When Bill Callahan was named the interim head coach of the Washington Redskins, he made a point to emphasize the running game and said that the team would get back to basics and reshift their focus to the rushing attack, attempting to develop into a hard-nosed football team that got the job done on the ground.
So far, Callahan has been true to his word, and the team is seeing another shift in philosophy on the front this week in practice.
For the first time all season, the Redskins brought a full back onto the team — a position so rarely used in the NFL that it would be hard for fans to name more than a handful of players left at that spot. On Wednesday, Washington signed FB Michael Burton, looking to deploy him in the running game and help open up holes in the front line for Adrian Peterson to get through. Callahan said after practice on Thursday that this personnel shift adds a totally new dimension to the offense.
Callahan’s love for the run game showed itself last week against the Miami Dolphins as Peterson had a resurgence to the tune of 118 yards on the ground. With an added blocker and a new set of plays that can be called for Burton, the Redskins will have a good opportunity to switch things up on the ground and become the power-running football team of Callahan’s dreams.
