| | By John Clayton
ESPN.com
LANDOVER, Md. -- At least Dan Snyder gives you something for your $10. Those who show up at Redskins Park for training camp see a treat.
First, coach Norv Turner lets starters go against starters in practice.
|  | | LaVar Arrington figures to be a starter by camp's end. |
That's rare, but the Redskins coach has been doing it for some time. As a
result, Deion Sanders goes against speedy receiver Albert Connell. Bruce Smith goes every day against rookie Chris Samuels. There's the Dan "Big Daddy" Wilkinson battling guard Tre Johnson.
It could all pay off nicely.
"I think when the Vikings went 15-1, won four preseason games and a playoff game," said Redskins quarterback Brad Johnson, a former Viking, "at one point, we were 20-1. I didn't think I'd even be part of anything
like that again. This team is better. I don't know if it will show record-wise, but it is better on offense, defense and special teams. There is lots of depth."
And everyone is watching. The Redskins draw a couple thousand
fans each day -- at $10 a pop. They also draw pro scouts from opponents around the league. Any time a team charges for its practices must also open its doors to NFL scouts.
The other day, a Cowboys scout completed three days of study on what he thought
were blitz packages.
Turner laughs at thoughts opponents are gaining secrets. He's keeping every practice here basic, reserving specialty items for the two morning sessions to which the public is allowed access.
"They are just looking at the personnel," Turner said. "We go
firsts on firsts. I think that's how you are going to get better.
What talent! It's an all-start team.
"We have 17 returning starters, which is the nucleus," Turner
said. "We added four or five guys of all-star caliber, but they are team
players and they are fitting in what we are doing. Look at Deion. There were a lot of people writing him off. I heard people say he doesn't run like he
used to. He's had a great week of practice and he can run with any receiver
we have."
The chemistry has been good so far, too. Defensive end Bruce Smith
has been schooling rookie left tackle Chris Samuels with his many moves.
Sanders gets along with everyone. And the veterans love rookies
Samuels and Lavar Arrington.
"Bruce Smith is the best I've seen at communicating with young
players," Turner said. "I think he's helped the defensive linemen in the
past two weeks. He's really helped the ends."
Unlike the Cleveland Browns, the Redskins don't have to rush their rookie defensive star, Arrington. They've put him on the side of the field with the tight ends and monitor his progress. He's playing behind veteran Greg Jones, but everyone in camp anticipates that Arrington will be a starting outside linebacker by the start of the regular season.
"Obviously, I had the high draft pick thing helping me, but I've
got to go out on the field and perform," Arrington said. "It's a great
situation for me. It's a great feeling not to be a leader. I'm not even on
the starting team right now. I've just got to go out there and produce."
Johnson and others feel the same way. There are so many stars on the
field each day that no one has to be the focal point for the fans.
"I think we can sustain through the tough times, too," Johnson
said. "That's a big thing for us. We can be injury-proof. There are enough
guys there to replace any if they are hurt."
Look at some of the backups: Adrian Murrell, a former 1,000-yard rusher,
is Stephen Davis' backup; Jeff George is behind Johnson and is content to be the backup; and if Deion has a nick, 40-year-old Darrell Green can take over.
"The competitive level of this group is high in practices with the firsts going against the first," Smith said. "It's great battles on the line with all of the offensive and defensive lines."
Johnson finds himself the most relaxed of his career.
"I'm very confident with the guys," Johnson said. "I think we'll surprise a lot of people with our offensive line. It had given up 60-some
sacks the year before. Last year it was fine."
Now let's see how relaxed they are when Dan Snyder is unhappy about
a performance or two.
John Clayton is ESPN.com's senior NFL writer.
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