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| Washington Redskins stockpile moral victories — and actual losses | Washington Redskins stockpile moral victories — and actual losses |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Washington’s football team is so rich in moral victories — and so lacking in actual ones. From players to coaches to fans, they’re so starved for success that a 10-point loss to the Seattle Seahawks was cause for cheerful optimism, and so self-delusional that they congratulated themselves for the fact that three Seahawks touchdowns were called back by penalties. In a measuring-stick game against the defending Super Bowl champions on Monday Night Football, Washington needed charity from their opponent and the referees just to keep it close, and after accepting the handout, they acted like they earned it. | Washington’s football team is so rich in moral victories — and so lacking in actual ones. From players to coaches to fans, they’re so starved for success that a 10-point loss to the Seattle Seahawks was cause for cheerful optimism, and so self-delusional that they congratulated themselves for the fact that three Seahawks touchdowns were called back by penalties. In a measuring-stick game against the defending Super Bowl champions on Monday Night Football, Washington needed charity from their opponent and the referees just to keep it close, and after accepting the handout, they acted like they earned it. |
| But they’ll take it. They’ll take it because the other option is to admit that they are not a very good team. The Seahawks played awful, and that allowed Washington to look a little better than it is, and to suspend reality for a little longer. And suspending reality is the only available strategy when you are 1-4 and don’t have a whole lot of real substance to offer. Name the alternative. | But they’ll take it. They’ll take it because the other option is to admit that they are not a very good team. The Seahawks played awful, and that allowed Washington to look a little better than it is, and to suspend reality for a little longer. And suspending reality is the only available strategy when you are 1-4 and don’t have a whole lot of real substance to offer. Name the alternative. |
| Washington’s players were respectably grudging foils on a night when Seattle clearly didn’t take them seriously and seemed determined to do just enough to win a ballgame and no more. Jay Gruden, their boyish, feel-good chuckler of a head coach, looked into the heart of a 27-17 loss at Fed Ex Field and found pride in the fact that the Seahawks had so many points nullified by yellow flags. It wasn’t just the refs, he said. “Part of it was us playing pretty darn good.” | Washington’s players were respectably grudging foils on a night when Seattle clearly didn’t take them seriously and seemed determined to do just enough to win a ballgame and no more. Jay Gruden, their boyish, feel-good chuckler of a head coach, looked into the heart of a 27-17 loss at Fed Ex Field and found pride in the fact that the Seahawks had so many points nullified by yellow flags. It wasn’t just the refs, he said. “Part of it was us playing pretty darn good.” |
| Really? Really? The offense was 3 of 12 on third downs. “Just a matter of putting it all together,” Kirk Cousins said. Special teams gave up a crucial fake field goal on a critical fourth and one in the fourth quarter. And the defense allowed the Seahawks to control the ball for nearly 11 minutes in the final period. | Really? Really? The offense was 3 of 12 on third downs. “Just a matter of putting it all together,” Kirk Cousins said. Special teams gave up a crucial fake field goal on a critical fourth and one in the fourth quarter. And the defense allowed the Seahawks to control the ball for nearly 11 minutes in the final period. |
| “Phenomenal effort; we almost had it,” Brian Orakpo said. | “Phenomenal effort; we almost had it,” Brian Orakpo said. |
| Asked late Monday night to describe his team’s identity, Gruden seemed baffled for a moment, and then tried this. | Asked late Monday night to describe his team’s identity, Gruden seemed baffled for a moment, and then tried this. |
| “It’s a work in progress,” he said. “We’re still working together to find our identity. Really, our identity is to just play our butts off and compete.” | “It’s a work in progress,” he said. “We’re still working together to find our identity. Really, our identity is to just play our butts off and compete.” |
| Allow an outside observer to assist in defining these guys’ identity. They’re a team that’s not especially pained by losing, as long as they look good doing it. They’re a team with some glamour at the skill positions, and can occasionally hit the big play as Cousins did on that 57-yarder to DeSean Jackson on the opening drive of the second half, which set up a field goal to cut it to 17-10. That made Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll chomp his gum more energetically. But they’re also a team that couldn’t gain a yard when they most needed one. On their next possession, backed up at their own 10, and facing third and one, they not only couldn’t gain a yard, they lost one. The line collapsed, and Alfred Morris was knocked backward. | Allow an outside observer to assist in defining these guys’ identity. They’re a team that’s not especially pained by losing, as long as they look good doing it. They’re a team with some glamour at the skill positions, and can occasionally hit the big play as Cousins did on that 57-yarder to DeSean Jackson on the opening drive of the second half, which set up a field goal to cut it to 17-10. That made Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll chomp his gum more energetically. But they’re also a team that couldn’t gain a yard when they most needed one. On their next possession, backed up at their own 10, and facing third and one, they not only couldn’t gain a yard, they lost one. The line collapsed, and Alfred Morris was knocked backward. |
| They’re a team that can’t get a yard when they most need it, and can’t get a stop when they must have one. These are the meaty plays that a team has to make, because they are the real difference between a winning team and 1-4, between one that wins, and one that sells star jerseys. It’s the difference between Washington, and Seattle. | They’re a team that can’t get a yard when they most need it, and can’t get a stop when they must have one. These are the meaty plays that a team has to make, because they are the real difference between a winning team and 1-4, between one that wins, and one that sells star jerseys. It’s the difference between Washington, and Seattle. |
| The Seahawks were penalized 13 times for 90 yards, and quarterback Russell Wilson spent much of the game having to dig out of deep holes. Nevertheless he did so time after time, no matter how hard he was pursued or what the down and distance. Take that game-killing, 30-yard lob pass he completed just before the two-minute warning, with half the defense bearing down on him, and Seattle in need of a first down. | The Seahawks were penalized 13 times for 90 yards, and quarterback Russell Wilson spent much of the game having to dig out of deep holes. Nevertheless he did so time after time, no matter how hard he was pursued or what the down and distance. Take that game-killing, 30-yard lob pass he completed just before the two-minute warning, with half the defense bearing down on him, and Seattle in need of a first down. |
| It was the sort of play that the opponent so often makes against Washington, and which Washington can’t seem to make against the opponent. Cousins, to his credit, understood that. | It was the sort of play that the opponent so often makes against Washington, and which Washington can’t seem to make against the opponent. Cousins, to his credit, understood that. |
| “On those third downs, we need to find a play somewhere,” he said. | “On those third downs, we need to find a play somewhere,” he said. |
| To his credit, Cousins refuses to accept his fate, a little-prized reserve who can’t seem to win, with a 1-6 record as a starter in place of the injured princeling Robert Griffin III, who made a needy spectacle of himself in the pregame, prancing around in tights and a pink sleeve, begging for the camera. It remains difficult to know what to make of Cousins, except that he shows genuine promise and bounced back from difficult circumstances, and what hope Washington has for the rest of the season resides in him. As Gruden said, “He can make the tough throw look very easy. And some easy throws look tough.” | To his credit, Cousins refuses to accept his fate, a little-prized reserve who can’t seem to win, with a 1-6 record as a starter in place of the injured princeling Robert Griffin III, who made a needy spectacle of himself in the pregame, prancing around in tights and a pink sleeve, begging for the camera. It remains difficult to know what to make of Cousins, except that he shows genuine promise and bounced back from difficult circumstances, and what hope Washington has for the rest of the season resides in him. As Gruden said, “He can make the tough throw look very easy. And some easy throws look tough.” |
| After throwing four interceptions a week ago, Cousins faced one of the top defenses in the NFL with relative equanimity. He took just one sack, never made a terrible error, and threw for a pair of touchdowns. “I’m close; I’m real close,” he said. | After throwing four interceptions a week ago, Cousins faced one of the top defenses in the NFL with relative equanimity. He took just one sack, never made a terrible error, and threw for a pair of touchdowns. “I’m close; I’m real close,” he said. |
| But at some point, Washington has to stop dealing in unreached potential, stop congratulating itself for being merely close. This is a team that seems to equate “competing” with winning, and if it continues to do that, 1-4 could become 1-15. | But at some point, Washington has to stop dealing in unreached potential, stop congratulating itself for being merely close. This is a team that seems to equate “competing” with winning, and if it continues to do that, 1-4 could become 1-15. |
| “We haven’t put it together fully,” Gruden said. “We’re not quite good enough anywhere. We gonna get there. We competed, and we will compete in the future.” | “We haven’t put it together fully,” Gruden said. “We’re not quite good enough anywhere. We gonna get there. We competed, and we will compete in the future.” |
| For more by Sally Jenkins, visit washingtonpost.com/jenkins. | For more by Sally Jenkins, visit washingtonpost.com/jenkins. |
| More on the Redskins: | |
| Redskins work on thinking like winners | |
| Reid: Go ahead and laugh, this team is a joke | |
| Jenkins: Rich in moral victories, actual losses | |
| Five observations on loss against Seattle | |
| Gruden doesn’t expect Griffin to return soon | |
| Cousins making strides with Jackson | |
| Riley to have additional tests on knee | |
| Redskins promote Jeffcoat, cut Crawford, Davis | |
| Post Sports Live: Are Redskins’ playoff hopes dashed? |