Making the Most of the Bye Week

I personally hate the bye week, but recognize how it helps our team.  This year, though I missed my Redskins game, I was happy this staff and team had to time to relax and make adjustments.  I saw many players visited family and friends.  This was a much needed break for players and the coaching staff...and fans, for that matter.

Both Brandon Meriweather and Jamaal Brown should be back from injuries, though they will still need to work back into shape and into the lineup.  Garcon is still the biggest question...and I think us having hopes to make the playoffs is the only reason he has not seen IR yet this year.  He may test the injury at practice this week, but with Josh Morgan stepping up, Santana Moss playing well, Hankerson's playing better, and Aldrick Robinson, I see no reason for Garcon to push things.  He needs to get healthy.

I think we may see some tweaks to the defensive play-calling (at least, I hope so) and some adjustments to the defensive packages, specifically pass-rush packages and passing packages.  I hope to see more rotation and better disguise of our pass-rush.  I want to see Jenkins and Baker moved around more...each is playing inspired ball, though not a way that would have you calling out their names, as is often the case in a 3-4 D-Line.  I think offense needs to work more on pass-protection so we can establish some deep passing game, or at least some threat of it.  We could see more spread formations.  I think the time for "gadget plays" is well past, and really, has little place in the NFL...please, no more trick plays...just hard-nose Redskins football.

Long story short, I hope to see a team getting back to basics.  This is a young, developing team...and I am a patient fan....I understand that we may not put it all together all the time, but here are somethings I hope to see improvement in:

Pass-Protection
Defensive Play-Calling
Tackling
Pass-Rush

If we improve in these things, in combination with what we have done well in the first part of the season, we will win more games.

Because the Giants lost Sunday, we still have a good chance of making a splash in the NFC East in a year where almost every team in the division is struggling...we need to focus, execute, and win.

Hail to the Redskins!