Lack of Identity Sinking Gruden, Redskins in 2014

After five games, we have no idea who the Washington Redskins are and no idea who they will be for the remaining 11.

They're a losing team, that much is clear from the record. Outside of that, however, their identity is utterly indistinct.

In fact, if you drop the words "Redskins identity" into your favorite search engine, you will be confronted by a series of articles which allude to a shift in culture kick-started by a new head coach or the development of Robert Griffin III. 

The trouble is, these articles stretch as far back as May—and that's just on the first page of search results.

It's easy to argue that the landslide of injuries has hamstrung the evolution of the team. It's also entirely true. However, every team has injuries, and there is an oft-referenced "next man up" culture in the NFL that implies backups are as suited to the system as those they substitute.

With the Redskins, that simply isn't the case.

The team identity should be a product of the system and the coaches who run it. In the case of the Redskins, if anyone can explain what the system is, that'd be great. Are they pass-first? Run-first? Defense-oriented? Balanced enough to adjust to game-specific scenarios or rigid in their methods?

With a Pro-Bowl running back and quarterback, an elite left tackle and an offensive line visibly geared toward run blocking, the expectation from some was that the coaching staff would place an emphasis on the run game. This would ease the pressure on Griffin—as well as the defense—and protect him by wearing the opposition down and leaving it susceptible to exploitation through the air.

That's a sound strategy, and one which gained more traction once Griffin struggled in Week 1 and was sidelined in Week 2. However, once Kirk Cousins showed promise against the Jaguars, any thought of the ground game was drowned out by an inclination to pass.

That's not to suggest that this was the wrong strategy—not at all. Cousins frequently found holes in the Eagles defense in Week 3 and moved the offense up the field nicely. If it's working, keep doing it.

Against the Giants, as we all saw, it was not working. 

When Alfred Morris ran 20 yards to bring the score to 24-14, there was a lot of time left in the game. Cousins was yet to hemorrhage interceptions, but he was also failing to show the efficiency he demonstrated at Lincoln Financial Field.

Leaning on the ground attack would have been the sensible thing to do in order to retain momentum and get back in the game. When the backs are averaging five yards per carry, it makes sense to hand them the rock more than 17 times. 

Instead, the offense tried to gain everything back in one go, resulting in disaster. As a head coach, Jay Gruden will learn from this, and against the Seahawks he took a more balanced view on the game. He tried attacking on both fronts, but Seattle had the running lanes blocked off. Cousins showed a lot of toughness in getting out of his slump, producing a turnover-free performance that demonstrated improved awareness of both the pocket and his receivers.

Nevertheless, the result was the same. Three Seahawks touchdowns were taken off the board, so the scoreline actually flattered the Redskins in the end.

There is already a culture of losing in Washington, so much so that the players are accustomed to being on the wrong end of the scoreline. It no longer angers them.

Trent Williams told Liz Clarke at The Washington Post that the team "kind of took it for granted” that they would put in a good performance against the Giants after doing well in Philadelphia. "I don't think we put forth our best efforts," Williams said.

Regardless of performance, both games were losses. Past this season, no one will remember the individual circumstances surrounding each defeat.

Jason Reid reported that some of the leaders of the team—including Williams—were joking after the Seattle game, apparently immune to the effects of dropping to 1-4 on the season. To his credit, Gruden has vowed to investigate, as relayed by John Keim at ESPN:

"

When you do lose, you want people to be sick about it. You want people to bounce back and move on to the next week and learn from your mistakes and not ever be satisfied with a loss. Last night we played a little better, but in no way shape or form should anyone be satisfied. For anyone to be satisfied with that is absolutely wrong and I need to find out who they are so we address the situation.

"

This situation isn't new, either. In 2010, the Redskins suffered a beatdown at the hands of the Giants, yet Marty Smith reported seeing Washington players joking around with members of the Giants team, oblivious to the events of the game:

Gruden is, by all accounts, liked by the players and has brought more of an upbeat approach to the locker room. However, winning games is the only thing that will truly enable the team to stand on its own.

"We’re still working together to find out our identity and find out what we are," Gruden told reporters at the end of the Seahawks game.

The injuries are incredibly unfortunate and disruptive to overall progress, but until the team finds that identity, Washington isn't going to get very far.