Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images Washington Redskins
The 0-5 Washington Redskins hit the road this week to face an equally winless opponent in the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins are 0-4 on the season and generally regarded as the worst team in the NFL. The Redskins want to avoid being placed in that category with a win and doing so with a new interim coach.
On Monday former coach Jay Gruden was relieved of his post and replaced by Bill Callahan.
Callahan will now try to resurrect the Redskins season and bring a different approach to the way things are done.
The Sunday contest will be the Redskins third road game of the season with losses already to the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants.
The last time the Redskins visited Miami and Hard Rock Stadium back in 2011 they lost to the Dolphins 20-9 in a Week 10 game. The last time Washington defeated the Dolphins was an overtime victory in Week 1 of the 2007 season.
While speaking to the media from the INOVA Sports Performance Center at Redskins Park after a recent practice, Callahan spoke about the message he’s sending his players in preparation for Sunday’s contest.
“Yeah, it’s really again the focus of fundamental football,” Callahan said. “Just really trying to get back to some really hardcore fundamentals and really straddle the line, it’s really kind of a fine line, of the health of your team and also pushing them physically to improve their fundamentals. I think we accomplished both today. We do have some players that are banged up, especially early on a Wednesday, but I thought we got through a lot of good physicality and a lot of good fundamental drilling. I think that’s the key. I think that’s the name of the game. If you’re not good in your fundamentals, you’re not going to have them later in the game. That mental toughness about fundamentals is important, and if you don’t practice them every day– it’s just like a golfer when he’s on the tour. If he’s not on the driving range hitting balls, he’s not going to get better. That swing and that timing is going to be different. So, really what this is about, is just to focus on their fundamental techniques so that we can continue to groom them, improve them, one percent a day where we can stack those improvements on day- by-day and week-by-week. Especially so for the young player, the young player needs to get better. So, we implemented an opportunity period, a development period late in the practice, so that they can all get with their coaches and focus in on one area of their play or two areas of their play so that they can get incrementally better.”
In the team’s last meeting in Week 1 of the 2015 season, the Redskins lost to the Dolphins 17-10 at FedexField.
What would a win over the Dolphins do for the Redskins from a statistical and historical standpoint?
A win would give the Redskins their first win over Miami on the road.
A ‘W’ would mark the first win under Interim Head Coach Bill Callahan.
A victory over the Dolphins would give Washington their first win over Miami since 9/9/07.
A win would make the Redskins 4-0 in Week 6 games over the past four seasons.
Being victorious will mark the first time that the Redskins picked up their first win of the season against an AFC opponent since defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2 of the 2014 season.
A win improves the Redskins all-time record against the Dolphins to 6-9.
A win would improve the Redskins all-time record against AFC East teams to 26-25.
Finally, winning gives the Redskins their 10th win in the state of Florida.
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