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Matt Bowen Remembers Training Camp, Joe Gibbs' Practices

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Redskins linebacker Ryan Kerrigan and Larry Michael, Voice of the Redskins, continued their NFL Combine videocast with guest Matt Bowen, a former  NFL safety who played for the Redskins from 2003-05.

Now a writer at Bleacher Report, Bowen discussed his transition into becoming a journalist after his playing days finished.

Then he plucked a few stories from the memory bank.

He helped clarify a story, for instance, about his first training camp with the team in summer of 2003, when he caused a scuffle by placing a big hit on running back Trung Canidate.

"I was a little nuts. I was wired a little differently," Bowen admitted. "The craziest thing about that is Trung and I were drafted in St. Louis back in 2000 and Trung and I lived together that offseason. We were both free agents and we lived in these apartments off of Route 7."

The two lived together for two months and were well-acquainted by the time they got to camp. Then he pummeled his former roommate.

"I felt bad about it," Bowen said. "But we were having one of those practices where the offense was whipping us, the defensive coaches were yelling at us, someone needed to do something. Sometimes you have to start a fight to get people going. Even though it's your own teammate you're not trying to hurt them, you're just trying to energize them."

A year later, Bowen remembered playing under legendary head coach Joe Gibbs, just starting his second stint with the team. In those days, Bowen described working constant two-a-days and practicing running drills without a running back, analogizing the movie "Hoosiers."

"I loved Coach Gibbs," Bowen said. "But his practices were extremely hard."

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