Redskins' fake punt was part of long-developing plan

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Quinton Dunbar was ready for his No. 47 to be called.

And it’s been a while since that happened. When Dunbar arrived to Washington Redskins training camp last summer as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Florida, he was a wide receiver.

But with a crowded receiver group and a rash of injuries at the cornerback position, Redskins Coach Jay Gruden decided to try Dunbar as a defensive back on Day 9 of camp. He beat the odds and made the team at his new position.

On Sunday, with the Redskins trailing the New York Giants 24-23 at midfield and in need of a big play, Gruden dialed Dunbar’s number. A special-teams gunner, Dunbar ran a vertical route and punter Tress Way – instead of kicking – shocked the Giants with a deep ball to the covered cornerback for a 31-yard gain.

“It definitely was a dime,” Dunbar said of Way’s pass. The former receiver said they practiced the play once a day this week. “We was on point every day. There wasn’t no drop, wasn’t no short pass.”

Dustin Hopkins kicked a field goal shortly after, the difference between winning and losing Sunday.

“We knew he was gonna call (the fake punt),” Dunbar said, “Coach Gruden said every day he was gonna call it.”

And there was a good reason for that. Gruden said special teams coaches – led by coordinator Ben Kotwica – “saw something on tape.”

“You didn’t see my eyes closed on the sidelines?” Gruden joked. “We worked on it in practice. Tress Way’s actually got a pretty good arm; nice, tight spiral. Dunbar’s an ex-wideout. … (We) thought we would give it a shot. It was a big play. We only got three (points) out of it, which ticked me off, but it was a great play by those guys.”

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