Ryan Yirka

        The first Saturday of training camp brought out a large crowd full of Redskins fans to the Bon Secours Training Center. The organization held a “Military Appreciation Day” as part of the Redskins efforts to salute the troops. The team put on a show for the crowd as today was the first day that they wore shoulder pads which meant more contact.

    Colt McCoy was absent from practice today. It was a planned absence as part of his recovery from leg surgery which resulted in more reps for Case Keenum and Dwayne Haskins. Both Quarterbacks struggled in the 11 on 11 team sessions and once again were at the mercy of this Redskins pass rush. Haskins threw the first interception to Quinton Dunbar in the flat. Keenum later threw back to back picks to Dunbar which was the highlight of the session. Dunbar stood out today by intercepting three passes and receiving a lot of praise from the fans. Gruden stressed the run game today through his play calling as the offense is trying to find their balance. The best play of the day for Keenum was a deep pass down the seam to Vernon Davis who continues to show he can play in his 14th season. After practice Josh Norman talked about Haskin’s exceptional physical qualities and told the media he needs more reps to become well rounded. 

I caught up with Josh Doctson who has had an impressive camp so far. I asked him what his ultimate goal was for this season. “To be healthy. If you’re not healthy you can’t do anything else.” He said he’s grown everywhere since his rookie year and that this team is doing positive things, getting better from last year.

The defense once again had a strong outing. Dunbar led the way for the secondary with three interceptions. The defensive line have been getting to the quarterbacks day after day with ease. Early impressions of MLB Jon Bostic as the signal caller for the defense have been good. As long as the unit can stay injury-free they are in line to surprise the league.

 After practice the players spent substantial time with fans, talking, taking pictures and signing autographs on their way into the facility. I spoke to Chris Thompson about the day’s theme and what it meant to him. “They sacrifice a lot for us to be able to play this game that we love. Being willing and able to go to other countries and fight for the freedoms of people they don’t even know, it means a lot and it just shows how strong and courageous they are.” After practice the players spent substantial time with fans by talking, taking pictures, and signing autographs on their way into the facility.

The Redskins will be back on Sunday for their fourth practice of camp and then have an off day on Monday. Follow @WVCWSports on Twitter for live coverage from training camp.