Morgan makes difficult catches in traffic and deftly blocking for teammates downfield

 

Joshua Morgan is the consummate professional on the field, running crisp routes, making difficult catches in traffic and deftly blocking for teammates downfield.

When he signed with the Redskins, he was still in the process of recovering from a broken ankle that prematurely ended his 2011 season with the San Francisco 49ers.

After accelerating his rehab to be ready for the regular season, Morgan played in ever game, starting 15 games. He led the team in starts (15) and receptions (48), with a plate and seven screws in his ankle.

He also nursed along torn ligaments in both hands during the team’s championship season, playing through the pain for his teammates.

“This was my first year playing wide receiver that my hands and both my feet were hurting,” he said. “It was a rough year but it was worth it.”

Morgan, a native of Southeast D.C., credits his upbringing for giving him thick skin during difficult times, but said he never considered not suiting up on Sunday.

“It’s going to hurt regardless,” he said with a shrug. “It’s either going to hurt when I’m sitting still, sitting at home, it’s going to hurt going out there doing what you’ve got to do to help your team win.

“By any means necessary; that was my mentality.”

His injuries necessitated that he spend more time preparing his body to play, which meant starting earlier and ending later than most of his teammates.

“You’ve got to warm up for longer, you’ve got to make sure you’ve got the right cleats, make sure you take some Aleve. You have to do a lot of different things,” he explained. “Towards the end of the year they started taping my hands. You know how boxers get their hands all the way each knuckle, that’s how they started taping my hands.

“They even put little pads where the torn ligaments were. Then I would put my gloves on.”

Morgan has always worn gloves, but said the added padding made it feel like he was catching passes with someone else’s hands.

“It was weird. It just makes you concentrate that much more when the ball initially hits your hands; you’ve got to fingertip squeeze it,” he explained. “It took me back to my boxing days. You don’t want to have your hands taped liked a boxer playing receiver, but it helped with the pain.

“It was the only thing we could do.”

In 16 games last season, Morgan finished with 48 receptions for 510 yards and three touchdowns. Despite developing into a major part of the team's offensive attack, his production was not up to the goals he set for himself in training camp.

“It was not up to my standards at all, but I still ended up setting one of my goals and that was having the most catches [on the team],” he said. “All-in-all, they tried to give me the moral victory because I played hurt all year, but I really don’t like making excuses.

“They said that why my other foot started hurting because I was compensating so much, doing this and doing that. And I never thought I had torn ligaments in both my hands.”

Morgan said he hurt his hands in separate weeks, with the left hand coming in the first game of the season against New Orleans.

In Week 16 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III threw an interception, turning Morgan into a defender. In an effort to make a play, he was caught awkwardly and hyperextended his right hand, tearing more tendons.

Morgan did not sit out either of the next two games, falling back on his mantra: win by any means necessary.

“We won games, but we just came up short in the end,” he said. “We didn’t get to where we wanted to get.”

Rather than playing in the Super Bowl, a goal that Morgan had at the beginning of the season, he got to watch his former teammates on the San Francisco 49ers represent the NFC for the title.

But rather than sulking at home, Morgan embraced the situation and set his heights higher for 2013.

Getting to know the 2013 Washington Redskins: Jawan Jamison

Jawan Jamison. 5’7", 203 lb

Rutgers, Running Back

Rookie

Key Career Stats

1,972 Rushing yards, 13 Rushing Touchdowns, 36 Receptions, 385 Receiving yards, 2 Receiving Touchdowns (2011-2012)

2012 Stats: 1,075 Rushing yards, 4 Rushing Touchdowns, 28 receptions, 323 Receiving yards, 2 Receiving touchdowns

2012 Highlight: Jawan Jamison was a very productive running back at Rutgers. Based on what I have seen of him, he has great hands and is a very good runner. Jamison makes choice cuts in the open field and had an impressive 11.5 average receiving yards last season. His 1,075 rushing yard total last season is nothing to ignore either. His running production at Rutgers is likely tied to his great cuts and timely jukes, which helped him break away from defenders. Below is his college highlight reel so you can get a sneak peak at this new Redskin.

What is coming in 2013: The running back competition behind Alfred Morris is wide open at this point. Jamison will be competing with Chris Thompson, Roy Helu, and Evan Royster for the 3rd down back job. I believe Jamison has the upper hand at the current moment. Thompson and Helu may both be sidelined due to injury and Royster is in question to be on the team this season after his unimpressive 2012 campaign as the third down back. Jamison does remind me of Alfred Morris as a runner because of his choice cuts, but his smaller frame leads to some concern for injuries. I believe the bigger concern is his reliance on jukes to get big yards after the catch. I have seen many runners evade college level linebackers with ease but Jamison may not be so elusive on the NFL level. If he is not elusive enough at the NFL level, he will not be an effective 3rd down running back.

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