The Redskins had two fumbles as a result of the center-to-quarterback exchange in last Sunday's game against Tampa Bay and improvement in that area is a focus during this week's practices.
The Redskins are working on the center exchange with the quarterbacks as part of their normal drills. That's a normal practice routine for most NFL teams. But assistant head coach Joe Bugel said the team would increase the intensity a bit by conducting those snaps during contact drills.
"Every week, we take about five soaking balls out there and work drills with them," Bugel said. "You just have to concentrate. Everybody's involved-the quarterbacks and the centers. This week, we'll make the snap going into contact. So instead of walking through the snaps, we'll have live contact and we'll put the center in the toughest blocking situations. It's an ongoing thing and you have to work on it every day."
The second of the fumbled snaps ended up costing the Redskins. On the play, Brunell took the handoff from Cory Raymer, but inadvertently tripped on Raymer's foot. He tried to hand off to Clinton Portis, but the ball bounced high off the turf before setting in the hands of Tampa Bay cornerback Ronde Barber. He ran nine yards for a game-tying touchdown.
"It was foolish on my part," Brunell said. "I got tripped up, and then tried to get it to Clinton."
Raymer was in for just a couple of plays, spelling starter Lennie Friedman, Bugel said. Earlier, Friedman and Brunell had a fumbled snap that was recovered by the Redskins.
"We had a fast snap and Lennie was trying to make a blocking call," Bugel said. "The ball got caught in the ground and that's why it rolled back. Was it acceptable? No, we can't accept that. And Lennie doesn't accept it. But stuff happens in a ballgame."
"The biggest thing was, adversity struck. Nobody folded their tents and we kept fighting. That was a big test for this team and
Familiar Faces
Former Jacksonville Jaguars Mark Brunell and Tom Coughlin aren't the only notable Redskins-Giants connections for Sunday's game.
Linebacker Mike Barrow and defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin were members of the Giants from 2000-03. Running back Clinton Portis and Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey were teammates at the University of Miami (Fla.).
Offensive lineman Brandon Winey, who played for the Redskins last season and was released by the team in August, is now a backup with the Giants.
Youngest / Oldest
The average age of the Redskins roster is 27.49, ranking them 30th in the NFL. The youngest team is the Chicago Bears at 25.26 average years of age; the oldest is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with a 27.81 average years of age.
The Redskins have the NFL's fewest rookies and first-year players on the roster, with four.
