While most Washington Redskins players have downplayed the weight of expectations for the 2013 season,receiver Pierre Garçon made it clear: the goal is Super Bowl ring, or bust.
"Our goal is to win the Super Bowl. We line up every day to play towards that," he told the media today. "It's what we come to work for, so if we don't win the Super Bowl, it's kind of like a failure.
"If we don't win the Super Bowl it's not good enough, obviously. We have a lot of great players, a lot of great guys on the team, but our number one goal is to win the Super Bowl, and that's all we really play for. Anything else is coming up short."
This is a bold statement from the team's top receiver and follows up another proclamation earlier this week that the 2013 Redskins offense could rank among the best ever.
"We have a lot of great players on our team to help us be one of the best ever – it's the potential to be the best," he said. "We have playmakers at every position – we have a great offensive line, great running backs, two tight ends that can take it to the house, we have great receivers, a great quarterback that can throw it far and run the ball to the house.
"With explosive players all around the field, you can make plays and any player can take it to the house."
Last year, the offense featured four receivers with 500 receiving yards for the first time since 2000.
"Coach [Kyle] Shanahan has done a great job getting everybody the ball and being able to run after the catch or make plays after we get the ball in our hands," Garçon said. "It's a great offense to be a part of
"I'm glad Coach got me in this offense and they're trying to get me the ball. We have the ability to make plays in this offense."
The Redskins return all four 500-yard receivers this season, as well as Santana Moss (career average 810 yards per season) and tight end Fred Davis (on pace for 867 yards last year).
"It's added weapons on the field with Fred [Davis] being out there, being able to do a lot of great things from the inside part of the field," Garçon said. "He demands attention in the middle of the field. He can split the defense and take it to the house whenever he gets the ball.
"I try to do my part on the outside. It's a lot of weapons for our offense. We have to capitalize on that and it will be a great thing when we're both out there together making plays."
For what it's worth, Garçon said the nagging foot injury that hampered all aspects of his game last season is being managed properly now and should not be a problem this season.
"I'm feeling good. Feeling good and getting rehab every day," he said. "But I'm good and nothing crazy, nothing major going on. I'm just getting back into playing football."
With each big play registered by No. 88 in a training camp practice, Garçon has continued giving back to fans, sending the football into the crowd as a momento.
"It's nothing special, just giving the fans a little souvenir from practice," he said. "A lot of fans come out to Training Camp and sometimes they don't get nothing. They don't get an autograph or nothing.
"Hopefully, one of them catches a football and get to keep a football."
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