Ashburn, Va. — The Washington Redskins continued their preparation today for their upcoming contest this Monday night versus the champion Seattle Seahawks. One of the burning questions from Redskins Nation is: “How will the team recover from that awful game against the New York Giants that took place a week ago today?”
One would hope that the answer would be: “With better preparation,” and preparing is what the team appeared to be doing today. Quarterback Kirk Cousins, who had four interceptions and a lost fumble in that game, took to the podium this morning before practice and, of course, he was asked about how to get over a game like that immediately.
“You definitely learn from it,” he told the media. “You get better as a quarterback from it… it toughens you and now we’re focused on Seattle. We’ve got a great opponent coming in here on Monday night [for a] national spotlight game and it’s very important that we play well and find a way to win.”
These are words everyone wants to hear and what everyone hopes will come to fruition. The young man does have quite a big challenge in front of him in trying to forget about things that happened last week but still remember enough about it that he can move forward. It’s a slippery slope to navigate because he needs to learn from his mistakes but not dwell on them. Cousins knows what he needs to do. It’s just a matter of doing it.
“[Hesitating on throws, etc. is] a natural response to having a game like I had last week,” he said today, “[with] a young quarterback especially. Human nature would say, ‘you’re going to be a little more careful’ but, I think if you do that, I think you get into more trouble than you help yourself. So I think it’s important, in talking to the coaches and watching the film from the game, to just go back and trust my reads, trust my instincts and play the game. And if I start to let previous performances affect the next game in a negative way, I’m not going to be in this league very long. So, every play is its own entity, every game is its own entity… I’ve learned that from coach Gruden and I think it’s important that, no matter what’s happened in the past, I keep playing the game the best way I know how and let the chips fall where they may.”
The defense is a huge concern in this upcoming game. The unit was so bland, so ineffective and so unchanging against the Giants that one wonders if defensive coordinator Jim Haslett did any game-planning at all. He certainly did not appear to make the right adjustments at half-time when the score was 24-7 and Washington still had a slight (albeit barely and only then mathematically) chance in the game.
One idea that sometimes gets tossed about is the thought that, given the difference in the standings and positions of the two teams playing this Monday night, it’s possible that this could be a trap game for the Seahawks. But Redskins’ safety Ryan Clark said today that they were likely licking their chops thinking about coming to FedEx and playing Washington.
Seattle’s quarterback Russell Wilson, while not Peyton Manning (QB, Denver Broncos) or Aaron Rodgers (QB, Green Bay Packers), can manage a game and he makes plays. The third year man currently ranks second in the NFC in passing at 108.9 (Rodgers is first at 109.1). He is definitely a threat in more than just the passing game though, having already rushed for 87 yards in their three games (Seattle is just coming off of their bye week). His rushing average is pretty good: 4.8 yards per carry. Every phase of the Redskins defense is going to have to be on the money Monday night.
That’s why it was good to see a lot of high energy, and even some trash talking, today on the practice field.
This break has done some good for the team’s health as well. There were only three guys not working drills in pads with their teammates today and that was defensive lineman Stephen Bowen, wide out Leonard Hankerson and, of course, quarterback Robert Griffin, III. Everyone else was on the practice field, whether in a limited capacity or practicing fully*.
After the game last week, there’s a real concern about veteran cornerback DeAngelo Hall’s absence from the field. While Gruden maintains that second-year defensive back David Amerson has real talent and will be considered ‘elite’ some day, rookie Bashaud Breeland is just that… a rookie. He has talent, to be sure. But as Giants’ quarterback Eli Manning did on Thursday, teams will attack the young man’s zones and coverage because he is so green.
Also, with cornerback Tracy Porter possibly not in the best health right now and fellow defensive back E.J. Biggers currently only good enough to be on the second string; and safety Brandon Meriweather not having his best season… it’s easy to see why there’s a concern that Monday night could be the type of whupping Redskins fans have seen before on national TV. After all, the Seahawks didn’t win the Super Bowl last year because they were a bad team.
Redskins’ safety Ryan Clark, while 35 years old, has held his own over the past four games, starting all of them. He’s logged one pass defended, assistance in a sack and 13 tackles. While he’s not necessarily making NFL Network highlights, he’s doing what General Manager Bruce Allen and Gruden brought him here to do… being a presence on the field and a presence in the locker room for Washington’s young defensive backfield. He is consistently around the ball on game day and the younger guys respect his leadership. His presence is valuable to this team.
“Last week was a learning experience for everybody,” he said to reporters today during the open locker-room session. “We have to understand that smart teams are going to attack new guys no matter if the guy’s really good or if they don’t think he’s good. You have to prove it. That’s what this game’s about, that’s what this league’s about. We have confidence in both [Amerson and Breeland]. They’ve made plays. Even Breeland, being young, has made plays in this early season [but] we can’t go out and protect him. This is a place you can’t hide. Know what I mean? You can scheme all you want but eventually, they’re going to have to man-up and stand up and make plays. We have every confidence in those guys that they can.
“I think Coach Ra[heem Morris] really challenged us as a secondary on Tuesday when we had the meeting,” Clark went on. “He’s always an upbeat, positive guy but he’s honest. He put the film on and he showed us where we could be better. He showed us where we were slacking, where we were lacking. So hopefully as a group we take those things personally about getting better. I feel like Bree[land] and I also feel like Am[erson] will have really good games this week because I think the matchups are really good for us. So hopefully we can go out there and they play well on the outside which allows the inside guys to put more pressure on them.”
This period before the game on Monday night is as much mentally needed as it is physically for the Redskins. They have a lot of work to do to get over the debacle that was last Thursday night and they are in the process of recovery right now. It will involve the entire team… players, coaches… all of them. This is when that short memory is going to be important.
The team recently brought in some guys to help out on special teams and defense — cornerback Richard Crawford and safety Jamarca Sanford — and Breeland is getting time to prepare and take reps with the first team. Cousins is getting time to take stock and settle down.
Who knows? Maybe Seattle is convinced this is going to be an easy win, maybe not. Maybe the Redskins will surprise them. If the offense can score enough points and the defense can rattle Wilson even just a little, it’s actually possible Washington could come away with a victory. This is the NFL afterall and, as Trent Williams said Monday, the Seahawks players aren’t robots.
We shall see.
Hail.
* * * * * * *
*Injury report from today, 10-2-2014:
Did Not Practice: QB Griffin (ankle), CB Tracy Porter (hamstring), S Trenton Robinson (ankle).
Limited: DE Kedric Golston (Groin), LB Akeem Jordan (Knee), G Shawn Lauvao (knee), TE Niles Paul (Concussion), TE Jordan Reed (hamstring), T Trent Williams (knee).
Practiced Fully: DL Chris Baker (shoulder), DE Jason Hatcher (hamstring), WR DeSean Jackson (shoulder), DE Jarvis Jenkins (rib), LB Brian Orakpo (finger)