In the process, he put the spotlight on the atmosphere Sunday at FedEx Field

Home sweet home? Not so much for Redskins players right now.Even though Washington has won three of five home games this season and leads the NFC East http://www.thetexansfootballauthentic.com/zach-cunningham-jersey-authentic , cornerback Josh Norman called out Redskins fans in the aftermath of an ugly victory at Tampa Bay and said he felt they played better on the road. Norman said home games are "like the other team's turf" because of an infusion of opposing fans and opined that Redskins fans "just boo everything and aren't really behind us." Teammates hope that sentiment works to provide a spark of energy for the rest of the year."We have a really good team and what it comes down to is myself and Josh, we want to be backed up, and we don't want it to feel like it's 50/50 when we're at our home field and they have as many fans as we do," running back Chris Thompson said. "We just want everybody to be there. That's it. We want our fans to be out there and just have our backs."The Redskins organization began a concerted effort in the offseason to try to improve the fan experience at the stadium in suburban Maryland. Aware a sellout streak the team boasted had lasted the past 50 seasons would end, the decision was made to stop selling as many tickets to brokers and try to draw back in some of the disillusioned fans of a franchise that has just three playoff victories since its last Super Bowl title from the 1991 season.Washington's average attendance of 61,201 ranks 26th in the NFL, and its 74.6 percent-of-capacity crowd ranks dead last. Chief marketing officer Steve Ziff said prior to the season there's no timeline for when he expects fans to return in droves like the glory days at RFK Stadium."We're going to do things right for as long as it takes," Ziff said. "Every day the goal is to do things right and hopefully over time, win or lose, fans will buy into that."Right now, the Redskins are winning. At 6-3, they're two games up in the division and on pace for their first postseason appearance since 2015.But Thompson, who has been with the team since 2013, understands there are long-term issues under the surface leading to fans staying away. Decades of mediocre on-field performance, polarizing opinions about owner Dan Snyder and the location of FedEx Field are all factors that have nothing to do with the current roster and its wins and losses."All the responses I see all the time is, 'We've been fans for 10-plus years, we've been fans for 25 years 鈥?whatever the case may be 鈥?and we haven't gotten any results (and) the Redskins have been terrible,'" Thompson said. "I've been here for six years. I understand. I know. I've been to one playoff game in six years."If the Redskins win the division and host a playoff game, the stands will be rocking like the old days 鈥?especially if Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings are the opponent. But to get there, they could use a boost at home so players don't feel like they're in unfriendly confines.For quarterback Alex Smith, it's all about the cadence and ability to communicate verbally."The big thing offensively is communication that you can count on," Smith said Wednesday. "To be at home and be able to communicate, I think you can do more in the huddle and do more at the line of scrimmage."On defense, it's the opposite. The Redskins are coming off allowing 501 yards but only three points to the Buccaneers, and they're counting on noise against DeShaun Watson and the Texans, who have won six in a row since an 0-3 start."The fans play a big part in the way defenses can play, in the way the atmosphere is out there http://www.thetexansfootballauthentic.com/j.j.-watt-jersey-authentic ," linebacker Mason Foster said. "When you get those guys going crazy in the stands, it's hard for quarterbacks to communicate, it's hard for them to audible at the line. When you get that going, I think it's a tough place to play at FedEx."NOTES: Coach Jay Gruden said left tackle Trent Williams (thumb) won't play Sunday and there's a good chance Thompson (ribs) is out, too. ... In addition to Williams and Thompson, WR Jamison Crowder (ankle), CB Quinton Dunbar (shin), S Montae Nicholson (illness) and K Dustin Hopkins (groin) did not practice. Gruden said the team would see how Hopkins is Friday before deciding whether to sign another kicker. ... With Crowder still on the mend, rookie WR Trey Quinn was activated off injured reserve and added to the active roster. Jamal Adams understands what the New York Jets' record shows: a 4-10 squad facing an uncertain future.He also refuses to accept that they are one of the NFL's worst, no matter what the standings or critics say."Again, we're a good football team," the safety insisted after the Jets' 29-22 loss to Houston on Saturday night. "We're obviously in every ballgame besides the Buffalo Bills game, but the rest we've been in. So I don't really know where the speculation of just because we're losing we're a bad football team (comes from)."We've just got to make more plays and play smarter at certain times."The Jets have actually played a lot better since losing to Buffalo 41-10 on Nov. 11. A 14-point loss to New England followed, then a seven-point defeat at Tennessee. They snapped a six-game skid with a 27-23 victory at Buffalo last Sunday and then held a late lead before falling to the AFC South-leading Texans.So, a play here or there and the record could look a lot more respectable.Coach Todd Bowles deals in reality, though, and there's no denying the facts staring him in the face."Our record is what it is," Bowles said Sunday when asked about Adams' postgame comments. "We are a 4-10 football team. We compete our butts off, but no moral victories (for) playing hard. We've got to win ballgames."That, of course, has been much easier said than done this season.
And time is running out, with a home game against Green Bay next Sunday followed by the finale at New England.Bowles is likely to be dismissed after that, ending a four-year tenure that included no playoff appearances. General manager Mike Maccagnan is also no lock to be back, especially if acting owner Christopher Johnson decides to start from scratch 鈥?again.But, is Adams' overall assessment that far off, as outlandish or optimistic as it seems at face value?Well, for one, the Jets believe they have their franchise quarterback in Sam Darnold http://www.thetexansfootballauthentic.com/johnathan-joseph-jersey-authentic , and he has certainly played like one in the two games since he missed three with a foot injury.The No. 3 overall pick is 40 of 62 for 423 yards and three touchdowns with an interception, and showed in both games an ability to take over drives with both his legs and his right arm."Darnold's special, and you see it," cornerback Trumaine Johnson said. "He is special. He has kept us in games, for sure."For a franchise in flux, having the quarterback to build around is a start. Whether it's Bowles and Maccagnan or another combination of men in charge, the Jets will head into the offseason expected to have more than $100 million in salary cap space. They'll have the opportunity to bring in the type of playmakers that could have made a difference in those close losses.On offense, Darnold is working with a line that has been inconsistent and a backfield that is missing its top two players in Isaiah Crowell and Bilal Powell because of injuries. Wide receiver Quincy Enunwa has been banged-up and the rookie is beginning to establish a rapport with deep threat Robby Anderson."Obviously, he's getting comfortable and he's making plays with his feet and he's finding the open areas," Bowles said of Darnold. "He and Robby have had the chance to work together for a while now and it's just starting to click."Anderson was targeted 11 times by Darnold against the Texans and finished with seven catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. Against Buffalo, Anderson had four catches for 76 yards and a score on seven targets."Communication, repetition and connecting," Anderson said of what has changed between him and Darnold since training camp.There's still some fine-tuning needed, though, as shown when Anderson couldn't hang onto Darnold's pass on fourth-and-14 from the Jets 21 late in the game that led to a field goal for the Texans with 57 seconds left."Every throw that I throw to our receivers, I feel like they can catch," Darnold said. "But at the same time, I've got to put it in a better spot. That's just the name of the game."There have also been frequent breakdowns on defense late in games, including allowing Deshaun Watson to march the Texans down the field 75 yards for a go-ahead touchdown. That has been an ongoing theme throughout the season, something that will need to be fixed moving forward, whether it's adding additional playmakers, a new scheme, or both."It was just a couple of plays here and there that we could have made," cornerback Morris Claiborne said. "For the most part, I felt like we put together a good game. Probably one or two plays that separates them. That's the difference in this league. I felt like we came out with some good energy. We came out and played fast. It just didn't come out our way."NOTES: Bowles said RT Brandon Shell was scheduled to have an MRI later Sunday after he was carted off the field with a knee injury. "I don't think he'll be back anytime soon," Bowles said. ... Bowles said WR Rishard Matthews (hamstring) is also having an MRI, and DB Darryl Roberts has a sprained toe.