After 10 games in the 2013-2014 season, the Washington Redskins find themselves in a very familiar place, in the cellar of the NFC East beneath a New York Giants team that started 0-6, behind a Cowboys team that season after season remains mediocre at best, and in the dust a Philadelphia Eagles team with a new head coach, and a backup quarterback at the helm. The start to the season is not far off from how last season began, however the seven-game win streak to end last year, which lifted the Redskins to their first division title in over a decade, is now just a distant memory. Much more was expected of the Redskins this year, coming from a division title, with one of the league's best running games, and the Rookie of the Year at quarterback. A 4-0 preseason record only heightened expectations. Now, with a struggling defense, an anemic special teams unit led by a new coach that can't seem to get things right, and an offense lacking explosion and diversity, Washington looks to be a team searching for answers. With the division in the locker room and players calling out coaching, this season has turned from a disappointment to an all-out disaster. With sports talk radio calling for the coaches head, RG3 showing signs that he's not the leader we thought he was, and frustrated fans, this season looks to be just another year that the Redskins faithful have grown accustom to. This leaves us all wondering what's the next step to bring the team to a position where they can be successful, and compete at a high level once again.
The old Redskins would say fire the coach, fire the coordinator, let's start over. Just ask Jason Campbell how well that works. While there's no question that bad coaching is a major part of the Redskins' struggles this year, is a complete change really what the Redskins need? I seem to remember 90 percent of the fan base being against Dan Snyder's old ways and quick trigger finger when it comes to his coaches. And if we need any evidence that patience can be rewarding, all we have to do is look to the Carolina Panthers, Cam Newton, and Ron Rivera. In his first two seasons as coach of the Carolina Panthers, Rivera was extremely unimpressive with the team seeming divided, questioning the coaching publicly, which led to media and fans speculating about a coaching change. However the owner stayed the course, trusting in his quarterback to improve from his sophomore slump and believing that Rivera, the guy he hired, was qualified to take the team where they needed to go. Now Carolina is a legit contender coming off a wins over San Francisco and New England. Is this a model that Snyder needs to follow? Should he extend Mike Shanahan's contract another year and give him a chance with a healthy RG3 and an improved salary cap position? I don't have the answers for that, but I do know that blowing the whole thing up may not only be negative for the organization, but it might be detrimental to the development of RG3 and Alfred Morris.
Something that I hear often from sports talk radio, SportsCenter, and Redskins fans is the ineptitude of Jim Haslett and his 3-4 defense. In my mind, this is the main issue for the Redskins this season. Look at the San Francisco 49ers. Since week 2, Colin Kaepernick is the NFL's worst rated passer, averaging a mere 127 yards per game. While their record isn't what anyone expected, the defense keeps them in games and has allowed them to be successful and remain in the wild card hunt. And what a coincidence it is that it's the 49ers that the Redskins meet on Monday Night Football this week. While the Redskins offense has shown struggles, the fact that the defense can't get off the field and give the offense more opportunities is a huge issue. Last week at the half of the Philadelphia Eagles game, Robert Griffin had seven pass attempts. Seven! This is unacceptable. I have to believe that with more opportunities to get the ball, the Redskins offense can excel. Bad field position, shaky defense and possibly not believing in RG3 to be a true pocket passer is hurting the Redskins.
Typically, when a team has the season the Redskins are having this year, someone must go, heads must roll. And if you think that Mike Shanahan will stay and Kyle Shanahan will no longer be the offensive coordinator, keep dreaming. As long as the Red Lobster is coaching the team, his son will be calling the plays. I do believe that Kyle's scheme and offense can work, but I also believe that the Redskins need to take more shots down field and stretch the defense to allow the shorter plays to be effective. A bubble screen will not work if there's no threat for you to throw downfield keeping the safeties and defensive backs on their heels. Last week on third and 19, the Skins throw a one-yard screen to Roy Helu. On third and one they throw a 15-yard post pattern to Santana Moss. Both plays ended up in a punt. This is where the Redskins must be better. Why not take a shot? On third and 19, why not go deep? A number of things can occur. Pass interference, defensive holding, underneath routes open up, or even a catch and run for a touchdown. Imagine that. With a 3-7 record, there's already speculation about next year, the future of the coaching staff and the players. What can save this squad? There is no one answer. There is no saving grace that will bring the team back to a division title, playoffs or even a Super Bowl appearance. Simply firing the coach in bringing in some one fresh will not solve the issues with the players and the issues with the play calls. I'm just one guy, but I believe the Redskins need to give Mike Shanahan the opportunity to at least finish out his contract next year and the fair chance to use money that you will have this year that he didn't have last year to build a team capable of competing. Let him have a healthy RG3 with a full offseason, hopefully filled more with football and passing drills than advertisements and documentaries. Call me a homer, or unrealistic, but I believe that this football team is capable of winning games. This offseason should be an interesting one, but let's hope that there's less turmoil, and the team able to keep it quiet and just work on basics. It's sad to be talking about next year through 11 games of the season, but hey, we're Redskins fan...We're used to it.
Zach Hart, Brian Smith, William Facciolo and Richard Facciolo are Shades of Red D.C., a group of local fans who have fun analyzing their favorite pro sports teams in the DC area. Catch them on Facebook and on their blog.
By Brian Smith Shades of Red D.C 
