For the last 27 years, the Washington Redskins have been the symbol of mediocrity. Any playoff run since the Super Bowl of 1992 has been considered an anomaly. Fans in the DC area are on two sides; hopeful optimism or heartless apathy. Whichever side one lands on, the reasoning for the team to be ranked on the lower end is not without reason. Unlike the years previous, this season presents a new set of challenges, but is it exactly mediocrity? An uphill battle; why the Redskins are always low ranked.
Since 2012, the Redskins have had a quarterback issue. Realistically, you can back to 2010 for the start with the combination of Rex Grossman and Donovan McNabb. McNabb was way past his prime when he started and was released the same year. Rex, known as “Good Rex Bad Rex” lived up to his alias. Somedays passes just seem to find receivers hands. Other days, he couldn’t hit the broadside of a billboard.
2012 brought the promise of a dynamic running quarterback in RGIII and a growing style offense, the RPO (run-pass option). That faded quickly due to injury. Kirk Cousins, the unwanted back up who was originally slated to be a sort of trade bait struggled his first two starting years. Cousins was never injured and got better each season and the Kirk wave was at high crest, that is until he did not want to be in DC anymore. We all grimaced when Alex Smith suffered the same exact injury, ironically enough on the same exact day as Redskins Legend Joe Thaisman. Colt McCoy managed to suffer a similar injury the very next game allowing for Mark Sanchez and Josh Johnson to take a swing. Today we have Case Keenum and Dwayne Haskins, a quarterback journeyman and a rookie.
For the last nine years, the quarterback situation has not been the greatest. This year has a similar feel. Dwayne Haskins has tremendous upside, but he is a rookie who only played one season at Ohio State. Case Keenum is a journeyman; this will be his fourth team in five years. Keenum is not an elite quarterback, but he is not terrible either. Seems like a perfect place holder for a rising quarterback.
Another group of unproven talent is the wide receiver group. Of the six kept, outside of the often injured Paul Richardson, the most experienced receiver would be Trey Quinn who was drafted last year. McLaurin and Harmon were drafted this year, Steven Sims Jr made it as an undrafted free agent, and Robert Davis is able to play again. While young, fast, and hungry, there still are a lot of questions surrounding the group that can only be answered during game day. Coupled with the dependency of quarterback play, only time will tell and hopefully the low ranked of the Redskins.
Though it seems like a lot of the Redskins early projections are based on inexperience, there are other factors that contribute to the overall view of the franchise. It is a well known fact that Bruce Allen and Dan Snyder are not looked upon favorably (rightfully so). During Bruce Allen’s nine years as general manager/team president, the Redskins have gone 42-70 with only 1 playoff appearance which resulted in a loss. Allen is known for taking high risks, and typically having them blow up. When the situation does blow up, the attention is deferred to someone like Doug Williams or even Jay Gruden. He rarely addresses the media (national or local) so no one really knows what goes on in the office.
Even further lowering the ranking of the feanchise, Dan Snyder, the mastermind behind all this, is also widely disliked amongst fans and the league. Ever since the team was purchased by Snyder in 1999, the spiral was out of control. The Allen and Snyder duo rule with an iron fist, silencing anyone that does not conform or speaks out against them. In 2018, Brian Lafemina was hired to help handle the business aspect of the organization. This included promotions, ticket sales, and getting butts in seats. Lafemina had a transparent view of things. A plan was put into action, and while not a 100% turnaround, slowly started to work. Lafemina came out and spoke on the fact that season ticket sales were down and in fact available. This among other things did not sit well with the Snyder and Allen, and before the season was over, Lafemina was fired.
The fans are not the only ones that have a problem with Allen and company; some players do as well. Trent William’s in the midst of his holdout expressed his frustration with Bruce Allen as well as the training staff. It came out that Snyder at one point said to William’s to tell him who he wanted fired. But Trent refused. If one of your star players does not want to play for you, especially at a key position like left tackle, the team will not succeed and will continue to stay amongst the low ranked teams.
This year, the team has a projected low floor and a low ceiling fuel to inexperience. Despite the hunger and flashes shown. If results are not produced, they will not win. Moral victories don’t count on a record. However, the mediocrity view now is more of a front office aspect. The Redskins have a bit of an uphill battle to face. But if they can start winning on the field, they can possibly win off the field too.
An uphill battle; why the Redskins are always low ranked.
