Left tackle Cornelius Griffin, the leader of Washington’s defensive line, won’t play Sunday at Detroit because of the right shoulder he sprained in the Oct. 5 victory at Philadelphia.
Griffin started last week’s 14-11 victory over Cleveland and made three tackles, but he has been unable to practice the last two days.
“I’m going to hold him out because I want to give him a real rest,” coach Jim Zorn said after Thursday’s practice. “His shoulder is really banged up. He wants to go, but he has to last through the season, too.”
Griffin, who hasn’t missed a game since Oct. 22, 2006, couldn’t argue too much.
“I’ve been playing with it for three weeks, and it’s not getting better,” he said.
Griffin, 31, has just 19 tackles, far below his usual standards. But defensive coordinator Greg Blache said Griffin has been valuable nonetheless.
“Last week was one of the best games I’ve seen Cornelius play in years. … His technique was good. His reads were good. He was physical,” Blache said. “Cornelius has really been a big player for us, probably not as outwardly as he has in the past. When we lost Phillip [Daniels], he filled that void in leadership … as quiet as he is. A lot of the success we’ve had defensively is a credit to Cornelius … and the fact that he has rededicated himself to doing the little things and becoming a much more detailed player.”
Meanwhile, rookie receiver Malcolm Kelly had another MRI on Wednesday. He has played in just two games because of the troublesome left knee that required arthroscopic surgery Aug. 4, and Zorn said the Redskins will decide after the Nov. 10 bye week whether to put Kelly on injured reserve.
“We’re going to give him a chance to rest,” Zorn said. “It’s moving toward putting him completely down, but we’re giving his knee one more opportunity to really rest through the bye week and then come back and work him hard and see if his knee holds up.”
Cornerback Shawn Springs (calf) won’t play for a second straight Sunday. Cornerbacks Carlos Rogers (calf) and Fred Smoot (groin), safety Chris Horton (ankle) and running back Clinton Portis (hip) didn’t practice for a second straight day. Defensive end Jason Taylor (calf) rested after working Wednesday. All should play Sunday. Tight end Todd Yoder (thigh) returned after sitting out Wednesday.
Detroit memories
Redskins coach Jim Zorn got his start as an NFL assistant as the quarterbacks coach in Detroit under former Maryland coach Bobby Ross from 1997 to 2000.
“I remember how consistent Bobby was,” Zorn said. “He was very steady. He taught me a lot that way. He was a tireless worker and always took care of details.”
Zorn doesn’t have pleasant memories of the 1999 playoff game between the Lions and Redskins at FedEx Field, the only postseason contest in the stadium’s history. Washington won 27-13 in a game best remembered for Redskins guard Tre Johnson going after Lions defensive end Robert Porcher for taking a cheap shot at quarterback Brad Johnson.
“I just remember you hurting us, physically hurting us,” Zorn said. “After a while, it wasn’t very competitive.”
Redskins special teams coach Danny Smith, who had first worked for Ross at Georgia Tech, got to know Zorn when he coached the Lions’ tight ends in 1999 and 2000. Smith headed to Buffalo in 2001 to coach special teams for future Redskins assistant head coach Gregg Williams and moved to Washington in that capacity with Williams under Joe Gibbs in 2004.
“Detroit’s a good place,” Smith said. “We had a good team, and the Ford family treated us very well.”
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