Redskins quarterback Jeff George threw a football for the first time in 10 days,
tossing 30 or so soft passes about 15 yards. He said he felt no ill
effects from the tendinitis that has bothered his shoulder for 2 1/2
weeks, and that he hoped to be throwing at normal speed by Tuesday.
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"It doesn't sound like a lot, but it really was," George said.
"It was a big step. I wanted to see if there was any pain in there
at all, and there wasn't."
Todd Husak, another Redskins quarterback, showed remarkable improvement in just 24 hours,
throwing a few passes in both practices despite his strained rib
muscle. Husak, realizing he would be the one on the bubble if the
Redskins sign another quarterback, has doggedly worked his way back
into a chance of starting Friday's exhibition game against Atlanta.
"He's a tough guy," coach Marty Schottenheimer said. "He
wants to play."
Schottenheimer said he will leave it up to the trainers, not
Husak, as to whether the second-year quarterback plays Friday.
Rookie quarterback Sage Rosenfels, who struggled in practice Wednesday, walked off the field saying, "I would like
to have hit a few more throws." Undrafted rookie Mike Watkins
worked with the second string. Even so, Schottenheimer said the
quarterbacking was not compromising practice.
"In the perfect situation, you throw it and it never touches
the ground," Schottenheimer said. "We've got to be patient with
young players."
Unless Husak can play, Rosenfels will start and play three
quarters Friday night. Watkins will play the fourth.
Schottenheimer, hoping to sign a veteran backup, prepared to
schedule a workout for Tony Banks, released Tuesday by the Dallas
Cowboys. The coach said Banks and Danny Kanell, who has had a
workout, were the only quarterbacks currently under consideration.
"We have to continue to explore of the possibility of another
quarterback," Schottenheimer said. "We don't want to go down this
road much further until we're sure that Jeff's going to be OK."
The problem with George's injury is that tendinitis can linger,
perhaps for an entire season. Husak is inexperienced and did not
play well in the exhibition opener at Kansas City, prompting the
search for a healthy veteran.
Any quarterback that is signed will not have time to learn the
offense and play in Friday's game, which is shaping up to be an
offensive disaster. The Redskins generated just 99 yards of total
offense against the Chiefs, and they're not getting any kind of
rhythm from this week's practices.
"All these young players have to go through a learning
process," Schottenheimer said. "And it can be painful."
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