Washington Informer

Maybe we got a glimpse of how the Redskins’ secondary will look in the future.  Phillip Thomas breaking up passes over the middle; Bacarri Rambo intercepting passes in the middle of the field; David Amerson jamming receivers, making it difficult for them to get downfield.  

Over the weekend, it’s what the Redskins saw.  They’re hopeful it’s what they’ll see for years to come.  This past weekend was the first step in that journey, and over time we’ll see how successful this rookie secondary will be.  On Sunday, the three-day minicamp came to a close and now the rookies aren’t allowed to return until the start of organized team activities on May 20 (if their class has graduated). 

In addition to 12 undrafted free agents and seven draft choices, the Redskins hosted 48 tryout players, including former Redskins coach Terry Robiskie’s son Andrew, running back Alfred Morris’ brother Shawn and Seattle safety Earl Thomas’ brother Seth. 

Two draft selections couldn’t work out due to injury: running back Chris Thompson (knee) and tight end Jordan Reed (bone bruise/quad).  Coach Mike Shanahan said he expects Thompson to be fine for training camp in late July, while Reed should be ready for OTA work later this month. 

What the Redskins really need is help in the secondary.  And that’s where the three rookie defensive backs come into play:  

“I feel I can make an impact immediately,” Thomas said.  “I know it will be very hard. …It’ll be hard for me to come in and try to be a starter and get on the field early because [other] people have been doing it for a long time.  It depends on my learning curve.” 

Well, the learning curve began on Friday.  In all likelihood, Amerson will be a third corner this season behind starters Josh Wilson and DeAngelo Hall.  Thomas worked primarily at strong safety, though he could wind up playing more free safety, and Rambo worked mostly at free safety.  Rambo’s interception occurred because he was in the right place at the right time. 

“It builds my confidence,” he said.  “I followed the scheme and did what the coach asked me to do.  It allows you to make plays and play full speed.  I had a feel for the game and just played ball.” 

Coach Shanahan clearly likes both players and he pointed to a personality test he gives all prospective draft picks, with the highest possible score being a 10.  It’s intended to measure mental quickness, dedication and commitment. 

“One had a 10 and one had a nine,” Shanahan said.  “That’s as good as you see.  That’s what you’re hoping for.  Now it’s open competition and it doesn’t matter where you were drafted, in the first round or a free agent.”       

NFL Roundup

By Charles E. Sutton

WI Staff Writer

Cowboys 27, Steelers 24 (OT)

 Brandon Carr picked off Ben Roethlisberger to set up Dan Bailey’s 21-yard field goal in overtime, enabling the Dallas Cowboys to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 27-24 on Sunday.

For the second consecutive week, the Cowboys won on a Bailey kick on the final play of the game. It was their second win since practice squad linebacker Jerry Brown was killed in a one-car accident that led to manslaughter charges against teammate Josh Brent.

The Cowboys (8-6) are now in a three-way tie for the NFC East lead with the Washington Redskins and New York Giants. The Steelers (7-7) have lost four of their last five games.

Vikings 36, Rams 22

Adrian Peterson rushed for a season-high 212 yards, including an 82-yard touchdown that paved the way for Minnesota’s big second quarter in a win that spoiled St. Louis’ home finale.

Peterson has accumulated 1,812 yards rushing this season, leaving him 294 short of breaking the NFL’s single-season record of 2,105 set by Eric Dickerson of the Los Angeles Rams in 1984. Less than a year removed from a serious knee injury, Peterson has two games remaining to surpass Dickerson.

The Vikings (8-6) scored 10 of their 23 points in the second quarter off turnovers by Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, including defensive end Everson Griffen’s 29-yard interception return.

Packers 21, Bears 13

Green Bay clinched its second consecutive NFC North title with a victory over Chicago on Sunday.

Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers connected with James Jones for three touchdown passes. Green Bay has beaten Chicago six straight times in the NFL’s oldest rivalry.

The Packers have won 12 consecutive games against NFC North opponents, the longest streak in the league.

The Bears have dropped five out of six and are in danger of missing the playoffs after starting the season 7-1. Clay Matthews continued to dominate Chicago with two sacks of Jay Cutler, and Alshon Jeffery hurt the Bears (8-6) with three offensive pass interference calls late in the second half.

Texans 29, Colts 17

For the second consecutive year, Houston is the AFC South champion after beating Indianapolis on Sunday.

Andre Johnson racked up 151 yards receiving and a touchdown, Bryan Braman scored a touchdown on a blocked punt and Shayne Graham kicked five field goals.

The Texans (12-2) captured their first AFC South title last season after the Colts plummeted without injured quarterback Peyton Manning. The Colts (9-5) had won three straight contests and needed to beat the Texans to clinch a playoff spot a year after going 2-14.      

The very thought of Manny Pacquiao being knocked out was surprising enough. But to see him face down on the canvas, unresponsive even as mayhem erupted all around him, was absolutely scary.

Pacquiao's wife saw it up close from her ringside seat just a few feet away. She began to cry and attempted to enter the ring to aid her defeated husband. Meanwhile, Juan Manuel Marquez never even looked in Pacquiao's direction. He was too busy celebrating the biggest knockout of his career.

This fight represented boxing at its raw best, a man-to-man slugfest Saturday night, that was action-packed from the opening bell and bound to be decided by the combatants -- and not the ringside judges. Both fighters had been knocked down, and both of them had been hurt when Marquez unleashed a right hand off the ropes with one second remaining in the sixth round that could be felt all the way in the parking lot of the MGM Grand arena.

It will be remembered as one of the best fights of the Marquez-Pacquiao era. Four fights may not suffice when it comes to Pacquiao and Marquez. Soon after the fight concluded, boxing fans began to talk about a fifth match between the two boxing warriors.

Some would argue that Pacquiao was on the brink of a big win himself when he was caught by a Marquez punch that sent him tumbling face first to the canvas. He had overcome a third round knockdown to deck Marquez in the fifth and was landing big left hands that bloodied and broke his opponent's nose.

All of their first three fights went the distance, and prior to the fourth bout, both fighters insisted that they'd be more aggressive this time around. Pacquiao paid the price for his aggression when he attempted to finish the sixth round with a barrage of punches, a mistake against a high-quality counterpuncher like Marquez.

The last time Pacquiao was stopped in a bout was in 1999 in Thailand when he weighed 112 pounds. It took him several minutes to come around before being helped to his ring stool. He stared straight ahead as the pro-Marquez crowd of more than 16,000 cheered fervently.

Pacquiao's surprising knockout loss to Marquez has dismantled, perhaps permanently, what would have been the richest bout in boxing history. With Pacquiao now considered damaged goods, a Pacquiao-Floyd Mayweather fight would be fought for significantly less money and generate far less interest than if it had occurred with Pacquiao still on a winning streak and still in his boxing prime.

All night long Redskins running back Alfred Morris ran hard, broke tackles, and kept the chains moving. So it surprised no one when on the final play of the game, a third-and-three, Morris broke the would-be tackle of Giants defensive tackle Chris Canty and picked up six yards to end the game. The FedEx Field crowd was ecstatic and fullback Darrel Young repeatedly pumped his fist in the air in celebration of this crucial victory.

In another must-win contest, the Redskins stepped up to the challenge and beat the Giants 17-16 to reach .500 and stay firmly in the playoff race. The victory puts them only one game behind the division-leading Giants with four games remaining. Washington trails Seattle by just one game in the NFC for the last playoff spot. The Redskins have not qualified for a playoff berth since 2007. Last night’s win over the Giants represents the first time the Redskins have been at .500 in December since 2008.

Both outside and inside the stadium, the atmosphere was absolutely electric. It was clearly more intense than it has been for a Redskins home game in many years. Prior to the game, the parking lots were packed with tailgaters. The game was so important for both teams that it felt like a playoff game. Even though the Giants controlled the clock, the game was decided by the Redskins’ big plays.

New York dominated the first half in time of possession (20:32) and yards (273-156), but could only take a 13-10 lead due to a 40-yard field goal by Lawrence Tynes as the first half ended.

The Redskins were able to stay in the game because of big plays. Washington responded to Tynes first field goal of the game with a touchdown drive for a 7-3 lead. In that drive, the Redskins needed only four plays to travel 80 yards for the score. Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III hit wide receiver Pierre Garcon with a 25-yard pass, which was followed by two runs by Morris, one for 19 yards and the other for 8 yards. Then came the strangest play of the game: a 12-yard scamper by Griffin in which he fumbled just prior to contacting the turf while sliding. The ball bounced airborne and to the left where Joshua Morgan grabbed it and ran the final 16 yards for the score.

Once again, the Redskins rookie backfield was impressive. Morris had 124 yards on 22 carries, and Griffin passed for 163 yards and ran for another 72.    

Cleveland Cavaliers forward/center Anderson Varejao had the best rebounding game of his career on Tuesday, Oct. 30 in Cleveland.

On a night when the Cavaliers displayed its backcourt of the future, Varejao had an impact in every aspect of the game for Cleveland, who relinquished a 16-point lead in the second half prior to holding on to defeat the shorthanded Washington Wizards 94-84 in the opening contest of the NBA schedule.

After missing the second half of last season with a broken wrist, Varejao came back to play his first home game of this season and had a career-high 23 rebounds. Point guard Kyrie Irving had 29 points and rookie swingman Dion Waiters scored 17 for Cleveland, who depended on big plays from Varejao and Irving in the last few minutes to keep the Wizards at bay.

Varejao, the 6-foot-11 energetic Brazilian, also scored nine points and had a career-high nine assists, two of which set up slam dunks by Tristan Thompson in the final two minutes.

The Wizards were led by Jordan Crawford, who scored 11 points. They played without point guard John Wall, forward Kevin Seraphin, and power forward Nene. Wall has a knee injury and is expected to be out of the lineup until late November. The No. 1 overall pick was sorely missed as rookie guard Bradley Beal and A.J. Price combined to shoot four of 21 from the field.

All eight of Beal's points came in the first half and Emeka Okafor had ten points for the game. Wizards' head coach Randy Wittman has high expectations for his team, but it will be difficult for him to adequately determine what he really has until he gets Wall and Nene, who is sidelined with plantar fasciitis in his left foot, back on the floor.

Irving, the NBA's current rookie of the year, started his second season with a superb performance along with his teammate Waiters, who went to the Cavaliers with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2012 draft. Waiters was never a starter at Syracuse, but head coach Byron Scott was so impressed with his progress during training camp, that he decided to pair his two young guards together from the beginning of the season.

The two of them played well sporadically, combining for 46 points and eight boards. However, they made their fair share of mistakes. Like most young backcourts, it could take a while for them to play well together.

Washington Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche won the Gold Glove Award for National League first basemen on Tuesday, Oct. 30. It was the first time in LaRoche's career that he has won a Gold Glove.

LaRoche along with teammate Ian Desmond were the two Nationals players who made the final round as the best defensive player at their position in the National League. Desmond had an outstanding defensive year at shortstop, but he finished second to the Philadelphia Phillies' Jimmy Rollins. Managers and coaches from both the National League and the American League voted on players in their respective leagues, with the exception of those players on their own team, and ESPN2 announced the results on the air.

The 32-year-old LaRoche missed most of the 2011 season following surgery to repair a tear in the labrum of his throwing shoulder. When he returned, the southpaw was credited with helping to make his teammates better through his extraordinary skills around first base.

In the 2012 season, he made only seven errors in a National League high 1,323 innings, and successfully dug 31 throws out of the dirt to prevent his infielders from committing errors. The other award finalists at the first base position were the Atlanta Braves' Freddie Freeman and the Cincinnati Reds' Joey Votto.

Not only was it the first Gold Glove for Laroche, but he became only the third Washington, D.C.-based player to ever win one. Ryan Zimmerman won a Gold Glove for his sensational defense at third base in 2009 and Earl Battey won the award at the catcher position in 1960 for the Senators.

Desmond played in 128 contests at the shortstop position for the Nats in what was his third season as the starter there. He has consistently improved over the past three seasons. In 2010, his first full season, he committed 34 errors. Last season, he reduced that number to 23 and in the 2012 season, he was responsible for only 15. His defense improved in large measure because he heeded the recommendation of his coaches and approached his position more conservatively. He still has excellent range.

According to the Revised Zone Rating statistic used by the statistical website FanGraphs.com, Desmond led all shortstops in converting balls hit into his area into outs. He posted a percentage of .855. As we approach the 2013 season, there is no doubt that Desmond is regarded as one of the best defensive shortstops in the game.