Alfred Morris was one of many Redskins who didn’t have a good game on Monday Night Football against the Philadelphia Eagles. For Morris, who is entering his second NFL season, he must move on and keep the same mindset that helped him rush for 1,613 yards in 2012.
Morris had two first-quarter miscues against the Philadelphia Eagles, and finished the game with a career-low 45 rushing yards on 12 carries.
Morris fumbled on the Redskins’ first offensive play of the game, and then on the third possession, botched a pitch in the end zone from Robert Griffin III and had to fall on the loose ball, giving up a safety.
Morris, Griffin and the Redskins managed only three first-half first downs and looked nothing like the unit that ranked fifth in the league last season.
“We definitely was out of sync. We had to knock some rust off,” said Morris, who had only eight carries in two preseason games. “We couldn’t get into a rhythm until late in the game. The positive that we can take from that was we played like the offense that we’re able to play in the third quarter and going into the fourth quarter. That’s the type of offense we are when we find a rhythm and get in sync.”
Morris isn’t dwelling on Monday night’s struggles, he received nothing but encouragement from his teammates.
“I was shocked to start off like that. This was the first quarter, and it was a rough start. Most people get in the tank, but I didn’t get in the tank. It helped to have coaches and teammates rally around you and say, ‘It’s okay, we’ve got a lot of games left to be played.’ When they support you and have your back like that when you make mistakes like that, that’s huge, and that’s characteristic of the type of team we have. We have a true team. I didn’t go into the tank and at the end of the day, you have to have a short-term memory.”
Morris added, “They could’ve pulled me, but that showed the faith and trust the coaches have in me, and so it definitely makes me feel better to know they are behind me even though I started rough like that. But I’ll go out this week in practice and work to get better and that’s all you can do.”
In order to stay on top of his game, Morris needs to be able to put his miscues from MNF behind him and focus in on the Packers this week without distraction.
