Has Mason already made it?

Did a slip on the tongue on the part of Sherman Smith tip off a key roster decision? Jason Reid Barry Svrluga recounted a conversation with Smith, the Washington Redskins offensive coordinator, in his Redskins Insider blog. The subject was Clinton Portis and his relative lack of production in the preseason. Here is what Smith said to Reid:

"Might as well not be concerned about it, because it is what it is," Smith said. "He [Portis] hasn't gotten a lot of reps this offseason, but he usually doesn't. It's just one of those situations where you say, 'Hey, let's see how it works out.' What we're doing is we're just trying to get ready, inevitably. If he does go down, Ladell, Rock, Marcus -- those guys will be ready to play."

So Ladell, Rock and Marcus will be ready to play? Hmmm. Obviously he's not referring to Portis "going down" in the final preseason game on Thursday since it's already been announced that Portis will sit out against the Jaguars. It's seems obvious that Smith is referring to the regular season. While the coaches would like you to believe that a large number of roster spots are dependent on the last preseason game, that's not true. A few names are put on the board with a dry erase marker; most of the 53-man roster is on the board with a Sharpie. Perhaps Smith unwittingly tipped us off that Marcus Mason is on the board in permanent ink.