EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The self-examination began immediately after the game. It had little to do with the loss. The Redskins have reached the big-picture stage. And like the 24-point defeat they had just endured, it’s not a pretty sight.
The Redskins’ 31-7 loss to the New York Giants left their season on life support. It also leads to questions about their progress and their future.
First, the present: Washington (5-7) turned the ball over six times — with quarterback Donovan McNabb throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble. New York (8-4) also blocked a punt. Those mistakes cost Washington 17 points.
And that led to a harsh reality in the locker room, where expectations were higher considering the new coach (Mike Shanahan) and quarterback (McNabb).
“You can bring in Parcells, Belichick, hell you can bring in Hank Stram,” Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall said. “It ain’t going to change. [Shanahan] can only work with what he’s got. Eventually we’ll get the kind of guys in here that will help us win a lot of games.”
And this:
“Same old story week in and week out,” Redskins linebacker London Fletcher said. “We’re just not a sound fundamental football team. Poor tackling, probably the worst tackling team I’ve been around, don’t do the fundamental things well — don’t catch footballs, don’t hold on to the ball, don’t tackle well.”
The Redskins have lost four of their last five games, and even with a four-game winning streak to close the season, the playoffs would be an absolute long shot.
That’s never what players like to discuss.
“These last four games are pride games,” Redskins center Casey Rabach said. “This is when that will and want-to [is] tested. From where we were at last year to where we’re at this year, I thought we’d take a huge step. We’re getting there. We’re not there yet.”
No, they’re not.
“I’m tired of it. I know a lot of people are tired of it,” Redskins second-year linebacker Brian Orakpo said. “For us to keep going out and getting our [butts] whooped is not a good thing.”
They have built-in excuses. Their starting running back — and his backup — are out. Two defensive starters were missing because of injuries. There’s just one problem: New York played without three starting offensive linemen and its top two receivers. Yet the Giants gained 358 yards and scored 21 first-half points.
“I thought we’d be further ahead at this point in the season,” Redskins tight end Chris Cooley said. “I was excited about the prospect of what we were going to do early on. It seems like we’ve diminished over the past few weeks. Everyone has adversity, and everyone has stuff going on in their organization. Teams that win fight through adversity.”
The Redskins did it for a game, winning in Tennessee last month. Now they’re just about reduced to auditioning for next season. Which is what they did the last two seasons as well.
“I really felt like we had something different this year,” Redskins safety Reed Doughty said. “I really did. It’s frustrating to see the way the season has gone.”.
