

AC: We feel that every man loves this game. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t. It’s no accident that each individual has played on the pro level. Yes, this is our profession and we do get paid well to perform in the arena but playing for just a paycheck in the NFL doesn’t cut it if you want to be the best. We play as a team and win as a team.

THN: Why are Anthony Montgomery and Renaldo Wynn inactive every game? Is it a strategic move on the coaches’ part? Don’t they make the team better when they’re suited up?

AC: The decisions of Renaldo and Anthony playing are game day decisions by the coaches. Before the game, coaches decide who is/isn’t playing due to specific needs in positions that day. One day they will play, it’s just not their time now.

THN: The DB’s still give a real big cushion to receivers. Is that because coach Blache doesn’t trust them to handle bump and run coverage or is it just strictly because he thinks it’s a successful design? Will he reconsider having them play that far off after three weeks?

AC: The way the secondary played was by coach Blache’s design. I cant say if he will continue to go in the same direction as weeks progress but we have our trust in him.

THN: What do you and the team expect from the FedEx Field crowd on Sunday? Mood, support, buzz, etc.

AC: Ha. I will let the fans answer that. I love this game and when the fans get excited I embrace the loud noise in the air. So those fans whose voices are horse after a game, I salute you.

THN: If you had to speak on your behalf and the team’s behalf as well, what would you like to tell the fans in regards to the state of the team so early in the season and for down the road with the rest of the season?

AC: To the fans: There are 13 more games left. Continue to support us and know we are working our hardest to win.

Here’s my take on some of the off-season moves.

Jason Campbell

So, the Redskins took a look at some available options at QB, the most serious being Jay Cutler. Let’s not kid ourselves; Sanchez was never a serious option. Here’s the thing; Campbell is in his final year and he hasn’t exactly knocked anybody’s socks off. He’s not the worst QB in the league, but he’s certainly not the best either. He’s adequate.

Prior to the Redskins inquiring about Cutler, Campbell wasn’t good enough to lead us to the Super Bowl, but once the rumors started flying about the Redskins talking trade for Cutler, suddenly it was “Hands across America” for Campbell.

I personally don’t think Cutler was that big an upgrade over Campbell, but if you could get him for a reasonable price, he was certainly worth looking at. I think the Redskins handled the situation right by not trying to outbid the Bears for Cutler, but you can’t blame them for looking.

Now just because the Redskins were interested in Cutler doesn’t mean they hate Campbell, it’s simply a reflection of the facts, and the facts are that Campbell hasn’t really done much (yet) to warrant an undying loyalty from the front office. I think even he understands that much.

Albert Haynesworth

I said this before the start of free-agency, and I still feel the same, I think Haynesworth was a bad move. Now I’m not in any way comparing it to the moves of earlier this decade (such as Bruce Smith or Deion Sanders) but I feel it was a little overkill when there were far more pressing matters on the team.

If Haynesworth can play a majority of the season, and plays to his full potential when he’s healthy, he may turn out to have been a great move; but I can’t shake this nagging feeling that he is going to become just another expensive benchwarmer hobbling around on the sidelines on crutches whose only contribution will be to hurl profanity laden insults to the opposing offenses.

The Redskins’ defense has long relied on the strength of their secondary, using the D-line more to fill gaps and bat passes than actually rushing the passer. With the Drafting of Orakpo (is it a bad sign that Word’s spell-checker offered “Crapo” as an alternative for Orakpo?), and the acquisition of Haynesworth, it would certainly appear that Blache wants to see more big guys in burgundy in the backfield.

Farewell Springs, Washington, and Jansen

I know these guys were once fan favorites (and to some they still are) but I couldn’t help thinking that Springs was a bit of a cancer. My first beef with him was that he never reported for off-season workouts with the rest of the team. I know he wasn’t always the only one as Clinton Portis and Sean Taylor had both done the same things, but last year, he was the only hold-out not to report to camp.

Portis reported to camp for the first time last year, and had arguably one of his best years. If that doesn’t show the benefits of working with the team, I don’t know what does.

My second beef was that Springs never renegotiated his contract. Other players on the team would, knowing that with the renegotiation they were giving the team more cap-space so they could go out and improve the team, but Springs was one of the lone-holdouts that always refused to negotiate. If anyone should be lining up to give money back, it was definitely Springs based on my third beef with him.

My third beef with him was that he could never stay healthy. Some of that could be blamed on the fact that he never worked out with the team, but we’ll never know because he never tried it. Eight games a year doesn’t cut it in this league so I wasn’t sorry to see him go, and I’m not sure that we’ll even miss him all that much (anymore than we would have with him hobbling around on the sidelines with some form of muscle pull or hamstring injury).

I do hate to see Marcus Washington go, but that’s more emotional than practical. I always liked Washington, but even I have to face the facts that he was really struggling to stay healthy here for the past few years.

I feel the same way about Jon Jansen, but I felt the team treated him as fairly as they could. They knew he wasn’t going to be their guy this year, and offered him the opportunity to retire as a Redskin. They gave him this choice early enough in the offseason that he still had options available to him if he still wanted to play.

Now I’m hypothesizing here, but I believe Jansen expressed that he did still want to play, and the team offered to try and trade him to the team of his choice (to at least try and get some value for him). I believe that Jansen wanted to go to Detroit as he was a Michigan St. Wolverine and his family lives in that area. The Redskins probably called Detroit and offered a trade and Detroit refused.

The reason I believe this is based on the fact that Detroit had him signed in less than six hours after the Redskins cut him, and the ‘Skins made no accusations of tampering. I have NO proof mind you; it’s just my gut feeling.

I know there are many more developments, but I’m already a little long on the tooth in this blog. Fret not, I’m not usually shy about my opinions, and will get to them in later blogs.

If I don’t see you before the next pre-season game…

-GO ‘SKINS!!!

I understand why the Redskins made the decision they made, and I understand Rock’s decision to keep playing, particularly when his hometown Lions offered him a contract to play close to his family and off-season home.

So to the question I’ve received both publicly and privately, no, I will not change my screen name. I am still a Jon Jansen fan. Since he made the decision to stay out of the NFC – East, I won’t even stop pulling for him to do well unless he’s up against Brian Orakpo or another Washington player.

Watching Jansen and Michael Strahan battle it out twice a year was the highlight for me of some pretty dismal years as a Redskins fan, so for that, I am grateful. Thanks for being a classy leader, a solid contributor, and a Rock for this franchise.

Good Luck with Detroit… except on September 27th.

… when asked about the offensive differences between week one and week four:

“You see a team that’s very confident in both phases of our offense.”

… on the competitiveness of the NFC East:

“Top to bottom this is definitely the best NFC East division since I’ve been here.”

… On opening up the playbook – does it take a few games with a new coach and a new system?

“Typically it does. Typically it may even take a whole season.”

Check it all out here.

Justin Tuck made a name for himself as a phenomenal situational pass rusher for the dominating Giants defensive line last season, a line that single-handedly beat Tom Brady into submission in last year’s big game. Tuck was responsible for 10 of the Giants 52 sacks last season – more than Strahan put up. With Osi Umenyiora on the shelf with a season-ending injury and Strahan gone, Tuck will be thrust into the starting line-up. With the under-sized Mathias Kiwanuka manning the other side of the line, the pressure will be on Tuck to perform.

Standing in his way is former Maryland Terrapin and undrafted free agent Stephon Heyer. As someone who watches as many Terp games as possible, I thought Heyer would have been drafted. He played every game at a high level for the Terps, but an injury caused him to fall off the radar of most teams… thank goodness for the Redskins. Heyer stepped up last season when starting tackle Jon Jansen went down with that horrific lower leg injury, playing on the right side even though he played mostly left tackle throughout his career. Joe Bugel is famous for finding diamonds in the rough, and it appears that he has have found another in Heyer.

When all is said and done, Heyer’s success against Tuck will be two-fold. He’ll need to move his feet quickly to pick up the outside rush, and he’ll need to keep his hands inside Tuck’s shoulders to affectively slow down the bullrush. Buges will have him ready and Tuck will be held without a sack.