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USA Today: Redskins among 4 teams that won't make the Playoffs in 2016


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http://ftw.usatoday.com/2016/02/4-nfl-teams-that-wont-make-the-playoffs-again-next-season#

 

"Washington rolled into the playoffs after its offense finally got healthy in the second half. The returns of DeSean Jackson and Jordan Reed took pressure off Kirk Cousins, and the 27-year-old settled into his role as a distributor nicely. Everything went right for Washington in the second half, but Jackson and Reed are injury prone players so it’s not like the team can expect them to play a full 16-game schedule next season."

 

 

Well it took all of a few days before we started getting trolled about next year. USA Today has announced us a 1 of the 4 teams that won't make the playoffs next year. They cite Jackson and Reed health issues, the return of a healthy romo and dez and anoint the cowpukes the early favorites for the division. They talk about Cousins contract but don't really talk about his play accept to call him a distributor what ever that means. They also mention the tougher schedule. They finish with a shot at Dan Snyder wondering aloud "General manager Scot Mccloughan worked wonders in his first go-around in the nation’s capital, but you never know when Daniel Snyder will intervene." Really? Let it go already!

 

No doubt we will have a tougher schedule. Reed injuries are a probably a fair concern. Maybe even Jackson. However (and I freely admit I could be really wrong) I think he learned something from how last season went. It was probably the first time he saw how going into his 30's he can't rely on his athleticism. Provided we keep him I expect him to have a different focus.

 

We certainly have some huge holes - no running game, little experience in the secondary, an underperforming Dline to name a few. I could see us actually getting better as a team and missing the playoffs. But one of the teams least likely to make it again?

 

I see 8 winnable games (sweep philly, split with dallast and giants, Cleveland, Detroit, Minnesota, and the Ravens). If we make some major improvements we could easily win 2 more making us 10-6. I would take our chances to make the POs with that record. Of course we could also end up 6-10 or worse if we back-slide. I may be too optimistic, but I just don't see that kind of backslide.

 

What are your thoughts - understanding this is well before any moves have been made or the new season has even started. It might be interesting to see how the predictions work out when the season happens. Besides, it's the offseason. What else do we have to do?

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I think it's par for the course, for a team that has sucked for 25 years. 

 

The Cowboys will be a playoff contender with Romo and Dez playing 16 games. They're really good together.

 

We had 1 good year, in a year that the rest of the division completely fell off. 

 

DJax and Reed are injury prone and are the keys to our offense.

 

I expect nothing from the media, until we start to dominate and win consistently.

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Good! I don't want anyone feeling that we're good enough, I'd like to see a team young-n-hungry, looking to build on a good start. Let Scot work his magic, add more talent and "want to play" to the roster that keeps pushing each other and not worrying about reviews.

 

The impact McClue's first draft had was phenomenal, I'd be greedy to expect more of the same but I'm going to, let's see what the next wave can do. A second year of Callahan running the line, Kirk settled in as starter getting all the camp reps, getting a lot of players back healthy would in itself be a boost (Martrell Spaight I'm still waiting to see you out there!), there are valid reasons to see success next year. This team is still in rehab in some ways, it needs to get over its fixation and fascination with outside opinions, ignore the media, brush off the fans and just do what you do and THEN we'll see where we end up in January.

 

 

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What annoys me about these reviews is that while people whine about how other teams suffered through injuries no one talks about what the Redskins overcame and what it could mean.

 

We lost our starting safety.

Both starting cornerbacks.

Our left guard.

Our center.

Our middle linebacker.

Our third down running back (or co-starting running back)

Perhaps our best pass rushing linebacker.

Our starting wr and best deep threat (for half the season)

 

and I'm probably forgetting a few. The Redskins may never have played a game with the starting secondary they envisioned coming into training camp (if you consider Ihenacho's injury they definitely didn't) There wasn't a game last year they didn't play short handed. Three times, they relied on free agents signed off the street to come in and play significant, even starting roles. These were guys no one in the NFL wanted or thought was good enough to be on their roster even as a third string back up (Foster, Blackmon, Thomas)

 

The 'skins ought to get more benefit of the doubt. They fought through the 2015 season playing on one leg with their arm tied behind their back.

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It's funny how this article says one of the reasons the Redskins won't return to the playoffs is because of the injury problems of Reed and Jackson.

 

Yet, they really say nothing about Romo's injury problems (or his age). Just simply he's back, so now the Cowboys are a contender again. :rolleyes:

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Yawn. i think I'll leave the expertise on the state of the team to the only expert: Scot McCloughan.

Go ahead and doubt us again. I have a couple of guys in my office that have seen some of our games. They are fans of other teams. Even they have said that they think we're building something special.

I laugh at these articles because it's the same every year about Snyder. Blah, blah, Blah.

Sure we haven't won jack in 24 years, but at some point you have to use the edit button on the computer and come up with "different" reasons as to why you don't think we'll go back instead of rehashing the same excuses since 1999.

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I would not be surprised if we are a better team but finish 8 and 8 but miss the playoffs

We had quite a few things go our way this year and the loss to the Packers shows just how far off we are. I think we are 2 more drafts away from being a consistent year in and year out playoff team but not quite there yet.

The Seahawks made the playoffs in 2010 but took a step back in 2011 before accelerating in 2012 to where they are now. I wouldn't be surprised if this happens to us

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I don't greatly disagree with most of their points only that for one I don't think it's a slam dunk either way, making or not making the POs and the shot at Danny is just childish.

 

Also, as someone else pointed out there is at least a little irony that they are ready to coronate dallast because of a healthy romo and dez yet call out potential injuries as one of our problems! Also, when was the last dallast SB run? They have virtually the same record of futility over the last 20 yrs as we do.

 

Just to be clear I am not greatly offended, outraged or even surprised. Just thought it was interesting it started so quickly.

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I can definitely see us missing the playoffs, by no means are we one of the teams who is locked in for the duration.

 

I do expect us to improve, I dont care if our schedule is tougher or any other excuses.  If KC gets his payday and Scott has another year of free agency and the draft then we better continue to improve as a football team.  That could mean 10 wins and missing the playoffs or a combination of things.

 

We better not lose more than 8 games.

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I wouldn't be much surprised if we don't make the playoffs next year. Even 10-6 is no guarantee of being in it. This ain't the NBA where half the teams are making it. There's only 6 places in each conference, and right now you can still name a few that will be there next year.

We just came out of nowhere, and there's a plethora of teams that makes the yo-yo each year. Detroit Lions, Atlanta Falcons, even us. Good one year, floppy the next one. When was the last time we went to the playoffs twice in a row?

 

What annoys me about these reviews is that while people whine about how other teams suffered through injuries no one talks about what the Redskins overcame and what it could mean.

 

I'm always wondering the same things. Guys are saying we benefited from lost of injuries in the division and crappy play, but they always oversee the fact that we had our bunch of injuries as well. I doubt it'll happen twice in a row.

 

We won the shortest bus of divisions to a playoff blow out, which is backed by 25 years of being one of the worst teams in the league.

 

For a second I thought you were speaking about Houston. They took a real beating by KC you know.

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For a second I thought you were speaking about Houston. They took a real beating by KC you know.

I keep forgetting they went. They always come up as a QB needy team, etc. I remember looking at the draft order and wondering where they are.  ols

 

Goes to show what a great defensive front can do for you.

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I think it's unfair to call Desean Jackson injury prone. His first season with us he only missed one game. Last year he missed like 6 games, maybe 7. One season of injury means nothing.

Also, last season Reed only missed two games. Yes he's been injury prone in the past, but I think he got better about it last season, playing 14 games.

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The "tougher schedule" is such a fallacy..   there's only two games on the schedule that are not already determined for years in advance. We've known which inter-conference teams we will play and which inter-divisional teams we will play for several years.

So those two games that are not division or cross-divisional/conference games are it.

I refuse to believe that 2 games on the schedule makes that much of a difference...  oh ,, we'd have made it except for two really hard opponents... i don't buy it,

Look at us this year.. we had a last place schedule, and played Carolina and New England anyway.

The "last place schedule" can't control how good the predetermined opponnets will be. This time last year Carolina on the schedule looked tough, but not Super Bowl almost-undefeated caliber tough.

 

I think this article fails to take into account our new GM and what he has shown to be capable of not only in the past, but here as well.

we had an outstanding draft. Our free agent pickups were by and large positive moves, ESPECIALLY our in-season moves, which folks fail to look at when determining our success on the FA market..  if you don't factor Mason Foster or Will Blackmon into the equation, you're missing two of the most important moves we made.

Our offense got healthyy in the second half of the season, AND so did our defense, not in small part due to the outstanding play of a previously unemployed Foster and a roster occupier in Compton.

 

I see no reason at all why anyone should not believe based on numerous successes that McCloughan won't be able to identify the players available who can best help us with current needs.

 

And given the success we saw this year with well-meshed players following a coaching staff that got the best out of them, I think it's foolish and ridiculous to write them off in February.

 

The Redskins are a team on the rise,, and finally, not because of any rhinestone glitz or promise of superstar flash,,,   we are working hard,  making the smart moves, and it's showing on the field.

 

It shall continue to rise.

In fact, if we're not favored in the division, i'd probably take exception to that as well.

 

~Bang

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I can also see us missing the playoffs because of our schedule only, not worried about the Cowboys.

 

Did I miss something?  When did the Cowboys run the NFCE?  They had a good year that had a lot to do with Demarco Murray winning the rushing title, but all the credit seems to be going to Romo & Dez? If the Cowboys are so good when Romo and Dez are healthy then can someone explain what happened in 2011/12/13 when there were opportunities for these "game changing players" to make the postseason but they choked (lol)? 

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Well, we all know the "Mara Method" to fix us having what on paper looked like a reasonable schedule this past year is to just give us an incalculably vast number of bye weeks and other extended breaks for the other team leading into our game.  

 

So - if Mara doesn't get his hands on our schedule next year, it's very well possible even with our NFC division winners added the schedule will actually look easier to me.

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I can also see us missing the playoffs because of our schedule only, not worried about the Cowboys.

 

I'm gonna probably contradict myself but well, doesn't matter...

 

To make the playoffs in 2016 in the NFC East, you'll have to win it. I doubt that we'll have a Wild Card team in our division. Not next year.

Then who'se supposed to take the crown of division Champs?

Cowboys?

Redskins?

Giants?

Eagles?

 

I hardly see the last two doing it. New coaches, lots of changes in the lineup... and questionable Front Offices for both.

Cowboys? Aging team, that have only been relevant when Murray ran for 10.000 yards on 3000 carries. Romo ain't gonna play 16 games next year. He hasn't since 2012... Since 2007 he started 16 games only 4 times. That's not really reliable. And let's face it, Garrett is average.

 

8-8 or 9-7 might make it again next year to win the division.

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Well, we all know the "Mara Method"

Mara's just proposed a new rule. If any team whose name starts with R scores more points than the opposition that team must pick a number between 1 - 100. If Mara says that picked within 2 of the number he chose than the team that starts with the letter R gets a win. Otherwise, they lose.

 

However, that R team can not win regardless of the number it picks if it plays in the nation's capitol.  Mara says he has every confidence that this rule change fits within the "spirit" of the rules.

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I think the Redskins should easily be favored in the division.

the Giants and Eagles shouldn't even be mentioned, especially Philly, who basically have built themselves into a 6 or 7 win team, and then dropped that to 4 or 5 by giving the job to Doug Pedersen.

 

the Cowboys are aging, but their OL is not, and the defense can be fierce. 
keep Romo healthy and find a running back that can be counted upon, and they can be a tough out. not ready to write them off.. but keeping Romo healthy is going to be harder and harder to do.

 

Provided the Redskins re-sign Kirk Cousins, they should be the favorite. (and if the writers want to name favorites less than a week after the Super Bowl, i feel McCloughan will use this offseason to solidify why the Redskins should be favored to win the east.

 

~Bang

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the Cowboys are aging, but their OL is not, and the defense can be fierce. 

 

~Bang

I will say this... the Cowboys' OLine fared far worse under Forester than it did under Callahan. Are they as good as rated? Their run game and pass pro certainly suffered last year. Part of that is the QB, but I have to wonder.

This year will be telling.

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I would not be surprised if we are a better team but finish 8 and 8 but miss the playoffs

We had quite a few things go our way this year and the loss to the Packers shows just how far off we are. I think we are 2 more drafts away from being a consistent year in and year out playoff team but not quite there yet.

I don't want to sound like a homer, but I think we probably had just as many things that we overcame compared to things that went our way.

It's fortunate that Dez and Romo got hurt, but they've been a middling team with those two healthy for several years before last year. Philly was an illusion that crashed back to Earth after chip got rid of the talent. And NY has been mediocre for years.

We played a relatively soft schedule the last 10 weeks but also had setbacks of our own. Burgold summed up pretty well what we overcame.

That said, we could certainly miss the playoffs. My feeling is, if Kirk plays like he did much of this year, we'll be in the hunt. It all comes down to the QB position. If you have one, you have a shot. If not, you need breaks, and a good D. We may have a QB.

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