After a strong start in which it appeared they were legitimate contenders in the NFC East, the Washington Redskins have taken a nosedive. Since their week 5 bye, Washington has lost five straight games. Rex Grossman was benched but has now reclaimed his starting position. That doesn’t sound familiar, does it? With a 3-6 record and games remaining against the Cowboys, Jets, Patriots, Giants, and Eagles, the Redskins aren’t exactly the most confident bunch. In fact, defensive lineman Barry Cofield acknowledged that Washington could break the wrong kinds of records if they keep playing horribly.
“There’s no guarantee that we can win another game,” Cofield said according to the Washington Post. “We just don’t have a team on our schedule that’s just going to lay down and you know, let us beat them. If we don’t play better, there’s no reason to expect to win any games. The ball’s not going to just bounce our way. It could get very ugly. It could get historically ugly. Hopefully, guys are fearful of that, and hopefully, guys focus in and just come together and do whatever it takes to get a win. If we don’t, it’s going to be a very long winter.”
Cofield is right for the most part. Washington does have a particularly difficult schedule and will have to face several teams that are in the playoff hunt. That also means they have a great opportunity to be the spoiler for a lot of teams, which gives them something to play for.
From a personnel perspective, you have to question whether or not Mike Shanahan’s revolving door hurts the team. Stability is important at the NFL level, and flip-flopping between Grossman and John Beck prevents the Redskins from having any. I think it’s fair to wonder if Shanny has turned this team into a lost cause.
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