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Speaking on his weekly TV show, Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan indicated that Donovan McNabb (ankle) would be ready for next Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys. Shanahan said last week that he wasn’t sure about McNabb’s status.

McNabb

“Yeah, I feel very good about him being ready to go,” Shanahan said on WRC-TV, according to the Washington Post. “In fact, I think he’ll be able to practice in the next couple of days. And I feel very good about the direction he’s headed.”



Shanahan will meet with reporters Monday and I’m sure he’ll be asked about a Post report indicating that it’s unlikely Albert Haynesworth will start against the Cowboys. Here’s what I wrote about the topic Sunday morning. And here’s the latest on the Redskins’ practice squad.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — We won’t have the X-Files scandal to keep our attention over the next week, so we’re moving on to Plan B: The aggressiveness with which the New Orleans Saints will come after Minnesota Vikings quarterback Brett Favre in Thursday night’s regular season opener.



If you recall, the Saints put a beating on Favre in last January’s NFC Championship Game, collecting two personal fouls in the process. The NFL later acknowledged a third penalty should have been called. The game left Favre with bruises on his ankle and thigh — he said Sunday that the photographs that surfaced of his injuries were taken three days after the game — and led Vikings coach Brad Childress to accuse the Saints of hitting him outside the spirit of the NFL’s rules.



Childress reiterated those sentiments Sunday, telling New Orleans reporters: “What I hate to see are late hits or attempts to hurt anybody. I don’t think there’s a place for that in the game.”



Asked if he thought that happened last January, Childress said: “Yes, I would have to say that, yes.”



Let’s get something out of the way right now: There is no way that Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams is going to change his approach. Childress knows it, Favre knows it and Saints coach Sean Payton essentially said as much Sunday. Childress’ best hope is that a public discussion leading up to the game brings the issue to the attention of the eyes that matter — i.e. game officials — in hopes of maximizing the chance for penalties and warnings. After all, I doubt the NFL wants to see a future Hall of Fame quarterback taking post-throw hits all night in their marquee national season opener.



To his credit, Favre refused to join in on the discussion and actually welcomed the type of all-in blitzes the Saints specialize in. (More on that latter topic Tuesday.)



“Had it been us doing that to [Saints quarterback Drew Brees], we probably wouldn’t feel that way,” Favre said. “They would be getting those questions. It’s football. If you’re able get the opposing quarterback out. … Are there cheap hits that happen occasionally? In every game. The ones on the quarterback are more obvious. People see them.”



The Saints might do it with a little more machismo, but face it: Every team wants to knock out the opposing quarterback. Not every team has a defensive coordinator like Williams, who told USA Today this summer that “we have to do better in sending messages to every offense about how physical it’s going to be when they play us. Those messages are out there, starting with No. 4 [Favre].”



But it’s not as if the Saints have some kind of novel approach. Success often relies in some part on pushing the envelope. You just hear the Saints talking more about it than some others. And last year, it helped them with the Super Bowl.



“I thought they played with great energy and effort,” Payton said of his defense in the January matchup. “I thought there was one foul that was called. Certainly you could make a case one way or the other, but ultimately the next weekend, or two weekends later, [we] played in Miami for the Super Bowl.”



And isn’t that the bottom line?

The Seattle Seahawks looked up long enough Sunday to announce a few roster moves, but not the ones reported previously.



The team said it has released offensive linemen Mansfield Wrotto and Steve Vallos, and safety Kevin Ellison. The team said it has claimed off waivers guard Evan Dietrich-Smith from the Green Bay Packers and defensive back Nate Ness from the Miami Dolphins. The team also announced offensive lineman Stacy Andrews‘ acquisition from Philadelphia.



The team made no mention of previously reported moves involving Julius Jones, Jordan Babineaux, Kevin Vickerson or Junior Siavii.



The roster appears in flux to such a degree that meaningful analysis should be postponed. My plan is to step outside for the next hour or so, mow the lawn, then come back inside and see if the pieces have come together any more clearly. The grass is getting high, anyway — unless Pete Carroll and John Schneider cut that, too.

Seattle fans might have a hard time distinguishing their Seahawks from the Omaha Nighthawks if coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider keep hacking away at the roster.



The teams’ offensive line coaches are already indistinguishable.



It’s not as bad as it sounds.



Pat Ruel is leaving the Nighthawks to replace Alex Gibbs as the Seahawks’ offensive line coach, ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reports, and the fit should be good because Ruel coached under Carroll at USC from 2005 until Carroll’s departure earlier this year.



The Seahawks have yet to make an announcement. They’re busy reconfiguring the roster. Expect the moves to keep coming.

Roster and practice-squad news so far Sunday:



Indianapolis Colts



Signed quarterback Tom Brandstater, defensive end John Chick, receiver Brandon James, defensive back Mike Newton and receiver Blair White to the practice squad.



Jacksonville Jaguars



Were awarded defensive tackle Landon Cohen off waivers from the Detroit Lions. Released offensive lineman Paul McQuistan.



Signed offensive tackle Daniel Baldridge, tight end Mike Caussin, receiver John Matthews, and defensive tackle Kommonyan Quaye to the practice squad.



Tennessee Titans



Were awarded linebacker Tim Shaw from the Chicago Bears and linebacker Patrick Bailey from the Pittsburgh Steelers off waivers. Released linebackers Stanford Keglar and running back LeGarrette Blount.



Signed defensive lineman Hall Davis, receiver Dominique Edison, cornerback Pete Ittersagen, center Kevin Matthews, safety Myron Rolle and linebacker Patrick Trahan to the practice squad.

If the Green Bay Packers are planning any significant player moves before resuming practice this week, it won’t be through the initial waiver process. Packers general manager Ted Thompson said Sunday during a news conference that the team did not put in a claim after NFL teams cut down their rosters to 53 Saturday.



The Packers did have a number of their cuts claimed by other teams, however, and there has been a good level of activity in and around all four NFC North teams Sunday. I’ll keep a running list on this post of the most significant players involved:

• Ex-Packers running back Kregg Lumpkin was claimed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Packers had hoped to bring him back on the practice squad to be their quasi-No. 3 tailback. Last year, the Packers lost tailback Tyrell Sutton to the Carolina Panthers in the same way.
• As we discussed earlier, the Detroit Lions claimed ex-Packers tight end Spencer Havner. Of cutting Havner and keeping four other tight ends, Thompson said: “It was a very tough call, as it was with all of our guys. Spencer has played well for us. I think it is more a reflection of the play of the other four fellas that we have. We think they played very, very well and you have to get down to 53. Not an easy call at all.”
• Ex-Lions defensive tackle Landon Cohen was claimed by the Jacksonville Jaguars. I think that speaks to the depth the Lions have created at the position. They were forced to make what qualified as a difficult cut.
• The Lions released receiver Dennis Northcutt, possibly to make room for Havner, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Northcutt had been earmarked as the Lions’ punt returner, meaning Derrick Williams could take over that role in Week 1.
• Ex-Chicago Bears linebacker/special-teams ace Tim Shaw was claimed by the Tennessee Titans. General manager Jerry Angelo said Saturday that Shaw was released because the team thought linebacker Brian Iwuh would give it a better look at linebacker if the Bears needed him to play.
• Ex-Bears quarterback Dan LeFevour was claimed by the Cincinnati Bengals. LeFevour didn’t show much this summer to indicate he will develop into a starting-caliber quarterback, but the Bengals proved how difficult it is to move any young quarterback through waivers.
• As we discussed Saturday, Minnesota Vikings fans need to cut back on the T.J. Houshmandzadeh hysteria. Coach Brad Childress said Sunday that he’s not interested in adding Houshmandzadeh “right now.” If anything, Childress said he would like to add a younger receiver. For now, however, two of his receivers are likely to be his primary returners — Percy Harvin on kickoffs and Bernard Berrian or Greg Camarillo on punt returns.
• *Update: The Lions released linebacker Rocky Boiman to make room for kick returner Stefan Logan, whom they claimed earlier in the day. That must mean they’re awfully confident that middle linebacker DeAndre Levy (groin) will be ready for the Sept. 12 opener against the Chicago Bears.

If the Green Bay Packers are planning any significant player moves before resuming practice this week, it won’t be through the initial waiver process. Packers general manager Ted Thompson said Sunday during a news conference that the team did not put in a claim after NFL teams cut down their rosters to 53 Saturday.



The Packers did have a number of their cuts claimed by other teams, however, and there has been a good level of activity in and around all four NFC North teams Sunday. I’ll keep a running list on this post of the most significant players involved:

• Ex-Packers running back Kregg Lumpkin was claimed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Packers had hoped to bring him back on the practice squad to be their quasi-No. 3 tailback. Last year, the Packers lost tailback Tyrell Sutton to the Carolina Panthers in the same way.
• As we discussed earlier, the Detroit Lions claimed ex-Packers tight end Spencer Havner. Of cutting Havner and keeping four other tight ends, Thompson said: “It was a very tough call, as it was with all of our guys. Spencer has played well for us. I think it is more a reflection of the play of the other four fellas that we have. We think they played very, very well and you have to get down to 53. Not an easy call at all.”
• Ex-Lions defensive tackle Landon Cohen was claimed by the Jacksonville Jaguars. I think that speaks to the depth the Lions have created at the position. They were forced to make what qualified as a difficult cut.
• The Lions released receiver Dennis Northcutt, possibly to make room for Havner, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Northcutt had been earmarked as the Lions’ punt returner, meaning Derrick Williams could take over that role in Week 1.
• Ex-Chicago Bears linebacker/special-teams ace Tim Shaw was claimed by the Tennessee Titans. General manager Jerry Angelo said Saturday that Shaw was released because the team thought linebacker Brian Iwuh would give it a better look at linebacker if the Bears needed him to play.
• Ex-Bears quarterback Dan LeFevour was claimed by the Cincinnati Bengals. LeFevour didn’t show much this summer to indicate he will develop into a starting-caliber quarterback, but the Bengals proved how difficult it is to move any young quarterback through waivers.
• As we discussed Saturday, Minnesota Vikings fans need to cut back on the T.J. Houshmandzadeh hysteria. Coach Brad Childress said Sunday that he’s not interested in adding Houshmandzadeh “right now.” If anything, Childress said he would like to add a younger receiver. For now, however, two of his receivers are likely to be his primary returners — Percy Harvin on kickoffs and Bernard Berrian or Greg Camarillo on punt returns.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. — A few of you have noted I got a little aggressive in Friday evening’s post on the Minnesota Vikings‘ decision to keep Tarvaris Jackson as their No. 2 quarterback and trade Sage Rosenfels to the New York Giants. I don’t take back any of it, but I do think it’s fair to allow coach Brad Childress to close the book on the topic.



Childress addressed the trade in his opening comments of a Sunday news conference and then took a couple questions before shutting down the discussion. In short, he reiterated that Jackson had outperformed Rosenfels in practice and downplayed its significance on the overall bearing of the team; he compared the backup quarterback to “the catcher that plays behind Joe Mauer,” the Minnesota Twins’ reigning MVP.



So here are Childress’ verbatim comments on the issue, for those who want to read his extended explanation. After that, we move on. Promise.



Opening statement:



I think I’ve consistently stated to you guys the development that I’ve seen within Tarvaris and the camp that he had. I think he’s probably positioned himself as I see it with his progress in the system, with his working knowledge, with his athleticism, to give us the best chance to win should Brett [Favre] get hurt.



But once again, I would talk about that in the same light and probably moreso than the catcher that plays behind Joe Mauer. I know Mauer has missed games. I don’t think you’ve seen Favre miss that many. I know it’s always the provocative thing to talk about the second quarterback on the roster, but maybe history has a chance to change. I doubt it. Tarvaris gives us the best chance to win though.



Sage seemed to have more productive preseason than Tarvaris. What did Tarvaris show?



That’s a good question. I think you have to understand that the guy that started with the first group [Jackson] got to play eight snaps in the St. Louis game. The second guy [Rosenfels] got to play, I think he had 36 attempts. Am I right about that? Eight snaps, 36 snaps. The guys that they played with, the guys that he played with. It’s a completely different set of circumstances.



I would hope that if Tarvaris was in there going with the two’s that he would have been able to light it up the same way, to throw it to a guy on the post with nobody covering him. One-on-one is usually your best matchup, but the one where Joe Webb had with Javon [Walker] where the corner fell down, one on zero, that’s better than anything you can ever imagine.



I don’t profess to say that every situation was that situation. It’s apples and oranges. You earn those snaps on the merit of how you practice and what you do on the merit of those practices. It’s not just what it seems like. Those guys are graded every day. We keep track of every snap they take. We take copious notes on catches, drops and completions. He gives us the best chance. Did Sage progress? He absolutely did in a year, to the point where he’s worth a fifth-round draft pick to leave. Again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. …



What’s your confidence level if something were to happen to Brett?



I’m not going to deal in hypotheticals. I’m done with the backup quarterback. I’m done with it. If that’s all you’ve got to write, good Lord. We’re talking about the two highest scoring offenses playing in the league last year. Let’s talk about the game instead of Joe Mauer’s backup.

The Seattle Seahawks slashed nearly $5 million in payroll Sunday by releasing running back Julius Jones and safety Jordan Babineaux.



That should make it easier to eat $7 million in guarantees for recently released receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh.



The bottom line: Seattle’s new leadership is ripping up its roster to a degree that shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. This was not a Super Bowl team coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider inherited.



Jones and Babineaux were each scheduled to earn $2.45 million in salary for 2010, but neither was expected to start. Veterans were going to lose their jobs as the team embraced a youth movement.



Jones should have little trouble finding a job unless scouts think his skills have deteriorated significantly. The St. Louis Rams have needed a backup for Steven Jackson. Jones would fit nicely in that offense because he blocks well and could take over for a few games if an injury sidelined Jackson.



If Seattle kept Jones and Babineaux, I felt it would be because they simply didn’t have adequate replacements lined up. That part of the picture is still coming together. The Seahawks will be adding players deemed expendable by other teams. For that reason, it’s premature to fully evaluate these latest moves, other than to acknowledge that this is a major rebuild job.