Week 8: The Washington aftermath

That game in Toronto was pretty bad.  Honestly, there's just not a lot that can be said about it (well actually, there is PLENTY that can be said, but I'm trying to stay positive).  What has now been made painfully clear to everyone watching, is that The Redskins are still a work in progress.  Of course that isn't breaking news.  But the total breakdown of this football team in so many areas is.

Predictably, the calls for Mike Shanahan's head have begun.  Jason Reid of the Washington Post and Rick Snider of the Washington Examiner haven't called for his resignation yet, but they have both implied that this scenario is on the table.  Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Washington's darkest hour.  Today, there is no joy in Mudville.



Let me be clear about my thoughts on the matter: The Washington Redskins simply don't have enough talent on the roster to be a legitimate contender in 2011.  Am I upset?  HELL YES!  Is this debacle in Toronto unacceptable? Again, YES.  Is the team on the field currently preforming below the fanbase's collective expectation?  Yes, absolutely.  However, it must also be acknowledged that this is still a rebuilding project.  In order for Mike Shanahan to retain a measure of credibility, he would best serve his own interests to admit this fact publicly.

Washington is not a playoff caliber football team, and further, The Redskins still are still two complete drafts from being a perennial contender.

The hardest thing to do nowadays is to take your medicine.  Even when you know that its good for you and you know you need it.  Everywhere you turn, there seems to be an instant solution to cure all of your ailments.  But the truth is, the tried and true way to stay healthy is to keep a good diet, get a moderate amount of rest and exercise, and stay away from at risk behavior.  Most folks will admit to knowing these things deep down, but human nature always seduces us to chase that silver bullet -- the miracle cure.

Things are much the same way in football.  Of course its hard to deal with a couple seasons of losing, in order to build a roster capable of competing at a high level consistently.  But the truth is that the only way to achieve the lofty goal of Super Bowl Contention, is to retool the program to reach those heights.  Those kinds of goals take time.

Of course there are many voices that would respond that the current Head Coach is the wrong man for the job.  My reply to those voices would be that all things considered, it's far too early to tell.  How can any coach possibly fix what's broken, if he knows he doesn't have enough time to implement the solutions necessary to fix the problems at hand?

The real problem had been that The Redskins organization suffered from impatience in the past.  There have been men capable of fixing the program, but were ran outta town without the courtesy of being given the time to fix the problem.  At this point, let's not make the same mistake again.  Yes, it sucks now.  That is definitely known.  But just give it some time, and the results down the road may just surprise you.  In a good way.