The Official 2010 Training Camp Thread

For those of you who have gone to a lot of these and have been in the first row, right up on the wood areas / fence, how earlier do you need to be in order to get those spots? I have gone to a fair amount, just never have gotten there early enough to get close.

I'm guessing right when they start allowing people in, some what like when you go to a theme park and want to rid the new ride, gotta get there right away in order to not wait long or in this case get a good spot.

Either way, just wondering if anyone can give me some info. I'm going to rent a 70-200mm so I can get some good pics and I don't want anyone to be in front of me so I can get clear shots. Is there possibly any way to get special passes to get on the field? I've seen some there during the Redskins Nation show, but I assume they are family or friends of photographers or coaches.

Thanks!

Last year I went to training camp and I donated blood to the Red Cross because they were having a special Redskins blood drive and they gave me a free bag of goodies and also unlimited passes to sit in front of the big fence that most fans sit behind. You could do that if you want to get those passes to get good pics, because if you don't you will have to stand behind the fence and trust me there will be an assload of people on the other side blocking your view unless you are pretty tall.

Everybody with VIP and Red Cross passes will be sitting in front of the fence except for when the players walk back inside. And the Red Cross passes only work for a specific day or weekend. Last year I donated blood on a Saturday and the passes were good for that Saturday or Sunday, and I went on that Sunday. I think you have to register on the Skins' or a special Red Cross website though.

If you don't wanna do that well then it's behind the fence for you. I'd recommend showing up half an hour before gates open because a line will form and if you're at the back of the line well everybody in front will grab all the good spots on the wall to get pics/autographs from. Getting in line half an hour before gates open to let fans inside the Park will ensure you get whatever spot you want on the wall.

Sunday camp gets going at Redskin Park.

Practice Report: Training Camp Updates (http://www.redskins.com/gen/articles/Practice_Report__Training_Camp_Updates_133998.jsp)

Anyone else noticing how all the players that Shanahan and Allen have brought in seem to be doing pretty well -- Galloway, Grossman, Williams (Trent and Roydell), Larry Johnson, McNabb, Austin etc. -- but the guys who are struggling a little bit -- Haynesworth, Thomas, Kelly, Brennan -- are all holdovers from the Zorn/Cerrato regime?

Maybe I'm reading a little too much into it and it's only the third day of camp but it's good to know these new guys are making good impressions.

HTTR
Why not extend it back to the Gibbs era since Cerrato played some sort of role in it too? It's not like Zorn had that large of a say in the FO decisions except for maybe a few pointers on what his version of the WCO wanted.

I think you have a point. It's also kind of funny that Roydell is doing really well, despite having been cut the last two years. Maybe the fact that Moss, Thomas, Kelly, and ARE were all guaranteed roster spots under Vinny had something to do with him being cut.

Still either way, in spite of Shanahan's ego you have to admire his willingness to have an actual competition. Doesn't matter where you were drafted or for the most part how much money you make. The best players will play.

One thing though that kind of worries me is I haven't heard much about Galloway on the field. Austin, Armstrong, Furry, and Williams have all drawn praise for at least one on field play yet the only thing I hear about Galloway is that he's working with the first team.

The thing about Galloway is that he can still run (and fast.) He brings a great deal of experience and another player useful for the vertical stretch. However, his production has been way down the last couple of years making him a luxary some serious thought may have to go into a decision to keep, or not to keep.

Both Thomas and Kelly have had their problems with staying healthy, therby being unproductive as a result. It will be interesting to see if one or both of them will be sacrificed in exchange for a longtime veteran who in the last two years has not been anymore productive than they have. Beyond catching passes, Galloway has limited value to the team because he does not do anything else. Therefore, if his production (or lack thereof) continues it's decline, he's of lesser value.

Last year I went to training camp and I donated blood to the Red Cross because they were having a special Redskins blood drive and they gave me a free bag of goodies and also unlimited passes to sit in front of the big fence that most fans sit behind. You could do that if you want to get those passes to get good pics, because if you don't you will have to stand behind the fence and trust me there will be an assload of people on the other side blocking your view unless you are pretty tall.

Everybody with VIP and Red Cross passes will be sitting in front of the fence except for when the players walk back inside. And the Red Cross passes only work for a specific day or weekend. Last year I donated blood on a Saturday and the passes were good for that Saturday or Sunday, and I went on that Sunday. I think you have to register on the Skins' or a special Red Cross website though.

If you don't wanna do that well then it's behind the fence for you. I'd recommend showing up half an hour before gates open because a line will form and if you're at the back of the line well everybody in front will grab all the good spots on the wall to get pics/autographs from. Getting in line half an hour before gates open to let fans inside the Park will ensure you get whatever spot you want on the wall.

Yeah I'm not doing that haha, not because I don't mind giving blood, but because I just hate needles and get really light headed and usually pass out with them, it'd be easier to just stand in line early to be honest.

I mean if I'm 2nd in line behind people I don't mind, but we'll see how it goes, I'll figure it out, I plan on going to at least two of them maybe three so if I don't like the spot the first time I can go to a new one the next day.

Thanks for the info!

Yeah I'm not doing that haha, not because I don't mind giving blood, but because I just hate needles and get really light headed and usually pass out with them, it'd be easier to just stand in line early to be honest.

I mean if I'm 2nd in line behind people I don't mind, but we'll see how it goes, I'll figure it out, I plan on going to at least two of them maybe three so if I don't like the spot the first time I can go to a new one the next day.

Thanks for the info!

Oh yeah you def. wouldn't like giving blood then. I had to sit in a nice chair for about 10 minutes with that needle stuck in my arm, they took about 2-3 pints from me I think. I'm not scared of needles but the longer I sat there the more I was like, damn is it ever gonna step? And plus you have to put your phone number down, and once you do that they call you nonstop asking you to give blood again and again. I did it once more and then I was like, man I'm just too busy to keep donating blood every few months, so once they started calling me again I told them I was somebody else and that number wasn't his anymore.

Oh yeah for sure...I'm not saying by any means that we don't have players to build around. I think Orakpo is going to be a superstar in this league, Davis has off-the-chart athletic ability, and Cooley is the starting TE on ~25 of the 32 teams in the league.

My point was that, it's good to hear that all the new guys (or at least the vast majority) have had some really nice accolade to their name in this very young training camp but the guys who have been having problems seem to be of the guys that were here already.

Grain of Salt: Tomorrow is day 4 of training camp

I understand what you were saying, and I just wanted to point out positives of some players still on the team.

I like hearing all of the new guys playing well to. The FO hopefully hit on some of the new vets and rookies, and this is an abosolute must if the Redskins are going to be a good team this year.

This could be a big season or a break through season for #30 if played correctly, and he is smart. I like him being able to play close to the line of scrimmage, with ears pinned back. Him being out in center field always seemed to be a bad fit for LL IMO.


Landry looking to be big hit in '10

If you ignore the Virginia backdrop, the smattering of fans at Redskins Park and the fact that players aren't in full uniform - if you ignore all of that and just focus on safety LaRon Landry, you might not realize at times that this is just training camp.

Players aren't supposed to tackle out here, but that doesn't mean Landry is going to hold back a hard hit or two.

"It's kind of what you would call a thud tempo," says tight end Chris Cooley. "Most guys just bump up against you when you have the ball. LaRon likes to go into the full tackling mode. He's in scrimmage mode at all times. We talked about it in the locker room and he said, 'Why are you giving me a hard time?' I said, 'You are the only one that tackles. So if
you're going to tackle me I am going to give you a hard time about it. You're going to have to deal with that.'"

And what does Coach Mike Shanahan think?

"I don't mind those hard hits," he said. "I mean, we're going to get those in the game. I love those hard hits."

For Landry, it's the same aggressive mentality that he's always brought to the field, but this year he thinks he'll be placed in position to better channel that energy. Not that he's eager to describe his former role under Coach Jim Zorn.

"This is going to be a whole new year for me. I don't want to talk about it," he says of 2009. "I don't want to talk about it."

But his role before, as described by former defensive coordinator Greg Blache was as an "angel in the backfield." He was often positioned 25-plus yards off the ball. "Don't let anything get behind you," Landry says of his former role. "This year, it's not. It's more aggressive, go and get it. Be smart about it, but go get it, be aggressive."
In camp, he's often been lined up near the line of scrimmage and has blitzed on multiple occasions, a rarity under Blache. He's also looked good in coverage. He had an interception on Sunday that he returned for a touchdown.

He says the new defense will position him to be a play-maker rather than a play-stopper.

"Brand new start, new defense. Involved a little bit more," he said. "Really, it's got a lot of emphasis on me this year. In this defense, strong safety is really a focal point of this defense. A lot more opportunities to make plays."

And though Shanahan is clear that he wants his defenders to wrap guys, Landry won't be shy to bring a big hit.

"You know what you're getting out of No. 30," Cooley says. "He's not making us worse; he's making everyone better. He loves playing the game, he is an extreme competitor and you can't ask for more out of a guy. It's never fun to get tackled the second day of training camp, but it's football."

Love the stuff I'm reading about Devin Thomas so far. If he stays healthy, I think we can expect big things from him.

Love the stuff I'm reading about Devin Thomas so far. If he stays healthy, I think we can expect big things from him.

Can you share some of it because I haven't really found anything good about him.