RICHMOND — Day 3 of training camp meant playing the hits.
As stifling humidity arrived for the first time since camp began, the Washington Redskins added pop to their practice routine by playing in pads. This wasn’t about spine-altering collisions or putting fear into receivers running across the middle, but noisy, forceful contact, particularly along the lines.
“Just the thud,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said of the sound he sought in Saturday’s session. “Getting off blocks, using your pad level and making sure nobody’s playing too high. It forces you to get your pads down, which is good. To watch the people shed blocks, which is the most important thing in football for defense, shedding blocks. … We’re still not going to take anybody to the ground. It’s just a glorified thud period, which is good.”
Putting on the pads wasn’t the day’s only wrinkle. Here’s a running diary of Saturday’s practice, including Quinton Dunbar’s…
