WS Chronicle

The Washington Redskins were soundly beaten by the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football by the score of 31-15. The loss on Monday put the Redskins at 0-3 on the season and further shows how inept this team has been for the better part of two decades.

I have been a Redskins fan since I was born, due to me being from Washington, D.C. As a youngster, it was a pleasure to be a fan of the Redskins because of their rich tradition and winning ways. 

From 1983 to 1991, the Skins won three Super Bowls and were perennial playoff contenders. Since that last Super Bowl victory in 1991, there have not been too many seasons for Washington fans to be happy about.

The Skins were somewhat respectable throughout the 1990s, but since the new millennium hit us, there has been little to cheer about. Since 1999, the skins have only won 10 games in a season twice. With the team starting this year at 0-3, winning 10 games seems unfathomable. With more than three-fourths of the season to go, fans of the Redskins are already talking about wait until next year.

Since 2000, the Redskins have only made the playoffs on four occasions. Contrast that with the New England Patriots, the gold standard of the NFL, who have only missed the playoffs three times in that same span.  

At 38 years of age, I never thought I would have to live through 20 years of inept play from my hometown team.  For me and for many fans, most of the blame must go to team owner Daniel Snyder, who took over the team in 1999.  

Over the years, Snyder has made poor choices with coaches, aging players and high-priced free agents. The frustration has been mounting for years, especially with talent the defense has. To his credit, Snyder has made some good decisions in the draft recently and has begun to build the team the right way, but they continue to underperform.  

It might be time for Snyder to sell the team, because I do not foresee him changing his ways anytime soon. I doubt Snyder will sell the team, but a change in the front office and coaching staff is a must.  

The defense currently has some good players and the offense has some bright spots, but the coaching staff seems to not be able to put them in situations to be successful. Head coach Jay Gruden, offensive coordinator Kevin O’Connell, and defensive coordinator Greg Manusky don’t seem to be the right fit for this collection of talent.

There have been reports that Gruden will be fired soon. Gruden has been with the Skins for the past six seasons and has only made the playoffs once. That won’t cut it for a historic franchise like Washington. I am not an advocate of someone losing his job, but it obviously is not working out for Gruden in the nation’s capital. Changes need to be made and made quickly.

My major gripe with the franchise has been their inability to make the right decision at the right time. For instance, the Redskins had Sean McVay, current Los Angeles Rams head coach, as their offensive coordinator for three years. During that span, the Washington offense was very effective.  

Everyone could see that McVay was destined for a head coaching job. Instead of pulling the trigger and making McVay the head coach, the team stuck with Gruden, even though we could all see that McVay was special. Now McVay is in L.A. and has already taken the Rams to a Super Bowl.  

I am not sure Snyder will do what is necessary to improve this team. Every other team in the NFC East has seemed to improve from last year, but the Skins look like they are stuck in the mud. All us Redskin fans can hope for is that Snyder makes the tough decisions to put the right people in place to bring this storied franchise back to prominence. Hail to the Redskins.