— “What I always say to the players is this, ‘Every week when you go out there, if you don’t bring your best game and you’re not ready to play, then a blowout loss can happen to you.’ I think now the question is, what are we going to do about it? I’ve been looking forward to the Jets, and when you look at them and how they played Baltimore and Philly, you see that every team up here is capable of winning. So you have to go out there every week and go after it as hard as you can. If you don’t, then there’s a good chance that you’re going to get beat, and you could have a game like we had against the Patriots. So that’s probably the lesson in it.” …Coach Joe Gibbs commenting on getting the team focused on the Jets
— “I know I’m not going to stay down. It don’t matter if our other three linemen get hurt. For myself personally, I’ll find a way to get over 1,000 yards. I’ll find a way to do whatever it takes for me to help this team.” … Running Back Clinton Portis comments on his production going forward
— The Washington Redskins promoted practice squad cornerback John Eubanks to the active roster to take the roster spot of Carlos Rogers. Rogers was placed on injured reserve Tuesday and will miss the rest of the season after tearing the ACL and MCL in his right knee against New England. Corner back Fred Smoot, who has missed three games with an ailing hamstring, will return against the Jets, filling the starting spot opposite Shawn Springs. Veteran David Macklin is the only other cornerback with starting experience, but he has been inactive in five of the team’s eight games. Leigh Torrence, who has never started and only played in 17 games, is the other cornerback on the roster.
— The Redskins are trying to figure out why they have had so many issues with hamstring and groin injuries this year. The team brought in a specialist to talk with the players about the risks, and had them all take flexibility test. Gibbs said he may be “overworking his players”, and practice has been decreased in recent weeks.
— Twelve former Redskins and six other players, coaches or officials who spent part of their career in Washington are among the 124 preliminary nominees for election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2008. They are: quarterbacks Joe Theismann and Doug Williams; offensive linemen Russ Grimm, Joe Jacoby, Jim Lachey and Mark May; linebackers Wilber Marshall and Ken Harvey; wide receivers Gary Clark and Henry Ellard will join Art Monk (who should have entered the Hall years ago). Nominees with past ties to the Redskins include: Frank “Bucko” Kilroy (scout from 1962-64); Eric Metcalf (kick returner in 2002); Andre Reed (wide receiver in 2000); Reggie Roby (punter from 1993-94); Clark Shaughnessy (coach from 1944-47); Emmitt Thomas (assistant coach from 1986-94); and Ernie Zampese (assistant coach 2004). Twenty-five candidates will be chosen to advance as semi-finalists for induction. This list will be reduced to 15 by mail ballot, and the actual voting will be conducted at the Hall of Fame Selection Committee’s annual meeting the day before the Super Bowl.
— Santana Moss and Laveranues Coles were traded for each other in March 2005. Since then, Coles has recorded 206 catches for 2,416 yards and 17 touchdowns in 40 games for the Jets, and Moss has managed 159 catches for 2,521 yards and 15 touchdowns in four less games. Coles caught 172 passes and seven touchdowns in two seasons as a Redskin (2003-04); Moss set a franchise record with 1,483 receiving yards his first year here.
By the Numbers:
— 10. RB Rock Cartwright has 555 yards on nineteen kickoff returns and is ranked tenth in the NFL in average yards per return with a 29.2 average.
— 9. The Redskins’ defense dropped nine spots in Passing Defense after the Patriots game, going from being ranked 8th (196.2 ypg) to 17th, giving up 215.9 ypg.
— 8. The Redskins and Jets have met eight times. Washington leads the series seven games to one; the Jets only win came in week fifteen of the 1993 season. The final score was 3-0.
— 7. The Redskins have seven inter-conference games left on the 2007 schedule. Two years ago, the Giants blew out the Joe Gibbs coached Redskins 36-0 to give the Hall of Fame coach his worst regular season defeat on record, until last week’s trip to Foxboro. That loss came the same week as this past weekend’s and also dropped the Redskins to 4-3 going into week nine of the 2005 season. The Redskins moved on to make the Divisional Playoff, by beating six of the seven conference opponents remaining on the schedule.
— 6. The Redskins are one of the few teams in the NFL with six wide receivers on the active roster; the Redskins are the only team in the NFL that doesn’t have a touchdown catch by any of its receivers.
— 5. RB Clinton Portis has five touchdowns this season, but his 3.8 yards per carry average is below his career average by almost a full yard.
— 4. MLB London Fletcher ranks fourth in the NFL in Tackles with 67 Total (48 solo/19 assists). The closest Redskin to Fletcher is outside linebacker Rocky McIntosh at eighteenth with 56 (44 solo/12 assists).
— 3. The Redskins have lost three games this season; they have lost to the New York Giants, the Green Bay Packers, and the New England Patriots. Those three teams have a combined total of three loses.
— 2. After fumbling the ball at least three times in four of their last five games, the Redskins have moved into second place in the NFL rankings for putting the ball on the ground, with a total of 18. Seven have been lost in the last five games.
— 1. The Patriots beat our Washington Redskins last Sunday 52-7, and there were questions about the score being run up. It really doesn’t matter after the final whistle blows; it’s still only one game.
Moving on:
The Redskins travel to New Jersey this weekend to take on the struggling New York Jets (1-7) who are off to their worst start since 1996. The game will be played at Giants Stadium (Meadowlands in East Rutherford); kickoff is scheduled for 1 pm EST. For those not in the area you can follow the game online. With 3:32 left to play against the Buffalo Bills, and the Bills leading 13-3, Jets’ coach Eric Mangini turned over his offense to second-year quarterback Kellen Clemens. The Jets lost the game without any more points being scored, and Mangini made the switch permanent on Monday. The Jets’ new offensive leader is 29-for-59 for 362 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions (in three relief appearances this season); the 24-year-old Clemens has a 46.0 quarterback rating. The Jets’ defense is lead by rookie cornerback Darrelle Revis (54 Tackles, 45 Solo/9 Assists; 1 Forced Fumble, and 1 interception). The New York Jets are tied with the Eagles at seventeenth in points scored with 139 points, and the defense is ranked twenty-eighth in points allowed, giving up 205 points.
New York Jets Injury Update:
The Jets could be playing without three of their four main captains on Sunday. Jonathan Vilma is on the IR, Chad Pennington will be on the bench, and the Jets revealed that Laveranues Coles suffered a concussion on Sunday while making his only reception of the game. Coles was driven into the ground by Bills’ corner Terrence McGee, appearing to have been knocked out; he hasn’t practiced this week.
Complete Tale of the Tapes:
Total Offense: Washington is ranked 28th with 293.0 yards per game and New York ranks 30th with 284.2 ypg.
Rushing Offense: Washington is ranked 18th with 105.0 yards per game and New York ranks 24th with 90.9 ypg.
Passing Offense: Washington is ranked 25th with 188.0 yards per game and New York ranks 24th with 193.3 ypg.
Total Defense: Washington is ranked 12th giving up 306.7 yards per game and New York ranks 29th with 313.9 ypg.
Rushing Defense: Washington is ranked 9th giving up 90.9 yards per game and New York ranks 27th with 134.2 ypg.
Passing Defense: Washington is ranked 17th giving up 215.9 yards per game and New York ranks 26th with 239.6 ypg.
Injury Report:
T Stephon Heyer (strained hamstring) is listed as Probable.
Heyer has practiced fully this week, and he is feeling much better and believes he can play Sunday.
OL Mike Pucillo (back) is listed as Questionable.
Pucillo strained his back on Wednesday and did not practice on Thursday.
RB Rock Cartwright (quadriceps) is listed as Probable.
Cartwright practiced fully and expects to play on Sunday.
DE Fred Smoot (hamstring) is listed as Probable.
Smoot practiced fully this week and expects to play on Sunday.
TE Todd Yoder (ankle) is listed as Probable.
Yoder was limited on Wednesday, but practiced fully on Thursday.
RG Randy Thomas (torn triceps muscle) is listed as Out.
Thomas is still recovering hopes to return mid December
LB Marcus Washington (hamstring) is listed as Questionable.
Washington aggravated his hamstring injury on Thursday and will be a game-time decision.
Injured Reserves:
The following players are done for the 2007 season:
FB Broughton, Nehemiah (Knee)
TE Ecker, Tyler (Groin)
WR Espy, Mike (Knee)
WR Harris, Steven (Knee)
WR McAddley, Jason (Hamstring)
OL Tucker, Ross (Neck)
OT Jansen, Jon (Ankle)
CB Carlos Rogers (Neck)
Edit: This blog was archived in May of 2016 from our original articles database.It was originally posted by Bernie Marshall