By Ronald N. Guy Jr.
Well that was fun: nine wins (roughly three clear of Vegas’s
preseason over/under line), an unexpected division title, a home playoff game
(just the third in FedEx Field’s abysmal 19-year history), clarity at the
quarterback position, stability at head coach and in the front office and an
obvious off-ramp to exit the harrowing Robert Griffin III business. By any
measure, Washington’s 2015-16 season was a resounding success.
Still, there were warts. Washington didn’t beat a team that
finished with a winning record all year and didn’t record a road win until
December 13. Further, in the team’s only games against elite quarterbacks – Cam
Newton, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers – Washington finished 0-3 and was outscored
106-44, including a season-ending 35-18 drubbing courtesy the Green Bay Packers
in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
But in a town sadly accustomed to frivolous free agent
purchases, embarrassing acts by the owner and unimaginable losing on the field,
these are not significant problems. It is only the quiet contemplation of
long-suffering Cleveland Browns fans that cuts through the self-loathing of
Washington’s faithful supporters. So no, a winning season and a home playoff
game is nothing to feel bad about. Truth is, Washington was playing with house
money after winning its eighth game of the season and securing a division crown
with a victory over Philadelphia in week 16.
While Washingtontonians continue to gorge on the fatted calf
and consume uninhibiting portions of the finest wine in wild, reckless
celebration of football competence, there is this lingering question:
Now what?
Prior to 2015, Washington’s only four playoff appearances
under Dan Snyder’s ownership occurred in 10, 10, 9 and 10-win seasons in 1999,
2005, 2007 and 2012, respectively. What happened in the subsequent seasons
tells a gloomy tale. In 2000, Washington won eight games. In 2006? Five. 2008?
Eight. 2013? Three.
Notice the trend? It’s called undeniable regression…like bet
your kids’ 529 accounts and your home on it regression.
The challenge for 2016 is clear: Break the cycle and prove
that 2015’s success was a cornerstone to a meaningful run of quality seasons and
not just another one-year anomaly managed by a self-destructive franchise’s
oblivious capitalization on a league system that makes mediocrity the norm.
The pessimist’s argument starts and ends with the common
denominator: Snyder. He’ll screw this up. It’s what he does. His impulsiveness
will lead to inaccurate conclusions and impatient action. Good football people
will be fired; head-scratching acquisitions will be executed. He’ll be
polishing up those inherited Lombardi Trophies for another introductory press
conference with another head coach before another president takes the oath of
office. Just wait for it. Snyder the owner will condemn Snyder the fan.
Or not?
There are two reasons for optimism, two reasons why 2016
might not be like 2000, 2006, 2008 and 2013: General Manager Scot McCloughan
and Kirk Cousins.
Snyder’s Washington teams have never had an empowered
General Manger of McCloughan’s pedigree with cognizance over the roster. One could argue that Joe Gibbs met those
standards in the mid-2000s, but Gibbs’s Act 2 personnel decisions seemed more
collaborative than dictatorial and, if we are being honest, GM Gibbs was far inferior
to Coach Gibbs. In McCloughan’s first year, he exponentially increased the
importance of the draft, made it clear he wanted to create a culture of
toughness and rewarded hard work and production, not unsupported reputation and
hype…you know, the substantive stuff that successful NFL organizations do.
Kirk Cousins is the second to testify on behalf of the
optimists. None of those previous
Washington playoff teams were commanded by a 27-year-old quarterback with an
un-set NFL ceiling. Brad Johnson was closest, but he was 31 in 1999 and more of
a known, dependable, unspectacular commodity. The 2005 and 2007 squads were
quarterbacked by a 35-year-old Mark Brunell and a 36-year-old Todd Collins. Snooze.
As for 2012…well…there will be books and short films about it. Griffin had the
franchise and city in his hands until his insulted knee collapsed under the
weight of his pride and the unconscionable mishandling by his coach, Mike
Shanahan, and renowned orthopedic surgeon, Dr. James Andrews.
But now there’s Cousins - the once curious and criticized fourth
round pick and endlessly polite Griffin backup - leading the franchise between
the lines. The jury is still out, mind you, but he blew away expectations in
2015 and deserves a shot to lead this team long-term. At worst he looks like a
competent NFL quarterback; at best, he’s probably above average. Regardless, that
assessment makes him a rare NFL commodity and something Washington hasn’t had,
except for the pre-injury Griffin, since perhaps Trent Green in the late 1990s.
What 2016 ultimately holds for Washington cannot be seen.
Yoda senses no disturbance in the force. Professor Marvel’s crystal ball is
dark. The channeled spirit of Nostradamus is stumped. NFL football, riveting
but brutally unfair game that it is, offers no guarantees. Washington could do
everything right this offseason and still be undone by injuries or the whims of
a bouncing football. But at least Washington has McCloughan running football
operations and a capable, 20-something quarterback with some growing still to
do. Those two gentlemen invite legitimate hope that 2016 will deliver something
that hasn’t happened in the nation’s capital since 1997: a second consecutive
winning season.
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