Redskins Reality Checks: An offseason report card and prescription
By Tim Payne
Roster building vs. Franchise building
Just as fans almost always struggle to get out of “win-now” mode during the season, we can’t seem to avoid “roster-building” mode in the offseason. We can’t get out of our own way, dreaming and scheming for the best possible on-field product this coming season, no matter the cost. We want the team to make all the free agency splashes and trade for all the available stars. But if a team thinks that way, they’re in cap purgatory almost immediately and are all but guaranteed to live in a state of constant frustration as their record swings from 4-12 to 9-7 with no real progress ever made.
Successful franchises in the modern era find ways to maximize their annual competitiveness, but to do so not at the expense of the three-year horizon. With the way contracts and the salary cap are structured in the NFL, this balancing act is critical for any chance at sustained success. Teams like the Patriots, Steelers, Seahawks and Ravens have managed this balance much better than most over the last 15 years, while the Redskins have been among the NFL’s worst.
Roster building looks like massive free agent contracts given to aging stars. Roster building looks like draft picks traded for expensive players at positions of need. Roster building looks like reaching in the draft based on athleticism, name recognition, and upside, rather than listening to your scouts and the needs of your coaches. Roster building looks like a lot of “winning off the field” and a lot of mediocre performances on the field. Roster building attempts to avoid being bad, rather than following a plan to achieve greatness.
Franchise building looks like careful succession planning, accumulating draft capital, and selling high on high-dollar players past their prime. Franchise building looks like spending on great coaching and training staffs and quality medical facilities and staff. Franchise building looks like hiring smart people that disagree with you and taking their advice. Franchise building looks like being willing to take small steps back in order to be in position for that major leap forward that gets you to the promised land.