I have covered the Washington Redskins for several years. In that time I have noticed that there is a notion that the media understands the decisions coming out of Redskins Park and frequently agrees with them. I have even been accused by my own family (who are from the D.C. area and are lifelong Redskins fans) of “drinking the kool-aid.” Many fans on the other hand, question what they see happening within the organization: the rationale behind draft picks, many of the free agent signings, what players are played or benched (or not) and why… the list goes on. They ask good questions. Who is really in control of the Burgundy & Gold? In what direction is this team headed?
Every now and then, things happen in life to cause one to take a closer look at things that might have otherwise been taken for granted. Due to certain unexpected events this season that greatly affected myself and my company (Sports Journey Broadcast Network), I now too am starting to suspect some of the seemingly ill-motivated decisions coming out of Ashburn, VA. No longer can I defend some of the moves being made out at Redskins Park that I, as a long-time member of the media, see happening year-after-year within this once proud franchise.
I have had several conversations with members of this team, both in private and during live broadcasts, and most Redskins players defend the direction in which the organization is going. But that should not be a surprise. What are they supposed to say as professional ball players? No competitor with a beating heart and red blood is going to admit that they question the direction of their organization. The years of preparation and sacrifice, including off-season workouts, year-round dieting, skipping vacations with family and whatever else is needed to get better at the craft of being an NFL player; would ever allow self-pity and doubt to creep into their psyche.
Well, let me be the bearer of bad news. What has crept into their consciousness is the ineptness in the organization from top to bottom. Trust me. This hurts more to write than it probably will to read but it must be done. Looking back over the [Redskins’ owner] Dan Snyder Era, two things have been as synonymous with the Redskins’ organization as sure as “loyal” and “devout” has been to Redskins fans: losing and player turnover.
Fans of the Redskins are some of the most loyal and supportive in all of sports. I have talked to a lot of fans through my work and a common assertion among them currently is that the Redskins are “getting close.” This year, with the emergence of super-talented rookie quarterback Robert Griffin, III, these same fans are saying, “Well, we now have our franchise quarterback. All’s well in the world.” Indeed, the team is benefiting greatly. His talents are special beyond anything seen here in Washington, D.C. since the late, great Redskins’ safety Sean Taylor. However, as a media member, I sat in post-game press conferences in the not-too-distant past as head coach Mike Shanahan implied that the team was only a quarterback away from being truly competitive.
The Washington Redskins have their quarterback now but, there is something I have always maintained: “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times? Never!” I see now what the problems are in Ashburn… there is no organizational plan on the field.
Come on. Let’s be honest. There have been great additions this year in RGIII and another rookie sensation, running back Alfred Morris. But what happened to all that depth and building via the draft that the team kept feeding anyone willing to eat it over the last two years? The last time I looked, the starting wide outs — or at least the expected starting receivers — coming into the year were free agents Pierre Garçon (from the Indianapolis Colts) and Joshua Morgan (from the San Fransisco 49ers). The starting safeties on defense were either Tanard Jackson (from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Brandon Merriweather (Chicago Bears) or Madieu Williams (49ers). OK. So the additions of the aforementioned receivers was a step toward getting play-makers on the field with Griffin. But the problem I have with the moves is that once again, it appears that the Redskins and their front office went window shopping.
I was always told by my parents that change always looks better until you have to deal with the results of it. Garçon, for my money, is a Pro Bowl talent at wide receiver but not a sure number one receiver. For those who feel that I am reaching with that statement, ask yourself this question: how can a 25 year old wide out, coming off the best year of his professional career with no proven quarterback, be allowed to sign with another team? Especially when the team he was coming from was drafting a rookie quarterback to build with? That same team re-signed one their fan favorites and all time productive players, Reggie Wayne, who turns 34 in November. Garçon reportedly turned down a five-year deal from the Colts and many scoffed at this, thinking he would demand elite receiver money on the open market. But to the surprise of no one, the Redskins — always known for being the biggest spenders for other teams’ players — came to the table with bags of money. The verdict is still out Garçon, who is dealing with what looks to be a season-long toe injury.
Looking at Garçon’s small body of work to date would indicate that he was a good signing. That 88-yard catch and run he made in the first game against the New Orleans Saints has become a symbol for RedskinsNation of all that this Redskins team can be. The truth of the matter, however, is that the receiver has barely seen the field as the team goes into the bye. What if three of last year’s wide outs; Jabbar Gaffney, Terrence Austin and Anthony Armstrong, were still here in Washington? What could these players have accomplished with a signal-caller like Griffin under center as opposed to Rex Grossman or John Beck?
Last year the team caught 346 passes for 4,058 yards and 19 touchdowns. In 2012 so far, they have 177 receptions for 2,104 yards and nine touchdowns. The are on pace for 310 catches, 3,740 yards and 18 touchdowns. They were fifth in the NFL in passing attempts last year and this year they are 2nd in rushing yards, much of that due to the running of Griffin.
Gaffney was signed last season from the Denver Broncos after having spent time with the Houston Texans (drafted by them in the second round of the 2002 draft) and the New England Patriots first. In 2011, he started 15 games and logged 947 reception yards off of 68 passes and got five touchdowns. His yards per catch averaged 13.9 and his longest catch was 45 yards. He fumbled the ball once. While not astounding, it’s pretty remarkable that he did this with Rex Grossman and John Beck throwing to him.
Terrence Austin was drafted by Mike Shanahan in 2010 in the seventh round. At UCLA he excelled as a return specialist. He played in 13 games in 2011, catching 12 balls for 137 yards, his longest 32 yards. He laid some serious hits on special teams last season and was reliable in the slot behind Santana Moss. But he’s not huge and so, before returning for the 2012 preseason workouts, Austin worked hard to bulk up, get stronger and become a better football player. He still fell out of favor with the coaching staff however and the former Bruin was pretty much ignored during training camp and preseason for reasons unknown — as is generally the way with these coaches. He was released back in August and the Shanahan’s kept the taller (6’3”) Dezmon Briscoe (a Bengals’ 2010 sixth-round pick).
Armstrong was signed by the Redskins in 2010 as undrafted free agent, started 11 games and caught 44 passes for 871 yards and three touchdowns. He played in 14 games in 2011 and had seven receptions for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns. His 14.7 average and longest pass of 50 yards were earned during a season in which his catches average out to only 0.5 receptions per game. Even after Armstrong’s good 2010 season, Shanahan brought in veteran free agent receivers Jabar Gaffney and Donte Stallworth, and pretty much made them the “goto” guys rather than developing his draft pick and Armstrong. The latter (who was just claimed by the Jacksonville Jaguars off of waivers) is fast… reportedly a 4.2 40-yard-dash fast. While not huge, he plays tall. He’s got good hands and goes up to get the ball in a jump off. He’s a special teams player and he already knew the system going into training camp. Can you imagine how quickly he and RGIII might score on any given Sunday?
Good teams fill wholes on their teams, not create bigger holes by overlooking weaknesses. One weaknesses for the Redskins over the years has been their offensive line play. I would have bet my last $100 that the Redskins, after drafting Griffin, were going to go after several offensive lineman before they did anything else… including the free agent wide outs that they signed.
Look at what the San Francisco 49ers have done via the draft over the last three seasons by drafting offensive lineman who start for them. They have three lineman who have been developed over the last few seasons and all of them are now starting for one of the favorites to get to a Super Bowl. The Redskins, on the other hand, have drafted seven offensive lineman during The Shanahan Era and only one — Trent Williams — is a starter or sees any meaningful playing time. Two of those draft picks are no longer on the team, two have been inactive since day one of this season with the exception of yesterday, one is on the practice squad and another is on the roster but not getting reps (and was also made inactive yesterday). You do the math. That’s one drafted starting offensive lineman on a bad team with a new toy at the most important position on the field.
In defense of Shanahan and General Manager Bruce Allen, the team has kept many of their drafted players over the last two seasons. But if you’re not going to give your guys every avenue to be successful, then you might as well go back to shopping around for free agents. Was the receiver position so weak when Griffin was drafted that players such as Jabbar Gaffney, Anthony Armstrong and Terrence Austin were expendable? Or, was it that the team simply needed a signal caller not named John Beck or Rex Grossman or wait… Donovan McNabb? You see… the fact that McNabb was such a colossal failure or that Beck and Grossman were even starters at the quarterback position to begin with; these are not player issues so much as they are coaching and organizational issues. This team needs a plan. Not just for today, but for tomorrow. And the day after that and the day after that and the day after that… and it should be a plan where there is also accountability.
Speaking of accountability… there is a huge failure to create an atmosphere of this out in Ashburn.
When defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth came to town for a record-breaking contract, it was seen as a reach by a lot of teams around the league. Especially because Washington had been known for its good — if not great — defenses. Why spend $100 million for a player who, while a defensive force in his previous team, was not a necessity for your team?
Fortunately, Shanahan did not let “Circue de Albert” get too much out of control out at Redskins Park. That was important to the players at the time, who wanted nothing more than to just learn football from a two-time Super Bowl winning coach.
But where do you suppose the minds of players are when they see another high-priced player who is not earning his keep, still spouting off? Where do you think their minds are when their defensive coordinator will not show any energy from the sidelines as their star players get picked apart like a kindergarten jigsaw puzzle? Why are they simply not being put in proper positions to be successful? These players have talent or do they not? If they don’t than again that is a coaching problem to go to war with them. Where is the accountability of this organization to admit their defeats and not just bask in their accomplishments?
What Head Coach Mike Shanahan did after Sunday’s embarrassing loss to the Carolina Panthers was, in my opinion, the real embarrassment. It is way too early in the season to throw in the towel — at least publicly. If he is saying things like, “Now you’re playing to see who obviously is going to be on your football team for years to come,” or “Now we get a chance to evaluate players and see where we’re at,” then he did a terrible job of putting this team together in the first place. And anyone with a moderate IQ knows that Mike Shanahan — not Bruce Allen or Snyder — is responsible for who is on this roster.
What this new group has done here in D.C. is fool Redskins’ fans into thinking that change was being made. But the only thing that has really changed here is the names of the coaches… a coaching staff that I am starting to think is in over its head. There are no adjustments being made during games to counter what opponents are doing. Penalties are way to high (the Redskins lead the league in yellow flags) for a team being coached by a “Super Bowl Winning Coach”. If I hear one more person say, “It takes time to put together winning teams,” I will lose my hair (oh, wait… I already have). That line is borrowed by those who are not getting it done. The last time I looked, teams like the Cincinnati Bengals and Houston Texans were making the playoffs with rookie quarterbacks under center. The San Francisco 49ers went to the NFC Championship game and were an overtime away from being in the Super Bowl with a first-year head coach. This year, the Indianapolis Colts are 5-3 with a rookie quarterback and coach after going 2-14 last year.
But wait.. there’s more. The Miami Dolphins are 4-4 and the Seattle Seahawks are 5-4 with rookie quarterbacks leading their teams. And the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won two straight and have shown marked improvement week-by-week with a — you guessed it — rookie head coach. So please don’t take the easy road with “it takes time.” What “it” takes is superior coaching that obviously has been lacking in D.C. since (former Redskins’ head coach) Joe Gibbs left after that heart-breaking season when the Redskins dealt with the death of a teammate and still managed to stay together, reeling off 5 straight wins to get into the playoffs. What Gibbs did in leading the team to that end is called coaching and team building. If Washington could do that in light of the tragic events they were dealt, then, “It takes time to build” is a loser’s cop-out. There are some veteran players who don’t have time to “wait until next year” or who want to hear that “patience is needed.”
I have always felt like this team has major talent on it but if that talent isn’t being coached up properly then they will continue to be what they have been for a very long time… a bad football team. The Redskins seriously run the risk of alienating RedskinsNation if they do not become more transparent as an organization. Simple things like admitting mistakes when they are made go a long way towards retaining trust when things are going badly. The coaching staff must do some things differently because right now, “it” is not working. Give this team a pulse so that fans don’t see another year washed away before they sit down to eat their Thanksgiving Day dinners.
Washington is very lucky to have a loyal fan base that seems willing to wait and see. But let me tell you, if this team can’t win with Robert Griffin, III, then the only two people out at Redskins Park who are going to keep their jobs are Griffin himself and the owner.
Shanahan’s Denver Broncos won the SuperBowl in 1998 and 1999, yes. But there is a big difference between taking an already built team to The Big Game — especially with a supporting cast like then-offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak — and rebuilding one from the ground up.
Come on, Redskins. You can do better than this. Your loyal fans have the right to tell you that.
Lake Lewis Jr., President and CEO of the Sports Journey Broadcast Network, is accredited media for the NFL and NBA, and a former syndicated host for ESPN Radio. Watch his daily national sports broadcast live on Mondays from 3-6 pm on SportsJourney.com. Begins November 12