If the coaching truism “you practice like you play,” holds true, we may have an explanation for the Redskins rollover last night.
“It wasn’t the greatest of weeks,” running back Alfred Morris said, via Mark Maske of the Washington Post. “But you’re gonna have that sometimes. Just because you had a bad week, not that we had a bad week, but sometimes if you have a few bad practices or a few bad [practice] periods doesn’t mean you’re gonna have a bad game. But like I said, today we just didn’t show up for whatever reason. I don’t know what it was.”
Morris said there was no suggestion before the game that the Redskins were going to be so flat, but denied that the constant swirl of attention around them had played a part.
“I don’t know what’s been written or said,” he said. “I don’t read or watch that stuff. So I couldn’t tell you. But we did feel like we had a great chance to come out here and win. Like I said, we just didn’t show up.”
Morris was then asked if the wheels were coming off the 3-8 Redskins, who have played like they were expecting a seven-game win streak to just appear like it did last season after their 3-6 start.
“It’s just a little adversity, just building our character up,” Morris said. “I don’t feel like our wheels are coming off, to use your analogy. But, I mean, every day we’ve just got to show up and just kind of put this behind us and just continue to just work forward and just take it one game at a time, just watch film on this, see what we can get better at and get ready for next week.”
Of course, it’s possible that the Redskins’ character isn’t being built up, but revealed. They’re a flawed football team on both sides of the ball, and the constant tension that revolves around their quarterback doesn’t seem to be doing anything but growing.