Marcus Washington drifted into the middle of the field, shielded by a defensive tackle. Ravens quarterback Steve McNair didn't see Washington and threw a pass right to him. It was an easy interception for the Redskins linebacker.
Washington raced down the left sideline for a touchdown. Or was it? The Redskins' special teams unit did not come on to the field for an extra point try.
No matter. There was no official scoring in the Redskins-Ravens Scrimmage presented by BearingPoint on Saturday at FedExField, but Washington was happy to be running free down the sidelines for a score.
"I don't know why they didn't kick it," Washington laughed. "It felt good to be running open, for just a little bit anyway."
Regarding the interception, Washington said: "We ran a little blitz [by Lemar Marshall] and we got some pressure on McNair. I just dropped in my zone and I don't think he saw me so he threw it right there. It was kind of a gimme almost, but guys made some good blocks and I was able to get out of there."
Washington's score was among the highlights of the two-hour scrimmage, sort of a glorified practice with two teams.
The scrimmage, which drew 47,258 fans, included special teams work, 7-on-7 drills, 1-on-1 matchups between offensive and defensive linemen, and a full scale 11-on-11 session. Few starters participated in the 11-on-11 scrimmage.
"What we decided to do was get the guys who we think have the chance to make the team--some of those young, backup roles--to give them a lot of work in the scrimmage," head coach Joe Gibbs said. "Our team is kind of rough at this point all the way around, but our fans are in mid-year form."
On the offensive side of the ball, quarterback Mark Brunell looked crisp in passing during 7-on-7 work, completing several downfield passes to tight end Chris Cooley, including one touchdown.
During 11-on-11 work, Todd Collins, Jason Campbell and Casey Bramlet directed the Redskins' offense. Collins was 3-of-5 for 37 yards, while Campbell was 4-of-7 for 48 yards.
Collins led the Redskins into scoring range on one drive, but kicker John Hall's 47-yard field goal attempt was wide left. Hall also missed a 46-yarder before making a 38-yarder late in the scrimmage.
Leading the way on the ground was running back Jesse Lumsden, the Canadian import who logged six carries for 32 yards and one touchdown. Fullback Nehemiah Broughton got a long look, carrying six times for 21 yards.
Tight end Robert Johnson was impressive, leading the offense with three catches for 58 yards. He sustained an ankle injury on one catch, but returned to action.
On defense, safety Sean Taylor continued to cement his reputation as one of the league's hardest hitters: on back-to-back plays, he leveled two punishing tackles on Baltimore running back Mike Anderson. Shortly afterwards, Anderson left the scrimmage with a mild concussion.
"He definitely flashed out there on some plays," Gibbs said. "I'm always cautious because I want to look at films, but I think at this point Sean is rocking and rolling."
Said Washington: "Sean's a beast. He comes in there 100 miles per hour and he's going to lay the Riddell on you. That's just the way he plays football and we wouldn't have it any other way."
One of the more closely watched battles of preseason is the punting job. Third-year punter Derrick Frost took a step forward with a pair of 55-yard punts during special teams work. Frost's competitor, rookie David Lonie, struggled in his NFL debut, shanking one punt.
"They're both quality punters," special teams coordinator Danny Smith said after the scrimmage. "We have to establish consistency there. We can't be up-and-down, up-and-down. It looks like Derrick did have a good day, and now we have to put another one back-to-back."
On the injury front, running back Ladell Betts sat out the scrimmage due to a sore hamstring. Defensive end Nic Clemons sustained a bruised knee and did not return. Defensive tackle Anthony Montgomery and safety Curry Burns had mild hamstring injuries.
