Detroit-Washington: One Team's Turning Around, the Other Just Turns Our Stomach

The final score—19-14.

But it was so much more than that.

With Detroit’s 19-14 victory of the visiting Washington Redskins yesterday, the Lions, who were in the midst of a 19-game losing streak prior to yesterday’s win, proved that they are indeed on the uptick, and that they are at least taking baby steps in the right direction.

With Washington’s 19-14 loss at the hands of the host Detroit Lions yesterday, the Redskins, who have been wallowing in NFL mediocrity for who knows how long, proved that they are starting to see the fruits of the labor of the worst management in the NFL, and that, sooner or later, if this trend continues, they will occupy the spot once held by the Lions.

That is what yesterday’s game between the Redskins and Lions symbolized- one struggling team that just may be starting to make progress, and another poorly managed debacle of a team slowly sinking further and further into obscurity.

Before fans of either team overreact, it is important to realize two things:

One, the Lions are not in a full swing recovery yet. It would be surprising if they won more than three or four games this season, and they will not be making the playoffs for at least a couple more seasons (that’s assuming everything goes perfectly, according to plan).

Secondly, the Redskins are not automatically relegated to the basement of the NFL power rankings (at the moment, that honor belongs to the Cleveland Browns), but they are darn close, at least for now.

Furthermore, there is no guarantee that these two teams’ fortunes won’t do a complete turnaround in the coming weeks. After all, it is a long season, one that is still young. A lot of things can happen that would change the fortunes of these two clubs between now and the final week.

However, the Lions and Redskins proved something about each of their respective teams, at least for now.

Let’s start with the Lions.

After the worst season in NFL history (no team had gone 0-16 prior to last season’s Lions), it was seen as almost a guarantee that the Lions would come in for an encore presentation and put together another debacle of a season.

Most people, myself included, were discussing a one or two win season for the Lions, and some even mentioned the possibility of back-to-back winless campaigns.

Currently, Detroit is 1-2, not a stellar start by any means. However, they got their first win much sooner than many anticipated, and in their two losses, the Lions looked like there was some progress being made.

In week one, Detroit squared off with a prolific New Orleans team down in the Bayou. Granted, Detroit got squashed 45-27, and the defense, which was supposed to be much improved, turned in a dud.

Week two brought the darling Minnesota Vikings to Detroit. Many felt Adrian Peterson, Brett Favre, and Co. would come in and trounce the Lions. After a 27-13 loss, it was clear that, while much progress still needed to be made in many aspects of their overall game, the Lions at least had fight in them.

Then came their week three stint with the Redskins at home, and we all know how that one turned out. The Lions were able to secure their first win in 20 games.

Coming into the 2009 campaign, the Lions had a host of new faces in the locker room, necessary changes that were needed to help alter the losing culture that has been present in the Motor City for years.

For starters, the team finally relieved Matt Millen of his duties as general manager of the Lions—something that probably needed to happen at least a couple years prior. Martin Mayhew, who is an upgrade of epic proportions over the incompetent Millen, has since replaced him.

Mayhew had a successful opening offseason, as he brought in plenty of new players and let many old players leave, which is not necessarily a bad thing given the success (or lack there of) that the Lions have had these past years.

Through free agency, Detroit brought in linebacker Larry Foote from Pittsburgh, cornerback Phillip Buchanon from Tampa Bay, running back Maurice Morris from Seattle, and defensive tackle Grady Jackson from Atlanta, among others.

The team also made a splash in the trade market, snagging Pro Bowl linebacker Julian Peterson from Seattle.

For all the acquisitions and changes that Mayhew has made so far, it is clear that he will ultimately be judged by how his star acquisition, quarterback Matthew Stafford with the first overall pick in the draft, pans out.

Remember when Millen took a guy named Joey Harrington a while ago and how he was supposed to turn the franchise around and make it respectable once again? Remember how that one worked out?

Through three games, it is impossible to gauge with any degree of certainty what kind of player and leader that Stafford will be in the NFL. He could be the next Peyton Manning, or he could be the next Joey Harrington. We just don’t know.

But it is a solid pick nonetheless, as Stafford has the potential and the skill-set necessary to someday be a solid quarterback in the NFL. The other acquisitions that Mayhew has made either through trades or free agency have also been important, regardless of how much press Stafford may receive.

Many of the new players on the defensive side of the ball come from winning environments or places where winning is stressed. The one player that immediately jumps to mind is Foote, who went from a Super Bowl team in Pittsburgh to the bottom of the pack in Detroit.

He may not be the most talented linebacker on the planet, and he may not ever lead the Lions to the promised land, but he is the kind of player that the Lions should be looking for. That is, players that come from a winning environment who can help teach the younger guys how to be winners, not only on the field, but off of it as well.

Detroit may not reap the benefits of these types of players for a few years; however, teams need to become respectable before they can become champions, and the growing pains that Detroit goes through now trying to change its culture from the ground up will pay significant dividends in the future.

This all sounds great doesn’t it. So the Lions will be Super Bowl bound within three seasons, right?

When something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Before everybody jumps on the bandwagon and starts proclaiming that the Lions are on an upturn and that five years from now Detroit will be mentioned in the same breath as New England, Pittsburgh, and Indianapolis, just remember that this is all just a best case scenario.

Sure, Mayhew can continue to make prudent business decisions with the team. Guys like Larry Foote could continue to come to Detroit and help lay the groundwork of a winning franchise there. And Matthew Stafford could certainly become the next Tom Brady or Peyton Manning.

This all could happen.

Notice the ‘could happen’. Could is the operative word here.

The reality is that Stafford could be the next Akili Smith; the experienced, seasoned veterans the team brings in may never establish that positive team identity and chemistry that all teams need; and that the Lions simply need to start the process all over again in three years.

Right now, that is just as likely to occur as the Lions making a full recovery. There are too many question marks, uncertainties, and doubts right now to proclaim that the Lions are  going to be basking in glory in a couple years.

The Lions were/are that bad. It is going to take literally hundreds of correct calls by Mayhew and the rest of the Detroit front office to make this franchise a respectable one that consistently puts a winning product on the field.

These decisions include the rest of the upper management, the coaching staff, players, facilities, public relations, and the many other aspects of running a professional football team—many of which the common fan will never know about or appreciate.

It is impossible to say right now whether or not the Lions are going to be routinely competitive two or three years from now.

However, unlike their opponent last weekend, at least the Lions are giving the impression that they are going somewhere.

Plagued by arguably the worst owner/front office in the entire NFL, the Washington Redskins are slowly but surely sinking lower and lower into the annals of the NFL.

They haven’t hit rock bottom yet (there are still a couple teams worse than the ‘Skins—St. Louis and Cleveland come to mind immediately), but Daniel Snyder, the owner of the Redskins, continues to make the terrible decisions that will, in time, put Washington in the cellar of the NFL.

Snyder has far too many counts against him to fully list here, so we’ll just dive into the general highlights. For most people, that is enough to at least grasp at the level of mismanagement going on in Washington at the moment.

Snyder routinely overpays for veteran players that have a shot at only marginally helping to progress his team. They are like the New York Yankees in the sense that they see a problem, find a big name free agent, throw tons of money at him, and hope that he pans out.

Here’s the difference though.

This past offseason, the Yankees acquired Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, and AJ Burnett (among others) for a whopping sum of money, something in the $400+ million range. As of right now, going into the playoffs, the Yankees have clinched their division and are in serious contention to obtain their 27th World Series ring come October.

The Redskins made two giant signings during their offseason as well, inking defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth to a $100 million deal, and bringing back cornerback DeAngelo Hall for another absurd sum, about $55 million.

Currently, the Redskins are looking at being the bottom feeders of the NFC East for the second consecutive season. In addition, if the ‘Skins keep up the pace, they may be in contention for the worst team in the entire NFL come the end of the regular season.

And it’s not only the contracts that Snyder doles out that is an issue for the team; Washington’s owner is abysmal when it comes to PR as well.

In short, Snyder treats his loyal fans (trust me, it is difficult to find a more loyal fan base than the one in Washington) and customers essentially like dirt.

The most recent example occurred back in early September when Snyder sued fans that wanted to opt out of their season ticket packages because of the economy.

Keep in mind that we are not talking about some millionaire that has season tickets in a club box. We’re talking about people who no longer have a job because of the economy; people who can barely afford some of the basic necessities anymore, let alone Redskins season tickets.

Snyder sued these people for the money that they would have owed him. Snyder will probably win this case (if he hasn’t already—I haven’t kept up with the specifics of it) since, technically, he has every legal right to sue these people, as they are backing out of a signed, binding contract.

But let’s be realistic here: Legally, Snyder may have every right to go after the money these people owe for the season tickets. But morally, who wins here? If you have to even think about it for a second, you should probably reexamine your morals.

For years now, the Washington Redskins have wallowed in mediocrity, just barely being good enough to compete, to make things interesting when the Dallas Cowboys or another division rival comes to town.

However, when was the last time Washington was a real contender? Like a Super Bowl or NFC Championship contender?

It’s been awhile.

Signing high priced mega-free agents is a strategy that works fairly well over the short term. However, as the years progress, a team needs a strong, consistent backbone to hold it up if it wants to be successful.

Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, and New England have been the benchmarks for most of this decade in terms of success and consistency.

Indianapolis has Manning, Dwight Freeney, Bob Sanders, and Jeff Saturday; and wideout Marvin Harrison was there for years before he left this past offseason. Their coach, Tony Dungy, was a pillar in Indy for years before he moved on, while their current coach, Jim Caldwell, is an understudy of his.

Pittsburgh has Heinz Ward, Troy Polamalu, James Farrior, and Ben Roethlisberger; and Jerome Bettis was there for years, up to their first title.

New England, while still successful, is enduring some growing pains after losing countless longtime players over the last couple seasons, players who were pivotal to their three Super Bowl wins. However, coach Bill Belichick, quarterback Tom Brady, left tackle Matt Light, and two-thirds of their defensive line have all been together for an extended period of time.

Even the Yankees, who haven’t won a World Series this decade, remain relatively successful and threatening to their opponents. This is mostly because, despite their big-name acquisitions, guys like Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, and Andy Pettite are still there. They create a foundation, and a strong one at that, and it gives them an identity.

What is the Redskins’ identity?

Snyder fires every coach after a season or two. If Bob Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, had followed this strategy, Belichick wouldn’t be in New England and the Patriots most likely would not have won any of their Super Bowls.

How many players on the Redskins have been on the roster and have played a significant role on the team for more than five years? Sure, there are a few, but Washington does not have the continuity to establish an identity for itself and to create the foundation necessary to create a consistent winning environment.

Even though New England has lost numerous players, those that were there before them established a core set of beliefs and philosophies that the players there today follow, making the Patriots a threat still. Even with the significant turnover, New England will remain competitive this season, and will probably remain that way for some time.

Will New England reach its dynastic heights of earlier this decade? No, probably not.

However, at least they will be competitive.

Not even the Redskins can say that anymore. They aren’t even a threat to most of their opponents.

High-priced free agents are only nice if the team they are going to has an identity and a winning culture. Sure, some of these players could help establish that.

However, most of the time, it is not the headline grabbers that create the culture being discussed here. It’s the role players, the guys who have been in the same place for years, the guys who don’t bolt for the next biggest paycheck as soon as they get the opportunity, that help create the values needed to create consistency.

That is why Detroit going after a guy like linebacker Larry Foote is more exciting and has more potential than the Redskins signing stud defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth.

Particularly if Detroit can hang on to Foote and other players that fit his mold, they could someday become a respectable franchise that is looking to make the playoffs almost every season, and, in the long run, would look much better than signing a talented free agent to fill one gap.

A true game changer needs to be able to have an impact on the field, in the locker room, and in the community.

Ideally, a player can put up productive numbers, earn the respect of his teammates, and earn the trust and faith of the fans of the city that he represents.

I’m not guaranteeing Foote will do all of this. He may not, he may be a bust, and, as mentioned earlier, the Lions could very well have to start over again in three years because none of these decisions worked out.

But it is much more likely that Foote will be that guy for Detroit than Haynesworth or Hall will be that guy for Washington. They don’t come from a winning culture, and, from what I can tell, they don’t have the winning attitudes necessary to make changes in a losing environment.

So, in conclusion, don’t consider this article a guarantee by any means. By the end of the season, the Lions could be 1-15 and the Redskins could be in the playoffs.

This is why we love the NFL; it is so unpredictable and exciting.

However, even though it was a very small sample size of just one game, Detroit’s 19-14 victory over Washington yesterday seemed to indicate that at least one team has the potential to begin a turnaround sometime soon.

The other?

Well, let’s just say that they could someday take Detroit’s now former spot.

If Detroit continues to slowly make progress and Mayhew and his staff make intelligent, prudent decisions, someday the Lions may rise to the level of a respectable franchise that can compete for playoff berths.

If the Redskins continue to be ruled an impulsive owner that cannot seem to grasp any of the concepts listed above, someday the Redskins may sink to Detroit’s former position in this league…the cellar.

And Detroit can confirm this from experience: It takes a long, long time to get back on top.