Redskins coach Jay Gruden offered a specific, measurable challenge to his team Wednesday: by the end of the season, he wants Washington’s minus-9 turnover differential to be back to zero.
Creating turnovers has been a point of emphasis for the defense throughout the season, but on the heels of Gruden’s challenge, it has now been given even more weight.
“We’ve got to get this turnover ratio back to even. Like, fast,” defensive coordinator Jim Haslett said Thursday. “Not like in seven weeks. We’ve got to do it in like 2-3 weeks, if you’re going to win some games. You’ve got to get turnovers to win in this league.”
The Redskins have committed their fair share of turnovers this season, but they have also struggled woefully to produce them. In eight games, they have forced just eight turnovers — five fumbles and three interceptions. The result is a turnover differential worse than all but three teams: the Oakland Raiders, New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars, who are all at minus-11.
“It starts in practice, man,” defensive lineman Jason Hatcher said. “We’ve just got to put a big emphasis on it. Just keep working on knocking the ball out, trying to get it out. So it was a good challenge, man. I’m excited about it, to see how we’re going to go out and take it from practice to the game.”
To adeptly describe the importance of turnovers, Haslett pointed to 2012, when the Redskins made a memorable run to the playoffs. Haslett said “we weren’t very good on defense,” but cited the team’s 31 forced turnovers as the difference.
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This season has been a different story.
“We’ve had opportunities,” Haslett said. “When the ball comes in your hands, you’ve got to make those plays. You’ve got to catch the ball. When the ball’s on the ground, we had a couple balls on the ground in Minnesota we didn’t get — when you have opportunities to make them, you’ve got to make them. And I think we just, as coaches, we’ve got to preach it more and keep getting after them and emphasize it more. And those things will come.”
Hatcher said the Redskins created seven turnovers in practice Thursday. Now, it’s simply a matter of carrying those positive plays into Sunday’s game.
“The opportunities to get turnovers are always out there,” Hatcher said. “If you’re pursuing the ball, if you’re thinking and knock the ball out, you never know when that big play’s going to come.”
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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