Mounting Injuries Hamper Scrimmage Preparations

The Washington Redskins spent yesterday's practice preparing for today's scrimmage in Baltimore, eliminating any real contact and concentrating on a walk-through of what to expect from the Ravens. The session had the feel of a regular season Friday walk-through, with offensive players mimicking Baltimore's defense, as the Redskins hope to erase memories of last year's 0-4 preseason.

Coach Joe Gibbs is trying to best utilize the scrimmage, but has a difficult chore. With five quarterbacks on the roster, he concedes one will not participate today. The team faces a dearth of players at many other positions, with minor injuries mounting, and must decide whether to expose some veterans to the scrimmage, even though there are rules in place designed to guard against serious injury.

"We're short right now," Gibbs said. "It worries me because we've got quite a few guys that probably won't be able to go. They're not major things, but they're things that would make you hesitate to put them in a scrimmage."

Besides tackle Chris Samuels (out a month with a knee sprain, but walking well already) and tailback Clinton Portis (knee tendinitis), the Redskins also will be without cornerback Jerametrius Butler (hamstring), who was working with the athletic trainers during yesterday's practice. A handful of rookies and depth free agents are injured as well -- six players have been ruled out for the scrimmage -- while the team will be taking extra precautions with some veterans as well.

Jansen Gets in the Spirit

Training camp can get monotonous for the players fairly quickly, and any opportunity to break the routine is welcome. Some players have taken to driving their cars down the road to their dorms at the National Conference Center rather than ride the bus. Tackle Jon Jansen took the idea a step beyond, parking a Winnebago in the parking lot at Redskins Park.

"We're just trying to break up the monotony a little bit, and have a little fun," Jansen said. "We're a week into it and I feel great. We have a lot of downtime, so why not have a little fun with it, have the guys around, and build a little team unity. The whole team is welcome. We obviously don't put everybody in at one time, but everybody is welcome at all times."

Jansen did not disclose whether there is a bar inside or precisely what he might serve, but the RV has become one of the hip places to be.

Doughty's Son Progressing

Safety Reed Doughty, whose son Micah was born prematurely last August and needs to become heavy and healthy enough to endure an operation, was in good spirits yesterday. Micah gained a half-pound and is growing well, Doughty said after returning from a checkup, and is making good progress. Micah came out to practice earlier this week and seemed to be having a great time in his Redskins gear.

"He's doing a lot of fun stuff now, crawling around and stuff like that," Doughty said. "It's great to see."