Smoke Signals: 'Laron Landry is the Widowmaker' edition

Laron Landry has overcome a preseason full of injuries and is playing well in the Redskins secondary.

“I feel comfortable back there,” Landry said. “I know the defense in and out, but each day I learn different things, little things.

“I’m on the same page as the vets now. I can help the younger guys.”

Landry is comfortable, no matter where he lines up He is as close to being born to play football as any player on the Redskins — and probably any player in the NFL.

Landry loves the physical nature of the game. He does not hesitate to launch himself at full speed into an opposing receiver, running back or quarterback. He is such a good tackler, and craves the action so much, that he seemed a natural at strong safety.

I think we need a nickname for the hard-hitting Landry. Something terrifying. How about: The Widowmaker? Got a better suggestion? Let us know in our forums by picking a nickname for Laron Landry. We’ll use the winner here at DC Pro Sports Report.
From the sublime to the…well, maybe not ridiculous, but you get my meaning. Rookie punter Durant Brooks hasn’t had a good start to his NFL career. Mediocre punting and taking points from his team by bobbling field goals snaps is not the way to endear yourself to coaches and teammates. But that’s exactly where Brooks is right now. The public position might be that Brooks retains the confidence of his coaches, but the truth is that no team is going to put up with incompetence from a punter for very long. Brooks needs to strap it down and get his game going — starting this weekend. The good thing is: He knows it. Special Teams Coach Danny Smith knows it, too.

“Wednesdays don’t [mean] a damn to me. I need to see something on Sunday,” Smith said. “We’re working at it. He’s a young kid and, really, it’s very, very difficult. He has not punted the ball well. There’s a lot of bad punting going on in the league, and we happen to be in the middle of [it], which I don’t like, and nobody likes. We’re going to weather the storm and hope he comes out of it quick.”

So far, Brooks has a net punting average of 28.3 [that's putrid] and has already had one punt returned for a touchdown. [That's worse than putrid.]
Brooks isn’t the only part of special teams that is suffering right now. PR Antwaan Randle-El isn’t getting the job done either. He doesn’t have a punt return of 10 yards yet and his fumble against the Saints kept New Orleans in the game when Washington had a chance to blow it wide open. This isn’t exactly the beginning of Washington’s punt return woes; Randle-El averaged a measly 6.6 yards per return last year. I’d give the job to WR James Thrash as soon as he’s healthy, which won’t be this week.
Devin Aromashodu and Horace Gant: STAY BY YOUR PHONES! In case you’re wondering, those guys are wide receivers the Redskins have signed to their practice squad. With James Thrash and Malcolm Kelly unable to practice due to sprained ankles [Thrash not practicing is big news, Kelly not practicing is par for the course], the Redskins could go into this weekend with only 3 healthy wideouts — Santana Moss, Antwaan Randle-El and rookie Devin Thomas. And since you can expect, well, nothing, from Thomas, that’s a problem. [Head Coach Jim Zorn says Thomas can really only run deep routes. The rest of his job is still a mystery to him. What?????] The passing game was just finding its wings and now this. Aaarrgghhh!!
SLB Marcus Washington [hip, hamstring] and LB Khary Campbell [thigh] practiced  yesterday and look good to play on Sunday against the Cardinals. That’s good because Arizona’s high-powered offense can really move the ball and Washington will need all hands on deck to stop them. DE Jason Taylor reports that his knee feels a bit better and he should be ready to go on Sunday. That’s good because Arizona QB Kurt Warner is a statue, but he can really light up the scoreboard if he’s not pressured. An early sack from Taylor or one of his teammates would really help.
Jim Zorn might be one of the newest head coaches in the NFL, but he doesn’t have a problem with self-expression. In fact, he’s probably the most open and accessible head coach in the NFL. It’s quite a change from Joe Gibbs, who said the same 3 things in response to every question, no matter what the question was. [God and "our great fans" were always favorite topics for Gibbs.]

“I don’t think you can separate the coach from the man,” said offensive coordinator Sherman Smith, Zorn’s teammate in Seattle and close friend. “You are who you are, and so you do what you do. He’s honest, so he’s going to be honest. He can’t put on his coach’s hat and say, ‘Well, I’m not going to be honest in this situation.’ That’s what you love about him: He’s going to be himself.”

Another guy who will be doing a lot of talking is Redskins GM Vinny Cerrato. Redskins owner Dan Snyder also owns ESPN 980 AM, the local sports talk station. Snyder has decided to give Cerrato his own show, 4 hours a week: “Inside The Red Zone With Vinny Cerrato.” The show debuts this Friday and will run from 10 AM to Noon on Mondays and Fridays. Snyder’s ancient pal George Michaeal will co-host for a while until they find someone else. Some will wonder how the hell Cerrato can have time for this while he’s trying to run a large NFL franchise that hasn’t exactly distinguished itself during the tenure of its current owner. On the other hand, mayber Cerrato is so brilliant that he’s just mastered the GM role and needs another job to fill his day. In other words, what is a full-time job for the other 31 GMs in the NFL, simply isn’t challenging enough for Vinny Cerrato. I wish you well, Vinny. I suspect you’ll be a better radio personality than GM. I really do.
Thom Loverro has a column about the war of words between TB Clinton Portis and former TB and current sports radio jock Brian Mitchell. If you don’t know, Mitchell has been critical of Portis, particularly when Portis speculated about how well he’d play on a different team. On last Monday’s John Thompson Show, of which Brian is a part, Portis confronted Mitchell about the criticism. Neither player backed down and some heated words were exchanged. Portis later said that a face-to-face confrotation with Mitchell would have led to a physical fight.

This is a dangerous game Portis is playing. If this somehow did deteriorate into a physical showdown, Mitchell is no one to mess with. The story is still part of Redskins lore: As a rookie, Mitchell took on defensive tackle Jumpy Geathers. Geathers was 6-foot-7 and 290 pounds of pure strength.

There have been debates since over the outcome, but this was the version Mitchell told me in my Redskins oral history book, “Hail Victory”:

“I held my own,” Mitchell said. “He got stitches. I didn’t. There were some punches thrown, and he ended up with a gash under his eye. It made me look like a maniac.”

Portis a current player and in great shape. Mitchell has been retired for a few years now. Nevertheless, Mitchell was a notorious scrapper during his career and never backed down from anyone, as you can tell. I don’t think I’d favor Portis in such a fight, even with his age advantage. In any case, Loverro blames Portis for the problem.

Portis’ comments in the article were self-centered at a time when his team needed to pull together. His comments on Thompson’s show again exposed his self-absorption at a time when his team should be building on Sunday’s 29-24 win over New Orleans. And Portis’ practice habits are considered a joke among some of his teammates. These were all legitimate criticisms of the highest paid player on the team.

The bigger picture here, though, is the dynamic among Portis, coach Jim Zorn and owner Dan Snyder. Zorn tried to downplay Portis’ initial comments, but it is clear based on the last two weeks that the coach has little control or influence over his star back, who may feel empowered by his new guaranteed money and relationship with the owner.

Mitchell’s views haven’t changed and he won’t stop stating them whenever he pleases.

“If you want to be a leader of a football team, you practice, you play, you don’t complain,” he said. “A lot of things he says resonate me, not team, and that is the problem with me.”

I tend to agree with Loverro here. Portis is a great talent and can be an amusing person, but he’s very self-absorbed [like many athletes, to be fair] and he’s accustomed to adulation, not criticism. Mitchell’s criticism was, whether you agree with it or not, fair and reasonable. Portis needs to  understand that the media does not exist to stroke his ego.
Discuss this in Redskins Park with other DC sports fans!