Redskins: Are they as Bad as Power Rankings suggest?
Nov 16, 2014; Landover, MD, USA; Detailed view of a Washington Redskins helmet before the game between the Washington Redskins and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Every time I turn around I see a new set of NFL power rankings come out with the Washington Redskins ranked dead last at number 32 in the league. There’s no doubt the Redskins still have some areas they need to improve in but the worst team in the NFL?
I think an argument could have been made that they were last season. They finished 4-12 and the talent level at certain positions wasn’t where it needed to be. However, after an offseason where the team has been bolstered by free agent signings and a solid draft, how can it be said that the Redskins aren’t a more talented group now than they were last season?
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I don’t think it can be. So if the Redskins have more talent and depth than last season, how can they be a worse team? Some will point out that it’s not just about talent but team chemistry has a lot to do with winning in the NFL and the drama the Redskins have had this preseason could affect that.
I agree that it could affect it but the reality is that every team in the NFL has drama, even the winning teams. All you need to do it look at the daily headlines to prove that. Players holding out, players under investigation, GM/coach disputes, multiple players suspended, locker room fights and the list goes on.
But what separates the winning teams from the others is how they deal with that drama, how they compartmentalize it and are able to focus in on the task at hand which is winning games. It can be done, so why not by the Redskins?
There are other players on the team besides Robert Griffin III. Good players who want to win badly. Players who will have a say in the outcome of the season. Do the Redskins need a few things to break their way to win more games this year? Of course they do but so do a lot of other teams.
On top of more talent, the Redskins have a new GM, and they’ve made upgrades to the coaching staff. Could it all blow up in their faces? Yes. But it could also work in their favor. So why are some pundits ignoring the good things the Redskins have done and still predicting a disastrous season?
I think it’s because some just don’t like the Redskins and want to see them fail. Either they don’t like the name of the franchise or they don’t like the owner Daniel Snyder and that dislike causes some to focus in more on the drama causing the team to lose than the changes helping them win.
I can’t say that I blame these pundits, as Riggo’s Rag commenter “Trinity” pointed out, the Redskins make it easy for people to criticize them based on their own behavior. There’s no doubt that the Redskins have placed a target on their backs while inviting people to shoot.
Quarterback controversies, the GM’s personal life bleeding into the public, the owner meddling in personnel matters, you name it, it happens here. But when I look past all the drama and the shenanigans, I see a team that looks better on paper right now than it did last year.
Are the Washington Redskins the worst team in the NFL? I don’t think they are and I don’t think they do either. All they need to do now is go out there on the field and prove it. What do you think? Are the Washington Redskins the worst team in the NFL?