Redskins locker room has business-like feel
ASHBURN – Some players flip through their notebooks one last time. Others slip their headphones on, listen to music and steal a few minutes of sanity. Others pull out their Bible, finding an appropriate verse.
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And still others do none of the above. They just do what other people do every day: prepare for a day at work.
In the locker room before a game, it can be calm, low-key and business-like. There’s no music blaring; no players shouting; no rah-rah speeches.
“It’s real calm,” Redskins end Andre Carter said.
“Everyone has their own personalities on game day,” Redskins safety Reed Doughty said. “Some like to talk; some get hyped up; some stay calm, cool and collected. There’s a mixture.”
Doughty sits at his locker and reads the Gameday program for a few minutes or goes over his notes. Sometimes he’ll talk with the other defensive backs about a particular strategy. There’s no official position meetings that take place. And players typically don’t wander from their areas; coaches tell them to keep to themselves.
“Some of the DBs are a little lighter, like [Fred] Smoot and DeAngelo [Hall],” Doughty said. “They’re focused, but that’s how they focus. You can’t be high-strung as a corner. They listen to music and joke around. But closer to game time it gets serious.”
Carter, after listening to any sort of music from rock to gospel, reads his Bible, trying to find verses that pertain to the game. He likes reading the Book of Psalms.
“When I was younger and we played the Cowboys and they had Flozell Adams and all those [big] boys, I read David and Goliath,” said the 253-pound Carter. “Those were some big boys.”
Receiver Santana Moss gets his ankles taped, listens to music and sometimes sings a little to himself. His only strict routine comes on the bus ride to the game, when he listens to OutKast’s ATLiens album, as he’s done since high school.
“That’s one I have to play because it’s a rap CD, but it’s also mellow,” he said. “It gets you up and smooths you out. It’s a double effect.
“I’m more excited when I first wake up. Once you get there it’s like, you’re ready to play.”
