2015 Washington Football: Disappointing Finish but a Glimmer of Hope
As I closed my celebratory article about the rarity that is Washington football success, I stated the following:
An early playoff exit is going to serve as a reminder that this team is merely average and in any other division wouldn't have been in the playoff conversation.
For those keeping track, yes, I just quoted myself. Is that the definition of vanity? Possibly. I quoted myself to state that in certain circumstances, I hate being right. This is one of them. When Green Bay came into Fed Ex Field on the 10th of January, I thought that Washington had a chance to beat them and move on to the next round. Green Bay looks lost, their offense isn't in sync, their defense is suspect and Washington's QB is on fire! First playoff win since 2006! First home playoff win since 1999! STRIKE UP THE BAND!
We have our own marching band! What does Green Bay have? Cheese? If Making a Murderer is accurate, that area will be known for their corrupt justice system, too. Nothing corrupt ever happens in DC!!! WE GOT THIS!!!
ol' TJ Rubley. Known for setting the number 12 back for 10 years.
As the game started, things looked like they were coming up Burgundy and Gold. The defense was stopping reigning MVP Aaron Rogers at every turn, they even got a safety! Rogers looked more like TJ Rubley than his former gun-slinging self. Washington scored the first 11 points! Things were finally turning around for this team. There's no way they could lose! No team has ever come back from an 11 point deficit with only 45 minutes to play!
Wait a minute...Olivia Munn??? OH YEAH! I'm awesome!
I'm not sure who it was, but SOMEONE reminded Aaron Rogers that he's one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. He came out in the 2nd quarter and dismantled the Washington defense and lead his team to 17 unanswered points. Other than an inspired 2nd half drive that put Washington up 18-17, Green Bay owned this game. It was a humbling loss that reminded all Washington fans that this team is not quite there yet.
"All of you guys want to play football and didn't come here just to cash in? Alright, let's play some football! It's a new era!"
I am many things, but one thing I am not is unrealistic. Yes, their playoff loss was deflating after winning 7 of their last 10 games. Yes, I was disappointed that this team was not moving on. However, their loss does not diminish all the good things that happened this season. Let's not forget that last year, Washington only won 4 games. Their quarterback situation was a disaster; former Heisman Trophy winner/NFL Rookie of the Year Robert Griffin III looked lost, Kirk Cousins seemed shell-shocked and deflated and Colt McCoy were not the answer either. There were insane leaks to the media and the defense was in shambles. This team managed to more than double their win total from last year, they found stability at the QB position, their free agent acquisitions made a positive impact, Jay Gruden looks to be competent as a head coach, and there was little to no drama during the season! It's odd to have this kind of stability.
"So, I shouldn't accept Matthew Mcconaughey's friend request?"
"I don't care, just don't take a knee at the 10 yard line again."
Furthermore, my realism keeps my expectations for this team grounded. Will I be expecting this team to repeat as NFC East Champs? That's a tall order. Dallas, in theory, should be vastly improved after this year's dumpster fire, Philadelphia was only a game or two out of contention (yet they fired their coach, figure that one out), and the Giants lost half a dozen games in the last 2 minutes so they realistically could have run away with this division. This is not a time for Washington to rest on their laurels. They made a gigantic leap forward in 2015 but they need to be careful not to regress in 2016. They'll have the schedule of a division champ which means they'll be playing better teams (they only played 3 teams with a winning record this year).
Gruden: Excuse me, son where is your dad...oh it's you Sean. I'm sorry. What are you like 19?
If Scot McCloughan is the real-deal savior of this franchise, then he'll find more talented free agents and draft picks to improve upon this year's success. If Gruden and offensive coordinator/boy-genius Sean McVay are truly on to something, Kirk Cousins will have another great season next year and the running game will pick back up. A reinvigorated running attack will take the pressure off of Cousins, only making him that much more effective. If the defense can play up to their potential, those 7 losses could have been only 4 to 5.
Those are a lot of "ifs" but also, think about this: Washington was decimated by injury this year. Had they not been crippled by the injury bug, would they have rose even higher? DeSean Jackson was out for nearly half the season, Junior Gallette, their new linebacker, was lost in the pre-season, their defensive backs corps was limited and Jordan Reed set receiving records with a rotating cast of free agent signings helping him at tight end. Had he been complimented with other capable tight ends, this team's offense may have been even more deadly. This team succeeded in spite of itself this year, imagine what can happen if the cards fall the right way. OK...I'm getting too optimistic, this is still Washington. I'll believe successful back-to-back seasons when I see it. I guess "cautiously optimistic" is the right term.
optimism???? We haven't felt that since the Joe Gibbs came back.
Mike Lunsford is the Editor-in-Chief of GGR: The Great Geek Refuge. He is a DC sports fan, aka a glutton for punishment.
