Tank Wars – Washington Redskins Week 6 Reality Checks

LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 06: A Washington Redskins fan sits in the stands with a paper bag over their head during the second half against the New England Patriots at FedExField on October 6, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 06: A Washington Redskins fan sits in the stands with a paper bag over their head during the second half against the New England Patriots at FedExField on October 6, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – SEPTEMBER 15: Adrian Peterson #26 of the Washington Redskins runs with the ball against the Dallas Cowboys during the first half at FedExField on September 15, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – SEPTEMBER 15: Adrian Peterson #26 of the Washington Redskins runs with the ball against the Dallas Cowboys during the first half at FedExField on September 15, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

4. The Reality Is, the Redskins will likely look a lot better this week.

Fools’ gold always looks shiny and fresh. It’s just human nature that the players will respond to a fresh voice this week. They’ll focus in and put out their best effort. They are tired of losing and tired of being asked about losing. Callahan has talked about going back to the basics and focusing on fundamentals.

Inevitably, that works for a week or two until teams figure out what your “basics” are and force you to try more exotic things. But against a vanilla squad like the Dolphins who are actively shedding players to accumulate future draft capital, the Redskins will likely look dramatically more proficient on both offense and defense than they did against the defending champs last weekend.

Don’t be sucked in. They aren’t miraculously better. They’re just swimming in the shallow bay with some domesticated dolphins as opposed to trying to stay afloat out in the open seas. But it’s only a one-week hiatus from professional competition. Don’t get your hopes up. The aura of incompetence will be back.