With an End to the NFL Lockout, Redskins Announce Preseason Schedule

Willie Parker tries to break a tackle. Photo by the Associated Press, courtesy Washington Redskins

When news of the NFL’s impending labor resolution hit Sunday, one breathless ESPN reporter described the prospect of starting training camp and free agency on the same day as, “the equivalent of merging Thanksgiving and Christmas into one holiday.”

That, of course, is ridiculous. But it wouldn’t be a stretch to say many Washingtonians treat the opening of Redskins’ training camp as a special day on the calendar.

In this summer of the lockout, Thursday is that day for Redskins fans. You can count on a constant stream of Burgundy and Gold information wherever you turn. Today the Redskins released their official training camp schedule. Open-to-the-public practices start in earnest Saturday morning at Redskins Park in Ashburn. Get there early. These things tend to fill up quickly.
Making this year’s training camp of particular interest will be the simultaneous free agency drama, Redskins’ owner Dan Snyder’s personal specialty. With busts of offseasons past Albert Haynesworth and Donovan McNabb apparently on the way out of town, who will Snyder and General Manager Bruce Allen get to fill the void?

Lucky training camp attendees might even get a glimpse of the team’s newest signings, full of hope and promise, as they arrive at Redskins Park. That will be a comforting memory when coach Mike Shanahan and crew are back in the NFC East cellar this fall. See, training camp really is an occasion to celebrate.

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Aaron Kraut