Redskins still smarting as they return from break

ASHBURN, Va. – A four-day weekend is a long time to stew over a 31-point, prime-time loss.

The Washington Redskins returned to work Tuesday, a bit refreshed after a mini-bye yet still somewhat chastened by Thursday’s 45-14 loss to the New York Giants.

“Sometimes when you get a couple of days off, it’s hard not to obsess over it, because it’s the last thing you had,” tight end Logan Paulsen said. “You haven’t had a practice, you haven’t done anything. Like, the last football thing you’ve done is this awful, terrible thing.”

Coach Jay Gruden put the players through a 75-minute practice, calling it a “bonus day.” Because the next game isn’t until Monday night, the Redskins will have another off day today before returning Thursday to begin game-planning for another prime-time affair at home – against the Seattle Seahawks.

“We’ve just got to handle adversity, handle the criticism and get better,” linebacker Brian Orakpo said. “There’s going to be criticism about the way we play. Obviously we got blown out at home Thursday night, and it’s the perfect time for redemption against the defending Super Bowl champions. It’s a second chance to go out there and fix the problems we had and show everybody that we’re a good defense, a great defense, a great team.”

“Good” and “great” aren’t associated with much of what the Redskins (1-3) have accomplished so far this season, yet Gruden said after the Giants loss that his players had become a bit full of themselves after a decent showing in a loss to Philadelphia.

On Tuesday, some players fessed up: The coach was right.

“I think we still have the talent in this building that we can do some great things this year,” Gruden said.