Washington Football Team: 5 negatives for WFT vs Bills

2. Expectations must be practical

All of us have high expectations in life and try to strive for excellence in everything we do.  We want the best education, the best job, the best transportation, the nicest home, and a great family life.  In order to achieve these goals, we must take the necessary steps to make it happen and realize that it can’t be done in a short period of time.

The process of rebuilding a professional football franchise should be a methodically planned blueprint that is set forth by the coaching staff and front office.  The ownership should give the staff ample time to implement the plans and the fans should realize it is a process that requires support and patience.  Are the fans and media willing to support such steps?  If the answer is in the affirmative, then there will be difficult games to endure as the players gain experience and a working knowledge of the system.

On Sunday, Washington played poorly on nearly every level and fans are angry for such a display of ineptitude.  Analysts are lambasting the efforts of players and coaches. Is that a fair assessment or is it a part of the process?

Being Patient vs. Being Angry

There is nothing wrong with being angry about Sunday’s performance against the Bills.  The players are angry with their efforts.  The coaches are angry with the results of the game and how the team failed to execute.  Analysts and fans need to realize that in the early stages of a rebuild, there will be games where the team will struggle and games where they appear to be a playoff juggernaut.  None of this is to absolve Washington of Sunday’s nightmare, but it’s an acknowledgement of peaks and valleys on this journey.

Expecting to win and hoping to win are vastly different from one another.  A fan can expect victories if the team is good enough to meet such lofty expectations.  A fan can hope for victories if the team is not amongst the winning hierarchy of the league.  At this juncture, the Washington Football Team is in “hope for” category.  A team that is in the second year of a major rebuild should not expect to make a deep run in the playoffs.  That describes where Washington currently stands in the phase of their rebuild.

The Giants game is an example of taking a step forward.  Defeating a division rival that had not lost to the Burgundy and Gold in several years is a major step in the right direction.  Losing in a horrible game against the Bills is certainly painful and fans should be angry, but it is a part of the process.  Even the best teams suffer a humiliating loss on occasion.  It’s important to understand that the team will learn from such defeats and look to improve as needed.

The second negative is directed at the team and fans alike.  There is nothing wrong with being angry.  Fans and analysts need to understand that a rebuild takes time and tests the patience of everyone.