Washington Football Team: What a difference a year makes

2020 brought about huge changes within the Washington Football Team organization. A year removed, let’s reflect on the improvements the franchise made.

A year ago this month, the Washington Football Team saw significant changes throughout the organization. They saw their old name and logo, which meant so much to so many fans, officially retired. Known as the “Football Team” they looked as if you bought EA’s Madden video game and they forgot to get the okay to use Washington’s name in the game.

Soon after, an article from the Washington Post was released with allegations of poor workplace culture in Washington, especially toward women. The trifecta was that the Washington Football Team was coming off a year in which they went 3-13, and frankly, the prospects for their 2020 season were not much better.

They were a franchise without a name and an organization reeling from poor culture. Both on and off the field, the franchise had no identity. The name change just made it that much more apparent.

Oh, and shortly before the season started, it was revealed that Ron Rivera had been diagnosed with cancer. Even the most optimistic of fans were having a hard time remaining positive.

However, despite these obstacles and the revolving door at quarterback, the Washington Football Team improved their win total by four games. They went 7-9, carried mostly by their second-ranked defense, and made the playoffs. An extraordinary accomplishment, given the circumstances.

The offseason saw the Washington Football Team improve a number of their weaknesses. They signed William Jackson III to bolster the secondary, and Curtis Samuel seems to be a perfect fit in Washington. Couple that with a trade acquiring Ereck Flowers from the Dolphins and a solid –albeit on paper — NFL Draft, and Washington had a solid offseason of acquiring new talent.

It remains to be seen if Ryan Fitzpatrick will provide some stability at the quarterback position, one that desperately needs it. However, he should be an improvement, at the very least.

The football operations have clearly improved, but so have the business operations. In mid-August Jason Wright was hired to be the Washington Football Team’s new President. He is tasked with overseeing the overhaul of the workplace culture and heading the rebrand of the historic franchise.

Wright has made significant improvements. He has given the fans a mouthpiece as the organization goes through its rebrand. A stark change of pace from the old regime.

He interacts with fans on Twitter, making himself more personable to the average fan, instead of appearing as a smearing corporate head. He has listened to the fans’ wishes in what they want in the rebranding process, the most notable demand being that the colors will remain the same no matter the name.

He put money in the yearly budget towards revamping the practice fields and resodding the grass at FedEx Field — a much-needed improvement for the Washington Football Team. And his most recent achievement was helping to establish the FAN Ambassador Network.

The network has many Washington fans assigned to give advice and feedback on how to improve the fan experience for the Washington Football Team. This varies from the food at the stadium, to giving feedback on how the merchandise that is offered to fans can be improved. This is another example of Wright giving the fans a mouthpiece as the franchise undergoes historic change.

For the first time since Dan Snyder took ownership of the franchise, the fans seem to have a voice and understanding of what happens in Ashburn.

As many can see, what a difference a year makes. While the franchise still is searching for its permanent moniker to solidify its identity, many positive improvements have been made.

As Washington enters its second training camp under the new regime, or as some could call it “a new era,” that is what should permeate through the minds of the fans.

The Washington Football Team seems to be getting better, both in its football operations and in its business operations. For the first time, in what seems like a long time, the Washington Football Team is on an upward trajectory.

It is easy to get bogged down and downright annoyed with the constant name change chatter. It is easy to be skeptical that ownership won’t begin to meddle in the day-to-day operations again. It is reasonable to be skeptical that this is all a farce. Another facade by the franchise is making improvements, only to be proven later that no such thing happened.

It is also a rational gripe that the old name and logo changed in the first place.

However, as you look past the grimy past,  the franchise is making positive changes. Things can certainly change for the worse, but for now, the franchise finally seems to have gotten it right. Whether that leads to playoff wins remains to be seen, but Washington, at the very least, is beginning to turn the tide.