Smoke Signals: ‘Hip hip hooray’ edition

Redskins WR Santana Moss likes Head Coach Jim Zorn:

“I mean, outside of the Hip Hip Hooray and all that stuff, he’s our coach,” Moss said. “So regardless of what kind of swag he has, or what kind of guy he is, I mean, he’s your head coach….He’s the team, you know what I’m saying? He’s the Redskins, when it comes to what we do….I mean, he’s been perfect. He played the game, he knows the game, and he knows players. And he talks to us as if he knows what we’re going through and he knows what he wants. So [there] was no better guy could come in and do the job that he’s doing, and I feel like that’s why the team is responding the way that it is.”

PK Shaun Suisham likes kicking, especially after having made 7 straight field goals:

Suisham says that he tries to limit the number of kicks he takes while warming up, and with no competition in training camp, he had to be smart about kicking during preseason. That’s about it. Given how many close games the Skins tend to play, getting this kind of production out of Suisham has been clutch. If he can keep it up, he’s another guy who could be earning a multi-year contract this offseason.

RT Stephon Heyer is still gimpy and isn’t sure when he’ll be healthy enough to play. Meanwhile, Jon Jansen, who lost his starting job to Heyer in the preseason, has stepped right back in perfectly and the Redskins have had their two best rushing games of the season with Jansen on the field. It’s hard to see Heyer getting his job back when he’s healthy as long as Jansen is playing the way he’s playing and the Redskins are running the ball the way they’re running it. I’ve noticed Washington pounding the ball over the right side of the line lately, whereas they had been running to the left, over LT Chris Samuels, as much as possible before Jansen returned to the starting lineup. I guess nothing got Jansens’s motor running like losing his job.

CB Shawn Springs is feeling much better after a week off to rest his aching calf: ”I’ll be rocking this weekend,” he said. “I feel good. I’m playing.”

SLB Marcus Washington also expects to play at or near full speed against the Rams on Sunday.

DT Cornelius Griffin suffered a shoulder injury against the Eagles and had an MRI yesterday to make sure it was just a sprain. He’ll be evaluated throughout the week but Zorn thinks they can probably get him ready to play against the Rams.

WR Malcolm Kelly is still pretty much just a guy who limps around Redskins Park, not an actual NFL player. He did get on the field a few times on Sunday, but didn’t do anything and his knee is — you guessed it — swelling up again. Don’t expect to see him at full health ever any time soon. Apparently, Kelly hasn’t even mastered the offense yet and can’t run many of the routes a Redskins wide receiver needs to run. This guy is lucky to be getting paid.

DE Jason Taylor is going to try to “rev it up” in practice this week, according to Zorn, so we’ll see if he can go on Sunday. Taylor actually is an actual football player [quite a good one, really] so if he can’t play, you know he is still in a lot of pain.

As you know, the punting game continues to be a federal disaster area, which isn’t good for rookie Durant Brooks.

The Redskins rank last in the NFL in gross punting average, and next to last in net punting average. Needless to say, special teams coach Danny Smith is not pleased.

“We needed a lot on that punt [that was returned Sunday by Jackson],” Smith said. “We’ve got to punt the ball better, simple as that. Short punts with no hang time will get you killed, and that’s what happened again. We’ve got to punt far better.

“He’s a typical rookie. He does that and then comes back with a 49-yard punt with a 4.7 hang time and the guy fair-catches it at the 15-yard line. And really that’s where our punting is right now, two great extremes on two back-to-back punts. That’s a phase of the game we’re going to have to fight through with him, I guess.”

Smith said he is very pleased with kicker Shaun Suisham and his returners and special teams units, but continues to evaluate the punting game. Brooks has mused about punters coming in to compete for his job, and some on the team believe at some point back-up quarterback Todd Collins might be in line to work on handling holding duties at practice.

Rams Offensive Coordinator Al Saunders says he is happy to be returning to the DC area [where he still has a house] and believes the Redskins are building on a sound foundation put in place by Joe Gibbs.

“You always like to see things continue. I’m thrilled for Jason Campbell and the rest of the guys on offense. The thing Joe did was bring together a group of high-character, great-work-ethic guys. To see Jason come back from his injury and maturing like that, it’s great to see. I said when I got there that there was no limit to what he could do. With all the offenses he’s been through, he’s able to process information quickly, break it down to things he can understand and apply it on the field. I’m just thrilled for him. He’s a true professional.”

The Washington Times writes that the Redskins are 4-1 because of a diverse offense than can run the ball or throw it, depth that has stepped up after injuries to starters like Shawn Springs, Jason Taylor and Marcus Washington, and playing the first 5 games without committing a turnover on offense. Apparently, the Redskins are only the third team since 1933 to go without an offensive turnover in their first five games. The other teams were the Cincinnati Bengals in 1988 and the Cleveland Browns in 1960.

Ryan O’Halloran asks if the Redskins are playoff bound after finishing their division road games and facing three straight teams that are, well, horrid. My view: It’s way too early to think about January.

The Redskins aren’t just playing well, they’ve got some good guys on the team. The official Redskins blog has the story.

And finally, hip hip hooray!

Discuss this in Redskins Park with other DC sports fans!

More at DC Pro Sports Report