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Redskins Week 13 Reality Checks: If Bruce Allen is out, a rebuild can begin

By Tim Payne

LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 16: Washington Redskins Owner Dan Snyder (R) speaks with General Manager Bruce Allen before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FedExField on November 16, 2014 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 16: Washington Redskins Owner Dan Snyder (R) speaks with General Manager Bruce Allen before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FedExField on November 16, 2014 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – NOVEMBER 17: Derrius Guice #29 of the Washington Redskins warms up prior to playing against the New York Jets at FedExField on November 17, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – NOVEMBER 17: Derrius Guice #29 of the Washington Redskins warms up prior to playing against the New York Jets at FedExField on November 17, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /

3. The Reality Is, Terry McLaurin, Dwayne Haskins, Derrius Guice, Kelvin Harmon, and Steven Sims make up an intriguing offensive nucleus.

As JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington says in his podcast, Redskins fans have to be careful not to get infected with “Ashburn Syndrome”, where they attribute too much upside to Redskins players simply because they have lowered the bar of expectations too low.

But with that said, this rookie class of offensive playmakers (plus Guice in his redshirt rookie year) should give Redskins fans something to genuinely be excited about. These guys absolutely can play…and if given the right situation and opportunities, they could flourish into something special.

That’s a really big “if”, and far from a guarantee. But there’s something to build on if these guys continue to show signs in the coming weeks.

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4. The Reality Is, the Redskins are better when they open up the playbook.

Against the Lions last week, the Redskins offense looked dramatically different than it had in any previous week under Bill Callahan. Here’s hoping that was Kevin O’Connell getting the opportunity to call plays without Callahan in his ear all game demanding I-formation runs.

If the pre-snap action, run-action pass plays, and passes on first and second down are any indication, Bill Callahan had almost zero input on the offensive play-calling last Sunday. And if that’s true, then Kevin O’Connell earned autonomy in play-calling for the remainder of this season.

In some ways, the best possible scenario for the Redskins offense moving forward is for them to hire a defensive head coach who loves O’Connell’s offensive system and keeps him in-house. I’d never demand that of a new GM or Head Coach (they should have the right to hire their entire staff), but it would be nice to give the young guys some opportunity for system continuity.

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