Redskins' top receiver Pierre Garçon shined in his first season in Washington, breathing new life into a previously stagnant aerial attack.
After the Redskins finished dead-last in yards after the catch in 2011, Garçon keyed an offensive attack that finished in the middle of the pack in 2012, despite appearing in only 10 games.
A toe injury suffered in Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints threatened to end Garçon's season early, but his will to play helped him battle through the discomfort.
"I overcame some things. I've gotten used to the pain as you can see," he said after the season. "It has gotten better, I guess, but it will be alright."
For Garçon, 2012 was the first time he had ever experienced a debilitating injury. It was a disappointing, albeit enlightening experience for the fiery receiver.
"You live and learn. You have to take everything this season as a learning experience," he said. "We have to continue to grow. Look back at it, we did a lot of great things, we did a lot of bad things. That's how you get better every year.
"Having some adversity probably made me play better and made me deal with it and made me get better and learn how to play with other factors."
Garçon said he intends to spend the offseason rehabbing his foot injury and spending time in his native Haiti, where he has done extensive service work in the past.
Garçon said only time will tell, but if several of the doctors he planned to visit recommended surgery for his foot, he would consider that option.
If he can get fully healthy before next season, he figures to play a large role in one of the most exciting young offenses in the NFL.
"We knew we had a lot of great players on this team. We knew we had a lot of great talent," he expalined. "We accomplished a lot of things this year.
"We had a young quarterback, a young running back. We got familiar with each other. We got familiar with what guys like. We saw guys through a whole 17 games.
"To be NFC East Champs we didn't expect do anything like that; we just wanted to play well. We wanted to play well and we did that."
Some weeks were better than others, as the Redskins scored more than 30 points seven times, but also scored fewer than 20 on five occasions.
Garçon said the talent on the team is no reason for concern, and that familiarity in year two should breed better consistency.
"Some weeks were better than others, but it's a starting point and hopefully continue to grow and get better," he said. "Next year we'll be more comfortable with play calling and more comfortable with practices and learning and evaluating and knowing what guys can do.
"It's a stepping stone to better things. You grow--you grow from experience and hopefully learn from it."
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