Washington Redskins Front Office Shakeup Has to Be More Than Cosmetic
A potential front office shakeup that could put two master team-builders in positions of power would eventually lead to hiring the right defensive coordinator. Are the Washington Redskins really about to start building a winner the right way, or is this merely the beginning of the franchise's annual pastime of winning the offseason but losing once the real action begins?
If it's the latter, then giving A.J. Smith a bigger role in the front office and pursuing talent-spotting guru Scot McCloughan, per NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport, will simply be surface-deep moves:
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They'll be akin to slapping a new coat of paint on the walls of a decaying building and hoping fresh colors distract people from the crack in the foundation.
It's not as if this team hasn't done that before. Ever since Dan Snyder assumed ownership it's been one splash move after another.
But none of the marquee hires, none of the high-priced free agents, none of the poster-boy rookies changed anything for a franchise that's made the playoffs just five times since 1991.
You all know the pattern by now. The Redskins encounter a bump in the road en route to rediscovering the glory days and Snyder's response is to throw money at it. Often his pitching arm is aiming for things Washington doesn't really need.
The team didn't need Bruce Smith and Deion Sanders in 2000. The 1999 roster was deep and talented but just unfortunate to fall to a very good Tampa Bay Buccaneers team in the playoffs.
Yet rather than building a young defense to complement offensive playmakers Stephen Davis, Michael Westbrook and Albert Connell, Snyder dished out fat contracts to vets only looking for a final bumper payday.
This team didn't need Albert Haynesworth in 2009. Granted, Jim Zorn's first year had seen a 6-2 start evaporate into a lame 8-8 finish. But the defense was the furthest thing from the problem.
The unit was strong and well-coached by Greg Blache. It thrived because of a cohesive approach where there were no real stars. The last thing that tight-knit bunch needed was a 350-pound diva.
Speaking of a diva, where was the sense in mortgaging the future on Robert Griffin III, a quarterback who thought a playbook was a glorified coaster? Coming off 6-10 and 5-11 seasons, the 2012 Redskins had many more needs than quarterback.
But that didn't stop Washington's decision-makers giving away a pair of first-round picks and a second-rounder as if Griffin was the one and only missing piece.
Getting the picture? The Snyder-era Redskins can't stop looking for the quick fix.
The problem is many of their attempts to find it are so bold, so filled with star power, that you almost believe it will work. You can kid yourself that even though all of the other overpaid mercenaries were unnecessary signings, this year's are just what's needed to build a winner.
It happened last offseason. The relief of seeing Mike Shanahan finally punted out of Redskins Park was so strong it clouded better judgement.
It made signing DeSean Jackson, a gifted but troubled wide receiver, seem like a good idea. Jackson himself wasn't the problem but adding him to a position that already featured Pierre Garcon and Andre Roberts was.
But Jackson's good right? After all, he proved that by hauling in 56 catches for 1,169 yards.
Of course, his talent is beyond question. But what about Garcon? His catch total plummeted from the franchise-record 113 in 2013 to just 68 this season.
How long before Garcon, clearly unhappy in 2014, begins to gripe more regularly, creating a problem of Washington's own making? It's a problem borne from front-loading positions of strength and ignoring obvious weaknesses.
Jackson wasn't the priority on offense, better linemen were. Similarly, interior pass-rusher Jason Hatcher wasn't the priority on defense, adding more talent in the secondary was.
But both moves were just so typically Washington. It's almost as if general manager Bruce Allen said, 'don't worry about the line, we'll make more big plays through the air to compensate for every sack. Don't worry about the secondary, no quarterback will have the time to pick it apart.'
Well, a 4-12 record served as ample proof, if it was needed, that you can't polish doo-doo and hope nobody notices. This is the culture Smith and McCloughan must be allowed to change.
Both are certainly capable. McCloughan's track record speaks for itself, as ESPN writer Seth Wickersham detailed:
"He has two Super Bowl rings locked in a safe. Each of the three teams for which he has worked in his 20 years in the NFL—the Packers, two stints with the Seahawks, and the 49ers—has reached the Super Bowl during his tenure or shortly afterward. McCloughan had a part in drafting six players who were on the Pro Bowl roster last season, including Patrick Willis and Vernon Davis. His report on Russell Wilson for the Seahawks a few years ago read: "Obviously we are really interested in passers with better height, but this guy may just be the exception to the rule. He has the 'it' factor.
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But it's not what McCloughan has done that's important. Rather, it's what he will be allowed to do if he accepts a job in Washington that will count.
He must be allowed to change the processes this franchise has relied upon to build successive losing rosters. Wickersham's reference to Russell Wilson is a prime example.
It should have been obvious to anyone who had seen Wilson play as far back as his days with North Carolina State that the pocket-edition signal-caller was a talented passer. Only the lack of pro-level physical dimensions was going to hold Wilson back.
He needed someone to take a gamble and McCloughan happened to be that person. But once Wilson was drafted and had wasted no time winning the starting job, the Seattle Seahawks had to answer one crucial question: How could they help the vertically challenged Wilson win in the NFL?
The answer was to scheme an offense based around moving pockets designed to get Wilson in space. That's where his lack of height wouldn't be a problem, while his natural athleticism would shine.
That's a successful strategy to get the most out of talent. It begins at the scouting and recruitment level and filters down to the coaching and play-calling level.
It's a coherent strategy crafted for one sole purpose: Winning.
That's not winning with the owner's favorite player, or only winning if it means playing one way, or sticking stubbornly to a plan you thought would work but hasn't. It's just selecting players to fit schemes, while also be willing to accommodate and adapt to special talents who might not fit the mold, but can still help.
Contrast that with Washington's approach last offseason. It started with hiring Jay Gruden, a coach who loves to call a pocket-based offense, to develop a quarterback best suited to an option-style offense.
You can't build a house on quicksand and you can't build a winner when the relationship between coach and quarterback is fractured. Allen's strategy has been an enforced one. It's a determination to get Griffin to play one way, instead of asking what's the best way to help the team win.
That's what Smith and McCloughan, assuming he's hired, have to be allowed to change. Smith may already be doing that.
That's the best way to explain the pursuit of Wade Phillips as defensive coordinator. It's something Smith can play a key role in, according to ESPN Redskins reporter John Keim.
Phillips is the best fit for this defense because he calls a scheme that suits what the unit's best players do well. B/R Insider Jason Cole has indicated this is the primary motivation behind interviewing Phillips, whom he names as the clear favorite:
Hiring a coach who fits what your best players can do? Are you sure this is the same Washington Redskins?
Convincing long-suffering fans these early moves, mooted though they are at this stage, will be anything more than cosmetic will be a challenge for this franchise.
That's only natural considering those success-starved supporters have seen all this before. They've heard every promise of a new era, every "but this time we've really changed" plea.
After seven wins in two years and four losing seasons out of five, lip service isn't good enough. Changes have to be put into practice and allowed to make a difference.
That means giving Smith a larger bat to swing on draft day. It also means hiring McCloughan. Then the Redskins will enter a draft armed with a rare full quota of picks and two master recruiters ready to use them.
Of course, if Smith and McCloughan are on board as well as Allen, still the de facto general manager, there's a danger of a few too many cooks in the kitchen.
Many will ask what exactly will be the purpose of Allen if Smith and McCloughan are making the decisions that count. It's a reasonable question, but Keim has offered one possible answer:
"The Redskins need a stronger voice in the football operations. Let Bruce Allen be the ambassador of the franchise, the guy who is out front on various off-field issues and who negotiates deals, etc. He’s a good buffer between owner Dan Snyder and the head coach. That’s an important role. But it sidetracks him from duties that pertain to the football side. It sounds as if Allen would keep his general manager title, but I can’t imagine Smith would come here full-time, and move to the area, without some level of assurance that he had control over football matters.
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Not being clear on who has the keys to the kingdom is the surest way to create a fractured front office. That's why if you're a cynic, it's easy to believe having Smith and McCloughan on board wouldn't make the slightest bit of difference.
How could it if the overall foundation is still cracked? After all, why keep Allen around at all? Many would contend his first year calling the shots, following Shanahan's autocratic rule, was a disaster.
If you're inner cynic is still chirping away, it's probably telling you stories about Smith and McCloughan are more about directing negative attention away from Allen.
It's important to note neither move regarding Smith and McCloughan has happened yet. Maybe they never will.
Allen certainly needs a boost in his ratings and perception. His end-of-season press conference was widely dubbed a disaster, with Kent Babb of The Washington Post particularly scathing:
Babb's fellow Post reporter Mike Jones felt former defensive coordinator Jim Haslett's admittedly long overdue dismissal was ruthlessly timed to protect Allen:
But it's not what's gone before that matters. It's what comes next that's important.
The immediate future has to be about more than surface-deep quick fixes and potential moves that sound good but aren't allowed to bear fruit. If Washington follows through on its apparent bid to shake up the front office, the new talent recruitment team has to be given the freedom and authority to really change things.
Those changes must be systemic rather than the cosmetic touch ups that have kept this franchise mired in losing for nearly a quarter of a century.
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