The Washington Redskins will open training camp tomorrow in Ashburn, Va., just a few miles down the road from where I live.Albert Haynesworth, the only Redskin player to not attend any of new head coach Mike Shanahan's "voluntary" practices and workouts, will be the focal point of the first few days. The all-pro defensive lineman is apparently in shape but still needs to pass a conditioning test before stepping on the field. Haynesworth was often injured and fatigued in his debut season with the 'Skins last year and has asked to be traded in the off-season. However, it appears the disgruntled 100-million-dollar man isn't going anywhere, at least for the time being.
Donovan McNabb, the old Eagle quarterback turned Redskin in the off season, will also get a fair amount of attention in camp. Some of his Philadelphia coaches said the QB still has a couple very good years left. If that is the case, I wonder why the Eagles traded McNabb to a division rival?
Running back Clinton Portis is looking for a bounce-back year and has plenty of competition motivating him. Shanahan has brought in a host of veteran backs. Portis has taken a beating behind a poor offensive line for the past couple of seasons. It seems unlikely that he will run with the same vigor that he showed while he played for Shanahan in Denver eight years ago.
Washington is a football town. You can't get away from it even if you wanted. It's actually kind of nice, especially when you consider that some NFL markets are having trouble filling their stadiums. Regardless of how bad the team has been in recent years, Washington always supports the Redskins. Football always brings a welcomed distraction from the world's problems.
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