Coach Mike Shanahan praises the development and athleticism of rookie left tackle Trent Williams. (Photo: Associated Press)

When the Washington Redskins selected Trent Williams with the fourth overall pick in April’s draft, Coach Mike Shanahan said at the time that he believed the Oklahoma product had all the tools to become a great left tackle.

Shanahan said he saw similarities between Williams, and Ryan Clady, who as a rookie in Denver under Shanahan in 2008 started from Day 1, and went on to earned All-Pro honors.

Now three weeks into training camp, Shanahan says Williams -- who after holding out on the first day of camp, has taken every first-team snap -- is living up to expectations, and that the Clady comparisons are very accurate.

“I didn’t know if I was going to be able to say that, but yes,” Shanahan said. “Ryan was probably the best offensive lineman as a rookie that I’ve ever been around. Trent so far has had that type of athletic ability, and hopefully he’ll have the same type of game-day expertise and composure, because Ryan had that, and I think Trent has a chance to have that as well.”

Williams in Friday’s preseason game played “exceptionally well for a rookie,” according to Shanahan.

The coach said all the physical tools that made Williams a must-have in the Redskins’ eyes have shown through in training camp.

“You look at size, arm length, does he fit your scheme? Well, he is quick and powerful. He would be great in every scheme,“ Shanahan said after Tuesday morning’s practice. “But any time you got a guy who runs a 4.8 and is 318 pounds, he’s great with the zone blocking fit in a power scheme as well. He’s just a great athlete.”

Another aspect helping Williams quickly adjust to the NFL is going up against outside linebacker Brian Orakpo, who last season made the Pro Bowl as a rookie.

Orakpo, who had 11 sacks last season, also boasts great speed, and is very creative in getting to the quarterback. But Williams has managed to hold his own despite learning on the fly.

“Trent’s a really sharp guy anyhow, but what really helps him is going against Orakpo every day,” Shanahan said. “Brian’s a second-year Pro Bowl player with all his tricks, so it really helps a young offensive lineman to go against that every day.”

> Tuesday morning’s practice session got off to a sloppy start as the Redskins were guilty of five straight false start penalties, blown blocking assignments and miscommunications. Shanahan -- who on Monday as a reward took the team bowling instead of holding a second practice, and also let the players go home for one night rather than stay in the team hotel they have lived in since July 29 -- appeared to be more irritated than at any previous point in camp. Finally the coach stopped practice, huddled all the players and gave them a stern message.

“He just got us together and gave us that charge that we weren’t doing what we were supposed to do better,” receiver Santana Moss said. “So we recharged ourselves and ended up better.”
After practice Shanahan didn’t seem as bothered, and said a slippage in effort can be expected in the third week of camp.

“Just typical this time of year. We kind of vary the snap counts and there’s a day you kind of emphasize that. Kind of typical of what you go through in camp,” the coach said. “If you emphasize something, it’s important to them. If you’re making mistakes, you stop practice and emphasize the point you’re trying to get across, so I did that a couple of times today. This is the week where everybody’s a bit sore, and looking forward to camp getting overwith, and you’re trying to get a game-plan ready. Not a full game plan, but getting guys ready to play a little more, so it’s a bit of a different week than they’re accustomed to.”

> Albert Haynesworth again began today’s practice as the second-team nose tackle. After a few snaps, however, he was off to the side, being tended to by a trainer. Haynesworth was given a Gatorade and a wet towel was placed on his neck. He took his pads off and watched the remainder of practice. Walking off the field at the conclusion of the session, Haynesworth said, “I’m all right. Ask the coach.”

Shanahan later said he wasn’t exactly sure what was wrong with Haynesworth.

“Something happened and he wasn’t feeling good,” Shanahan said. “He practiced only a few plays and was out after that. Not really sure what it was, he just wasn’t feeling good. The doctors didn’t feel it was heat related.”

Tight end Chris Cooley said after practice that he felt "really, really sick," but went through the whole session."

> Starting inside linebacker London Fletcher and backup defensive end Vonnie Holliday both were given the morning practice off to rest, but both are fine, health-wise.

“London Fletcher, he’s been in the league 26 years now, [Vonnie Holliday], 28,” Shanahan joked. “No, but seriously, when you have a veteran that practices extremely hard consistently, you want to give them a day off, and so we did that for London and Vonnie today.”

Backup linebacker Curtis Gatewood also watched the morning session, but as a precaution after he suffered from heat exhaustion on Monday. Fellow linebacker Lorenzo Alexander, who watched on Monday while suffering from ankle and foot soreness related to having to get his feet adjusted to some new Orthotics, was back on the practice field Tuesday. Alexander still was moving gingerly, but said he felt much better than Monday, when he could barely put pressure on his foot, the day after going full-speed in practice with the new supports in his shoes.

Starting right tackle Jammal Brown, who sat out last week with hip soreness, went through a third straight day of practice and reported no setbacks.

> Former Buffalo Bills and Redskins defensive end Bruce Smith watched Tuesday’s morning practice, and said he’s “very excited” about seeing how the Redskins do this season. On Shanahan, Smith said, “I like the discipline that he instills and certainly the accountability.” When asked what aspects of the team he likes the best, Smith, who played four seasons in Washington (2000-2003) and became the NFL’s all-time career sacks leader as a Redskin, predictably said the defense.

“I pay more attention to the defense. I’m a little biased,” he laughed. “I think they’re going to be aggressive, and I’m looking forward to seeing them. They’ve got some studs, with [Carter] and Orakpo, who has a great deal of talent, and he’s only going to get better and better and better. And they have Haynesworth, who can eat up the double-teams, and still make plays. So they have a lot of options in this 3-4 defense. It’s a very active defense, so if all the guys are on the same page, you’re going to see a lot of big plays.”

> Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said although Larry Johnson the majority of the time in camp gets the nod at running back after Clinton Portis, Johnson has not yet clinched the top backup job, and the depth chart is a long way from being determined.

“Nothing’s set at all -- at all -- at any position. So that’s why we’re trying to split it up game-by-game so they can all show us what they can do,” said Kyle Shanahan, who named Portis the starter coming out of OTAs. “We haven’t planned it out, but eventually Willie’s going get more carries, so it’s all going to work it out, and we won’t make a decision until Week 1.

“They’ve got to show us in practice they deserve to be in the games, and they’ve all been competing so hard in practice that they’ve shown us that they’re all NFL backs,” Shanahan added. “So that’s why we’ve really focused on how we can get them all carries in games.”

Johnson, who will start on Saturday against Buffalo ahead of Parker, who is expected to start next week against New York, does appear to have the edge, however. Mike Shanahan agreed that Johnson is playing with a greater sense of urgency with his first start as a Redskin days away.

“Since I’ve been around Larry, he’s been very consistent, but I do see a sense of urgency in him this week, with the chance to show his talents, and I think he’s going to make the most of the opportunity,” Mike Shanahan said. “Some players are hungry. I remember when I had Jerry Rice at 40, he was just as motivated as when he was 25. Larry just seems very hungry and motivated to take advantage of this opportunity.”