Washington Redskins open preseason tonight against the Titans

RICHMOND — Washington Redskins defensive end Stephen Bowen remembers his first preseason game in 2006.

“I was so nervous,” he said. “We were in Seattle, and I almost peed my pants. I couldn’t believe that I was in an NFL stadium.”

Times have changed for the Hofstra grad, and tonight’s preseason game in Tennessee is just another opportunity to shake off the rust and get ready for the regular season.

For the rookies, it’s the first opportunity to impress coaches in a game scenario, and one they don’t take lightly.

“It was kind of a blur,” linebacker Brian Orakpo said of his debut in 2009. “My advice to them is to treat it like a regular-season game. Don’t go in with expectations where it doesn’t count or anything like that. It’s very important for coaches to evaluate how these guys are going to play.”

Tonight’s game also will give players a breather after 11 days of practices, most of them two-a-days.

Wednesday and Friday are travel days, and while position and film meetings are held, there will be minimal on-field work.

“It’s fun to get on a plane and get out of here,” defensive end Phillip Merling said on Monday afternoon in Richmond. “We get to be in a new city, unwind a little bit, and hopefully have a good game.”

Coach Mike Shanahan will take a similarly laid back attitude toward the game planning. There won’t be a specific playbook. Instead, the Redskins will focus on general concepts.

Shanahan said he will use his starters for about 10 to 15 plays, depending on how the first drive goes.

He’s classifying quarterback Kirk Cousins as a starter for planning purposes. Cousins will get the first-team snaps as Robert Griffin III watches from the sideline.

The same goes for the team’s injured players, who will be treated with caution this early in the preseason.

Safety Brandon Meriweather, like Griffin, is recovering from an ACL tear and won’t play. Cornerback DeAngelo Hall also will sit out the game as he recovers from various training camp ailments.

Their absences mean that three rookies will start tonight in the secondary: safeties Bacarri Rambo and Phillip Thomas and cornerback David Amerson.

Watching the rookies against Titans quarterback Jake Locker should be one of the most intriguing matchups of the night. Locker is trying to prove himself as the starting quarterback in Tennessee, where he struggled last year.

The Titans also will debut a new offensive line.

For the players, it’s an opportunity to finally get after somebody who’s not on the same team.

“I’m tired of hitting Trent [Williams] and Kory [Lichtensteiger],” Bowen said. “It’s getting boring. We get to take our aggression out [today], so that’s good.”

What’s good for the players also is good for fans as the NFL season gets one milestone closer to the regular season.

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