For Fred Davis and Trent Williams, saying they’ve changed is no longer enough.
The two Redskins standouts, who were each suspended the last four games of last season for failing drug tests, are trying to put past issues behind them.
“That’s the way it is,” Davis said of the doubters, via Jason Reid of the Washington Post. “You just got to prove [it has changed] when you . . . make good decisions.”
“We made our mistakes,” Williams said. “That’s in the past.”
If that is truly the case, the tight end and left tackle give the Redskins and rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III a chance to ease into things.
But that depends largely on their presence, putting more responsibility on players who have to date not shown themselves capable of handling it.
“Nobody’s out here following them and checking up on them,” cornerback DeAngelo Hall, himself a paragon of responsibility, said. “We believe them.”
“I’m not making any guarantees, but I’ve think they’ve both grown up a lot,” said the more trusted linebacker London Fletcher. “Some guys, for whatever reason, it takes them a little while to mature. I think they have now. And I think they’re going to do it the right way, not only for their teammates but for themselves.”
Davis’ suspension likely cost him a shot at a lucrative long-term deal, as the Redskins were content to squat on him with the franchise tag, pay him $5.5 million and see what happens. And if Williams fails to keep himself on the field, Griffin will be without a new friend and a protector, and the Redskins chances could quickly go up in smoke.