Longer schedule divides Redskins

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By Ryan O'Halloran

It's not something Andre Carter wanted to hear, even if the NFL's decision to add a 17th and possibly 18th regular-season game is at least a year or two away.

"Man, why did you have to tell me that?" the defensive end said after a Washington Redskins workout earlier this week.

Carter said he hopes the current format of four preseason games and 16 regular-season contests remains intact, but commissioner Roger Goodell has heard the pleas of fans who don't want to pay for watered-down preseason games.

"I'm honestly not looking forward to that," Carter said. "As you get older, you say, 'I'll take the four preseason games.' I know there are risks in the preseason, but 16 games are a grind, and you're already beat up as it is without those additional games."

Carter, 30, said the rebound time after each game gets longer starting in early December.

"You run out of gas toward the 12th or 13th game, and that recovery time gets longer as you get older," he said. "With rest and prayer, you fight through it."

Redskins center Casey Rabach said players will "find a way" to play the extra game or games.

"Am I opposed to it? Definitely not," he said. "It will bring more revenue to the league, and more revenue for the teams means more for the players."

Rabach said the 53-man roster would have to be expanded by at least two to three players and the biggest impact would be on the coaching staff in the preseason. Instead of four games, they will have only two or three games to decide on the back end of the roster.

"They're going to have to rework some things," he said. "I'm sure there will be intrasquad scrimmages or traveling to scrimmage different teams."