Nov. 10: Marcus Washington

[Art]

Good week to talk to Marcus given we won .

Thanks for the questions guys. I'll be putting up the next two weeks for questions today .

MSJHWT

Marcus,

Ok man, I gotta ask, what do you call your post-tackle celebration?

I think the shoulder-shaking dance celebration you've got is the best D celebration around, keep on making plays so you can use it!

Marcus Washington

I’m just kind of shaking it off a little bit. Sometimes I give you the Rick Flair with it, kind of walk it out a little bit. It’s just my way of celebrating a little bit, getting everybody into it…the crowd and my teammates.

shsu1

What do you think is the primary reason for the major drop off between our defense last year, and our defense this year?

Marcus Washington

I think injuries played a small part in it and just penalties. I think getting penalties early and not getting off the field on third down, so those three things, I think, led to us dropping off a little bit. With the guys being healthy and having our leaders back in there, I think it’s definitely going to turn things around for us.

Flexxskins

Hey Marcus,

anyone with eyes can see how hyped you are during the games. Whether you are on the sidelines or on the field with the defense, you always appear to be amped up.

Do you find it harder now that our record is below .500 to pump yourself up or is it just something that comes natural for you?

P.S. please lend some of your energy to the rest of the guys that you think might need it and keep up the good work.

Marcus Washington

It just comes natural. I think I got definitely one of the best part-time jobs in the world. I have a lot of fun when I’m playing. As long as I give it my all and having a good time, it’s a beautiful game. I love it. I try to approach each day and each game like that.

Jeanette416

Hi, Marcus! First, I want to say you are one of my favorite players, on and off the field. I love your constant energy on field, and I when met you at Clinton Portis' birthday party (I was the female videographer following you boys with the camera all night ) and you were so sweet! My question to you is this - when comes to a heated rivalry like the Dallas Cowboys, is the feeling in the locker room more intense than usual?

Marcus Washington

It is. Really the whole week. Coach Gibbs is into it. All the coaches are pumped up. We know how big that rivalry is before we even came, before I was even here, when I was a little kid. We understand how big it is and the fans coming up to us saying, “If you don’t win any games all year, beat Dallas twice.” Anytime we match up against those guys it’s always huge.

the burgundy and gold

Marcus, how much does the crowd effect the defense's play during a home game?

Marcus Washington

It’s big for us, especially when we’ve got a team backed up and they can barely hear the snap count, they can barely hear the checks. So it’s big for us. Sometimes it definitely gives us a big advantage down in there.

Curb Feeler

What's up Mr.Washington,

I've been to The Redskin's training since 1982. I have notice recently, that you guys don't hit or run intrasquad scrimmages like the Ol' School players use to do. When guys tackle now, they usually just hit with their shoulders or grab up around the shoulder pads. You are one of the few people that still "wrap-up" and still bring the Pain. Is tackling emphasized during the week?

Marcus Washington

We don’t do a lot. I mean we hit, but we don’t take guys to the ground. That’s for the simple fact we don’t have the Redskins on our schedule this year. We definitely need those guys. We try to be smart but work hard at the same time.

PersianSkins89

hey marcus i wanted to say good job at the game what runs through you mind when you are about to tackle someone?

Marcus Washington

I’m just kind of homing in on him. Kind of got him locked in. Trying to get my bead on him. Trying not to get (juked) when I go in there. I make sure I’m watching his waist, not his head or his feet. I try to watch his waist because whatever way he’s going his waist is going to go with him, so that’s what I try to hone in on.

LA56Fan

Marcus I am huge fan and like to thank you for always taking the time out to sign autographs and take pictures no matter if you win or lose I appreciate the love and hope you retire a skin..

My questions is if you have to pick one person from another team to play on your defense, who would it be?

Marcus Washington

Man, that’s a good question. Um, I don’t know who I would pick to play on our defense. I like Teddy Bruschi. I think he plays for the love of the game with what happened to him and the risk that he takes when he plays. I don’t think it’s about the money for him. I think it’s totally about the love. That’s why I have so much respect for Teddy Bruschi.

honorary_hog

Thanks for the intensity you bring to the field each and every week. You are truly the heart and soul of our defense.

Do you think the dramatic win over Dallas is the kind of thing that can turn this season around? And how do you keep from having an emotional "let down" after such a huge win?

Marcus Washington

Well you got to approach it one week at a time. We definitely enjoyed that win. We definitely took time to celebrate it. We enjoyed it. We watched the film and we did a bunch of good things, but we also did some bad things. So we try to make corrections. Enjoy for 24 hours, put it behind you and move on to the next week. We got an even bigger one this week because it’s the next one and it’s Philly up there, so it’s huge.

Nick89

Marcus do you think making the playoffs is still in reach?

Marcus Washington

I think so. I think we’ll be smart about it. Like I said, just try to go 1-0 for the week. Just 1-0 every week. I think if can keep everybody healthy and play the way we played Sunday, I think we’ll be fine.

DCskins12

Hey Marcus, How do you think Carlos Rodgers is progressing as a NFL cornerback? And how does Jason Campbell look in practice against ther 1st team defense.

Marcus Washington

I think Carlos is doing well. Sometimes he comes out and if a guy beats him he has the ability to be able put it behind him. Being a corner that’s what you have to do. When you make a good play or when you make a bad play, you’ve got to be able to forget it and move on to the next play. I think Carlos does a great job of that. He has so much confidence in himself and we have confidence in him. Being a cornerback out there on an island you definitely have to have that swagger. As for Jason, he’s been doing good in practice. He’s been running our scout team very well. He can pretty much mimic any quarterback that we’re playing that week. He did a great job mimicking Vince Young and now this week McNabb. He just does a great job, even when we did Peyton, he did a great job out there. He’s definitely coming along.

Betterman

My family lives in Auburn, Alabama and my brother went to AU. I've always followed AU football and I'm glad the Redskins have signed great players like you, Campbell, and Rogers. How do you think the Auburn University football program helps prepare it's players for success at the NFL level???

Marcus Washington

First of all just because it’s the SEC. That’s serious, tough football week in and week out. It’s fast so when you get up here you still have to make an adjustment because this gets even faster but it’s not like some guys from other conferences who see the speed and go “wow” because we see speed day in and day out in the SEC. Also, just tradition. We have great tradition at Auburn. It’s pretty much football country. The Alabama/Auburn rivalry kind of gets you ready for this Dallas/Redskins rivalry. It’s kind of the same way. Two teams who just kind of hate each other. I think tradition and just being in the SEC itself gets you ready for this.

Closing Statement

Marcus Washington

I just wanted to thank the fans for supporting us. It’s been fun answering some of the questions. Hey, we couldn’t answer all of them. Just keep supporting us fans. Thank you guys.