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Pierre Garçon Encouraged By Return Against Eagles, Though Not By Results
By ZAC BOYER
ASHBURN – Pierre Garçon said Monday he “felt all right” and didn’t experience any type of setback to his injured right foot in playing in his first game in over a month.
Garçon
Garçon missed the Washington Redskins’ last four games because of a torn plantar plate in the second toe of his right foot, but decided that it had improved enough to the point where he was able to get back on the field Sunday for the 31-6 victory over Philadelphia.
His contributions weren’t much; Garçon caught just three passes for five yards, including one for seven yards in the first quarter and two later in the game that each cost the Redskins a yard.
“Hopefully what I did is not what I do for the rest of the season,” Garçon said. “The foot is going to get better over time. Every day is getting better. Just, hopefully, it will continue to get better where I can help out more.”
Garçon, signed in the offseason to be the Redskins’ top receiver, still has not ruled out the possibility of undergoing surgery, but with such a unique injury, it would certainly end his season and offer him no guarantee of correcting the issue.
Despite the limited opportunities on the field – he was in the game for just 21 of Washington’s 53 plays – head coach Mike Shanahan said he was pleased with what Garçon was able to do. He looked much more comfortable on Sunday, Shanahan said, than when he tried to prematurely return from the injury Sept. 30 at Tampa Bay.
“Obviously didn’t get the ball on a couple of those plays, but you could see that he could separate and do some things that give you a chance to win,” Shanahan said. “The big question now is can he do it on the turf, where it’s a little bit harder, a little bit tougher to run on for a guy like him going through the type of pain he’s dealing with in the bottom of his foot.”
The challenge Thursday, when the Redskins head to Dallas, is dealing with the artificial turf surface at Cowboys Stadium. More cushioned than grass, but still on a solid base, the surface could be much more difficult for Garçon to handle.
“The thing you don’t know is how he can handle the turf to play on,” Shanahan said. “We’ll take him out before the game and hopefully the pain’s not that great and he can help us to win.”
