Here is what you need to know on this Wednesday, September 12, four days before the Redskins take on the Rams.
Why “designate” Sundberg?
When the Redskins decided to place long snapper Nick Sundberg on injured reserve, they gave him the “designated for return” label. That’s all well and good as Sundberg has developed into a solid snapper and it is nice to have the option to bring him back after eight weeks.
But the issue is that opening the door for Sundberg to return closes other doors. Only one player on each team can be designated for return. By burning their one permitted designation on Sundberg they will not have it available to use should another player suffer an serious but not season ending injury in the next few weeks.
Perhaps the reason is that if, say, an offensive lineman gets injured there are more on the roster. The same would go for linebackers, wide receivers, just about any other position. Should the Redskins find themselves having to deal with an injury issue there they could do what has been done for the past 20 years or so—keep the player inactive on game day until he’s ready to play.
There is only room for one snapper on the roster so it may make sense on some level to designate him for return. You can’t afford to park your snapper on the inactive list for a couple of months.
In any case, we will ask Mike Shanahan about the reasoning behind the move when he has his news conference this afternoon.
Andre Carter still looking for a team
There are many ex-Redskins that most Redskins fans would rather not see succeed. The reasons might vary, perhaps it is the circumstances under which they left the team, or something they have said after leaving, or other real or perceived slights to Redskins Nation.
But Andre Carter is not one of those former Redskins. He was a class act when he was here and he was released simply because there wasn’t a position for him in the Redskins’ 3-4 defense. It’s safe to say that most of Redskins Nation would like to see him do well under most circumstances.
He had 10 sacks in 14 games for the Patriots last year before missing the last two games of the regular season and the entire postseason with a torn quadriceps. Carter was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time in his 11-year career although he was unable to participate in the game.
The 33-year-old became a free agent at the end of the year and he has yet to catch on with another team. He tried out for the Cardinals earlier this week. It’s possible that he is not yet entirely healthy or that he is looking for more money than teams are willing to pay.
Today’s schedule
RG3’s weekly media availability is this afternoon. I won’t be the one to ask him about “Griffining” but you know that someone will.
11:15—Open locker room
1:00—Practice (closed to media after first 30 minutes)
After practice (approx. 3:00)—Robert Griffin III and Mike Shanahan news
conferences
In case you missed it
Griffin nominated for multiple weekly awards and you can vote to decide the winner.
In the first installment of my weekly “Under the Radar” series, where was Hank?
Days until: Redskins @ Rams 4; home opener vs. Bengals 11; RG3’s first divisional game @ Giants 39; Thanksgiving @ Cowboys 71; Super Bowl XLVII 144
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