Veterans say they are optimistic they can turn it around
The Redskins spurned the customary day off following their Week 1 victory because they were anxious to get back to work.
With the foundation of their season now crumbling under the weight of three consecutive losses, the obligatory Monday start to Week 9 felt more like another mundane day on the job. But the Redskins remain convinced that the same things they saw in themselves at 1-0 still apply at 3-4.
“We have the right character in this locker room to get it done,” linebacker London Fletcher said.
| Notes |
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| Coach Mike Shanahan said there’s a chance left tackle Trent Williams will be able to play Sunday vs. San Francisco. Williams missed the last two games after suffering a high ankle sprain Oct. 16 vs. Philadelphia. “He’s improved, so there’s a chance he’ll be ready this week,” Shanahan said. Shanahan said he would consider moving Will Montgomery back to center but that depended on Williams’ health and how much shuffling that would cause along the line. Shanahan also said he was “pretty comfortable with the play-calling. I’m heavily involved with the offense.” |
| » Shanahan blamed Graham Gano‘s low kick for the blocked field goal Sunday and not the blocking in the interior of the line. “The kick was a little bit lower than normal,” Shanahan said. |
| » The Redskins claimed running back Tashard Choice off waivers Monday and cut rookie cornerback Brandyn Thompson, whom they’ll likely re-sign to the practice squad. Choice, who was waived Saturday, had a shoulder injury earlier this season and hurt his hamstring last week. He’s in the final year of his original four-year rookie contract. |
A day after Washington’s 23-0 shutout defeat to the Bills, Fletcher showed no signs of the fire he displayed during a sideline argument with safety LaRon Landry and cornerback DeAngelo Hall. The defensive captain had moved forward and was unafraid to watch the tape, critically evaluating the performance in Toronto. But summoning that emotion is part of any recipe for a turnaround.
“I think those things happen in games because guys are passionate and want to win,” Lorenzo Alexander said of the dust-up. “We’ll be just fine. We have to stay together and work hard. I don’t think anyone will be pointing fingers, but we will be calling guys to be accountable.
“Guys still love each other whether we win or lose. It’s just easier to love somebody when you’re winning.”
Landry, Hall, Alexander and Fletcher have been down this rut — er, road — before. In 2008, a 6-2 start was followed by a 2-6 finish. Just last year, Washington went 2-7 down the stretch after opening the year 4-3. Hall’s advice: Don’t let the backward momentum take hold.
“If [coach Mike Shanahan] sees the first sign of someone folding, whether on the practice field or in a game, I’m sure the mentality he has he’ll be out of here quick,” he said. “… If anything, we’ll demand a little more out of everybody. You either get with us, or you get out of the way.”
But the Redskins’ hurdles are real, with the first shutout of Shanahan’s coaching career exposing an injury-ravaged offense and quarterback John Beck.
“We believe in this offense,” running back Ryan Torain said. “We believe in [offensive coordinator] Kyle [Shanahan]. We love Kyle out here working with us, and we’re in this together. We’ve just got to keep fighting, keep pressing.”
Nose tackle Barry Cofield, who was a part of a Giants team with its back to the wall early in 2007 before New York rallied for a Super Bowl title, said he expects San Francisco, Washington’s next opponent, to love what it sees on film.
“We’ll see what kind of character we’ve got in this locker room,” Cofield said. “That’s what Coach Shanahan preached, and that’s what everyone around here was preaching, that that was what was different about this team. … It was ugly yesterday. There’s no hiding that. People will be looking to write us off, and hopefully we can thrive off that.”
Shanahan said the Redskins’ three-game losing streak — this is the 12th straight season in which they’ve had one — will test the players.
“You find out what type of character you have by [the] work ethic the players have, how they come back,” Shanahan said. “Hopefully we’ll put a full game together.”
