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Washington receiver DeSean Jackson, just before a bye-week break, felt the need to stand up before his teammates and tell them to get unified behind quarterback Robert Griffin III, then later added that wished there could be "a lot more" leadership in the locker room.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Ah,Cheap Jerseys Free Shipping, mid-November, when winning teams talk of screens, blitzes,Cheap NFL Jerseys, standout players and how best to make a run at the playoffs.
Many of these issues will be quieted in one city or the other for at least a week with a win on Sunday.
YOU LOOK FAMILIAR, PART III: McCoy and Redskins left tackle Trent Williams played together at Oklahoma and were drafted back-to-back (Nos. 3 and 4 overall) in 2010. When they played each other in preseason this year, they swapped jerseys.
Griffin and the Redskins fell to the Minnesota Vikings before the bye, and the ensuing two weeks have been spent debating his various intangibles. He's only 24, but the clock is ticking on his chance to prove he can lead to the Redskins to championships.
If it seems a longshot that the Redskins can pull out seven wins in a row to finish the year, Gruden has a goal that sounds just as lofty.
"Realistically,Jerseys NFL Wholesale, some things only winning cures, and that's really how I feel, especially in this league," Washington nose tackle Barry Cofield said. "I feel like if we get some wins, then a lot of the other stuff will dissipate and everyone will be happy."
Williams has framed McCoy's,Cheap Jerseys 2018, and McCoy has similar plans.
Here are some paths and hurdles on the road to happiness as the teams prepare for Sunday's game:
It's just a matter of the whether the Buccaneers (1-8) will break a five-game skid, or whether the Redskins (3-6) will get a ray of sunshine by exceeding their win total from all of last season.
Tampa Bay defensive tackle Gerald McCoy last week said his team has "probably the worst" discipline he's even seen after its 10-penalty performance in a loss to the Atlanta Falcons.
"We challenged our team," the Redskins coach said. "We are going to try to get that (turnover differential) down to even by the time the season is over."
TIME TO PROVE IT, MR. QB: Both Josh McCown and Griffin are playing their second game after returning from lengthy injury layoffs. The 35-year-old McCown was all choked up after last week's loss to the Falcons, realizing that "the clock is ticking" on his career. He defended the show of emotion later in the week, saying: "If you're not disappointed with losses, then something's wrong."
"I am bringing it down to the game so he can sign it," McCoy said, "then I am going to frame his."
"When it comes to being the franchise guy, that is what it is," Griffin said. "I believe that I am,"
YOU LOOK FAMILIAR, PART I: The Redskins are 3-6 for the fourth consecutive year. Two years ago, after coach Mike Shanahan essentially threw in the towel and then quickly changed his mind, they proceeded to win seven straight and make the playoffs. Last year, they lost their last seven and Shanahan got fired.
YOU LOOK FAMILIAR, PART II: Let's face it. These two non-division opponents see each other way too often. Counting preseason, regular season and postseason,Wholesale NFL Jerseys, this is the 19th meeting in 16 years — and it's yet to foment any sort of rivalry because both are usually pretty bad. Their combined regular-season records going into their past six regular season head-to-heads is 35-57.
This year's team, under coach Jay Gruden,Wholesale Jerseys From China, is trying draw from 2012 while overlooking 2013.
And going-nowhere teams such as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Washington Redskins? They find themselves wading through the heavy waters of topics such as discipline, leadership, unity and whether they have the right quarterback.
LOTS OF TURNOVERS: Why are these teams losing? Start with the fact that Tampa Bay has a minus-7 turnover differential, while Washington is at minus-9. The Redskins have intercepted only three passes this season.
"Coach told us it's a longshot to make the playoffs," Washington fullback Darrel Young. "We understand that. We have to have miraculous things happen." |
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