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Redskins: D.J. Swearinger calls out team’s effort, preparation

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 12: Free safety D.J. Swearinger #36 of the Washington Redskins celebrates after an interception during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at FedExField on November 12, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 12: Free safety D.J. Swearinger #36 of the Washington Redskins celebrates after an interception during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at FedExField on November 12, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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D.J. Swearinger is doing what a captain should do. The Redskins safety called out his teammates, his coaches, and himself for the team’s loss.

Somebody had to say it. The Redskins knew that they had performed poorly on Sunday afternoon. They were absolutely destroyed by the Chargers in their 30-13 loss and they showed very little fight in a game that could have had upset written all over it. The lackadaisical play of the Redskins defense apparently did send a message to someone, and that was defensive captain D.J. Swearinger.

Swearinger, in his first season with the Redskins, has been a vocal leader and has clearly had an impact on the team. While his coverage abilities have been shaky at times this season, he is one of the best safeties that the team has had over the course of the past decade, and he is far from the major problem with the team’s defense.

After the game on Sunday afternoon, Swearinger spoke to reporters and discussed the team’s lack of preparation for the game. Here’s what he said, per NBC Sports Redskins’ Twitter.

https://twitter.com/NBCSRedskins/status/940040294086479873

For those that don’t want to watch the whole video, Swearinger essentially caleld out the lack of preparation and cited practices that he referred to as “blah” as part of the cause for defeat. More specifically, he referenced that some unnamed players were asking questions about assignments they should have known prior to game day. If these accusations by Swearinger are true, then it reflects poorly on both the coaching staff and the players.

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The coaching staff hasn’t done a good job of motivating the players this year. That much has been clear. Jay Gruden’s team has come out flat in big moments, and at times it feels like the Redskins would rather be anywhere else than on the football field. The coaching staff has to set the bar higher for effort. Gruden has to command and demand intensity from his players. He has to make them want to win. If he can’t do that, he is either a poor motivator or he has lost the locker room. In the last three games, Gruden needs to get his players to improved or his job could be in jeopardy.

Of course, this does fall on the players as well. The effort has been abysmal in three of the last four weeks and the team has come off the rails as a result. On the field, the players need to try harder. Obviously, some are dealing with injuries and communication can be an issue when so many different players are coming on and off the field. But at the same time, putting forth an effort isn’t that hard.

Zach Brown really is the tone setter for the defense right now, and hopefully his energy and effort will rub off on others. He is currently playing through an Achilles injury in a contract year. That’s the kind of players the Redskins are going to want. Any guys who don’t try hard to finish the year may find themselves off the team by the start of next season.

Next: Redskins Breakdown - Team shows nothing in loss to LAC

Swearinger should continue to hold his team accountable as they get ready for their next opponent, the Arizona Cardinals. If there aren’t significant improvements, the team will suffer yet another disappointing loss.

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