The Washington Football Team has found an identity.
On Oct. 7, 2019, Bruce Allen infamously announced to the world “the culture is damn good in Washington”. On Dec. 30th, 2019, Bruce Allen was released from his duties with the Washington Football Team. On Dec. 31, 2019, Washington hired Ron Rivera as Head Coach and he was handed full control of football operations.
On Jan. 1, 2020, the culture was already better.
Now, on Dec. 17th, 2020, for the first time since 1992, the Washington Football team is establishing an identity. An IDENTITY! We’ve been screaming for this for decades.
Sure, in the early years of the Snyder tenure we had the big-name signings, but those guys weren’t Washington Football Teamers, and most of those players were past their prime, they had created a legacy in other cities. Yes, we’ve seen high-profile coaches come here, most notably Joe Gibbs when he returned for his second tenure, but even with that regime it never had a felt like this.
This moment right now, this feels different. And no, I’m not referring to the 6-7 record and “meaningful” December football of a mediocre team. We’ve seen this before, seen it plenty.
Culture is something you feel, it’s not tangible. When you’ve been stagnant and entrenched in substandard conditions for as long as WFT fans have, it’s easy to become apathetic. But when we see something different, something special, we know it! How? Because we’ve seen the deficiencies of poor leadership for far too long.
IDENTITY, man, that word gets me excited. IDENTITY, that’s what an expansion franchise in Baltimore has established in Baltimore the past two decades. Identity creates a culture within a franchise, standards that players must live up to. It’s the ideology of the organization that influences the types of players the team acquires.
Recently, Ike Taylor, the retired 12-year veteran defensive back of the Steelers appeared on the Washington Football Talk Podcast with JP Finlay. He talked about what it was like playing for the Steelers and how they drafted a certain type of player, they looked for toughness.
When they drafted Taylor, they told him he was drafted because he was a Steeler even though he’d never taken a snap. They knew he fit their player profile. He had a respect for his coaches (most notably dating back to High School where he called them “sir”). He was a team player and tough. Again, easy to say in a meeting room or interview, but those types of players show up on tape, it’s not lip service.
That mentality, that’s what I’m beginning to see in Washington. And that’s exactly what has me excited.
The difference a year makes
When you look at the difference between what the Washington Football Team represents today vs. what it was just one year ago, it’s quite staggering. Last year the team was in the midst of one of their worst seasons of the past 30 years, quite the feat for a team that has the abysmal record they have over that time.
They had just fired their head coach. They were on the verge of firing the team President. This once-proud fanbase with a 20-year waiting list for season tickets was having their half-empty stadium taken over by opposing teams fans. This fan base once considered one of the most loyal and rabid fan bases in the NFL had slowly become apathetic.
But look at this organization now! Sure, the 6-7 record isn’t overly impressive on the surface, this franchise has been stuck in those types of years for decades. It’s the substance behind the record that once again has a larger majority of the fan base excited.
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Gone are the days of a seclusive organization. We’ve entered an era where there is an emphasis on transparency from the front office to the fans. There is recognition of failures, not blatant arrogance.
For the longest time, Washington has not been trusted by agents. In 2018, the USA Today released a poll of 25 agents that ranked Bruce Allen as the least trusted executive in the NFL. Now the team is able to orchestrate trades with teams like the 49ers, who would’ve never dealt with the previous regime.
In years past, the team had players questioning the coaches, front office, and training staff. Now you see players rallying together in support of their coach and each other.
The past few decades have created rather low standards of the team nationally. Washington, who was once considered a marquee franchise in the NFL had suddenly become irrelevant and worse yet, an embarrassment around the league.
But in less than one year, they are beginning to gain back credibility. Instead of making headlines for poor decisions and humiliating stories. They’ve been recognized for incredibly inspiring stories of overcoming horrific injuries and cancer.
On-field changes
Not only are we seeing a culture change organizationally, but most importantly we’re seeing it on the field. As I watch this organization now, I see a team of players who are buying into a process that Coach Rivera laid out in camp.
I see a highly touted rookie player like Chase Young who could’ve easily come in here with an ego and an attitude, but instead has become the most vocal leader of the defense. Against the Steelers, Cam Sims made a one-handed grab that made every highlight reel of the week. But what got me excited was watching Chase Young SPRINT 40-yards down the sideline to congratulate him after the catch.
Alex Smith praised Young at the podium on Wednesday, he said “I’ve never seen a guy roam the sidelines while we’re on offense” and added, “it’s crazy unusual for a rookie to be a leader.” He said his leadership is “genuine”. Pretty high praise from one of the most respected veterans in the NFL.
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While Young is the headliner, it’s evident the WFT has made an effort to add a certain type of player whether it be the draft or free agency. By now, we all know the gem Terry McLaurin has become. Sure, he produces at a ridiculous level on the field. But it’s his intangibles that separate him.
You win with guys like Terry. His college coach Urban Myer said Terry is one his favorite player he’s ever coached. He does everything asked of him and he’s always working on something to get better.
The greatest praise he could give was to call him the best teammate you can have. All of this has become evident to us in Washington as he’s already reached legendary status among fans and more importantly, this quiet assassin has gained the respect of his teammates by being voted a team captain.
Now as we look at a roster we see a foundation in place featuring certain types of players. We see first-round talents like Young, Payne, Allen & Sweat. We see mid-rounders like Gibson and McLaurin. They are finding gems in the later rounds like Curl, Holcomb, Ioannidis and Moreland.
But they all fit a profile. These guys are all team-first guys. These are hard-working blue-collar guys. A lot of them played special teams in college. Brian Mitchell said playing special teams brings with it a toughness, and we see that with these guys.
Building the right way
The free-agent class this year was unheralded and brought with it criticism from fans as the WFT had a large amount of cap space available to sign players. As fans, we’ve been programmed to get excited for the big-name players.
But that was the old way. This regime brought in what has proven to be the best free-agent class in my recent memory. Many of these guys are starting and playing at a high level, Ronald Darby, Logan Thomas, JD McKissic, Kevin Pierre-Lewis, Wes Schweitzer, Cornelius Lucas, Peyton Barber, and Kyle Allen (acquired via trade).
To spotlight one key player from the free agent class, let’s take a look at Thomas. Logan was signed by Washington at a price tag of $6 million over two years. Coming into 2020, the tight end was a glaring need that wasn’t addressed via the draft.
Many fans, including myself, were hoping the WFT would be able to sign Austin Hooper as he was the prized free-agent tight end available. The WFT was interested in Hooper, but they had a number in mind and they refused to go over it. Hooper eventually signed with the Browns at $44 million over four years.
Here’s the 2020 comparison between Hooper and Thomas this year:
Hooper: 30 rec, 286 yds, 9.5 ypc, two TDs
Thomas: 49 rec, 469 yds, 9.6 ypc, five TDs
Sure, it’s one year, but let’s take it a bit further. Here are the career averages of Jordan Reed vs the projected season totals for Thomas this year:
Reed: 55 rec, 5 TD, 10 ypc
Thomas: 57 rec, 7 TD, 10 ypc
Thomas has not only been productive and reliable, but he’s been incredibly versatile and proven to be an adequate blocker. A savvy move by a team historically not known for such.
So what does this positive culture create? In the short-term, it helped create some winning. That’s been fun. But what we are witnessing extends far beyond wins and losses in 2020.
Coach Rivera and company are establishing an IDENTITY, something that’s been missing since Joe Gibbs and the Glory Years of Washington Football. Enjoy the ride.