While these could be viewed as nothing more than glorified walk throughs, the Redskins continued their offseason 'program' by meeting at an undisclosed location to conduct their second workout of the week.
Sure, the players were in shorts and t-shirts, and there were no coaches around to tell them what they are doing wrong. But there are still several points to be gleaned from these latest round of workouts.
Leonard Hankerson's physical traits: Hankerson is a player who time and again has showed that he possesses several attributes that the rest of the Redskins receiving corps does not have: Size, deceptive speed, and strength. That was most evident today on a play in which he ran a 'Go (vertical)' route down the left sideline against the much smaller Justin Tryon. Hankerson got a step on Tryon, then used his long arms to reach over him, grab the ball with his hands (which are quite large) and reel in the pass for a 40+ yard completion. He may not start at the beginning of this season, but Hankerson has a good chance to see significant playing time once he gets a good grasp of the offense.
Brandon Banks playing time at wide receiver: Yes, it may not be a big deal once training camp rolls around, but Banks saw a lot of time at receiver once again during today's workout. He was even getting a lot of looks at that position during the last round of workouts when players like Terrence Austin and Niles Paul (who are absent for these workouts) were present. Banks' size will always be a concern, but as he and the Redskins know, his speed is too good to deny. Brandon was targeted quite a bit on short to intermediate passes, but was also running some deep routes along the sidelines. Time will tell if Banks will be able to compete for some playing time in the regular season at wide receiver, with rookies Hankerson, Paul, and Aldrick Robinson vying for a spot on the roster as well.
Ryan Kerrigan's adjustment to the 3-4 linebacker position: The Redskins top draft pick knows that the move from playing a 4-3 defensive end in college to playing a 3-4 outside linebacker in the NFL will certainly be a work in progress. The good news for Kerrigan is that his athleticism will really help him out. He's relatively smooth in coverage, showing that he's able to turn his hips fluidly (as he did at the combine), which will surely help him down the road. Naturally, he still will have to learn the nuances of the position once training camp begins and the coaching staff can teach him how to play with proper technique. That being said, he certainly appears to pass the eye ball test. Another boon for Kerrigan is that he also knows that he will still have some opportunities to play with his hand down in a three point stance, something he certainly knows how to do well. There were some plays on defense today where he was doing so, something that you'd think would make him feel quite comfortable.
"It actually kind of felt a little foreign just because I've been practicing standing up so much lately.", Kerrigan said. "I've got to be able to do both and I'm going to keep working at [doing] both."
Regardless if he is standing up or has his hand in the dirt, Kerrigan knows he will have plenty of opportunities to rush the passer in 2011.
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Tomorrow the Redskins will have their final practice of the week, one in which they hope will be the last time they ever have to practice outside of Redskins Park.