Shawn Springs knew where he had to be last week. And he knew where he had to be Sunday. The Redskins were happy to see him when he returned Saturday; they were happier after watching him play Sunday.
Springs spent last week with his father, Ron, who remains in a coma in a Dallas hospital. He returned to Ashburn Friday, not knowing if he would even play. Springs wound up playing the majority of the game after corner Fred Smoot exited with a second-quarter hamstring injury.
“I know how my dad is,” said Springs, who will probably stay in the area this week. “He always said, ‘Don’t worry about me, just go out and focus on football.’ Today wasn’t too bad; last week versus Green Bay was worse because that’s when I initially found out about my father’s situation.”
Springs twice made pivotal tackles on swing passes near the goal line.
“He made some really key plays,” assistant head coach/defense Gregg Williams said. “That shows you how important a veteran is because there were things I couldn’t get him up to speed on but he’s seen before and was able to react. … This means a lot to his family and to him.”
