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Practice Notes: 2015 #SkinsCamp, Day 13

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Redskins.com's Stephen Czarda and Andrew Walker break down the key plays and highlights from Day 13 of the Washington Redskins' 2015 training camp in Richmond, Va.


OFFENSE:

-- Trent Williams, DeSean Jackson, Jordan Reed and Jamison Crowder were among those not participating in drills on Saturday. With Niles Paul and Logan Paulsen confirmed out for the year, and Reed still sidelined, Je'Ron Hamm got the nod for first-team tight end work. Willie Smith, meanwhile, worked at left tackle with the first team and Ryan Grant continued working with the first team opposite Pierre Garçon at wide receiver.

-- While Hamm was the first tight end to appear in 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 drills, the Redskins also used Tom Compton as an extra blocker at times, too. Tight ends coach Wes Phillips said after practice that Compton could be used in pass-blocking situations and occasionally in the run game. The South Dakota product got dinged up during Saturday's practice but walked off under his own power.

-- Robert Griffin III had perhaps his strongest performance during 7-on-7s in camp, as the fourth-year quarterback completed all six of his pass attempts for around 180 yards and two touchdowns. The first was a well-placed ball to Rashad Ross down the middle of the field and the second was to Garçon to the left side of the field. Griffin III very well could have had a third touchdown, but rookie wide receiver Tony Jones, who caught the ball, fumbled it just short of the end zone.

-- Kirk Cousins completed passes to all three tight ends on the day, with two of them coming in 7-on-7 drills. The coaches need to see what they have in these young players going forward.

-- Along with his touchdown reception in 7-on-7 drills, Ross, a six-foot, 181 pounder out of Arizona State, nabbed a nice touchdown reception to end the last 11-on-11 session. Starting with his performance on Thursday night against the Browns in which he hauled in five receptions for 68 yards and then this afternoon, Ross is quickly grabbing attention.

-- During 11-on-11s, Trey Williams was stood up on a loud pop before stopping his run. Running backs coach Randy Jordan quickly screamed "Finish! Finish! Finish!" Jordan has made this emphasis throughout camp as he wants to see his running backs complete plays through the whistle.


DEFENSE:

-- The Redskins on Saturday saw the return of David Amerson (shoulder) and Jeron Johnson (hamstring) to practice, although both were still limited during team drills. Amerson had missed practice since suffering his injury Aug. 3, while Johnson missed much of the past week.

Check out behind the scenes images of cornerback Bashaud Breeland's 2015 Photo Shoot.

-- Not participating in practice Saturday were linebacker Will Compton (groin), Perry Riley Jr. (wrist) and Frank Kearse (shoulder). The good news for the Redskins, however, was that cornerback Bashaud Breeland – who sprained his right MCL during July 31's practice – was looking good on the opposite field working with head strength and conditioning coach Mike Clark. Breeland was not only able to push through work with a resistance band, but was seen backpeddling and cutting. Good signs for the second-year cornerback.

-- Linebacker Junior Galette was an active participant in 11-on-11 team drills for the first time as a member of the Redskins Saturday. Galette was in a rotation with the first-team defense at the strongside linebacker position with second-year linebacker Trent Murphy. Galette – who has 22 combined sacks the past two seasons – was plenty jacked up for the opportunity before his first snap, beating his helmet over and over.

-- Galette had an early learning moment on Saturday. Lined up on the edge with middle linebacker Keenan Robinson to his left showing blitz, the two defenders slightly collided with each other on a handoff to Alfred Morris. The collision gave Morris a large cutback lane for several extra would-be yards. The more reps Galette gets with his Redskins teammates, the less these mistakes will happen.

-- Outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan was a full participant in practice Saturday after missing Thursday's preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns as a precaution. Kerrigan – who had minor offseason knee surgery – showed no signs of slowing during practice, easily getting by tackle Takoby Cofield during 11-on-11s for the would-be sack on Robert Griffin III (Griffin III would "complete" a pass to Ryan Grant on the play), and then later doing a good job reading a screen pass by Griffin III and timing his jump to get his fingertips on the ball. We've all seen what Kerrigan can do when he reads screen plays like that (look up New York Giants in 2011 and Atlanta Falcons in 2012).

-- The linebackers in particular were working on maintaining leverage and getting better pursuit angles on the ball carrier during positional drills. Defensive quality control coach Chad Grimm was overheard telling the unit, "I think we had 15 missed tackles [vs. the Browns. We've got to cut that to three or four." Later, linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti was preaching "inside-out" duo tackling by his linebackers in coverage. "Trust your angles," he said, repeatedly. "Come all the way through it."

-- Rookie cornerback Tajh Hasson had a nice practice for the Redskins, picking off two passes. The first came in an early drill pitting the wide receivers against the defensive backs, when Hasson stepped in front of a Kirk Cousins pass for the pick. The second play was much more impressive, however. In 11-on-11 drills, the Redskins' offense faced a 3rd and 10 from the opposing 40-yard line. Hasson read the pass intended for Rashad Ross perfectly and stepped in front to make the interception, muscling it away from the receiver.

-- With both Riley Jr. and Compton not practicing Saturday, veteran Adam Hayward was getting first-team reps alongside starter Keenan Robinson. The middle linebackers working with the second-team defense were Martrell Spaight and Terrance Plummer, while Plummer was seen teaming with Alonzo Highsmith on the third team.

-- DeAngelo Hall continues to amaze with his freakish athletic plays. During 7-on-7 drills, wide receiver Tony Jones caught a deep pass over the shoulder and seemed sure to find the end zone, but Hall sprinted up from behind, and in one motion, used his right arm to slap the ball out of Jones' hand and get possession. Hall's interception of Peyton Manning in 2013 remains one of my favorite freakish plays with the Redskins, and this showed off a similar skillset.

-- Deshazor Everett had a nice play during 7-on-7 drills, as well, picking off a McCoy pass by making a nice read and showing off his hops to snag the ball at its highest point.

-- Defensive lineman Chris Baker made a nice play as a defensive end to collapse the pocket around Griffin III, earning the would-be sack. Also in the area on the play was Baker's buddy, Terrance Knighton. Bake and Pot Roast creating havoc.


SPECIAL TEAMS:

-- Andre Roberts did not work at kick returner during the special teams session, instead sitting on the sideline as Chris Thompson, Rashad Ross and Trey Williams got reps. The veteran may have just not been participating in this specific drill, but Roberts did fumble one of his returns Thursday vs. the Browns. Last season, The Citadel product recorded 30 kickoff returns for 710 yards and 28 punt returns for 208 yards.

-- Kai Forbath continued to struggle during training camp despite nailing both of his attempts (33 yards and 52 yards) in the preseason opener, as he made one kick from 33 yards on Saturday but missed from 35 and 40 yards. Ty Long, meanwhile, made attempts from 35, 38 and 43 yards but missed from 43 as well.

-- Before the two kickers got their work in, Chris Baker, who has been yelling at them during their attempts all camp, was summoned for a kick. With his teammates cheering him on, the defensive lineman shanked it about six feet. Safe to say we won't be seeing him out there for any more attempts any time soon.

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