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Redskins: Five reasons for fans to hold out hope for the future

By Ian Cummings

BALTIMORE, MD - OCTOBER 9: A Washington Redskins helmet sits on the field prior to the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on October 9, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Todd Olszewski/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - OCTOBER 9: A Washington Redskins helmet sits on the field prior to the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on October 9, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Todd Olszewski/Getty Images) /
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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – OCTOBER 28: Alex Smith #11 of the Washington Redskins calls a play against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on October 28, 2018 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – OCTOBER 28: Alex Smith #11 of the Washington Redskins calls a play against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on October 28, 2018 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

No. 4 – The Redskins have some pieces in place for a locker room culture reboot

In Week 8, the Washington Redskins culture was what fueled its strong start in the NFC East. In Week 16, the Washington Redskins culture was the problem.

Too often, we’ve seen this mental inconsistency from the team’s players. Some of that can be attributed to low morale in general in D.C. (which can be directly related to Dan Snyder’s failings as an owner), but it’s clear that at least a partial reboot is needed in Washington’s locker room. Players like Mason Foster, Zach Brown, and Josh Norman might need to go, for the betterment of the deteriorating locker room dynamic.

But the Redskins won’t be starting over. They have some pieces that can carry over through change.

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First and foremost, Alex Smith is still here, and while his cap number is obviously disproportionate to the impact he’s expected to provide on the field in the future, his mentality is something the team can draw inspiration from. Smith’s loss against the Texans was devastating for Washington’s morale. If he can come back, and step back onto the field again, imagine how incredible that would be, and imagine how motivating that would be for his team mates. Smith is working toward it. He’s not going to give up.

There are other players who’ve taken up roles as leaders as well, either as stable veterans, or new, sobering voices. Ryan Kerrigan has always been the team’s most consistent player: Heading into his ninth season in 2019, he’ll have amassed at least 83.5 sacks. And with virtually no injury history, there’s no reason to think Kerrigan, a stable force, can’t keep churning along. He, along with Trent Williams, provides an elite veteran presence that lifts the team’s floor, as a whole.

One more reason to buy into a coming culture change? The Alabama alumni. It’s clear that the team’s Crimson Tide players are wired differently; bred from an inherently successful program, they know what it takes to win. They hunger for it, and no one more than Jonathan Allen, who’s naturally emerged as a steadying voice in the defensive huddle. Perhaps, with a modest personnel makeover, the hunger of the Crimson Tide will permeate into the locker room, and a new culture will be cultivated.

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