Blache Is Disappointed By Orakpo's Absence

On the first day of Washington Redskins training camp, team owner Daniel Snyder said his goals are to win the NFC East this season and improve significantly on offense in Coach Jim Zorn's second season with the club.

"They understand each other," Snyder said of Zorn and his staff during an appearance Thursday on ESPN 980's "John Thompson Show." "They understand, also, the players. They understand the positions.

"I think what I'm looking for is some dramatic improvement on offense. I want to get better on defense. We were very effective. If we can get turnovers, if we can do some things that we didn't do enough of, we can take that 8-8 performance to a much higher level, and that's what we're looking for.

"We obviously want to win the division, and it starts there. We're in a real tough division. It's exciting. It's fun and challenging. I think we'll get the job done."

Snyder's appearance on the station he owns occurred between the team's morning and afternoon practice sessions at Redskins Park. During the nearly nine-minute interview with Thompson and former Redskin Rick "Doc" Walker, he also addressed the situation of quarterback Jason Campbell, whose position appeared in jeopardy during the offseason as the Redskins pursued a trade for Jay Cutler and considered trading up in the draft to select Southern California's Mark Sanchez.

"I think to Jason's credit, he's really showed his true character, and I think he's really matured with the team and taken the reins, which is really what we've asked him to do," Snyder said. "From the standpoint of where we go, he's a critical, critical component, and we've told him that. We've told him that, look, we need some big-time play out of the quarterback to really go where we want to go, which is [the] Super Bowl."

Snyder added that free agent Michael Vick, recently conditionally reinstated by the NFL after serving time in prison, is "not a fit here."

-- PLAYING IT SAFE: For Phillip Daniels, last season ended when he tore his anterior cruciate ligament on the first play of the first day of training camp. One year later, the veteran defensive end was back on the practice field on the opening day of camp, joking that he took no risks of a repeat occurrence.

"Getting out there, you just know the first play you got hurt last year and I was joking with Coach that maybe I should miss this first play and go the second play," Daniels said. "And actually I ended up getting, like, the eighth play, so it worked out perfect for me."

Daniels's injury last season, along with another to reserve Alex Buzbee, prompted the Redskins to trade for defensive end Jason Taylor, who was released this offseason after one unsuccessful year in Washington. Daniels was re-signed in the offseason to fill the vacancy at defensive end opposite Andre Carter.

After sitting out all of last season, Daniels, who is not using a knee brace, said he appreciated even more the opportunity to be back out on the practice field.

"It felt great getting out here and moving around and going against guys, getting back with your teammates after having a year off and going through what I went through," Daniels said. "The way I worked to get back, it just feels great to get back on the field."

Daniels, who is beginning his 14th season, is expected to rotate at the position with Renaldo Wynn, who returned to Washington after a two-year hiatus, while first-round draft pick Brian Orakpo likely will shift from strong-side linebacker to defensive end on passing downs.

-- Barry Svrluga and Paul Tenorio