For Redskins, change is meaningless without a transition plan

The Redskins 0-3 start to the 2019 season has inspired fervent calls for change. But change is meaningless, if a front office doesn’t know how to facilitate it.

Change, by its definition, inherently yields the potential for improvement. And there seems to be general consensus that continuing to limp along with Jay Gruden as the head coach, on the long-term scale, would only be a waste of time for the Washington Redskins.

At some point, the Redskins need to make a change. Jay Gruden isn’t the coach to lead Washington to victory. Greg Manusky isn’t the defensive coordinator to get the most out of his personnel. And Case Keenum, who was originally chosen as the starting quarterback because he gave the team the best chance to win, isn’t winning.

Why the Redskins thought they could win in 2019 is another story, and that ignorance of reality from the front office has been, and could continue to be a barrier to success. But the fact of the matter is, they aren’t. And with each embarrassing loss, it becomes more and more clear that the team needs a hard reset. Not a soft one.

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In a vacuum, a hard reset sounds like the best idea. Anything is better, after all, than wallowing in limbo. Fire Jay Gruden, promote Kevin O’Connell. Fire Greg Manusky, continue the defensive coordinator search next offseason. Bench Case Keenum. Start Dwayne Haskins. Let the new era begin, and put the emphasis on growth, culture restructuring, soul searching, and eventual victory.

In a vacuum, this sounds great. But if the Redskins front office doesn’t know how to enact a viable transition plan, and if they don’t know, or refuse to accept, the degree of change required to turn a new leaf, then the very idea of change in D.C. is flawed, and meaningless.

As human beings, Dan Snyder and Bruce Allen can, in theory, learn over time, through trial and error. But after twenty years of Snyder, ten years of Allen, and a whole lot of losing, they haven’t yet. Bruce Allen famously said that his team was “close” this offseason, presumably to competing. Three games in 2019 have shown they aren’t.

And yet, Snyder and Allen still can’t comprehend the specificity of the problem. If they institute a change, it will not be structured. It will not have meaning. It will be like throwing darts in the dark. They may be well-intentioned, but if the ones in charge want to make a change for the better, they need to have a clear understanding of what the problem is, and introspective, if the problem is them.

Snyder and Allen do not qualify, for either statement.

At some point, change will occur in 2019. But it will not be a universal overhaul, to turn the page, re-evaluate, and restructure. It will be an aimless attempt to catalyze success and excitement. It will be Dan Snyder, in the dark, saying: “One of these darts… will hit”.

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Maybe one. But football, from the front office to the football field, is a complex sport. One dart gets you nowhere. And until Dan Snyder puts the dart board away, any change will be no change at all.

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