The Washington Redskins have free agent punter Ricky Schmitt in for a workout on Thursday to cover their bases.

Punter Sav Rocca has been hobbled by a sprained left ankle this week, an injury he suffered when a defender ran into him during Sunday’s game. He didn’t practice Wednesday, and Schmitt could be an insurance policy in case Rocca isn’t able to play.

The Redskins also are using Schmitt, who hails from Virginia Beach, to help their punt returners prepare for New England’s Zoltan Mesko, who , like Schmitt, is left-footed.

“The ball comes off differently, so it helps them get used to seeing it,” said Schmitt, who played for the San Francisco 49ers in 2009 and was with the San Diego Chargers this past preseason. He didn’t sound as if he expected Washington sign him.

Schmitt, who punted for Shepherd University, said that several other teams, including the Baltimore Ravens, have had him in for workouts the week before they played the Patriots.

“It helps them, and it helps me because it shows on the waiver reports that I worked out for a team. So it shows teams that I’m still out here working out,” Schmitt said. “Keeps my name out there.”

More Redskins news:

Williams, Davis apologize to teammates

Try a little randomness

Grossman aims to rebound

The Washington Redskins have free agent punter Ricky Schmitt in for a workout on Thursday to cover their bases.

Punter Sav Rocca has been hobbled by a sprained left ankle this week, an injury he suffered when a defender ran into him during Sunday’s game. He didn’t practice Wednesday, and Schmitt could be an insurance policy in case Rocca isn’t able to play.

The Redskins also are using Schmitt, who hails from Virginia Beach, to help their punt returners prepare for New England’s Zoltan Mesko, who , like Schmitt, is left-footed.

“The ball comes off differently, so it helps them get used to seeing it,” said Schmitt, who played for the San Francisco 49ers in 2009 and was with the San Diego Chargers this past preseason. He didn’t sound as if he expected Washington sign him.

Schmitt, who punted for Shepherd University, said that several other teams, including the Baltimore Ravens, have had him in for workouts the week before they played the Patriots.

“It helps them, and it helps me because it shows on the waiver reports that I worked out for a team. So it shows teams that I’m still out here working out,” Schmitt said. “Keeps my name out there.”

More Redskins news:

Williams, Davis apologize to teammates

Try a little randomness

Grossman aims to rebound

The Jets’ Matt Slauson watched Barry Cofield’s game against the Cowboys back in Week 11, taking note of the way the Washington Redskins defensive tackle systematically “destroyed” Dallas’ center.

Slauson saw Adam Carriker there, too. Another player who didn’t bring back fond memories.

“That guy haunted my dreams for three years,” Slauson said of his former Nebraska teammate, whom he faced in practice every day. “Carriker? You line him up at a 4-3 defensive end spot and me at the tackle, it was scary. He was a freak there.”

D’Brickashaw Ferguson saw his target on Washington’s defensive line — rush linebacker Brian Orakpo — on television commercials in which Orakpo plays Scrabble against the GEICO caveman. Orakpo substitutes his last name for the word “sack.”

“I’ve seen the GEICO commercials,” Ferguson said. “I’m very aware of Orakpo and I think he’s doing a good job as an actor, he’s got a future there. But, like I said, I respect his game.”

The daunting Washington front, it seems, has been nothing short of omnipresent for the Jets’ offensive line recently.

Despite a 4-7 record, the Redskins stand out with the league’s third-best sack total. Four players have at least 4 1/2 sacks and two — Ryan Kerrigan and Orakpo — are in the top 25. Rex Ryan called it the biggest challenge for his offensive line since a disastrous Week 4 performance against the Baltimore Ravens.

Hanging in the balance, Ryan believes, is the collective confidence of his once sure-handed offensive line. This year, amid injuries and spurts of inconsistency, the offensive line has surrendered 26 sacks (tied for 14th). But shutting down the Redskins’ defensive front Sunday at FedEx Field, Ryan says, is imperative.

“I think it’ll be huge, because that group right there is third in the league in sacks,” Ryan said. “So, I think if we can play well against them, that will bode well for us down the road.”

After the team’s loss to the Denver Broncos, with almost 10 business days before their next opponent, Ryan listed pass protection as a top priority, something he revisited schematically throughout the week.

The result, Slauson said, was an increased usage of blocking backs and tight ends as a second layer of protection between the defensive line and quarterback Mark Sanchez.

While Ferguson said it’s more game-plan specific, guard Brandon Moore said the tight ends and backs may “be keeping eyes out a little more,” quicker to offer a chip block — something he said the team has been doing well of late.

“That’s kind of helped a lot just in case something happened or someone got beat,” Slauson said. “Those guys could lend a hand.”

In preparation for this week, tight end Matt Mulligan said he watched the last four Redskins games start to finish and planned to watch at least two more last night, and he wasn’t alone.

On the practice field Friday, scout team players wore Kerrigan and Orakpo’s numbers, shifting into a bevy of different rush-first fronts and going all-out after the quarterback while Metallica blasted on the loudspeakers to simulate crowd noise.

As if they hadn’t seen their targets enough, on film, from memory and on TV commercials, it was yet another reminder of what they’re up against.

“It’s the strength of their team,” Moore said. “Across the board, they all stand out on film.”

Conor Orr: corr@starledger.com

This issue has been irritating me for several years now. Maryland, the old line state, has been a state in love with football since the dawn of the game. Now more than ever, there is a new line being drawn in the soil and the Chesapeake Bay throughout the free state.

The battle for supremacy in Maryland among its football fans is reaching a fever pitch. While the players may not care about a rivalry between the Ravens and Redskins, the fans surely seem to hold strong opinions on it, including myself. You would not believe the excitement over a lucky Tyrod Taylor led comeback in the preseason, I thought my news feed was going to explode.

Johnny Unitas, Sammy Baugh, Sunny Jurgensen, Raymond Berry, John Mackey, John Riggins, Don Shula, Joe Gibbs, Art Monk, Ray Lewis, Darrell Green, Ed Reed and Sean Taylor are all historical and somewhat mythical football figures in the state of Maryland.

Back in the good old days, if you were from Baltimore, you loved the Colts and Orioles. If you were from Washington D.C., you loved the Redskins and Senators. After years of both cities having teams in each sport, the Senators and Colts moved on from the great cities. The Senators went to Texas and the Colts snuck away to Indianapolis in the middle of the night.

Now we have a problem. D.C fans are rooting for the O’s and some in Baltimore (while they will never admit) probably watched the Redskins with a rooting interest. With fans natural ability to jump on and off bandwagons, they were cheering for the Redskins.

Fast forward to 1991, I am five years old. The Orioles are getting ready to open Camden Yards, and the Redskins are winning Super Bowl XXVI, their third title in the last nine seasons (1982-1991). The Ravens do not exist! Cal Ripken Jr. and Darrell Green are my childhood heroes. Believe it or not, I grew up and still live right in the middle of the two cities, in Columbia, Maryland. I can get to either stadium, Camden Yards or FedEx Field, within 25 minutes. They are my teams, and will forever remain that way.

Here is my biggest problem! How do you cheer for the Washington Redskins as a child, and then all of a sudden adopt the purple of the Ravens in 2000? That would be the year the Ravens/Browns won their first and only Super Bowl, thrashing the Giants 34-7. I was happy at the time that the Giants (an NFC East foe) lost the game. Now, not so much.

Maybe I am way too addicted to sports, and my loyalty runs too deep. Or maybe I am just loyal enough to see the fragile underbelly of the Ravens fan base. The Orioles have stunk since 1998 and I still wear my Orioles hat proudly around both towns. When the ravens went 5-11 in 2007, the Ravens fans at Salisbury University were admittedly hiding and disappointed. “I took the Ravens sticker off my car,” and “my Ravens Xbox cover has been thrown away.” Come on guys and gals, it was one bad season! The purple disappeared on the eastern shore for a short time. It just so happened at a time the Redskins actually made the playoffs for only the second time since 1999.

Because of that season, I cannot stand Ravens fans. Sure, many of them are my close friends and I party in Federal Hill, Canton and Fells Point all the time. I love the city of Baltimore, crabcakes (one word), natty bohs, The Wire and yelling “red tops” any chance I get.  I really don’t care for going out to D.C. that much. People in Baltimore are laid back and unique, you never know what you’re going to get or see.

Many of them bailed after a bad year only to reappear the next season like it never happened. The Ravens modeled their franchise after their arch rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Great defense, great running game, intimidation and excellent player personnel decisions have made the Ravens a perennial playoff contender.

Now in 2011, their fan base has never been stronger. Fathers send their sons to school in purple clothing on Fridays and the tailgate in Baltimore is pretty awesome.

While Redskins fans have suffered through 20 years of futility, horrid ownership, pathetic drafting and in season management and still Redskins nation lives. From South Carolina to Maryland, the Redskins are beloved by many. They have sold out games for 30-plus years and had to endure Norv Turner, Jim Zorn and Steve Spurrier.

Despite the recruiting efforts of young women all over Maryland and John Harbaugh to cheer for the Ravens, they will not conquer this great state.

I was recently told to just accept that the Ravens are better and that I should cheer for them. This person obviously does not know the love that real Redskins fans have for the Burgundy and Gold. It has been passed on from generation to generation. It involves the murder of the aforementioned Sean Taylor. It involves the time that Cowboys stars crossed the picket line, only to lose to Joe Gibbs and a bunch of replacement players. Loyalty.

As we all know, the world is a vicious cycle and almost everything is cyclical. In the future, there will be a time when the Ravens are not a perennial playoff team. That will be the time, which Ravens fans will be tested. It could not be easier to cheer for the Ravens. They have drafted, probably five Hall of Famers in only 15 years. Pretty darn good Ozzie.

But, when that day comes, I hope that all you traitors stay in your purple Friday gear. When they finish 4-12 after losing to the Bengals, we will all see what Ravens fans are made of. It is going to happen.

Being a Redskins and Orioles fan prepares you for life. Cheering for the flavor of the month will only get you to the next lap dance.

For anyone under 20 in the D.C./Baltimore region, they can’t understand how I feel. Go ahead, cheer for the Ravens all you want. But for those born between 1980 and 1990, you have yet to convince me.

A few personnel thoughts from the Baltimore Ravens’ Thursday night 34-31 win over the Washington Redskins.

Baltimore Ravens

Tyrod Taylor(notes), beautiful mess
One thing that puts rookie quarterback Tyrod Taylor ahead of many college shotgun option quarterbacks (from Alex Smith to Cam Newton) is that his mechanics when dropping back from center are pretty solid — he doesn’t get in his own way. That sounds like a small point, but watch Newton Riverdance his way through a dropback, and you’ll start to understand why he struggles so much with timing and rhythm throws. Taylor keeps the ball high, can stop to make the playfake, and sets himself up well to drive through the throw. He’s also exceptional at boot action plays in which he’ll roll out to either side.

As a pure passer … well, there’s work to be done. Taylor can zip the ball into any area, but his confidence in his ability to do just that also shows up as a negative when he tries to process a throw into a window that isn’t there anymore. He also occasionally gets crossed up on shorter timing throws — little digs, slants and dagger routes — but you can see the development. I was intrigued by Taylor’s skill set at Virginia Tech — I saw him as more than a pure option guy, and in the right situation, I think he’ll eventually prove that out at the NFL level.

Lee Evans(notes): Not just a speed guy
On Friday, we detailed the 35-yard touchdown catch that allowed receiver Lee Evans to announce his presence with authority. But there’s more to what Evans brings to the Baltimore offense than the track speed he showed over Washington cornerback DeAngelo Hall(notes). Like most of your better deep threats, Evans helps the offense whether he’s the target or not. Watch how cornerbacks have to back off now when aligning against Baltimore’s 3-wide sets. Before, there was far less concern that one misstep could mean a play taken to the house. But with Evans’ straight-line speed, ability to get inside or outside position off the snap, and underrated sense of fundamentals, pass defenders have to be more careful.

Ideal slot receivers like Anquan Boldin(notes) will see the benefits when Evans takes the roof off a side of pass coverage. You saw a more typical side of Baltimore’s old passing game at the end of their first drive, when Flacco tried to fire in a slower seam route to Boldin, and Hall easily jumped the route for a touchdown the other way.

The other nice thing about Evans is that, just like the magically rejuvenated Brandon Lloyd(notes) in Denver, he’s not just a speed receiver. Evans can also help Flacco on little slants, square-ins, and other blitz-beater routes — the kinds of things Derrick Mason(notes) used to do. Flacco’s not exactly adept at evading pressure (to put it kindly), so the more timing-based route concepts, the better.

Washington Redskins

Roy Helu(notes) may be the next secret Shanahan back
We’ll mercifully refrain from delving into the epic battle between John Beck(notes) and Rex Grossman(notes) in this particular scouting report. Instead, I’d like to review the performance of rookie backup running back Roy Helu, who I really liked coming out of Nebraska, and talked to for a pre-draft podcast on Shutdown Corner. In this game, Helu started making tracks halfway through the third quarter, and though he was going against the twos on Baltimore’s defense, I liked what I saw.  He ran 13 times for 44 yards against the Ravens.

Helu has an upright running style, but also a lot of inside power. He’s a good one-cut runner who builds up speed and takes extra yards after first contact. Once he gets outside, he has the bounce and quickness to make the big play. Helu isn’t the quicker, jump-cut runner at the line; he’s more patient as he sifts through blockers and gaps at the line and waits for his opportunity. I’d like to see him get low and physical a bit quicker in short-yardage situations, though — that upright running style could prevent him from surprising and becoming a starting NFL back. If he can up the speed at the line, he could be truly dangerous — right now, he’s just a very intriguing player who should find a role in Washington’s running back rotation.

Ryan Kerrigan(notes) is for real
For once, the Redskins paid attention to the draft, and as a result, two of their standout players in this game are rookies. First-round pick Ryan Kerrigan from Purdue is known as a fairly demonic pass rusher, and that’s what stood out against the Ravens. He had a sack in the first quarter, but he’s still learning two key aspects of run defense — how to avoid getting washed out slide protection going his way, and how to prevent missing the back entirely when we overpursues the quarterback off the edge. The best “endbackers” develop an innate sense of when to charge and when to read the action. Kerrigan, who was a 4-3 end in college, has the potential to develop these attributes at his new position.

Listed as the left outside linebacker in Washington’s 3-4 lineup, Kerrigan would play left defensive end placement in the Redskins’ frequent nickel packages. In that regard, as much as the team has said that it will run more traditional 3-4 looks this season, defensive coordinator Jim Haslett seems to understand that he has personnel best suited to hybrid fronts. When Kerrigan can edge past that first blocker in a two-point stance situation, he’s tough to stop. His sack came from a position outside the right tackle, which allowed him to spin inside and use his momentum to take Joe Flacco(notes) down. I like Kerrigan best in a wide nine-tackle position in a four-man front (Kyle Vanden Bosch(notes) is the paradigm), but he can play wide OLB at the line as well.

Related: Joe Flacco, , DeAngelo Hall, Lee Evans, John Beck, Rex Grossman, Anquan Boldin, Brandon Lloyd, Tyrod Taylor, Derrick Mason, Baltimore Ravens, Washington Redskins