Losing Culture Is Changing for the Washington Redskins

There's something different happening at Redskins Park this season. If you've been following the Burgundy and Gold for years, you can be forgiven for not spotting the signs.

Players are playing based on merit, not reputation. There's also a rookie-heavy feel to the roster, with several young players making key contributions.

It's only been four games, and they don't even have a winning record, but the 2015 Washington Redskins are in danger of actually functioning more like a competent NFL franchise should.

Frankly, it's a long-overdue change of culture. CSN Mid-Atlantic's Tarik El-Bashir put those C-words together earlier in the week to sum up how things are working under head coach Jay Gruden and general manager Scot McCloughan.

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Citing four different calls, the benching of Robert Griffin III and Andre Roberts, along with cutting Kai Forbath and David Amerson, El-Bashir described the new philosophy of these Redskins:

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Do your job and do it well. Or ride the bench. Or worse.

Would these decisions have been made prior to McCloughan’s arrival? It’s impossible to know for sure. But here’s what we do know: the Redskins’ locker room has officially been put on notice by the new guy in charge, who said shortly after taking the job that he considers a player’s performance to be much more important than the number of commas on his paycheck.

"

That last line is hugely significant. If you want to pinpoint the change in culture at Redskins Park, look no further than the starting quarterback.

Sending RG3 to the lumber before the season's first competitive action sent the clearest message yet that reputation no longer trumps talent. The Griff' was a second-overall pick in 2012, the supposed franchise quarterback Washington gave away a king's ransom to select.

Washington had plenty of reasons to persist with RG3. Plenty, except the most important one: He wasn't making any progress as an even barely competent pro passer.

By benching Griffin, Gruden and McCloughan took a broom and swept away a healthy amount of the dysfunction that's plagued this franchise for nearly two decades. That one move changed everything.

It totally altered the unhealthy dynamic of an entire roster and playbook being designed to make one player better.

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But pushing RG3 aside hasn't been a solitary gesture. In fact, it simply got the ball rolling toward a greater culture of accountability for the NFC East's annual whipping boy.

Roberts was sat down in favor of rookie Jamison Crowder for Week 4's 23-20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Gruden and his staff had finally grown weary of Roberts' seeming inability to do the one thing essential to his job description: catch the damn ball.

After a key fumble against another divisional foe, the New York Giants, in Week 3, rookie running back Matt Jones saw his playing time cut. Just two weeks removed from his breakout 123-yard, two-touchdown showing, the 2015 third-rounder stood by while Alfred Morris and Chris Thompson carried the load.

Reducing Jones' carries proved it isn't just veterans who can be swept aside by the new philosophy. Highly touted first-year player or seasoned pro, if you don't perform, you're out.

If all of this seems grossly unfamiliar, don't blame yourself.

After all, this is a franchise where the largest contracts and the loftiest reputations usually hold sway. The latter kept Griffin around a year past his sell-by date.

But before No. 10, it was greybeard free agents earning top dollar amid mediocre performances. Think Deion Sanders, Adam Archuleta and many, many more.

Speaking of defense, it's on that side of the ball where this season's most significant culture changes may be taking place.

It was a high-priced free agent, D-tackle Stephen Paea, who spent time on the bench against the Eagles in Week 4. Signed for $21 million over four years, with $15 million guaranteed, Paea has been a somewhat subdued performer so far this season. He's made just six tackles and notched a single, fortunate sack.

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So Paea found himself riding the bench for much of Week 4. Instead, in search of a credible pass rush, the Redskins turned to Chris Baker, according to ESPN.com's John Keim:

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Defensive end Stephen Paea played only 12 snaps. He was a key free-agent acquisition, but one reason he didn’t play more has to do with Chris Baker's emergence.

...

He continues to be a factor, and it’s no surprise he received the second-most snaps among the defensive linemen (24).

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Contract or no contract, Paea hasn't been producing as expected. So Baker got the nod. That's just how it's going to work this season.

If you think this all sounds like hollow chin music, I don't blame you. But accountability and culture change aren't buzz phrases like a coach or a GM talking about so-called "character guys."

Enforcing accountability is vital for any winning team. Simply put, players who fear for their jobs will play harder to keep them. Players never guaranteed a starting berth are more likely to push themselves to give their coaches no other choice.

That's how these Redskins are different so far in 2015. It's a change that goes against the grain of recent years.

Yet there's one more change that runs a little deeper. Take a look at this season's Redskins, and you'll see a rookie class making a real impact. That's a class, not a sole prospect, bending over backwards to justify an otherwise lackluster list of selections.

Top pick Brandon Scherff is starting, second-rounder Preston Smith already has two sacks and a pair of forced fumbles. Jones has added life to last season's 19th-ranked rushing attack, while Crowder snaked Roberts' place in the passing game.

It isn't just the top end of the class that's coming good. Sixth-rounder Kyshoen Jarrett has already made his mark as a safety converting to slot corner. He "was one of five players to play all 56 snaps on defense" in Week 4, as noted by Keim.

Overall, rookies ruled against the Eagles. Mike Jones of the Washington Post detailed how on offense, "eight of the 11 starters were draft picks." Defensively, "six of the 11 starters" were drafted by the Burgundy and Gold.

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Make no mistake, this is a sea change for Washington. Other regimes have paid lip service to the idea of making youth the foundation of a roster. Mike Shanahan talked about it loud and often. But Gruden and McCloughan are the ones putting it into practice.

Even in the glory years of the franchise, during Joe Gibbs' first stint, draft picks were almost an alien concept in the nation's capital. Barring a few exceptions, you had to be taken in a round prefixed with double digits to have a chance of making the team and contributing.

Now, both ends of the class are making a difference. Things sure are different.

Of course, history says you should be wary about embracing these initial changes. False dawns have become a part of the fabric of the franchise.

There are plenty of reasons to be wary. For one thing, Griffin's presence on the sideline serves as a reminder dysfunction hasn't quite left town just yet. Some shaky performances from Cousins, the talk of RG3's return and a split among the decision-makers at Redskins Park will become deafening in no time at all.

McCloughan's blueprint of greater physicality, played out by heavy running and swarming defense, is straight from the Stone Age. It's an enduring classic because it brings losing teams stability, but it won't be enough alone to take the Redskins to a fourth Lombardi Trophy any time soon.

For now though, feel free to shelve any skepticism. Changes are taking place at Redskins Park—long-overdue changes.

After beating the Eagles, McCloughan said: “It’s a culture change. These kinds of wins: culture change,” per Jones.

It will take a few more wins like that for the change to stick. Yet the start of this season indicates there's reason to be optimistic this isn't yet another false dawn.

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