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Redskins prepare for emotional week

Dec 2, 2007 - 12:29 PM Buffalo (5-6) at Washington (5-6) 1:00 pm EST

LANDOVER, Maryland (Ticker) -- A season of struggles has turned tragic for the Washington Redskins.

Less than 48 hours after suffering their third straight loss, the Redskins were devastated when safety Sean Taylor died Tuesday morning from a gunshot wound he suffered at his home a day earlier.

Now comes the arduous task for the Redskins of mourning their fallen teammate while preparing to host the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

"Obviously we do have a game this weekend, but that is the farthest thing from my mind and anybody else's mind at this point," safety Reed Doughty said. "I guess we'll just take that as it comes."

Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs, who led the franchise to three Super Bowls, admitted he's not sure how is team will react to Taylor's passing.

"It's going to be a tremendous loss for us and our football team," Gibbs said. "As far as the team goes, we have never deal with this. We're going one hour at a time here.

"We're going to work together, go forward together and get ready to play this weekend."

Washington plans to honor Taylor's memory. His No. 21 will be painted in a grass parking area leading into Redskins Park in Ashburn, Virginia. The team also announced No. 21 will be painted in front of the Redskins' Hall of Fame store.

Owner Daniel Snyder also said the Redskins players will wear a patch on their jerseys and the No. 21 on their helmets.

"It's like we lost a family member," Washington quarterback Jason Campbell said. "Through this tragedy we all have to try to pull together and stay strong for each other. Our hearts and prayers go out to his family, his girlfriend and his little girl. It's a tough situation right now."

Buffalo's players can somewhat relate to the anguish being felt in the Washington locker room. In the season opener, Bills backup tight end Kevin Everett suffered a fracture of the cervical spot and underwent emergency neck surgery.

Initial reports suggested the injury could be life-threatening and that Everett never would walk again, but within days doctors were terming it a miracle recovery.

Everett since has taken small steps and was able to leave the hospital and return to his home in Texas.

The Bills have made a switch at quarterback, going back to rookie Trent Edwards in place of J.P. Losman. However, rookie running back Marshawn Lynch likely will miss his third straight game with an ankle injury.