Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said he held free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe out of the starting lineup because the seventh-year pro isn’t fully healthy. The coach also said he believes that strong safety LaRon Landry isn’t seriously injured.
Atogwe said earlier this week that he felt better than he had all season, but Shanahan saw something different while observing the player in practice.
“He hasn’t been full-speed,” said Shanahan, who instead gave Reed Doughty the start. “He’s giving us everything he’s got. He’s got the hamstring, and he has the knee [injuries]. He’s been beat up. You can see. He won’t tell you, but you can see in practice and in games, he’s not full-speed. But you want to have him there in case someone goes down, you can still win with him.”
Atogwe got into the game for several series and recorded two tackles when strong safety LaRon Landry left with a groin injury.
When asked about missing the start, Atogwe said, “It was a coach’s decision and I just trusted his decision. I felt OK. I was able to get into the groove of the game and help out. We were able to get the win. It’s been a long time coming.”
Landry -- who had four tackles and a sack despite having to come out of the game several times – will be fine, Shanahan said.
“I think he got beat up a couple times. He was in and out of there. I don’t know exactly how he felt. [Trainer] Larry [Hess] said he finished OK. But there were some setbacks a couple times where he came out of the game,” Shanahan said.
Landry said his hamstring tightened on him, but added, “I persevered through it and made plays. … If I was going to be out there, I had a job to do.”
Landry had his hamstring wrapped and returned to the game, but his movements were restricted too greatly, so he had to have the leg re-wrapped. That’s why he was late coming out of the locker room at the start of the third quarter.
Landry, who recorded both a sack and pass breakup in the fourth quarter, said that he doesn’t believe the injury had anything to do with his strained left Achilles’ tendon. “
“I’m kind of aggravated that now I have to treat this [thing],” Landry said. “One thing after another. I don’t know if it’s over-compensating or something. But the Achilles’ [tendon] is fine.”
