To Sit, or Not to Sit... That is the Question

[GhostofSparta]

You always play to win.  Do you think the Panthers or Cardinals will be resting their starters next week? 

No. Because they have something on the line. The Panthers (14-1) can lose the #1 seed and homefield if they lose, and the Cardinals (13-2) can snatch it if they win and the Panthers lose. And since they play at the same time now, neither team can risk letting up.

 

#3 GB vs #5 Minny this week. Winner of this game wins the division and the #3 spot, while the loser drops to either 5 (If GB loses) or 6 (If Minny loses and Seattle wins).

 

#6 Seattle still has a shot at getting the #5 seed. But they're playing Arizona, fighting for #1 overall as shown above.

 

Right now, the Redskins are literally the only NFC playoff team whose last game has 0 playoff implications. We can't lose the division. We can't fall farther than 4. We can't get that #3 spot no matter what happens. We are #4, end of story. We are the only team than can say "You know what? **** it! Start the backups so nobody gets hurt), and it won't have any effect on our seeding.

 

If we win with backups, awesome. Backups get some experience, we beat Dallas with our B team, no starters go down before the playoffs, starters get an extra week to heal and rest, we go 4-2 in the division this year and finish with a winning record (so none of that "non-winning playoff team" B/S like the Colts/Texans will have to deal with), maintain team momentum without risking key players.

 

If we lose with backups? Still .500 in the division even with throwing one game away, get swept by Dallas (yes, that would suck, I won't even attempt to deny/downplay that) drop the Cowboys a couple of spots in the draft, finish with a .500 record overall. Potentially lose momentum. Maybe. Perhaps.

 

Who can rest in the AFC? Maybe KC, but that's only if Denver wins tonight. Otherwise every spot in the AFC is still up for grabs.

 

 

 

Let that sink in for just a minute, guys. As of right now, the Redskins are the only playoff team in the entire NFL who can rest starters and have 0 effect on the playoff seeding. Sure it's as a #4 and not the #1, but still not a bad position to be in at all.

 

 

 

Edit: Not to mention, regardless of what happens this week, the Cardinals and Panthers, locked into the top 2 spots regardless of Sunday, already get a bye week for their players in the WC round.

[Murphs56]

Goldson has a broken rib. If anyone needs to sit for a game, it's him 

[GoDeep81]

This must be an alternate universe? It's late December and we're discussing whether we should rest our starters before a home playoff game!! I can barely remember the last time that happened.. Actually, I can't remember it.. lol  But it feels good!!

 

I think we can beat Dallas with Colt and a few key backups.. Rest any banged up guys and play the healthy starters for the 1st quarter..

[CBass1724]

[PCS]

Ugh. If it was anyone but the Cowboys.    

[dballer]

Rest the Vets and Key guys...

 

Kinda like Dallas to win and end up with a later draft pick

[Die Hard]

Put me in the camp of resting all the starters. I want everyone fresh for the first-round home playoff game.

[kleese]

Not to mention the fact that Cowboys fans WANT to LOSE this game-- it's not like beating them will push the dagger in farther for their season or anything. On the contrary, losing to us on Sunday will likely only help the Cowboys secure a better draft pick. This is truly a meaningless game in that it means NOTHING to BOTH teams--- and one of them might actually explicitly benefit from losing.

 

Yes, whoever does play in this game should play hard. I think that's where people get tripped up-- no one is suggesting that you play to lose--- no is suggesting that the players on the field not give max effort. But in terms of the lead-up and decision-making, the Redskins should play this very conservatively-- our key players should either sit out completely or get a token series or two if they are worried about them getting too far off routine.

 

Bottom line, they should be able to handle a week off without then becoming so rusty that they suck in the playoff game. I'd sit everyone who even has a hangnail.... I'd also sit Kirk, Reed, Trent, and DJax for sure. Then I'd play the rest of the vets a very minimal amount if at all.

[RVAskins]

[Slateman]

Gotta play them. This team doesn't have enough talent and ability to simply shut it down for a week. Gotta keep them tuned up. The Redskins playoff team will be unlike any other they have played all season: A good team at home.

[gortiz]

I would sit Trent, Jordan. 

 

Play rest of the starters for a half. 

 

Keep Alfred in entire game. 

[Warhead36]

To me there is a possible domino affect.

 

Lets say you sit Williams and Moses, which is reasonable considering both have been gimpy in recent weeks. You could also reasonably sit Jackson and Reed as both have a history of being injury prone. So if you're sitting your starting Ts and your best two offensive playmakers, you may as well sit Cousins. And if you sit that many starters, you may as well sit the rest(i.e. Garcon, Morris, etc.).

 

Defensively, we don't really have that much "momentum" on that side of the ball. The D is fairly average, and has been killed by injuries all year. So you may as well sit as many guys as possible.

[clskinsfan]

I would sit Trent, Jordan. 

 

Play rest of the starters for a half. 

 

Keep Alfred in entire game. 

 

This. If your gonna play the starters. I dont even want to see a pass thrown. The stat line should read 65 runs and 12 passes. All thrown by Mccoy. I would love Kirk to get the record. But not at the expense of a low hit by Hardy taking out one of Kirks ACL's and our playoff hopes with it.

[@DCGoldPants]

The more I listen to the domino effect if a Trent and Moses sit, the more I support sitting guys all together, or just playing them a full series. Doc Walker being so strong against it before makes me think its the right move even more.

 

Coaches shouldn't tell the players they are sitting until gametime. let them prep all week as if they are going. If you do play them a series or two. Then that helps with the prep part.

[Warhead36]

I don't like the idea of only playing a drive or a quarter. If you're gonna sit then just sit. Let them rest for a week. Treat it like a second bye. One bye week shouldn't completely destroy your momentum, I mean you have byes during the regular season all the time. I think after an emotional win, itd be nice for the team to relax a bit, recharge their batteries so to speak.

[rumplestilskin]

The team and KC are on fire right now. Momentum trumps the off chance of devastating injuries.  We cant afford to shut down the momentum. Keep em' in until the game is in hand.

[Mooka]

I'm usually a BPA and WIN BABY WIN kind of guy. I think momentum is important; I don't support resting starters. And oh yea, i hate the Cowboys.  

 

However, I see little to gain from this game against Dallas. The only way we keep our momentum is by blowing them out and soundly defeating them in all aspects. The only teams to do that this season are the Pats and the Panthers. Even Green Bay mightily struggled before blowing them out in the 4th quarter. 

 

Dallas is the type of team this year that lulls your team because they can't score and have no playmaking ability. It turns their games into a kind of plodding affair that are low scoring and stymies any offensive rhythm other teams enjoy. As Redskin fans we've witnessed this MANY times during the Dan Snyder era and have overrated our own defense many times in the process.  

 

 

With the current state of our running game I don't see a sound victory here where we easily close them out. Even if we do blow them out, the rivalry doesn't mean much right now because Dallas wants to lose. 

 

 

We're banged up. Rest the starters. Start preparing for the playoffs now. 

[gortiz]

Bill's thoughts on the matter ... 

 

"I think that's a conversation that you can have, and the fans can have, but it's not really part of our approach to the game," Belichick told Boston.com. "I don't think it's a good one to have. I don't really understand it either. You're going to pick out one guy that is important and say somebody else isn't? I don't think that's a good way to manage your football team."

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1462560-what-does-nfl-history-say-about-resting-starters-before-the-playoffs

 

[Warhead36]

Bill's thoughts on the matter ... 

Players know who is and isn't more important than someone else.

[Zazzaro703]

I'm still of the position that anyone with the questionable tag should probably sit. Play everyone else a few series then get them out of there. The last 3 years we have made the playoffs we were red hot with tons of momentum.... Just to be out of gas and eliminated in the playoffs.

[s0crates]

Another thing to consider is the effect deciding who to start or sit might have on team unity. How do you tell some guys "you're too important to risk" and others "you don't matter, so you have to play"?

Only injured players should sit, everybody else should play.

[petedaddy]

if the 91 redskins can send out their starters for game 16 so can we

 

HAIL

[nemocystem]

on the surface, this seems like an elementary question. unfortunately, the more i think about it...the more it becomes a Doctoral Thesis.

the big issue for me is........do we really believe we're a solid enough team to basically take a week off, & then be able to come back, & play at a super-high level against a team like Seattle, Minnesota, or Green Bay? i don't know that we can afford even the most infinitesimal amount of rust against any of those teams.

i would love to say it's as easy as "just sit the dudes you don't want to get hurt," but even the best teams in the past have played that rest card, & gotten molly-whopped come playoff time.

i say that we need to keep playing hungry. we need to keep momentum going into the playoffs if we're to have any chance at victory. we need to keep players familiar with each other, keep the rhythm tight with Kirk, & his WRs, & maybe we can use this week as a test-sample to see if we can't get the run game going a little.

all that said.....i think the best solution would be to have a 1st half victory-lap, as it were. play hard with the starters for 1 half, & THEN bring in the backups. i'd be ok with that, as i would feel much better with the starters getting at least a fair shot at keeping some rhythm going into teh paloffs.

so put me down as victory-lap/preseason week 3 mode.

[Reaper Skins]

Overcoming the guaranteed wear and tear of an entire extra game against a divisional rival who always plays you hard and wants to spoil your season...

 

vs.

 

Overcoming the theoretical possibility of "rust"?

 

Which is the smarter, more manageable route to take?  

 

It's not even close.

 

Smart teams are the ones who take advantage of ANY leg up they can find.  A second bye week is a huge advantage.  To blow it over a meaningless game just to prove how big our balls are would be the epitome of stupidity and pettiness.

 

It would represent the old, "shoot yourselves in the foot" Redskins way of thinking.  Don't make things harder than they need to be.  Ask yourself, what are the Cowboys HOPING we'll be dumb enough to do?  Treat them as the total total non-threat that they are, or needlessly expose ourselves to additional risks and obstacles before heading into the playoffs?

[Boss_Hogg]

If you sit Trent, please sit Kirk. I don't want Ty Nsekhe in there to block in a meaningless game. We all know the cowboys are bammas, especially that POS Greg Hardy.