1. Redskins PK Graham Gano suffered fractures in two bones in his lower back, a source confirmed. The story was first reported by the Washington Post.
Gano hurt himself trying to make a tackle after the Eagles blocked his 36-yard field goal attempt in the season finale. Gano ran over to tackle Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. After Rodgers-Cromartie pitched the ball back, Gano started to stand up, but Eagles end Jason Babin ran through him on the way to try and block Sean Locklear, who was involved in the tackle. Gano immediately grabs his back as he’s on the ground. Here’s a video of the play.
Give Gano credit. Later in the game, he kicked an extra point, a field goal and two kickoffs.
His rehab is expected to take six to eight weeks, according to the initial report. Gano is a restricted free agent.
Gano is coming off his best season, having made 31 of 41 kicks, though five of his attempts were blocked. He felt that he had made significant progress as a kicker, as did the Redskins. They’ve always liked his leg and his work on kickoffs. But he was more consistent as a placekicker and finished strong, having made his last 14 field goals.
2. It’s not hard to get John Beck talking about next year. You only need to say one word, “Hello.” OK, that’s not quite accurate, but there’s no doubt Beck is anxious for 2012, starting with the offseason.
“I think about [the future] every second of the day,” said Beck, before the season finale. “I want to be here, no question. I want an offseason here. I want to be able to work and sit in Kyle [Shanahan’s] office. I want to go on the field and rep some stuff. I want to have practices where we talk about the play. …[Last year] I had to teach myself the offense at my house in San Diego.”
One thing Beck said he wishes he’d done is get away from football once in a while. He said he was consumed by trying to win the starting job.
“I would stand at the park with my kids when they were on the swings and I would go through stuff,” he said. “Certain drops, play fakes and certain things that are in this offense that you have to have in place so that when you go run it, it’s fluid.”
Though he’s off on a hunting trip with his brother and some friends, Beck can’t wait to start working on his game again.
“I love the offseason because I love the feeling that there’s a lot to work on and accomplish,” he said. “I love the feeling of grinding and of being in the gym or being on the field taking extra throws with purpose. My belief is never gonna change. I know it sounds goofy but how I believed last year, I think I believe it even more heading into this next year because I can see ahead of me what can take place and how much growth there can be.”
3. According to Tampa insiders, former coach Raheem Morris feels he has legitimate choices for his next stop. He told the Tampa Tribune that the Redskins already had made him an offer. He did not say for what, but it would be as a secondary coach. He’s waiting to hear from the Vikings about their defensive coordinator position. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Vikings are interested in Jacksonville defensive coordinator Mel Tucker (who might stay with the Jaguars) and former Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo. Also, Vikings linebackers coach/special assistant to the head coach Mike Singletary is reportedly under consideration. Morris was a secondary coach before being elevated to head coach and his defenses in Tampa did not distinguish themselves. The Bucs went from 17th in total yards last year to 30th this year and they went from ninth in scoring to 32nd. So it could be tough to find a coordinator’s job for this season.
CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST ON MORRIS and his addition to the Redskins’ staff.
4. Some linebacking news: Brian Orakpo tweeted Tuesday night that he had undergone shoulder surgery earlier in the day in Pensacola, Fla. No word yet on his recovery time. Orakpo injured his left shoulder and left pectoral muscle in the season finale.
Also, London Fletcher was named the NFL’s Bart Starr Award winner, given to the player who best shows character and leadership on and off the field. The other finalists were Eagles corner Nnamdi Asomugha and Cowboys tight end Jason Witten.
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