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With longtime special teams coach Danny Smith and captain Lorenzo Alexander gone, it's up to new coach Keith Burns to rearrange the remaining pieces for the Redskins.
Bacarri Rambo celebrated his interception during rookie camp Sunday morning by running to Phillip Thomas on the sideline, jumping and bumping shoulders with him. The sequence previewed a best-case scenario for the Washington Redskins. The two rookie safeties could eventually help a secondary that provided more questions than answers last season.
Staring at a potent one-two running punch of quarterback Russell Wilson and running back Marshawn Lynch, the Washington Redskins knew they were in for a tough time against the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC wild-card round. They made it the game plan to stop them.
When the final seconds ticked off the clock Sunday night and the Washington Redskins had vanquished their rival to complete one of the greatest turnarounds in NFL history, Reed Doughty sprinted onto the field. He jumped and pumped his fist and thrust his helmet into the air.
Don Cousins stood in the front row of Cleveland Browns Stadium and leaned over the wall to greet his son. Throughout Kirk Cousins' football career, Don has embraced the brilliance of a shared moment anytime another dream is realized. So the pride beamed from Don's face as Kirk approached, victorious and smiling.
Brandon Meriweather's impact was immediate and noticeable. An interception, a couple of pass break-ups and a handful of tackles made the Washington Redskins defense look totally different, until the safety tore the ACL in his right knee.
Robert Griffin III needed a first down, so he took off and leapt into the air to get it. Three Carolina Panthers defenders converged and made the stop, but not until after Griffin finished what he set out to do, sore ribs or not.
Ben Roethlisberger wouldn't even entertain the possibility of a Washington Redskins defense without London Fletcher, who has played 231 straight games.
Getting Brandon Meriweather and Tanard Jackson in the offseason figured to shore up the Washington Redskins' safety position. On Sunday they'll play their sixth game of the year without either, Jackson suspended indefinitely and Meriweather dealing with a left knee injury.
Kicker Billy Cundiff's job apparently is safe despite missing three of four field goal attempts in the Washington Redskins' 24-22 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday.
Everyone is upset about the NFL's replacement officials, and the lockout of the NFL Referees' Association has had such a big impact already this season.
Pierre Garcon was pretty confident Sunday afternoon in New Orleans, even after missing three quarters of the Washington Redskins' victory, that he'd play Week 2 at the St. Louis Rams.
Long snapper Nick Sundberg entered the locker room Monday at Redskins Park with a cast that extended past his elbow, the result of suffering a broken left arm in the second quarter of the Redskins' 40-32 victory at New Orleans on Sunday.
The Washington Redskins would have been more than content to sit on their 13-point lead going into halftime Sunday. Robert Griffin III had the Superdome quiet and the New Orleans Saints wondering what they could do to change the game.
The trust stops here for Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan.
"From my perspective, he was a one-man wrecking crew," Doughty said. "He would make some absolute outstanding plays. We've got some players, I think, that are ready to step up and take a dominant role."
Redskins' special teams have new look after offseason changes →
