Friday, June 17, 2005 marks the beginning of the Washington Redskins' three-day mini-camp. For the players, this camp will be one of the last structured training sessions until they report to training camp July 31.
The Redskins’ focus this off-season has been improving the passing game. New offensive coach Bill Musgrave joined and the team and has already installed the shotgun formation – a formation Coach Gibbs has always refrained from using, as well as assisting in protection schemes and overall offensive improvement.
On top of a new formation, the Redskins have revamped the wide receiving corps, opting for smaller quicker receivers over the bigger Rod Gardner and the unhappy Laveranues Coles. For the quarterbacks and receivers, that means the time spent in these camps developing rapport with each other, as well as working on timing is paramount to the team’s success.
At the quarterback position, Ramsey has looked relaxed and confident in the off-season workouts thus far, and Mark Brunell has displayed the veteran poise and leadership Coach Gibbs was looking for when he traded for him last year. Rookie Jason Campbell earned praise from Coach Gibbs for his rapid progression in learning the offense, as well as his athleticism and mobility.
The wide receivers also garnered praise from Coach Gibbs for the unit’s overall performance, as well as the individual efforts of David Patten, Santana Moss and James Thrash. Also of note is that kick returner Antonio Brown has been seeing time at wide receiver and is making the most of the opportunity.
Attendance Notes
Bubba Tyer had cleared middle linebacker Mike Barrow to practice as of Monday, however Barrow will likely miss some or all of mini-camp tending to family matters involving the death of his grandfather.
Linebacker LaVar Arrington and defensive tackle Brandon Noble will both miss mini-camp, as they continue recovery from off-season knee surgery. The team is hopeful that the two players will be ready to practice by the start of training camp.
Chris Cooley’s status is uncertain; a slight hamstring pull sidelined the H-back last week.
Sean Taylor received permission from the team to skip mini-camp in order to deal with his legal issues.
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