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As Redskins Prepare To Handle The Noise, Communication Is Key

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For the first time since 2011, the Redskins will face the Seahawks in front of their famed home crowd. The offense has to make communication unit-wide a priority on Sunday.

The Washington Redskins have played in front of some raucous crowds already this season, facing the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles – both on Monday Night Football --  in their stadiums.

This Sunday's game has the potential to cause just as much communication issues for the Redskins, as they take on the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field.

Dubbed "The 12th Man," Seattle's crowds have been described as deafening at times, best known for causing seismic activity in response to a Marshawn Lynch touchdown run during a 2011 NFL Wild Card game against the New Orleans Saints.

While this Sunday's game isn't a win or go home situation like that game against the Saints six years ago, the Redskins are preparing for significant levels of noise when they are on offense.

"That'll be a challenge. You work on the counts and all the stuff, and it's always a great place to play, Seattle," said Redskins head coach Jay Gruden. "Whether you have a 10-year veteran or a one-game player, it's always going to be a challenge. We've just got to get them ready and Kirk [Cousins] has got to do a great job with communicating the snap count and we've got to handle the noise."

The Redskins plan to use the Indoor Training Facility at the Inova Sports Performance Center at Redskins Park in Loudon County, Va., on Friday to help prepare for the noise, as they'll increase the music levels during unit drills.

Cousins is one of the many Redskins who will experience Seattle's crowd for the first time on Sunday.

Washington's starting quarterback is used to loud crowds trying to cause confusion for him, but admitted that Seattle "may be even louder than anywhere else."

Check out these photos of the Redskins' offense preparing for their Week 9 game against the Seattle Seahawks Wednesday, Nov, 1 2017, at the Inova Sports Performance Center at Redskins Park.

"We'll be ready for it the best we can," Cousins said. "We understand what we're walking into from that standpoint, and we know we have to communicate very well, verbally and visually, and be ready to go, from the first snap to the last."

On top of dealing with a vocal crowd, the Redskins could have a weakened offensive line for a second consecutive game.

All five of the starting offensive linemen are listed on the injury report, with only right tackle Morgan Moses being able to participate on Wednesday.

Even if a majority or all of the starters return in time for Sunday's game, they have to make sure they're communicating assignments correctly.

"We really have to communicate, get out of the huddle early so we can make adjustments and things like that," Moses said. "At the same time, we've played in great atmospheres like Kansas City and we handled it well, so for us, it's just pay attention to details and get what we need in practice on this short week and go on to Seattle and get it done."

One of the few Redskins that has played in Seattle before is wide receiver Terrelle Pryor Sr., who spent the 2014 offseason on the Seahawks' roster.

Although Pryor was still in the final stages of his time as a quarterback when he was with the Seahawks, he has knowledge of how the defense schemes and how loud the crowd will be one the ball is kicked.

"It's a tough team," Pryor said. "They've been together for six, seven years or something like that. It's a good team, they compete very hard. Practice is crazy over there. They'll be ready to go. …It's going to be a loud stadium and just hopefully we get the opportunity to make plays."

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