This last week was another close/great win for the Washington Redskins. It seems like every game we play is really close and comes down to the last play of the game. In fact, we have already played two overtime games and four of our five games have in fact been decided on the very last play of the game. From what I understand there were a lot of close games last year that were lost instead of won. The difference between this year’s team and last year’s team so far is the ability to win the close games. It would be nice if we would just go ahead and blow somebody out but as long as we keep winning, I don’t care if every game comes down to the wire.
This game was a little different in the fact that we fell behind and trailed for most of the game. A lot of our other games we have jumped out to big leads or at least led most of the game. This last game against the Packers we demonstrated a lot of resolve, heart and character. We never gave up and kept fighting right to the end and that’s why were able to be victorious in the end.
Tomorrow we take on Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts in primetime on Sunday Night Football. The Colts obviously can throw the ball all over the yard, play a high pressure attacking defense, and have been very successful over the past decade or so. It’s the type of game that exemplifies why we play this game. This year is a little different for the Colts, however, they have been running the ball a lot and with great success. I can’t wait to face them and I guarantee the Redskins will be up for the challenge.
A lot of people wonder what a typical schedule or workweek is like for an NFL player. Our workweek actually starts on Wednesday and ends on Sunday. We have a team meeting on Wednesday morning at eight o’clock, which is followed by two hours of watching film and installing the game plan for that week. That ends around ten o’clock. We then have a walk thru at 10:10 a.m. for about forty minutes. Around 10:45 we have brunch and interviews with the media until 11:30. Then special teams meetings go until 12:10. We have a special teams walk thru at 12:30 immediately followed by practice until 2:45. Then we meet from 3:30 until 4:00. Some guys are finished for the day and can go home at this time. Other guys will stay and lift and/or watch extra film. If they are injured, they are required to get treatment for about an hour. Some players will get in the cold talk or do some other method of rejuvenation for the body, which takes from 20-45 minutes.
Thursday is basically the same schedule. The only difference about Thursday is, if you didn’t lift Wednesday, you are required to lift on Thursdays. So, some guys will lift for about an hour after meetings on Thursdays. Friday we still have the team meeting at 8 a.m., then we watch film and review the game plan until 10 a.m. like normal. Then there is a special teams meeting from 10 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. Walk thru starts at 11 a.m., and then practice is from 11:15 a.m. until 12:45. We are then done for the day. Friday is short because a lot of time on Saturdays we spend a lot of the day traveling and even if it’s a home game, it still takes about an hour to get to the team hotel we stay at on Saturday nights. Also, the game plan is fully in, you’re done with hard practices for the week and it’s really the first time all week you get to relax and take a break as we get ready for the game on Sunday.
On Saturday, a lot of coaches give their players tests on the upcoming opponent and the game plan for that week. These tests can take an hour or two. Some coaches require players to give a report instead of a test. Saturday can vary depending on whether it’s a home game or an away game. On an away game, we usually have a meeting at 9 a.m. until about 11 a.m. Then we have about a 20-minute walk thru. After that, guys get treatment, eat lunch, a lot of guys really like to get in the cold tank during this time, and we get dressed and get on the plane to wherever it is we are traveling to. Once we arrive to our destination we have some time to relax, go out to eat and enjoy the city for a couple hours before we have night meetings and head to bed to get some rest for the upcoming game.
On Sunday, our schedule varies as well depending on the time of the game. Typically we get up, eat our pre game meal, head to the stadium about 2-3 hours before game time and get ready to play the game. After the game we will fly back home. Depending on where the game was it could be a short 45-minute flight (like Philadelphia), or an all-night flight like Oakland or San Francisco. Incidentally, I got home sooner from our away game at Philadelphia, then I do our home games. But, an away game like Oakland, if it’s played at night, we will fly all night and get back home around 7 a.m. the next morning. Monday we come in and watch film of the game of the day before, run, lift, get treatment and do anything we can to get our bodies back to feeling good. Tuesday is our one day off every week, unless you’re injured, in which case you still have to come in and get treatment at least once, if not twice. Players will also do a lot of things on their own time like watch extra film, get deep tissue massages, which take about an hour to two hours, work with therapists on their own or whatever they feel may give them an edge. I’m not a quarterback, but from what I understand, they watch an additional 2-3 hours of extra film every day, including Tuesdays.
“I find that the harder I work, the more luck I seem to have.” – Thomas Jefferson
Edit: This blog was archived in May of 2016 from our original articles database.It was originally posted by Adam Carriker