The Redskins, who rarely rely on rookies, have 10 draft picks plus the usual collection of rookie free agents on their training camp roster. But none of those players is expected to crack the starting 22-man lineup.

So other than punter Durant Brooks -- if he beats out incumbent Derrick Frost -- Washington's most important rookie is probably its oldest one. That would be John Palermo, the 56-year-old defensive line coach.

Palermo coached in college for 31 years, 16 of them at Wisconsin, where nine of his players earned All-Big 10 honors and four became first-team All-Americans. One of them, new Redskins defensive end Erasmus James, taken 18th overall by Minnesota in the 2005 draft, said that Palermo "pretty much taught me everything I know."

But after five months in the NFL, Palermo wonders why he never really tried to get a job in the NFL prior to the call he received in February from newly-promoted Redskins defensive coordinator Greg Blache.

"Had I known then what I know now, I would've tried to do this 20 years ago because it's football 24-7," Palermo said. "It was such a great thing for me to be able to fall into a situation with guys that are true professionals. They just want to get better. Their work habits have just been awesome. You don't have to worry about who didn't go to class today. At that level, particularly for the guys who only have one parent, you're a parent, a social worker, an academic (adviser), a do-right guy ... and then you're a football coach. Here you're a football coach and you're working with guys who make their living doing this, so it's important for them 24-7."

Palermo didn't figure to be doing anything 24-7 this summer except relaxing. When Barry Alvarez moved up to athletic director at Wisconsin in 2006, Palermo moved on the University of Miami -- after a flirtation with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

When the Hurricanes crashed and the staff was let go, Palermo moved to a 50-acre spread in Tennessee with the intention of retiring. His buddy Watson Brown convinced him to coach in 2007 at nearby Tennessee Tech, but this was going to be the year that Palermo kicked back with his wife, Donna. ... Until Blache called.

"We didn't feel like we could find an A coach that was in the league so we went to the collegiate level and got an A coach," said Blache, whose son had worked under Palermo at Notre Dame in the 1980s. "John's players play with great intensity all the time. You don't see a John Palermo player walk. You don't see a John Palermo player not use his hands properly. He's very technique-conscious. It's very easy as a D-line coach to just have guys rush the passer. That's where the notoriety comes in. But guys who take great pride in their work, they've got crown molding and all the corners are done properly, that's John Palermo's work. It's never just thrown together. He's got a certain standard he sets for himself."

Palermo's new players love Blache, their former position coach, but are as enthusiastic about their new boss as he is about them.

"Coach Palermo will push you," defensive end Demetric Evans said. "And he works hard, too. He's detail-oriented. He has our mistakes ready for us to work on the next morning."

And Blache promised Palermo that he wouldn't be constantly looking over his replacement's shoulder to see that his former players are doing things his way.

"Greg told me to coach 'em the way I know how," Palermo said. "I'm a very good teacher from a fundamental standpoint. I believe that if you're good fundamentally, you're going to be in good position and if you're in good position, you're going to stay healthy. I don't pretend to have all the answers, but I've got some of 'em."

CAMP CALENDAR
The Redskins opened training camp on July 20, the day after the players report. Practices are closed to the public beginning July 28.

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