You Gotta Love This Guy

[Coachkyle]

As an Auburn fan, I was so pumped when we acquired Marcus Washington. As a Redskin fan, I'm twice as happy. Guys like MW will make us Superbowl contenders again...

Star LB always goes fullthrottle
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
http://insider.washingtontimes.com/...16-122945-9671r

Marcus Washington could be forgiven for taking it a little easy.

The strong-side linebacker more than justified the six-year, $22.5 million contract the Washington Redskins gave him in March by producing the best season of his career and serving as the team's lone representative in the Pro Bowl.

Relaxing, however, isn't Washington's nature.

"You can't slow down," the 27-year-old Washington said. "That's close to stopping. You've got to keep going."

And Washington always seems to be going. Just three days after having a cyst removed from the base of his spine, Washington was one of a handful of veterans who watched rookie minicamp the last weekend of April.

When the coaches suggested during June's veteran minicamp that Washington was a little behind in his conditioning because of the mandatory time off after surgery, he remained at Redskin Park to work out while his teammates started their summer vacations.

The other afternoon, when training camp was sluggish as it gets during two-a-days, Washington was chest-bumping teammates and running around like a kid who has just finished school for the year.

"I like my guys to look at me and say, 'Marcus is out there hitting and going. That's what we want to do,' " Washington said.

"There are so many other guys that want to be where we are. We're very privileged to be doing what we do. Sometimes guys take it for granted. I don't. You have to take every day for what it's worth and leave it all on the field."

That Washington does.

Left end Renaldo Wynn recalled the reaction of some New York players during the final minute of the Giants' victory over the Redskins on Sept. 19.

It had been a frustrating afternoon for the defense, which stopped the Giants on 12 of 13 third downs only to see the Redskins lose because of seven turnovers by the offense. Washington made a career-high 14 tackles, including 10 solos.

"A lot of those guys on the Giants were like, 'No. 53, man! What's his deal?' " Wynn said. "I said, 'This dude is full-speed.' Even when they were kneeling the ball, he's still coming. Marcus only has one speed, even in practice. He just loves the game."

That attitude, along with his athletic ability -- Washington produced the most quarterback pressures (11), second-most tackles (130) and third-most sacks (4�) on the NFL's No. 3 defense last year -- prompted Joe Gibbs to say he has never seen a more "consummate pro."

This from a man who coached guys like Art Monk and Darrell Green for 12 years each.

Washington has the bubbly personality the introspective Monk lacked, and by the nature of his position he's more involved in the physical intensity than Green was at cornerback.

Like Monk and Green, both renowned for their relentless work habits, Washington is never satisfied he has it made. While many players spout the pablum about having to improve in all aspects, Washington quickly admits pass coverage still doesn't come naturally to him five years after he made the switch from defensive end, his position at Auburn.

"I have to prove to myself that last year wasn't luck, that I just didn't fall into something," said Washington, a good but not great player during his four years with the Indianapolis Colts before coming to the Redskins in March 2004. "It's easy to get on top, but it's tough to stay there.

"I don't want to be an Ickey Woods. I want to be a Jerry Rice, a Junior Seau, guys that do it year after year. Those are the guys you try to model yourselves after."

[ejay183]

You cant have nothing but love for this guy, he is the typw of Gibbs player we need and good thing we picked him up.

[skinsfano28]

surprised the colts let him go--i remember watching colts games before last year and seeing MW wreck people and i thought they would def sign him to a cap friendly deal worth his talent, but i guess not...THEIR LOSS!!

[ii7-V7]

But of course the media can't have love for us for picking up guys like Washington, Griffin, Springs, drafting ey, etc. Its only laughter when we let a guy like A. Pierce go...who by the way was a nobody until last year.

Chad

[ii7-V7]

surprised the colts let him go--i remember watching colts games before last year and seeing MW wreck people and i thought they would def sign him to a cap friendly deal worth his talent, but i guess not...THEIR LOSS!!

They weren't able to because they wanted to keep the trifecta together...Manning, Harrison, and James. I guess when you have an offense like that you can afford to let certain guys go....not that its won them any superbowls.

Chad

[skinsfano28]

that's why i said cap friendly, so they could keep their offense intact--and you're right it hasn't won them any superbowls, heck they couldnt get past the first round of the playoffs for a while...they are going to have major problems very soon with the lack of defensive talent. they have maybe 2 or 3 legit defensive talents on that team.

[HailSkins94]

All of that plus he might be the nicest player on the team. He is definately a true redskin.

[MarcusBeNimble]

What can I say?

The man is nimble, all over the place, and a true leader on the defensive side. I think hes all about loving the game, which you gotta respeeeeeeeect.

[Coachkyle]

From grandma's porch to Pro Bowl, Marcus Washington's journey continues

http://www.timesdispatch.com/servle...s=1045855935241


ASHBURN, Va. - As a child growing up in Alabama, Marcus Washington would spend his autumn Saturday afternoons on his grandmother's front porch, about two miles and "pretty much just right across the railroad tracks" from Auburn's football stadium.

"I could hear the games on Saturday if you listened real close," Washington said. "You could see the airplanes flying over. You could hear the band playing a little bit. Then the cool thing was at nighttime, you could hear all the parties, the fraternity parties and stuff. It was cool growing up in Auburn."

"I wanted to be a part of it," he said, "and see what all that noise was about."

Soon, Washington was selling Cokes and programs at the games. Inevitably, he was on the field for the Tigers, a two-year starter who led the team with seven sacks in his senior year.

The milestones kept coming. He was a second-round pick by Indianapolis on NFL draft day and became a starter in his second season with the Colts. The first mammoth payday came last year when he signed a six-year, $24 million contract as a free agent with the Washington Redskins.

Then, finally, he earned a trip to Hawaii to play in the Pro Bowl, a reward for a solid season as a leader of a Redskins defense that was among the best in the league in 2004.

"The most fun about it was being able to take my parents over," Washington said. "My grandmother went with me. It was my mom's first time flying, so it was kind of fun to see how she would handle the flight. She did pretty good. I was proud of her."

Individually, at least, there aren't many steps left for Washington to climb, but there is no sense of him resting on his laurels, no dip in his ever-present optimism as he returns for another season.

"You can't get complacent," Washington said. "You've got to continue to work hard _ or work harder. Once you start playing well and get some attention, people start noticing you. That means you have to work a little bit harder because you know people are going to be gunning for you.

"If you're a guy who's under the radar a little bit, people don't know you, it's a little easier for you to make plays. I think that's what happened a little bit last year."

Washington also attributed his success to assistant coach Gregg Williams' defensive schemes, which revolve around multiple team-orientated packages with less emphasis on individual talents. Defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin, linebacker Antonio Pierce and cornerbacks Shawn Springs and Fred Smoot all merited Pro Bowl consideration last year, but Washington was the only one chosen, probably because of the defense's structure and also because the Redskins' record was a disappointing 6-10.

Still, Washington managed to stand out with 4 1/2 sacks, 130 tackles and as a team leader in exuberance.

"Marcus is such a hard-worker, and he's such a role model to younger guys and to the vets," safety Matt Bowen said. "You understand why he's had so much success. It's because of how he works, how he prepares, how he blitzes, he does everything the way our coaches want him to do. He's always upbeat, rain or shine. He always makes a positive out of a negative."

Washington had a cyst removed from his tailbone in April, but he put in extra work over the summer to be ready for the start of training camp. On a defense that has gone through many changes due to free agency and injuries, he is one of the constants.

"I try to approach each season with the same attitude," he said. "It's going to be tough. I'm going to have to deal with some adversity. Good things don't happen by black magic _ they happen because of what you put into it. If you put hard work into it, you're going to get some good out of it."

[Coachkyle]

I wrote about Washington in a previous post; he is the real deal, a genuine good guy. I swam for Auburn in the early 90's and I remember when AU recruited him (I'd just started grad school). He played TE in high school and I think he was a ** or a *** recruit depending what publication rated him...if he'd been an Alabama signee he would have been a **** or ***** recruit.

"The Red and Black reports that AU commitment Marcus Washington (6-4, 215, TE, Auburn, AL) has "reaffirmed" his commitment to the Tigers/War Eagles/Plainsmen."---Rumor Mill Archives, January 30, 1996

Washington gained strength and weight and retained his speed. By the end of his college career he was a dominating DE and an Auburn team leader. Things went full circle for him, from a child dreaming about playing someday in Jordan-Hare stadium to an NFL pro-bowl linebacker flying his family to Hawaii to see him play. And he got there by hard-work and character. Marcus Washington has the will to prepare to win...

[ejay183]

All I know is that with him and a 100% Arrington will cause nightmares for offenses.

[Coachkyle]

Friendly, fervent, fantastic.
By JIM DUCIBELLA, The Virginian-Pilot

http://home.hamptonroads.com/storie...90829&ran=74384


ASHBURN, Va. — John Dunn was just making conversation.

The Washington Redskins, the team Dunn serves as strength coach, were in the midst of an early offseason workout. Redskins coach Joe Gibbs watched as Dunn walked over to linebacker Marcus Washington, who had recently undergone surgery to remove a cyst from the base of his spine.

“Look, we know you’re not in as good a shape as you were at this time a year ago,” Gibbs remembers Dunn saying. “It’s all right.”

Another player might have smiled and said thanks. Another player might have used it as an excuse to slack off .

As the Redskins discovered last season, Marcus Washington isn’t just another player.

“After that, Marcus just worked his butt off to get into great shape,” Gibbs said. “He was in that room night and day. That guy never took a day off.”

It was a continuation of Washington’s play last season, his first with the Redskins after four with the Indianapolis Colts. Washington, who signed as a free agent, was second on the team with 130 tackles. But the outside linebacker led a defense ranked third overall with 11 quarterback pressures while downing the quarterback 4½ times.

With those numbers came an invitation to the Pro Bowl, the only one extended to a Redskin.

“Last year, I was lucky enough to be put in position to make some plays, to utilize my abilities, which is rushing the passer and blitzing,” Washington said. “And I think I got a little smarter, and that made me a little quicker.”

Washington, ever congenial, traces his passion for football to his childhood . Raised in Auburn, Ala., just a couple of miles from the university’s Jordan-Hare Stadium, Washington remembers sitting on his grandmother’s porch on days the Tigers played at home.

He loved hearing the crowd, judging from their reaction whether Auburn was ahead or behind.

“I knew then that I wanted to be part of that,” he said.

Once he set his mind to it, it was as good as done. As a defensive end, he was a four-year letterman, a two-year starter and led the team with 21 quarterback pressures.

The Colts drafted him in the second round. In four years at linebacker, he played in all but one game, accumulating 309 tackles and 18 sacks.

Good, solid numbers, to be sure, but nothing like the 102 solo tackles he gave the Redskins a year ago.

Washington also gave the Redskins’ defense a spirit that had been lacking . He hopped and bopped all over the field, chest-bumping teammates after they made a good play, yapping at them in the huddle and setting a high-energy example for them once the huddle broke.

As the New York Giants ran out the clock on their 20-14 win over the Redskins last September — a game in which Washington made 14 tackles — New York players approached end Renaldo Wynn wanting to know why Washington wasn’t just going through the motions like everyone else.

“They were like, 'No.53, man, what’s his deal?’” Wynn says, smiling. “I told them, 'This dude is full speed.’ Even when they were kneeling on the ball, he was still coming. Marcus has only one speed.”

And, he says, only one goal. He wants to become the Peyton Manning of the Redskins, stringing one exceptional season after another.

“Sometimes, when you’re a superstar, things that are mandatory for others those guys don’t have to come to. But Peyton is always there, and taking notes,” Washington said.

“He wants to be the best, and he’s a bit of a perfectionist. To me, that’s what it’s all about.”

[DaSkinz4L]

one heck of a JOE GIBBS TYPE PLAYER!!!!!

[georgiaredskin]

Amen, guys.

Did you see #53 ALL over EVERY play last night? He is on FIRE!

I agree he is one of the nicest guys on the team, so humble, so positive. And he loves to play the game. Reminds me of why I loved Art Monk so much.

[Redskin in Canada]

Reminds me of why I loved Art Monk so much.

And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is the highest compliment some of us would dare to hear or make about a Redskin player. Amen.

Welcome to the board georgiaredskin.

RiC

[georgiaredskin]

Thanks RiC!

[georgiaredskin]

53 is fun to watch! He was all over the field making plays...

[Coachkyle]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 95_pf.html

When Defense Is on the Field, It's Washington's Redskins

By Nunyo Demasio
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, September 1, 2005; E01

From two miles away, Marcus Washington could hear the crowd roar on a college football Saturday at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. As he sat on his grandmother's porch, the 10-year-old could hear the Auburn marching band and could tell by the sound which team had made a big play.

"It's kind of exciting to hear all that going on at the stadium," Washington said. "You're wondering what's going on. It sounds like it's a lot of fun over there. And you just want to be a part of it."

He took a step toward that goal when he was in the sixth grade and sold soft drinks and programs at the Tigers' games. "We got to watch the game for free, if nothing else," Washington said.

And finally, long after the sounds of the Auburn Tigers' home games hooked him, Washington became a star at the university and then made the jump to the NFL. Tonight, when he takes the field against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium, Washington will be a bona fide star, the sole Washington Redskins player selected to the Pro Bowl last year.

In February, the 6-foot-3, 250-pound linebacker took his grandmother, Remur, 71, and mother, Earnestine, 53, to the Pro Bowl in Honolulu, where he was a starter for the NFC team. The flight was the first for his mother and Washington was curious to see how she would handle it. "She did good," he said. "She slept most of the way."

The storybook ending marks a beginning for Washington, 27, as the regular season opener nears. Washington's dreams on his grandmother's porch -- about 10 miles from his boyhood home -- have grown even more ambitious: He now wants to be considered perennially among the NFL's best.

"I want to come out every day and work like I'm a free agent coming out of butt-scratch university," he said.

Washington, who joined the Redskins last year after spending his first four seasons with the Indianapolis Colts, has a blend of speed, size and stamina. But his work ethic -- "keep chopping wood" is a mantra -- is the biggest reason for his success.

The linebacker has missed only one game -- Indianapolis's regular season finale in 2002 -- over five NFL seasons, playing in 79 of 80 games. At one point, he had played in 31 straight games. Washington's sturdiness has been particularly impressive because he has had a cyst removed from the base of his spine three times, most recently in late April.

Washington inherited his work ethic from his mother, a single parent who worked at a bottle-producing plant while raising her only child. Teammates say that Washington approaches practices as if he has no chance to make the roster.

"Marcus gives 110 percent every time we step on the field," linebacker Chris Clemons said. "We try to feed off his energy."

Washington is one of the Redskins' most exuberant players, with a motormouth that matches his relentlessness. During warmups, Washington has a habit of reciting lines from comedies. When practices turn sluggish, Washington often lifts the spirits of teammates with his seemingly boundless energy or silly remarks.

In games, Washington is a notorious trash-talker who seldom skips an opportunity to needle an opponent. The linebacker often punctuates a big hit with his trademark celebration: strutting a few yards then leaping high; he has a 36-inch vertical leap.

Teammates said that even when Washington isn't demonstrative on the field, he is likely to be doing something that causes them to loosen up. One example occurred early in the first quarter of last week's 17-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. On first and 10 from the Pittsburgh 9-yard line, Washington tackled tailback Jerome Bettis -- nicknamed the Bus because of his size -- after a four-yard gain and loudly imitated the sound of a bus honking its horn.

"It was so funny," said middle linebacker Lemar Marshall, who added that in a game against the Dallas Cowboys last season, Washington started singing a rhythm and blues tune on the field. "That's just Marcus. He's just having fun when he's on the field."

[REDEEMEDSKIN]

Are they selling his replica jersey yet? I'm still peeved at the fact that his Pro Bowl jersey never went on sale.