Albright in Redskins future after botched snap in his first game gone?

Maybe it's time to bring former UNC player Ethan Albright, a long snapper, back into the fold in Washington.

A botched snap from Albright's replacement Nick Sundberg almost cost the Redskins the game against the Cowboys. A chip-shot field goal in the third quarter never got off the ground because Sundberg snapped high and hard to the holder who couldn't handle it. Even if he had handled it, the likelihood of the field goal being blocked was great.

The field goal would have made the final score 16-7 and the holding call on the last play of the game would have been a mute point.

Albright, 39, handled long snapper duties for more than a decade. If the new Redskins coaches really wanted to go young, why did they bring in Donovan McNabb, Larry Johnson and Vonnie Holliday, among other older veterans? You normally build for the future with guys who play almost every down, not long snappers.

If Coach Mike Shanahan thinks the Redskins have a chance at making the playoffs, you'd think he would have stuck with Albright's experience. As one sports journalist wrote, "(Long snapper) has not been an area of concern for the Redskins for years, with Ethan Albright handling the duties perfectly for almost a decade."

Perfect for a decade and now a botched field goal on his first game gone. It appears than Albright has not hooked up with another team. Bring Albright back.

PANTHERS
The Panthers brought back kicker Rhys Lloyd after Todd Carter, his replacement, had back spasms after a kickoff Sunday.

Lloyd is used as a kickoff specialist and had previously done well for the Panthers but they decided before the year to go with the younger and cheaper Carter. The Panthers reached an injury settlement with Carter.

O'Brien's complaints are ill-timed with Thursday game ahead

N.C. State coach Tom O'Brien missed the mark this week with his complaints about Thursday night's game with Cincinnati in Raleigh.

O'Brien, speaking to the Wolfpack radio network after Saturday's victory at Central Florida, said the ACC made N.C. State "a sacrificial lamb" by scheduling a Thursday game following a Saturday contest.

Whether O'Brien is right or not isn't the point. The bottom line is, the game was scheduled months ago, and O'Brien and his staff have had plenty of time to prepare. Complaining on the radio - and sending a negative message to your team - is no way to spin the situation.

This is the type of situation where Duke's Mike Krzyzewski is superb. Krzyzewski takes a situation, even a negative one, and finds a way to use it to his advantage. In this case, for example, O'Brien could have praised the toughness of his team, applauded the depth he has seen develop, and said this was a great opportunity for the Pack to showcase its talents. He could have said the Wolfpack program and fans are ready for national recognition and, despite the short turnaround, will be ready for opportunity.
But he didn't. And even though he didn't expound on his postgame comments when meeting with the media Monday, he essentially framed the game in a negative light.

O'Brien knows better. He's a smart guy and savvy coach. There's no ACC conspiracy to hold down the Wolfpack. Sure, State has a tough turnaround, but it is part of the sport when television dollars rule. The Wolfpack should embrace the opportunity, rather than whine about it.

UNC clears Draughn to play against Georgia Tech

The University of North Carolina keeps saying every case is an individual one, and at least one more case has been resolved. On Monday, the school announced that senior tailback Shaun Draughn has been cleared to play and will be in the lineup against Georgia Tech Saturday in Kenan Stadium.

Draughn was one of 13 players held out of the LSU game as the school worked to determine his eligibility.

Carolina started Johnny White at tailback against LSU, but White fumbled early in the game and the Heels appeared to lose confidence in him. Anthony Elzy, a converted fullback, got the bulk of the carries.

Draughn, 6 feet and 210 pounds, rushed for 567 yards and a score last year before suffering a shoulder injury against Duke.

N.C. State one of the ACC's few bright spots

N.C. State is suddenly one of the few positive stories in an ACC football season that has been derailed after only two weeks.

Virginia Tech, the preseason pick to win the league,has been humiliated, with defeats to Boise State and now James Madison. Miami, Florida State and Georgia Tech all suffered deflating losses. And North Carolina is under a double investigation that has the feel of Ken Starr investigating the Clintons - it just goes on and on and on. Even Duke, which has high hopes under David Cutcliffe, couldn't hold Wake Forest under 50 points and 500 yards in yet another exasperating loss to the Deacons.

The league will have only one team - Miami - in the rankings when they come out Monday, a pretty humbling turn of events for a conference that yearns for recognition in football. It seems like the net of expansion has not been that other teams rise to the level of the incoming powers, but the new teams instead stumble back to the ACC pack.

The ACC should have at least four programs in the national picture on a regular basis - Florida State, Miami, Clemson and Virginia Tech - and North Carolina, N.C. State and Georgia Tech have the resources and traditions to make regular appearances in the Top 25 as well.

Some ACC team could well get on a roll and go on to a decent year, but any thought of a team contending for a national title is out of the question. The ACC is far from fielding a team of that caliber, as Alabama will show on Saturday in Durham.

So that leaves N.C. State at 2-0 with Cincinnati coming to Raleigh Thursday for an ESPN contest. Wolfpack coach Tom O'Brien is already complaining about the fast turnaround, but that's often the price of national exposure. A win Thursday puts State on target for a winning season, a great reward for Wolfpack fans who have hung in there with the program.

Vermiglio, Sweezy, Kuhn return for Pack

Clifton Barnes’ analysis of the N.C. State win at Central Florida is below, and some quick observations in addition to that.

Wolfpack coach Tom O’Brien effectively reinstated the three players who were suspended from the opening game, with Jake Vermiglio starting at left tackle, J.R. Sweezy starting at defensive tackle and Markus Kuhn playing as a reserve defensive tackle. O’Brien had refused to say on Wednesday if the players would participate.

Rob Crisp, the mammoth freshman from Athens Drive High, played as a backup offensive lineman. O’Brien has said Crisp will remain at left tackle with Vermiglio. …

You have to be impressed by the Pack’s running game against a respectable defense. Starter Dean Haynes and true freshman Mustafa Greene both performed well. … On defense, it’s interesting to note that Nate Irving had only three tackles (one unassisted and two assisted). Irving did not have a tackle last week and is adjusting to a new position, middle linebacker. Outside linebacker Audie Cole had 12 tackles and the other outside backer, Terrell Manning, had four.