[skinsfan_nn]

Sounds like a good update on our possible starting NT.

Damn what a head on the kid!

Posted at 12:10 PM ET, 05/27/2010
Maake Kemoeatu trying to get down to 345 pounds

Redskins nose tackle Maake Kemoeatu said he is "at 90 percent" in his recovery from a torn right Achillies' tendon, but his biggest concern is getting down to his listed playing weight of about 345 pounds. Kemoeatu said he needs to drop 15 to 20 pounds.

"The faster I can get my weight down, the faster I can recover," Kemoeatu said Wednesday at an organized team activity at Redskins Park, adding: "That's where I was playing at my best at Baltimore, playing at that weight. I've played at 380; playing at 340 is a lot different."

Kemoeatu, who suffered the Achillies' injury in August 2009, has started pushing a sled and said he felt confident about being back to full speed by training camp in July. If he's healthy, he could be a key ingredient in the team's conversion to a 3-4 defense, especially considering Albert Haynesworth's reluctance to play nose tackle.

"He is a prototypical nose tackle," Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan said of Kemoeatu. "He's working extremely hard. I think next week, he'll
get more reps. The key is getting ready for summer camp. And there's
not a question he's full speed, ready to go."

When the Redskins signed Kemoeatu in March, it amounted to a vote of
confidence in the former Charlotte Panther, who missed the 2009 season with the achilles injury. Kemoeatu said he has used that as motivation to work harder.

"That says a lot for the organization having a lot of faith in me," Kemoeatu. "They signed me while I was still injured, so I feel like I've got something to prove."

Kemoeatu is among the biggest bodies on the roster. Shanahan joked that he
definitely has the biggest head, which requires a Size 13 helmet. The
biggest helmet Shanahan previously noticed was 8 ½.

Aside from his recovery, Kemoeatu's standing on the team is intriguing because of the great, unseen presence at Redskins Park this off-season: Haynesworth, who on Wednesday was reportedly sued for $10 million by a New York exotic dancer who claims he impregnated her but is not providing financial support. Haynesworth, who has been absent from minicamps and OTAs, is frustrated about plans to use him as a nose tackle in Washington's 3-4 defense.

Kemoeatu has a much different attitude. He learned to play the position in Baltimore from 2002 to 2005 under Rex Ryan, the former Ravens' defensive coordinator, and
Tony Siragusa, the former nose tackle. Kemoeatu said Wednesday that he was working to earn the starting role with the Redskins.

"They got me to where I'm having fun playing" tthe position, he said. "I don't have to be the guy getting all the sacks all the time and getting all the tackles. As long as our team is winning, and our goal is to go win that Super Bowl."