Are the Washington Redskins Really That Far Away from Competing in the NFC East?

In a word, yes. Unless Tony Romo spends all of the 2012 season in Cabo, Michael Vick tries throwing right-handed all year and the entire New York Giant’s defensive line Plaxidentally shoots themselves, the Washington Redskins aren’t ordering ‘2012 NFC East Champs’ Snuggies anytime soon.   

Now I’m not saying that the above scenario isn’t entirely unrealistic, but the Redskins would need a lot of fortunate breaks to compete for the division title next year.   

If there was ever a season where a bad ‘Skins roster could have stumbled its way into the playoffs, it was this past season. Take away the John Beck experiment, hit undo on the entire Carolina Panthers game, and the last two games against the Vikings and Eagles may have carried more weight. That is not to say the Redskins were unlucky, the NFC East was that bad last year. 

The only other division that didn’t have a team with double-digit wins was the AFC West. And I would argue that, with two games separating outright first place from last place in the division, the NFC East was the weakest division last year. It wasn’t for a lack of talent, but rather for a lack of cohesiveness.   

The last time the NFC East division champ didn’t have double-digit wins was the strike-shortened 1982 season when the ‘Skins led with a record of 8-1 and defeated the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII. In fact, the NFC East has never had a division champ at 9-7 dating all the way back to its inception in 1970.   

The last nine-win team to take the crown, in what would become the NFC East, was the 9-5 Dallas Cowboys who were 1967 Capital division champs.   

Why am I harping on double-digit wins being necessary for the Redskins? It could be all of the RGIII coverage: a subliminal need to focus on the number 10 and a desire to buy Superman socks. Or it could be that only twice in team history has the organization finished a 10-win season and not made the playoffs (1989 and 1979).   

Winning 10 games doesn’t happen by accident in the NFL. And winning 10 or more games season after season is a trademark of a great team. The San Francisco 49ers went 16 seasons, 1983-1998, with 10 or more wins.

The Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970’s only missed out on double-digit wins in three seasons. Besides the 2011 Giants and the 1982 Redskins, the only other team to win an NFL title with less than 10 wins was the Super Bowl II Champion Green Bay Packers.   

And for those inflating the worst-to-first float for the Super Bowl parade you are already planning in DC, the last time it happened and a franchise became a consistent winner, there was some guy named Peyton Manning under center.   

Although the roster has seen tremendous turnover since Shanahan took over, 72 percent, it isn’t one piece away from a dynasty. Significant upgrades are needed on both the offensive and defensive lines, in addition to the defensive secondary, and then there’s the quarterback position.

The receiving corps is young and unproven, yet the mid-season emergence of Leonard Hankerson may prove to be a catalyst for the group going into next year.   

The team does have a collection of players that have been acquired in the post-Gibbs Part II era who should factor into the franchise’s long-term success.

Brian Orakpo, Ryan Kerrigan, Roy Helu, Evan Royster, Darrel Young, Kory Lichtensteiger, Dejon Gomes, Jarvious Jenkins and Fred (assuming he’ll stop inhaling with Trent WIlliams) Davis are all part of foundation of young talent that Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan need to build upon in order to become consistent NFC East contenders year in and year out.   

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