What expectations do you have for the 2016 season? (merged)

[KillBill26]

6-10 record.

 

- The schedule gets a lot tougher.  The Skins didn't beat a team with a winning record last year; we now will face quite a few winning teams.

 

- The rest of the division will be better.  romoSUCKS comes back.  The Giants filled some holes.  The Eagles are past the Chip Kelly debacle.

 

- The Skins themselves will regress for a few reasons.  Their 2015 regular season ended with them playing really well and everything clicking.  They will regress to the mean to start the year.  Their competition won't take them as lightly next year, and now teams have a whole season of tape on Kirk.  Also, will the Skins' talent have improved much next season?  I agree with the approach thus far because I think it is best for their long-term interests, but they have added 3 role players.  Their draft class is not going to be as good as last years: they are picking 16 slots lower and last year's rookie class was awesome, that type of class is not typical.  I know a lot of young guys will have another year's experience and another year of playing together, but I think the 2016 team will disappoint many people.  

 

And I still think it's the right approach long-term.  Don't overspend and get stuck with bad contracts (although I think we still should have signed Mack - I fear we will now overreach for both center and RB in the draft and ignore BPA) and make sure dollars are there to keep in house guys whose contracts will soon expire.  I expect 2016 to be a down year, but 2017 to be the first season of a nice run of consecutive playoff appearances.       

[Burgold]

Now, that they're gone, as expected, the sun rose. We can finally get to the real questions of the offseason.

 

Will Moses and Scherff continue to improve and make the right side a force?

Will Long figure out run blocking and become a solid contributor on the line?

What about the wounded? Do they come back and claim their old jobs? Culliver, Louvaou, Gallette, even Ihenacho?

Was last year's season of success a fluke or a beginning of a trend?

How good is Barry at calling defense?

Can Cousins prove he wasn't a contract year wonder?

Can we generate a running game?

What about the defensive backfield? Is Hall a safety or corner? Do we have the corners and safeties we need?

Draft! Draft! Draft?

Last year, we made the jump from being a putrid team to an average team. Can we become a good team?

Will Peyton Manning get hired as a quality control coach/QB coach? (okay, we know the answer, but he might make a helluva QB coach for a guy with Kirk's skill set.)

What is the ceiling for this team? What is its floor?

[Reaper Skins]

even more than Barry, I'm interested to see how McVay performs this season having Cousins for a whole offseason to strategize.

 

I'm mixed on him because there have been times where his offense has looked REALLY good, but we've had so much inconsistency in terms of the players running it that its been hard to get a real baseline.  Seems like we haven't really been able to move past first gear yet.  Hoping this season we can expand a bit and not be forced to rely on just Reed so much that it becomes predictable.

 

I do hope that he plays more aggressively once we have a lead.  We saw a few instances of "going for the throat" last season but for the most part we seemed to struggle ALOT when we had to finish a team with a kill shot.

[DC9]

 

I lot of your personnel questions are wait and see.  If a player is healthy, I suspect they will play if they can help the team.

 

I think Long will be fine, but I think an upgrade at C is essential... or if you move him to C, then LG needs an upgrade.

 

I'm a Barry fan.  And I think he has a TON of toys to play with on defense, but he also has a ton of glaring holes.  So how we address those holes will show how exactly we are able to perform as a team over all next season. 

 

My prediction for this team, pre-draft, is anywhere from 7 wins to 9 wins, and that's fine.  I think last year the division was down, but for the first time in a while, outside of the first Dallas game and the Miami game, this team beat every team it should've beaten.  I'll throw Atlanta in there for GP, because we were a better team, we just didn't know it.

 

The mentality of this team has shifted dramatically.  If we hit on 3 or 4 picks in the draft this year might be something worth watching.

 

But in my opinion, the goal for this year is to continue to build as a unit, especially off last years performance.  I think next year is the year you could say "Okay, it's time to expect a bit of a run in the playoffs from the Washington Redskins".

[Burgold]

even more than Barry, I'm interested to see how McVay performs this season having Cousins for a whole offseason to strategize.

What I did appreciate about McVay is him publicly admitting that he was learning lessons and then seemingly acting on what he was learning (esp. in terms of keeping the foot on the gas pedal)

 

 

But in my opinion, the goal for this year is to continue to build as a unit, especially off last years performance.  I think next year is the year you could say "Okay, it's time to expect a bit of a run in the playoffs from the Washington Redskins".

Agreed. Last year, was a forging year, but it was really about building the forge and buying the raw materials. This year, hopefully we get to some hammering and shaping.

 

As for our coaches, I still don't know if they are apprentices, journeymen, or masters. Well, I know we have a few masters (like Callahan) but you get the poetic point.

[Rattlesnake88]

I think sherff and Moses are going to be great. More experience under a great line coach for two big talented dudes. Can't go wrong there

The long situation is interesting because lauvou in weeks one and two was playing fantastic m, especially in the run game. So if he is back to that form long may become depth or have to take a shot at center

Culliver and nacho will be starters I believe. Not probowler a or anything crazy but solid contributors as we continue to build.

Lat years season was not a fluke. Scotty Mac is the real deal. Gruden, McVay and cousins may really get the ball rolling in 2016. Or worse comes to worse the team gets better else where and they stay good enough.

I think barry is a great situational defensive coordinator. Our stats last year point to thAt. Our defense was much better in redZone than people would think and seemed to step up when needed. Give him healthy starters and more depth and I think we have something here.

Cousins can do anything. Up to him.

I sure as hell hope we can generate a run game cause out side of week one and two it was frustrating to say the least.

Hall is a safety now. Whether he is good remains to be seen lol.

Skipped a couple questions to go with ceiling/floor for 2016. The best we could do mathematically is 16-0 and the worst would be 0-16 so anywhere between there. Just kidding....

I think best case scenario is 9-7 to 12-4 and a playoff run.

I'd rather not talk about floor because we all know how that could play out.

[ntotoro]

Now, that they're gone, as expected, the sun rose. We can finally get to the real questions of the offseason.

 

Will Moses and Scherff continue to improve and make the right side a force?

Will Long figure out run blocking and become a solid contributor on the line?

What about the wounded? Do they come back and claim their old jobs? Culliver, Louvaou, Gallette, even Ihenacho?

Was last year's season of success a fluke or a beginning of a trend?

How good is Barry at calling defense?

Can Cousins prove he wasn't a contract year wonder?

Can we generate a running game?

What about the defensive backfield? Is Hall a safety or corner? Do we have the corners and safeties we need?

Draft! Draft! Draft?

Last year, we made the jump from being a putrid team to an average team. Can we become a good team?

Will Peyton Manning get hired as a quality control coach/QB coach? (okay, we know the answer, but he might make a helluva QB coach for a guy with Kirk's skill set.)

What is the ceiling for this team? What is its floor?

 

1) Don't see why not.

 

2) That's a good question, but also depends on Louvauo's health.

 

3) All of them have a chance, but some may be just by default (Duke and Cully)

 

4) Not a fluke because the 'Skins did take advantage of opportunity. I can realistically see them being a better team this year with the same record, though, depending how things play out.

 

5) Does anyone really know? He has never had a statistically good Defense. Ever. I'd say all signs point to "Not very" at this point.

 

6) Technically, this will also be a contract year, unless he gets a deal done. We'll see... I think his drive is better than that.

 

7) Jay Gruden's Offense has never had a good running game. As in ever, whether here or in Cincinnati. Not terribly optimistic about that one.

 

8) I'm thinking Hall is a Safety and we don't have all the DB's we need. That'll likely come in the draft.

 

9) Yes, yes, yes

 

10) Like I said, I can see them being good... better than last year, but the record won't necessarily reflect it. Depends on how a lot of things play out, but I find that possibility realistic.

 

11) Ceiling... 10-6 and another Division win; Floor... 7-9

[PlayAction]

Everyone wanted the Skins to keep their foot on the pedal because the Defense could not be trusted to hold up for an entire 4 quarters.

We will know whether the team is making real progress if the Skins don't revert to a 4-12 or similar record. If we can eye out 8-8 then we know they have established a new base line for performance.

I'm more concerned about C now than I was at the end of the season. The NFL is outlawing cut blocks and that was a mainstay of Lichtensteigers performance. Good thing the Skins dumped Shanahans blocking schemes!

[SkinsGuy]

Can Cousins prove he wasn't a contract year wonder?

 

 

Hard to do this season sine he is a one-year contract player again this year.

 

Unless they work out a contract before then.

[Burgold]

Hard to do this season sine he is a one-year contract player again this year.

 

Unless they work out a contract before then.

Hey, I'm hoping he sees that Griffin got a multi-year deal and in a moment of anti-lucidity screams at his agent.

 

"I don't care!  Robert got a two year deal! I want a two year deal. Same terms! No way Griffin is getting one up on me! Get McCloughan on the phone.... Two year deal 8 mil per. Get it done or you're fired! Damn it! No way RGIII is getting twice the contract, twice the job security I have!"

[mikeDinNYC]

I predict 10 wins and balance honestly... I think we'll be solid on both sides of the ball, win the division, and make a run in the playoffs.

[The Consigliere]

We had a great home record last year, I don't expect that to be the case this year as our opponents are much stronger.  The NFC East last year was bad b/c of flukes/injuries so I expect them to bounce back as well.  Dallas is the most talented team in the division and provided they can keep romoSUCKS on his feet (which is a big question) they should be much better.  The Giants were a good team last year with bad luck.  They lost a lot of games by 3 points or less.  The Eagles will be the doormat of the division.  I'm predicting an 8-8 season and I think that's if a lot of things go the skins way (injury risk, running game; secondary).  I think Kirk will be solid, but I predict that Reed will get hurt again and he pretty much was the reason for our hot streak last year.  I'm still very concerned about our run game (Jones/consistency/ball security), but with Moses and Scherff having another year in the system maybe it will pan out.

 

Home opponents (*playoff team):

Dallas Cowboys (win; 1-0)

New York Giants (win; 2-0)

Philadelphia Eagles (win; 3-0)

Cleveland Browns (win; 4-0)

*Green Bay Packers (loss; 4-1)

*Minnesota Vikings (win; 5-1)

*Carolina Panthers (loss; 5-2)

*Pittsburgh Steelers (loss; 5-3)

 

Away opponents (*playoff team):

Dallas Cowboys (loss; 5-4)

New York Giants (loss; 5-5)

Philadelphia Eagles (win; 6-5)

*Cincinnati Bengals (in London; loss; 6-6)

*Arizona Cardinals (loss; 6-7)

Detroit Lions (win; 7-7)

Baltimore Ravens (loss; 7-8)

Chicago Bears (win; 8-8)

 

smithmal

 

That's almost identical to how I see it, maybe it's the Smith thing, I see us finishing somewhere between 6-10 and 9-7, and I think the odds suggest about 7 or 8 wins and no playoffs which I'm fine with because I trust McC over the long haul, if not with regards to every single individual decision.

 

The key is that we have an outstanding GM, and a quality F.O. now other than the owner, the HC got a lot of plaudits for offensive design as well with Kirk and I wasn't a fan of his either, so as is, I'm rather happy and 7-9 wouldn't bother me at all considering the issues with the interior OL, at the playmaking positions and in the secondary and along the DL. Lots of issues and yet I feel we're finding help consistently for the first time in thirty years.

[Springfield]

Well, they won the division last season. I suppose I expect them to (at least) challenge for it again.

There are still some weaknesses on the team and I'd like to see Cousins continue on his success this past season.

I find it difficult to get excited every season until they are continuing success season in and season out.

[veteranskinsfan]

I expect us to go .500 or better this season.  Hard to tell until we bring in more players on defense (linebackers and safeties).  I do not think the Eagles will be better this year with a rookie head coach.  Dallas may be improved unless romoSUCKS gets hurt again.  Giants could improve too but have a rookie coach.  Cousins should feel more comfortable with his offensive line and we had two rookie linemen who played well last year.  We need to get a few more offensive linemen in the draft and maybe one tall receiver.  Our GM will add players after the draft to fill any other gaping holes.  Going to the playoffs again would be really good for the team and the fans.  Winning the division last year was so gratifying.  Other teams in our division could not believe we did it.  Eagles fans for example still find it hard to believe it based on what they say on their sports radio stations.

[TheShredder]

Looking at the expectations from last year and the results, this is the same as it is every year. You've got unrealistic expectations and tempered enthusiasm, to an undefeated season prediction. 

 

Obviously nobody could predict that the Skins would win the division.  Vegas gave the worst odds of any team prior to the start.  Now, you have a division winning team, that's bringing back most of it's positives and has now shed some fat.  Some of that 'fat' was veteran presence that was distinctly needed to help a young group know what an a winning NFL team looks like.  As a fan, that was well worth it and very smart.  It worked! 

 

You have to believe that this is Phase II of the plan.  This isn't step 1.  The core group of performers are returning.  Some are getting paid well and some are getting a shot to prove themselves.  There's really nothing but positives in the moves that were made and are expected to be made going into 2016. 

 

The important thing is to look at the obvious needs and fill the holes on defense.  This is easily observed by the moves being made from the GM.  NT is an important slot that isn't filled and the idea that Culliver is coming back anytime soon doesn't look optimistic. They filled needs in Safety but it's not solidified.  Defenses win Championships as everyone can see.  Pass rushers are not going to impact the defense if the secondary can't lock it down.  The 2016 Skins will score points and probably improve with all the returning players and the experience and continuity that is being built there.  If the defense doesn't improve, then the record won't improve. 

 

Once again this is a .500 team that will be + or - 2 wins depending on how it plays out. 

[DogofWar1]

8-8 or better, and I'd be content. Hopefully Cousins continues to develop, and my thinking with them mainly keeping the gang together is they want a familiar environment into which they could continue to mould Kirk.

If Kirk plays well and we're in the playoff hunt in December, I'll be happy. If he plays better than well and we manage 10 wins, or more, I'd be downright ecstatic. Back to back NFC East champs would be crazy, considering where we were at the end of 2014.

[LetThePointsSoar]

With the exception of one poster, I'm really surprised at the tempered expectations.  They are realistic and I agree with them.  Just didn't expect to see them here.

It's also the offseason.  Typically, this is the time the level headed people hang around.  Just wait until the draft or the season gets closer and the crazies come crawling back out.

[88Comrade2000]

I expect the Skins to revert back to form.

 

We finish 4-12  and Gruden shows he was a one season wonder. Kirk flops this year.  Scott's draft picks this year are busts.

 

Snyder has enough and is lured by the next big name.  He fires everyone and we start over in 2017.

 

:P

 

 

 

 

Realistically, we still have questions that need to be answered.  If they can be answered, the Skins could make back to back playoff appearances for the first time since 1990-1992.  I say the team is overall a better team this year but it doesn't show in the record: 8-8. A little step back in 16 before the big breakthrough in 2017.  I think we stay close to the wild card hunt most the season though.

[Old Bay]

I'm trying to have no expectations.  Trying not to get too high off of last years performance.  But, I do expect a bit of a dip in form, but hopefully not a catastrophic one.  I'd like to see us play with grit, fight and the same team spirit as last year.  If that happens than even a dip won't be too hard to stomach.  That, combined with Kirk's hopeful continued improvement would be enough for me.

[LD0506]

I already find it heartening that here, pre-draft and in the depths of delusional offseason fan optimism, we see so many discussing Scot's 3 yr plan and the reality that "its a process and will take time". That alone gives me hope.

[Burgold]

I already find it heartening that here, pre-draft and in the depths of delusional offseason fan optimism, we see so many discussing Scot's 3 yr plan and the reality that "its a process and will take time". That alone gives me hope.

Oddly, I find it discouraging. Too often, I see realism as a mask for pessimism and cynicism. There are lots of reasons to cheer, be excited, and hopeful. We've just been battered so often that we can't take a good thing without turning it over and hunting for flaws and predicting it ain't perfect.

 

Enjoy the rainbows of the cracked snow globe.

[LD0506]

Really Burg? In years past we'd be deep in screaming matches here between "You're drunk on the KoolAid!!" vs "You're not a real fan!!" this time of year.

 

I get what you're saying but in spite of my innately cynical weltgestalt I have the feeling that the fanbase is starting heal ever so slowly (and to be fair it was a protracted illness not of their own making). The clamoring hordes at either end of the spectrum can be drowned out but the middle has to have the energy and motivation to speak up, and IMO that's starting to happen.

 

Of course, I could be suffering from my own withdrawals and be totally full of ****

[Old Bay]

The clamoring hordes at either end of the spectrum can be drowned out but the middle has to have the energy and motivation to speak up, and IMO that's starting to happen.

 

The McCloughan Effect, perhaps. 

[Burgold]

Really Burg? In years past we'd be deep in screaming matches here between "You're drunk on the KoolAid!!" vs "You're not a real fan!!" this time of year.

 

 

Of course, I could be suffering from my own withdrawals and be totally full of ****

Always hated those conversations. Most years, I'd be on the Pollyanna side (even when I didn't really believe it), but sport is my escape and I'd rather not be bitter, cynical, and depressed about my mistake.

 

Risking getting Zorny, the answer's in the middle. I think optimism, exuberance, and solid analysis is probably best at this time of year. Kool Aid... may be a bit far.

(Besides, I felt like getting poetic this morning... Rainbows of the cracked snow globe lol (I like the imagery but I'll still laugh at myself for it)

[LD0506]

Hey, look at the bright side, we're talking back-n-forth about how things might have actually gotten better, and 5 hours later no one has taken the time to **** all over it yet! THAT'S progress!