Washington Redskins: Patchwork team playing well

The Washington Redskins won what could be considered their most important game of the season yesterday when they defeated the New York Giants, a victory that propelled them to first place in the NFC East. The win pushed their record to 5-6, a record that many people, including myself, didn’t believe they would reach prior to the start of the season. But, much to my surprise, they’ve managed to do so, and they’re doing so without a number of their key players being healthy or active.

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The team has already won as many games as they did last season, and they’re doing it without Niles Paul, Junior Galette, Shawn Lauvao, Kory Lichtensteiger, Logan Paulsen, and, most recently, Chris Culliver. Paul and Paulsen were scheduled to lighten the load for Jodan Reed at tight end; Paul in the receiving portion, and Paulsen in the blocking game. Lauvao and Lichtensteiger were slotted as starters on the offensive line until they were injured. Culliver and Galette were the team’s big offseason acquisitions on the defensive side of the ball.

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The players mentioned above represent only six out of the ten players on the team’s injured reserve list. On top of the players on IR, the team has been battling a slew of injuries on a weekly basis all season long. The amount of injury that the Redskins have managed to fend off is impressive, especially when you look at the positional changes that many of the players have been forced to make to keep the ship afloat.

DeAngelo Hall continues to see more and more time at safety, Quinton Dunbar entered the league as a wideout but made the transition to corner for additional depth, and Kyshoen Jarrett has served primarily as a cornerback (he was drafted as a safety). Hall, Dunbar, and Jarrett have done well in their transitions, but only represent the changes seen in the secondary.

The Washington Redskins have also moved players around on the offensive line, again, mostly because of injuries and depth purposes. 2015 first-round draft pick Brandon Scherff was bounced from tackle to guard, with 2014 draft selection Morgan Moses assuming the duties at right tackle. Scherff’s move inside, according to a piece by Real Redskins’ Rich Tandler, was because of the growth that Moses has shown, but I can’t help but think the lack of depth across the line played a role in the move.

An injury to starter Kory Lichtensteiger forced the Redskins to try Josh LeRibeus at center – he’s usually a guard. LeRibeus has struggled at times, but he has made strides from week to week. The injuries and changes across the line don’t stop there, though. With Lauvao exiting the lineup, second-year lineman Spencer Long has taken up the role of starting left guard. Like LeRibeus, he has had his fair share of growing pains, but, overall, has filled in nicely.

The amount of change that the offensive line, defensive backfield and roster as a whole has faced represents what this unti is all about: teamwork.

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The Redskins’ roster isn’t filled with superstar players, but with a group of guys all working towards the same goal. General Manager Scot McCloughan has established a team first mentality, and it’s evident. In the past, Washington may have folded under such circumstances, but, with McCloughan at the helm, the Redskins seem to have bought into the idea of working together.

They may not be the biggest, strongest, or most well-known team, but they have heart, grit, and determination. And sometimes having that sort of thought process and belief is better than having a bunch of superstars.

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