3. That LaRon Landry, he's one smart rookie. The first-round pick wisely chose to plead ignorance regarding which of his defensive teammates shot him in the crotch during a mid-June team-bonding paintball outing just before Washington opened a weekend minicamp. Landry met the media Tuesday evening after his first practice as a newly signed Redskin, and just smiled coyly when asked about the paintball episode, which resulted in him being sidelined for almost all of the minicamp.

"It was just a little friendly fire,'' Landry said. "I don't know [who got me].''

Maybe he does, maybe he doesn't. But if the former LSU safety comes flying into a pile-up late during some camp practice and takes out one of his fellow defenders, we'll have our culprit and Landry just might have his revenge.

4. If you squint, you can almost convince yourself that it's Carson Palmer out there, because at 6-5, 233 pounds, Jordan Palmer cuts the same imposing figure as his more famous older brother. But that's where the similarities apparently end, because the early camp read is that the rookie quarterback has looked shaky at best and might face an uphill battle to just find his way onto Washington's practice squad.

The math doesn't look promising at the moment. Washington's QB depth chart is still likely to be Campbell, Brunell and Todd Collins, the veteran who knows Saunders' offense like the back of his hand. And the Redskins also have Casey Bramlet, the former 2004 Bengals seventh-round pick who won the MVP honors for Hamburg in this year's NFL Europa World Bowl.

At a mere 6-1, Brunell must feel like an absolute shrub when he's out at practice with his fellow quarterbacks. Campbell is 6-5, as is Palmer. Collins and Bramlet are 6-4.

5. Much was written and said last year about Gibbs taking a CEO approach to the Redskins coaching job, with him pretty much staying on the periphery during practice while his two associate/assistant head coaches, Saunders and Gregg Williams, ran things on offense and defense, respectively. From the looks of it, last year's 5-11 disappointment didn't prompt Gibbs to re-think things from that standpoint, because he still appears to be somewhat removed from the fray during practice.

I'm told that earlier in this year's camp, Gibbs could actually be seen late during one practice jogging a lap with rookie offensive lineman Stephon Heyer, who was doing penance for a false start he committed. Can't really say I've seen that kind of participation from a head coach in my 18 years of covering the NFL. But the thought of Bill Belichick taking off for a lap during practice does make me smile.

Did You Know?

I'm not really sure how you fact-check such a thing, but the 2007 Redskins could be the first team in recent history to start a secondary comprised entirely of top 10 first-round picks. Landry, the No. 6 overall pick this year, is being worked at strong safety. Sean Taylor, who went No. 5 in 2004, is expected to move to free safety. The cornerback tandem projects to Carlos Rogers (No. 9 in 2005) and Shawn Springs (No. 3 in 1997).

Insider Fantasy Tip

He disappointed you last year, but don't forget about Moss, who saw his statistics nose-dive in 2006 in part due to a balky hamstring. Moss is the clear-cut No. 1 threat in this receiving corps, and I expect Campbell and him to develop more rapport in the quarterback's first full season as a starter. Moss can make things happen and he has proven that he can turn even a short pass into a long gain with his speed and elusiveness. His return to his Pro Bowl form of 2005 (a team-record 1,483 yards, on 84 catches, with nine touchdowns) would again make him one of the most coveted pass-catchers in any fantasy league.

Camp Confidential

I'll have more to say about this next week, but the Redskins, to a man, feel like they're in a pretty low-risk situation with Campbell as their starting quarterback. In talking to Gibbs, Saunders, Moss, Brunell and offensive tackle Jon Jansen, I heard every one of them say that Campbell has done everything in his power to give himself the best possible shot at success as a No. 1. He's dedicated, intelligent, shuns the off-field distractions that can trip up a young player, and his progress in terms of his grasp of the playbook and his mechanics are described as dramatic compared to last year at this time.

But with a young quarterback's development, nothing can substitute for experience, and Campbell only has seven starts under his belt (he was 2-5 to end last season, but with 10 touchdown passes, six picks, and a 76.5 QB rating). So we don't know everything we will know in time. But nobody in Washington believes Campbell can fail on the level of a Heath Shuler, or even prove as average as a Patrick Ramsey. Saunders told me the kid has way too much going for him from both a character and a talent standpoint for a flameout to occur.

"He won't fail, because of the type of young man he is, and the way he works and approaches the game,'' Saunders said. "Great quarterbacks have three things: Great composure. Great courage. And great temperament. He has all those intangibles. He just needs to develop his physical technique and his understanding of the offense, and how that part of the game works. But that will come with experience. I actually feel great to be working in the NFL with a kid like this. They're rare.''