ASHBURN, Va. -- Here's the shakeup everyone wanted: The Washington Redskins shifted their practice to 11:25 a.m. Thursday, with an open locker room session immediately afterward. Thursdays used to have a 1 p.m. practice. Not the change you wanted? Well it's what we've got. Here are three areas of interest:
Jim Haslett. The Redskins' defensive coordinator will address the media during his weekly conference. Curious to get his thoughts on linebacker Will Compton's performance and whether he's someone who could, and should, factor in the future. How much has he closed the gap on starter Perry Riley? And how eager is he for Stephen Bowen's return? They could use what Bowen was able to do before his knees became an issue. Pairing the pre-2013 Bowen with Jason Hatcher would be a nice tandem in their big nickel package. There will be plenty other questions for Haslett.
There's a blog item ready to go around 11 a.m. Thursday regarding Kirk Cousins and some numbers from the second half of his games. They're not good. And there's a distinct difference between his performance in the first half of games and the second. What does it say about him and what does Jay Gruden have to say? Yeah, that's a bit of a tease but it'll all be in the story. One thing I did not get into with this story, but my own theory -- and I've written about this before -- but Cousins tends to overprepare. I sometimes wonder if when situations become more chaotic he loses a little control of the game and it causes him to press. Just a thought.
I'll also have a post on three things I learned about Tennessee. The Tennessee Titans clearly are viewing this game as a chance to gain momentum and beat a struggling team. My Titans colleague, Paul Kuharsky and I, will preview the game in a blog later this morning. We'll both have predictions, too. I'll say this: If the Redskins don't win this game, I can't imagine how bad this season gets. There is still so much residue floating around from last year that it affects the mentality and psyche of the players.