BY RICH CAMPBELL
ASHBURN
--Jim Zorn wants everyone to be clear on this: DeAngelo Hall and Santana Moss are going to return a few punts for the Washington Redskins, but Antwaan Randle El is still the team's primary punt returner."Nothing has changed," Zorn said yesterday. "That's how I would bill it. There's no difference."
Confusion about the division of playing time began earlier this week after a pair of conflicting reports that cited anonymous sources. One report said the Redskins were replacing Randle El with Hall as their top return man. A later report refuted the change.
Zorn tried to clear up the matter yesterday.
"[Hall] is going to be involved, and if he's involved more, it would be one or two reps," Zorn said. "It's not necessarily a change. It's an addition to get him more involved. Antwaan Randle El is our punt returner. You're going to see Santana Moss, which you have, and you're going to see DeAngelo Hall, who you saw last [game against Philadelphia]. And we'll see what happens."
The confusion became problematic yesterday after Randle El was caught off-guard by reporters. He seemed a bit rattled when questioned about a reduced punt-returning role. He later approached Zorn in his office and asked for an explanation, Zorn said.
Randle El has averaged 5.2 yards on 11 returns this season. Of the 27 players in the NFL with at least 10 returns, his average ranks 22nd. His 11 fair catches are tied for second-most in the league.
"The productivity hasn't been there," Randle El said. "But I would look at, it's not as if there have been wide-open lanes or anything, where I can just kind of go. It's not that I'm missing a bunch--or any--in terms of lanes to run through."
Zorn said that Randle El will return the first punt in Sunday's road game against the Atlanta Falcons.
Hall and Moss, meanwhile, both said they are willing to help out but have no interest in becoming the full-time returner.
"That's a pretty dangerous position back there," Hall said. "If he needs me to go back there to give him a spark, I'll do that."
Hall was the punt returner for one kick against Philadelphia on Oct. 26, but he didn't get a chance to return it because it was shanked out of bounds. He hasn't returned a punt in a game since 2007 with Atlanta. For his career, he has 13 returns for an average of 9.5 yards. He has no touchdowns and two fumbles.
Moss averaged 20.7 yards on six punt returns last season, and he scored a crucial touchdown in a Week 8 win over Detroit. This year, however, he has averaged only 3.8 yards on four returns.
"A good punt returner is a guy who can make multiple guys miss," Moss said. "Our goal is always to make the first guy miss and get 10 yards. Sometimes when you get past 10 yards it's all downhill from there."
GETTING ANOTHER OPINION
Tight end Chris Cooley will have his broken ankle evaluated by a doctor on Monday to gauge his recovery from the surgery he had on Oct. 28.
He still hopes to return for the final month of the season, but he isn't sure how likely that best-case scenario is.
"I would like to play [again this season] if my ankle feels good," Cooley said yesterday in his first public comments since breaking his ankle on a bad step against Philadelphia on Oct. 26.
"It's an honor that they would hold the [roster] spot for me, and I hope that it's four weeks and everything is exactly as planned, and I am a super-fast healer and I'm back playing," he said. "I'll have to wait and find out."
Sunday's game at Atlanta will be the first that Cooley has missed in his six-year NFL career. He prides himself on participating in every practice, let alone each game.
"I think it will be hard to watch," Cooley said. "I'll be there for all my friends. I'll be there with the team, and I'll be a part of the team as much as I can. I'll kind of go out and mess around on the field before the game and try to have some fun and try to help out the guys."
Cooley's hair is still dyed blond, a look he debuted for the ill-fated Monday night game against Philadelphia last week. Asked whether suffering the injury that night means his hair-dyeing days are over, he deadpanned: "It's still blond, so I guess I'm not that superstitious."
INJURY UPDATE
Quarterback Jason Campbell's ailing right ankle healed considerably during the bye week.
"It's better," he said. "Still working on it, but for the most part, it's a lot better than it was a week ago."
Campbell participated fully in practice yesterday. He sprained his ankle on the fourth play of the game against Philadelphia on Oct. 26, and it significantly hindered his mobility.
Linebacker H.B. Blades attended practice yesterday only a week after surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. He performed rehabilitation drills on the side and will not play this Sunday.
Cornerback Byron Westbrook did not attend practice. He suffered the same injury as Blades on the same play that Blades did against Philadelphia. Westbrook had surgery on his left knee last week.
Rich Campbell: 540/735-1974
Email: rcampbell@freelancestar.com