The Washington Redskins announced on Monday morning that their 2015 Training Camp at the Bon Secours Training Centre in Richmond Virginia would kick off on Thursday July 30th.
Going all the way through to August 16th, the Redskins Training Camp will have 2 public practice sessions following their first preseason game versus the Cleveland Browns on August 13th, including the Fan Appreciation Day on Saturday August 15th.
Furthermore, the Houston Texans are coming to Richmond for three days of joint practices, and the Texans are bringing the HBO Hard Knocks cameras with them meaning that Redskins fans will get a small peek behind the curtain in this years series.
The 17 day Training Camp schedule features a total of 23 on-field training sessions that will be open to the public, and given that last year there were over 164,000 fans in attendance over the Training Camp period, this year is on track to again be massive.
There are always numerous interesting story lines and battles heading into Training Camp each year, and this year is no exception. Here are the top three that we are looking forward to six weeks out from the opening day:
Top Three Story Lines Heading into Redskins Training Camp
#1 – Alfred Morris, Matt Jones, and the Callahan Ground Game
As we’ve mentioned here on Redskins Capital Connection in a previous article, Alfred Morris has the tools and the talent to succeed under Bill Callahan’s revamped rushing attack. That said, the Redskins third round pick Matt Jones is a physical beast, and his pass protection skills have been heralded since the day he was drafted. If Jones can somehow manage to outperform Morris in Training Camp, which admittedly is an enormously difficult task, then there is every possibility that the Redskins workhorse for the past three seasons may see either a reduction in carries in 2015.
#2 – Robert Griffin III’s last chance
During last years Training Camp, the New England Patriots came to Richmond for several days of joint practices, and they brought their own cabal of reporters who cover the team with them. One such reporter, Mike Reiss of ESPN noted that “Robert Griffin III didn’t look like the best quarterback on his own team”. At the time of writing, it caused a huge stir amongst Redskins fans and neutral observers alike, but as the season progresses and Robert Griffin III injured his ankle, only to come back and be benched after a handful of games to make way for Colt McCoy, that early report seemed prophetic in hindsight.
For whatever reason, Griffin seemed to struggle in year one of the Jay Gruden system, and to be completely fair to the young quarterback, was done no favors by the organisation who didn’t employ a dedicated quarterbacks coach in 2014, and saw their head coach essentially and very publicly throw Griffin under the bus.
This year, Robert Griffin III has one last chance to prove to a teetering fan base that his enigmatic 2012 rookie season was not a one-hit wonder, and that he has the talent to be a franchise calibre quarterback in the NFL.
#3 – Brandon Scherff vs JJ Watt
Okay, so this story line likely has a predictable outcome. With the Texans coming to town for three days of joint practices, first round draft pick Brandon Scherff will have his work cut out for him at Right Tackle when he lines up against man-mountain JJ Watt.
During last years Hard Knocks, we saw Atlanta Falcons rookie tackle Jake Matthews struggle big time versus JJ Watt, and Watt will be looking to once again show an upstart rookie offensive lineman that they are in the big leagues now, and this is his kingdom.
That said, if Scherff can somehow do the unlikely and hold his own vs JJ Watt, and perhaps even best him, then the level of hype that Redskins fans will bestow upon him will be historic.
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