Every week, Redskins.com chats with a Redskins coach about a hot topic. This week: assistant head coach-defense Gregg Williams on three-way player Lorenzo Alexander:
"There is a pretty good story developing here with Lorenzo. He's playing on the offense line [as an interior lineman], he's playing tight end, he's playing defensive tackle and he's playing on special teams.
"He's a great example of a guy that was handed nothing with his opportunity in the National Football League. He has had to earn everything.
"I think you've heard Coach Gibbs (Head Coach) talk before about everything up here has to be earned: respect, playing time, production, performance, all that has to be earned and here's a guy that has bounced around a little bit.
"Lorenzo came in here, fought just to be on the practice squad last year, and did a really good job for us in that opportunity at defensive tackle.
"During the summer we moved him over to the offensive side of the ball to see if he could handle things that way, because he's such a powerful, smart man. He has very good foot agility.
"We noticed last year that when Lorenzo had to play the scout team for the defense in practice, he was one of the top performers against us every day in defense.
"So the defensive coaches were the ones really politicking for him to get an opportunity on the offensive side of the ball. We've joked a little bit on our side of the ball on the old Wally Pipp story. People better not let Lorenzo get on the field.
"In our game against the New York Jets [in Week 9], Cornelius Griffin had his back lock up in pre-game and all of a sudden he was not going to get a chance to play as much. Lorenzo had spent all his practice time on offense, but he came in and saw significant playing time on the defensive side of the ball.
"It was all based on carry-over from what he understood from being with us all of training camp and being with us most of the year and then playing very well in the special teams.
"I know Danny Smith loves using him in the special teams part of it. He plays very well there, too. I think it speaks volumes for Lorenzo's versatility.
"The old adage of the more you can do, the safer you are--I think he can do quite a bit and he's earned his spot on this team. I know he's earned a lot of people's respect on this team."
