This last past Tuesday Linebacker Ryan Kerrigan passed all concussion protocol tests for the head injury that caused him to miss the end of the Philadelphia Eagles game on Monday Night Football.
On Wednesday, Redskins safety Brandon Meriweather practiced fully, which lead to head coach Mike Shanahan saying he would play this weekend against the Green Bay Packers.
“He practiced fully today,” Shanahan said of Meriweather. “If there’s no setback, yeah he will play.”
For a Redskins defense that had to start cornerback E.J. Biggers at safety and gave up 33 points Monday, which was the most they gave up since week 3 of last year, this is great news.
Last year, Meriweather played only 37 regular season snaps with the Redskins before an ACL injury ended his season.
In those 37 regular season snaps Meriweather recorded seven tackles, made an interception (25 yard return) and batted down two passes, so Redskins coach Mike Shanahan has a clear grasp on what Brandon brings when he is on the field.
“Hopefully it changes,” Shanahan said of defense with Meriweather. “He’s been a big playmaker in the limited time he has played over the last year.
“I think everybody knows what he’s done and hopefully he can keep playing at that level.”
Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett said “I don’t know what to expect from Meriweather, if he plays, because he hasn’t played in so long.”
“I’m confident in my trainers. I’m confident that they did everything possible to get me ready, Meriweather said”
With Meriweather and Kerrigan in the starting lineup, the Redskins will put all of the players on the field against the Packers that were projected starters except for the suspended Jarvis Jenkins (who will return week 5, which is the bye week).
“I’m feeling good and ready to roll this week,” said Kerrigan. “You definitely don’t want to start 0-2, but Green Bay has been one of the best teams in the NFC for a number of years.
“If you want to be the best, you’ve got to beat the best. We definitely want to go in and get the win.”
One thing is for sure, fielding your best play-makers never hurt any teams chances of winning.
