The Washington Redskins are broken. From the top down the franchise has become moribund. This has caused team supporters to flee in droves. Downtrodden franchises are not a rarity in professional sports. In recent history that includes the Los Angeles Clippers under Donald Sterling’s ownership, the current Detroit Tigers who managed to out-Oriole the Baltimore Orioles, and the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL, absent from the playoffs since 2011 in a league where more than half the teams make the playoffs. Similarly, even the NFL, where a hard salary cap and free agency has served to revert many teams to the 8-8 mean. This has produced in recent years the pitiful Cleveland Browns and the 2019 Miami Dolphin Tanks. To focus on fixing the Redskins, we must first examine how they got here in the first place.
The Washington Redskins are a special case, and not only because I am a lifelong fan. The Browns have a storied history of championships in the pre-Super Bowl era. They have largely become known for The Drive and The Fumble that propelled the Broncos to two Super Bowl appearances in the 80’s. Along with Art Modell’s betrayal of the city in moving the team to Baltimore in 1995. The Dolphins have back to back Super Bowl wins (1972 and 73) and the only perfect season in NFL history. They are actively sabotaging this season based on the Philadelphia 76er model of team building.
How We Got Here
The Redskins are trying to win, and according to beleaguered GM Bruce Allen, who believes the “culture is actually damn good”. The fans, journalists, and probably most of the players (definitely the ex-players and coaches) would beg to differ. The Redskins have three Super Bowls, most recently after the 1991 season. Dan Snyder bought the team in 1999 and in the 20 years since has overseen the following DC debacles:
- Winning the NFL offseason multiple times by signing washed-up, disinterested and money-hungry players. (Deion Sanders, Jeff George, Adam Archuleta, et al);
- Albert Haynesworth, because he and the $100 million that was set on fire deserve their own bullet;
- Charging fans to attend training camp, in and amongst many cheapskate moves to alienate backers;
- Coaching carousels. That includeS the head-shaking removals of Norv Turner and Marty Schottenheimer, and the delirious hiring’s of Steve Spurrier and (shudder) Jim Zorn;
- Having minds like Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay and Matt LaFleur in house and watching them flee;
- The Bruce Allen prequel – Vinny Cerrato
Step by Step Guide
Washington DC is the nation’s 6th biggest market and contrary to the recent success of the Capitals and Nationals, remains a football town. At least for the time being. Frustrations have grown to a fever pitch amongst fans and loyalty is being sorely tested by ineptitude. But all hope is not lost. Gandalf can still ride in to save the besieged warriors at Helm’s Deep. Here’s an idiot’s guide to fixing the broken Redskins.
- Fire Allen. First and foremost. Plain and simple. For all the good his father George accomplished, Bruce has done the inverse. And based on his recent press conference after the dismissal of Jay Gruden, he is oblivious to it all. Or he may be so ego-driven that change is impossible. This is a must, because nothing else can be accomplished without this crucial first step. Next up is finding a new GM who can organize a head coaching search. Combine that with hiring an adept scouting department, and draft appropriately for the modern NFL. Fixing the broken Redskins goes nowhere without this crucial first step.
- Dan Snyder must become a hands-off owner. At the press conference to announce that Allen is gone, Snyder must announce he is stepping back to allow football minds to control the team. This includes everything from personnel decisions to coaching to fan engagement. He’s not selling Redskin fans. The franchise is still valued at over $3 billion, in the top echelon of the NFL. The best hope is that Snyder forgets his Jerry Jones delusions and assumes a role more akin to Robert Kraft.
- Hire a coach in the mold of the ones who got away. This could be current interim Offensive Coordinator Kevin O’Connell or another quarterback whisperer. I would prefer a strong, defensive-minded guy to bring back aggression and energy that have been sorely missed under Jim Haslett and Greg Manusky. My pick would be Robert Saleh, the coordinator for the 49ers relentless defense.
- Dump the entire medical staff. No matter what the truth is in the Trent Williams situation, the Redskins have lost way too many players to injury over the past few seasons. Enough to not consider it a coincidence. A new coach with better practice regimens will help, but trust must be regained in the training staff. New faces will begin that process. And while we’re at it, dump the Richmond training camp. Have Snyder build a state of the art indoor/outdoor facility in Northern Virginia.
- Improve the salary cap management. Trent Williams, Jordan Reed, and Alex Smith. These three are currently taking up close to $34 million of the adjusted salary cap of $193 million. These are players that have played exactly zero downs of regular season football for the team. It’s likely they never will again. Add in continued payments to departed Zach Brown, Josh Doctson and D.J. Swearinger and that amounts to over 20% of the cap. This doesn’t even consider the fact that marquis free agents avoid the nation’s capital like the plague. Whomever the new GM and his front office staff are, they need to address years of poor spending habits to aid in fixing the broken Redskins.
- Course correct the fan base. Plenty has been said about the proliferation of visiting team fans at Fed Ex Field over the past few seasons. Perhaps a more telling statistic lies in the fans at home in the D.C. market. According to Sports Media Watch, the week 2 Dallas-Washington game earned an 18.3 rating in D.C. The same game got a 30.7 in Dallas-Ft. Worth. Fans aren’t watching at home anymore either, and who can blame them? But to think a Cowboys-Redskins tilt couldn’t get 20% of the Washington television market would’ve been unfathomable even 10 years ago. Even a new stadium deal inside city limits won’t change this based on the product delivered. It will take a while to rebuild the trust. Fans want to love the Redskins though and when the team is competitive the beltway is electric.
Summing up, these are some of the most pressing measures to be taken to turn around this proud franchise. Once the appropriate infrastructure is in place, the football played on Sundays will certainly improve. Fixing the broken Redskins will be a chore, and fans shouldn’t expect an overnight miracle.
Sigh…a man can dream, can’t he?
