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News & Notes: Williams a Game Time Decision

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Left tackle Trent Williams is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Williams was limited in Friday's practice, the last of the week in preparation for the Eagles game.

He is expected to be a game time decision, head coach Mike Shanahan said.

"He felt much better [Friday] and he made some strides," Shanahan said. "But you really don't know. In 48 hours, you get a better feel."

Asked how Williams looked in practice, Shanahan replied: "Pretty good. The knee is feeling good, the toe is a little but sore. He's not 100 percent pushing off, but probably in the 95-99 percentile. So that's why we'll wait and see where he's at in 48 hours."

Williams suffered the knee injury and toe sprain in Week 2. He sat out last week's game against the St. Louis Rams.

Stephon Heyer is the likely starter at left tackle if Williams is unable to play. He would be matched up against Eagles' defensive end Trent Cole, who has three sacks this season.

Shanahan said that Williams has been lobbying to play on Sunday.

"I used to fall in a trap to believe most of those guys," Shanahan said. "But I've got to [evaluate the injury] with my own eyes."

Elsewhere on the injury front, linebacker Lorenzo Alexander suffered an ankle injury in Friday's practice. He was put on the injury report as questionable.


-- MOSS REMAINS TOP TARGET

Santana Moss leads the Redskins with 22 catches for 290 yards and one touchdown -- and that's by design, according to offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan.

"Santana is a guy we target a little bit more," Shanahan said. "He's definitely our lead guy. We go to him a lot but when coverage is taking him away we are going to the next guy."

The "next guy" has yet to really emerge, though.

Joey Galloway, who starts opposite Moss, has just three catches for 88 yards. Anthony Armstrong has three catches 47 yards and Roydell Williams has two catches for 44 yards.

Coverage is dictating who gets the ball on a give play, Shanahan explained.

"Some of the stuff we put Joey on aren't as high of a percentage of throws, but when he is there we let it go," he said. "He has done what we have brought him here to do."

Devin Thomas has not had an offensive rep yet, though.

Coaches say Thomas, a 2008 second-round draft choice, needs to emerge in practice and show that he can outplay the receivers ahead of him on the depth chart.

"I think Devin is continuing to get better," Shanahan said. "He's working at it every week. I know he is trying his hardest and I see progress."


-- OFFENSIVE TEMPO A 'CONCERN'

In last week's 30-16 loss to the St. Louis Rams, the Redskins were penalized for a series of false start and delay of game penalties.

The lack of cohesion -- between quarterback and play-caller, between quarterback and offensive line -- was evident.

"Without question I'm concerned," Mike Shanahan said. "When an offense gets going, you've got to keep that momentum going. You've got to keep that tempo. You can't make those mistakes with the 40-second clock or delay of games.

"You've got to be in sync a little better and be the type of offense we'd like to be."

Shanahan said the problems were not necessarily the result of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and quarterback Donovan McNabb getting accustomed to each other.

Plenty goes into impacting tempo on game day, including terminology, the game plan, crowd noise and substitution groups, Mike Shanahan said.

"Hopefully we'll get better this week," he said.

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