Lingering Injury Will Keep Rogers Out Against Patriots

Cornerback Carlos Rogers is expected to miss his second of the Washington Redskins' three preseason games because of a lingering calf injury, Coach Jim Zorn said Wednesday after practice at Redskins Park.

The Redskins plan to hold out Rogers from Friday's game against the New England Patriots at FedEx Field. The team also exercised caution in not using him in the preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens. The coaching staff hopes to have Rogers, who is beginning his fifth season, back for the season opener Sept. 13 against the New York Giants at Giants Stadium.

"It is what it is. If a guy's not there, a guy's not there," defensive coordinator Greg Blache said. "We'll have to wait and see if he's here and healthy come the regular season. What we'll hopefully do is get him well right now and get it over with, so we'll have him for the Giants game."

When Rogers was sidelined in Week 1 of the preseason, nickel cornerback Fred Smoot started opposite DeAngelo Hall and second-year cornerback Justin Tryon had an expanded role in the game. Rogers's absence Friday also could lead to more work for rookie cornerback Kevin Barnes.

"Carlos is a good football player," Blache said. "There was a stretch last year where Carlos played as good as any corner in the league. If we can get him to play like that for 16 weeks, I think we'll have a big-time corner on our hands."

There could be major problems in the secondary if Rogers's calf problems linger throughout the season. At this point of his career, Smoot would be more productive in the role the coaching staff has planned for him rather than having to start and play often in place of Rogers.

And although Blache and secondary-cornerbacks coach Jerry Gray continue to be supportive of Tryon, it will be difficult to believe they trust him until he's running with the starters occasionally when the secondary is at full strength.

The Redskins need Rogers on the field to be the type of defense manager they envisioned when they lured defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth from the Tennessee Titans, retained Hall with a big contract and drafted defensive end/strong-side linebacker Brian Orakpo.

-- FIXING THIRD-DOWN 'D': Against Pittsburgh, the first-team defense performed poorly on third downs. With defensive starters in the game, the Steelers gained three first downs on four third-down plays. That's just unacceptable, especially for a defense that is expected to be even better than one that ranked fourth in the NFL last season.

"You're always concerned when they convert third and long. We talked about it," Blache said. "It's a matter of doing what you're supposed to do with some passion and doing what you're supposed to do with some consistency. And we didn't do it."

With two preseason games remaining, Blache expects to see major improvement, quickly.