Outrage over the Redskins name is not shared by most pro football fans in the region, according to a new survey.
Of D.C.-area NFL fans, 65 percent think the Redskins should not change their name. And among Redskins fans, the number increases to 77 percent. Also, 56 percent say they would not buy new gear if the name changed.
The Vox Populi poll had a margin of error of about 4 to 5 percent.
Should the Redskins change their name? If the team changed its name, would you go out and buy the new gear such as jerseys and T-shirts? You can join the conversation on our Facebook page or tweet your thoughts using #WTOP.
RICHMOND, Va. — The conditioning tests and physicals are done, it’s time to play football.
Redskins Coach Jay Gruden stepped to the podium at the training facility Wednesday as he gets ready to oversee his first training camp as a head coach.
“We’re fired up,” Gruden said. “Everybody showed up on time. Everybody’s eager, ready to roll.”
He knows the next month-and-a-half is going to be a challenge.
“You’re excited about the season,” Gruden said. “You’re nervous, you have butterflies walking out there everyday. You want to make sure everything is right and want to make sure you’re giving the players everything they need to succeed.”
“As far as our practice schedule, our walk-throughs, we’re hoping to give them an opportunity to continue to speak our language, play our offense, play our defense and be taught in special teams and get them ready for the first game in Houston.”
Robert Griffin III
As they have been the last two training camps, all eyes will be on quarterback Robert Griffin III. He has had no restrictions this off season and enters camp 100 percent ready to go.
Gruden said his quarterback is in great physical shape and mentally he is in excellent shape as well. He will not be wearing a knee brace this season.
Gruden knows one way that this training camp will benefit Griffin.
“Repetition. Reps, reps, reps. You can never have too many reps. The big thing is not to make it so much about Robert, but make it about the Redskins. But from Robert’s standpoint, he just needs to keep getting the reps.”
Get the point?
A lot has been made about the relationship between coach and quarterback. I think it’s safe to say that this relationship is off to a pretty good start, and as of now, we won’t be seeing anything that we saw toward the end of last year.
Please don’t make me relive the Mike-Kyle-Robert 3-13 Soap Opera…please!
The coach does know one thing that will get everyone on the same page.
“Happiness comes with wins. Nobody’s going to be happy if we’re 2-14. Our goal is to make sure we make him as comfortable as possible with this system and that when he’s out there on Sunday’s, he’s comfortable and feels good about the direction we’re going offensively.”
First Training Camp
This is Gruden’s first training camp as a head coach. He said a lot has gone into crafting the schedule for this camp and he has taken input from basically everyone on the staff. There are a lot of coaches that have been in a lot of different systems and different programs that have been successful.
A change from the previous staff will be evident come 8:30 a.m. Thursday. This year they will be practicing in the mornings and have the walk-throughs in the afternoon.
If anyone is counting votes, I’m definitely on board with this. It is July and in the middle of the afternoon it’s HOT!
What should you look for in a Gruden practice? He made it clear that he wants great energy and great tempo.
“All that coach coachspeak that you hear, it’s what training camp is all about,” he said. “Fundamentals of football need to be taught every play, every day. We strive for perfection.”
As far as what would make this a successful training camp for the first year head coach?
“I want to make sure we make the right decisions on players, No.1. We have to make sure when we make our final cut-down we make the right choices and hopefully these players will make it very difficult on us in making those decisions.”
Injuries
Defensive end Jason Hatcher (knee surgery), Stephen Bowen, Leonard Hankerson and Mo Hurt will start camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list (PUP).
Get ready for the ride. It all begins Thursday at 8:30 a.m.
Weather
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Redskins Training Camp Forecast from ABC7 meteorologist Lauryn Ricketts
A cold front will make its way from the northwest moving southeast through the day Thursday. Ahead of that front, showers and storms will be widely scattered across the commonwealth. The cold front will eventually cross Central Virginia by tomorrow afternoon dropping humidity levels and lessening the threat of showers and storms. Friday looks beautiful for Redskins Training Camp with sunshine and low humidity.
Here’s a breakdown of Thursday’s forecast:
8 a.m.: Scattered showers and thunderstorms (40 percent). Damp, muggy, cloudy and war (bring the bug spray). Temperatures around 75 degrees with north wind 5-10 mph.
Noon: More showers and thunderstorms expected around the Greater Richmond Area (50 percent). Temperatures hitting the low 80s around the lunch hour with continued mugginess and light winds.
4 p.m.: More isolated storm chances as the cold front moves through. Slightly less humidity than the morning hours but still warm with temperatures right around the daytime high for the day, coming in at 84 degrees. Clouds continue with a northwesterly wind at 5 mph.
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