Washington Redskins: 5 Aspects Most Important to Their Success

What will define success for the Washington Redskins this year? There are lots of ways to answer that question. Does Robert Griffin III need to light up the stat charts similar to Cam Newton? Does the defense need to become dominant? Do they need to go to the playoffs?

Well for one, there needs to be an improvement in win total. Sure Mike Shanahan has done well in the drafts and has hit more than he’s missed in free agency, however, 11 totals in two seasons is not good by any standard.

For the betterment of the team, their young players, coaches and fans need to see a steady improvement in the win column. Given the adjustments made this offseason, that is realistically feasible.

To be clear, this is how I define success: Robert Griffin plays what’s expected of him, the defense moves in the top 10 statistically and they win at least eight games.

I’m taking more of a broad look at what can determine their future this year rather than go into specifics.

Here are five aspects that I feel are imperative to the team’s success this year.

Finish .500 or Better in the NFC East

If the Skins ever want to win another division title again they have to compete against their division foes. Take out all the bad free-agency signings and terrible coaches; this has been a major factor in the Redskins lack of success in the past 20 years.

Of course it’s easier said than done. The Eagles, Giants and Cowboys are very talented teams. During the Shanahan era, he’s gone 2-4 in the NFC East in both seasons. To put it simply, that’s not good. Successful teams do not go 2-4 in their division.

Do I expect them to go 6-0 this season? Definitely not, however, they need to make a goal towards at least 3-3 if they want to stop being the bottom feeders of the NFC East.

Avoid Off-the-Field Drama

Since Dan Snyder bought the team, Redskins Park has been a complete soap opera. Now I can go probably 20,000 words on reasons why, but I’ll refrain. It’s true though, from the Donovan McNabb and Albert Haynesworth disasters, to the LaVar Arrington saga to Jeff George.

It’s been endless and the majority of it has been beyond maddening. That can’t happen again, and last year was a good example of that. There were very few off-the-field distractions.

It takes 53 men to win. All 53 players have to buy in to what the organization is trying to accomplish while potentially sacrificing personal goals. Almost every year, there’s always a player that doesn’t “buy in.”

That has proved to be extremely detrimental to the Skins on a consistent basis. Bruce Allen, Mike Shanahan and company have not been brought in to win football games, but to change the dramatic culture that has engulfed Redskins Park for over a decade.

They’ve definitely trimmed the fat (no pun intended), but more results need to be shown. Thank goodness London Fletcher was re-signed to keep the locker room sane.

Avoid Serious Injuries

You can’t just hope everyone is going to remain healthy. Just about every team will suffer injuries. That’s just a part of the game unfortunately. That’s where the importance of depth is factored in.

That being said, the Redskins can’t have anything substantial happen this year. Although they weren’t injuries, the loss of Trent Williams and Fred Davis drastically changed the offense. The strong safety position has been lacking without a healthy LaRon Landry.

Of course you have to prepare for the worst, let’s just hope we can keep RG3 upright and give our high-potential youngsters some time to develop. (I’m talking to you Leonard Hankerson and Jarvis Jenkins)

Other than that, there are some veterans that need  to avoid lingering injuries if they want to remain a Redskin. Santana Moss, Kory Lichtensteiger and Chris Cooley all need to rebound from their disappointing season last year.

Win Close Games

More than half of the games this year will be close and it’s common throughout the league. I’ve said in the past that most NFL teams are similar, however, there is a small difference where good teams find ways to win and bad teams find ways to lose.

It goes without saying that the Redskins typically find ways to lose, whether it’s a key mental error by an individual player, a poor coaching decision or another unlucky bounce. All of which have been frequent, sadly.

Again, this is something that needs to be adjusted. Mental toughness is a key component to winning close games and it pays huge dividends to the cohesion of the team as a whole.

This is the second-biggest aspect. I want to see the Redskins down four points with under two minutes to play and find a way to win. That’s what puts them in elite status. I want to see that goal-line stand that demoralizes their opponent.

The team’s confidence cannot dull during those moments and players need to be able to harness those pressure-filled moments. That’s where high-character veterans are needed and players with that “it” factor.

Have Fun

This is the most important; by far.  If you win you are going to have fun. Let’s look at some examples: since Redskins fans (including myself) bask in the “Glory Days” of the 80’s and early 90’s, which of course included three Super Bowl victories.

That’s obviously what they will be remembered by, but what about The Fun Bunch, The Hogs or The Five O’clock Club? How about Joe Theismann taking the offensive line out after games in which the linemen were known to “throw a few back”? They had fun and there was a bond formed between teammates that remain close to this day.

I’m not saying that this year’s current team needs to be doing their version of Remember the Titans and singing and dancing to Motown on a bus and forming their own “clubs” if you will. However, they need to trust one another, they need to enjoy what they do and have mutual respect.

Sure that’s going to be hard, especially in today’s era with free agency, but there is a familiar aspect to every successful team and the closeness that is shared between each athlete on the roster.

The closer the team gets, the harder they will play for each other. They are going to want to do the little things that separate good teams from bad and that is something they have to develop on their own.

The foundation has officially been laid now, the house isn’t finished yet, however, the integral pieces should be complete. Now all we can do it sit back and hope for the best.