ASHBURN, Va. -- Fred Davis already had paid his airfare to leave town during the Washington Redskins' bye-week vacation. He even had secured a ticket to see his college team, Southern California, play at Oregon.
Snyder frustrated
Redskins owner Dan Snyder made some rare in-season comments about his team Tuesday: "We feel frustration and are disappointed for our fans. Obviously our performance to date is not what we expected, and we hope to turn that around."
USC lost that game, by the way, 47-20.
"Good thing I stayed here," Davis said, shaking his head.
Davis canceled his travel plans after Chris Cooley broke his right ankle during a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the game before the bye. With Cooley out a month and maybe much longer, Davis, a 2008 second-round draft pick, spent some 4½ hours per day working with position coach Scott Wachenheim, preparing for his first game as a No. 1 tight end when the Redskinsvisit the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
"I don't want to get too excited," Davis said. "It might be different (Sunday). You might see me hurling like Fletch or something."
Veteran middle linebacker London Fletcher does indeed vomit before every game, so Davis would be in good company. The Redskins don't care -- as long as Davis figures out how to block.
Davis already can catch. He had eight receptions -- more than his total in the first six games combined -- after Cooley went down during the second quarter of the Eagles game. The problem is that Davis didn't do much to get in the way of a Philadelphia pass rush that piled up six sacks -- a major issue because the Redskins need their tight end blocking more than ever because of season-ending injuries to linemen Chris Samuels and Randy Thomas.
"I was like, 'Man, people say he can't block,' but to me, it was more like, 'He got thrown in there,'" Davis said. "I'm not a great blocker. I'm not a good blocker yet, but I know I can be."
To that end, Davis spent the vacation working with Wachenheim on the very basics of blocking, including hand placement and footwork.
"I'm strong enough to block somebody," Davis said. "I'm not a weak guy. I put up a lot of weight in the weight room. But no matter how strong you are, if a guy gets under your pads, he's going to win."
Cooley leaves big shoes to fill. Davis said the Eagles' defense put less emphasis on covering the tight end after he entered the game, helping him to gather those eight catches, including his first career touchdown.
But Davis knows the Falcons are probably licking their chops after watching the game film, seeing a tight end who's vulnerable to the blitz.
"I think the main thing their defense is going to try to do is bull rush," Davis said. "And I've just to try to deal with that."
Davis might have the rest of the season to deal with it. Cooley, walking with two crutches and a large boot on his right ankle, gave an update on his recovery Wednesday. While he's hopeful the injury will sideline him for just four weeks, he could be out substantially longer.
"I'm hopeful that I can come back and play," Cooley said. "I still have an inch break in my ankle and it has three screws in it, so I'm not getting around so well, so we'll see what happens."
Cooley, who leads the team with 29 catches, had surgery last week and will see a doctor Monday to learn how well he's healing. Sunday will be the first game he has missed in his six-year NFL career, and he said he's honored that the Redskins haven't put him on season-ending injured reserve to open up a roster spot.
"I think the tough decision ends up being on our organization in the next couple of weeks, of keeping a spot for me over that amount of time," Cooley said, "taking the risk of whether I'll be able to play or not."
Meanwhile, Davis is anxious to fill in for Cooley. The Redskins are trying to come back refreshed from the bye following their 2-5 start, but Davis believes he's literally starting over.
"This is a totally new season for me," Davis said. "It's a big opportunity. Everybody wants to see what I can do. To me, I like it. I like competing. I like the challenge."
Notes: With Antwaan Randle El averaging just 5.2 yards per return -- not to mention his 11 fair catches -- the Redskins will give DeAngelo Hall more chances as the punt returner. Still, coach Jim Zorn said Wednesday that Randle El remains the team's No. 1 return man and will handle the first punt against the Falcons. ... RB Clinton Portis said he gets a lot of "ill will" over his relationship with Dan Snyder but that he's not as close to the Redskins' owner as people might think. "I've never stayed a night over at his house or did anything special," Portis said. "I mean, It's just a cool relationship. But I think because it comes under so much scrutiny, everybody thinking I have so much power, I kind of keep my distance. I speak and keep it moving." ... DT Albert Haynesworth, on being informed of a Sports Illustrated poll that ranked him as the second-dirtiest player in the NFL: "I ain't dirty." Pittsburgh Steelers WR Hines Ward was No. 1. "He ain't dirty. He play hard, too," Haynesworth said. So who does play dirty? "O-line," he said.
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
