By Tarik El-Bashir
CSNwashington.com
After missing the Redskins’ first two preseason games, Anthony Armstrong knows where he stands in the battle to nab one of the final two jobs at wide receiver.
And it’s not good.
“I know that time is short on opportunities to perform,” Armstrong said Wednesday. “Being two games back, you have to make up a lot of ground.”
Armstrong didn’t need to be reminded of the players he’s competing against for fulltime employment in the NFL this season.
“Aldrick [Robinson] had a great game” in Chicago, Armstrong said. Brandon “Banks has played well. [Dezmon] Briscoe is doing well. A lot of guys are doing a lot of special things. I have to find a way to do something, make my mark, at least throw my name in the hat.”
“And at the end of the day,” Armstrong added, “we’ll see what happens and hopefully I’ll remain.”
Armstrong is a valuable contributor on special teams. To make the cut, though, he’ll likely need to have a big afternoon Saturday catching the ball against the Colts.
“I try not to look at it as pressure,” he said. “But it is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately type of league, and the 2010 season seems so far away. But it’s still fresh in my mind. It’s [a level] you know you’re able to perform at. You just want to make sure you sure you get back to it as soon as possible.”
Armstrong was referring to the dramatic drop off in his production last season after a breakthrough performance the previous year. In 2010, the 29-year-old hauled in 44 passes for 871 yards compared to seven catches for 103 yards last fall.
On Tuesday, Armstrong finally shed the yellow ‘no-contact’ jersey had been sporting since spraining the AC joint in his right shoulder.
On Saturday, he’ll be looking to make up for lost time.
“Feeling good,” Armstrong said of his shoulder. “It’s maybe 98-percent, if you want to be particular. It’s [good enough] to be able to go and cover kicks and make tackles and do everything you need to do.”
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