That’s too much to simply be a flush-and-move-on development near the end of a disappointing season. It’s another rock bottom for a franchise that expertly cranks them out, and it borders on a foundational collapse. With the playoffs now a fantasy, that’s what is important to consider: Near the end of Ron Rivera’s second season as coach, is Washington in better shape than when he arrived?
Put another way: Is this a slow rebuild that will result in a consistent postseason contender?
But the list of setbacks this franchise faces on and off the field merely changes week to week and year to year. Jonathan Allen, a stand-up team captain, taking a dangerous swing at teammate Daron Payne is just this week’s version of DJ Swearinger ripping former defensive coordinator Greg Manusky, this week’s version of Jay Gruden brutally dissecting quarterback Robert Griffin III’s poor play, this week’s version of Albert Haynesworth being kicked out of practice on Christmas. Change the names on the back of the jerseys and the coaches overseeing them. It’s always something, and that doesn’t even get to the constant churn of unsavoriness provided by the reign of owner Daniel Snyder.
For all of Rivera’s professionalism, he has not been able to cleanse the franchise of that fundamental unsteadiness. A rebuild is allowed to take time. But at some point, the positive steps have to be both consistent and apparent. They seemed to be during a four-game winning streak that briefly righted the season — an improving defense, an offense with a formula, a team with some resolve. Now, after allowing 1,016 yards in just two weeks and fighting on the bench to offer evidence of descension, there’s reason to wonder whether those four straight wins represented real, structural progress.
So look not at those two results — a loss at Philadelphia last Tuesday in which Washington was forced to start a quarterback whom it had employed less than a week, then the debacle at Dallas. Look at the roster, which is Rivera’s making. Which players here are part of a team that could be an annual contender to win the NFC East and make a deep run in the postseason?
Before we get to that: This feels like an annual drill. The answers, at various points over 20 years, have been Chris Samuel and Sean Taylor, Shawn Springs and Santana Moss, London Fletcher and Alfred Morris, Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan, Chris Cooley and Trent Williams. All were stalwarts for this franchise. None finished with a winning record in Washington. The last playoff victory came almost 16 years ago. The club wasted years and years of these players’ careers. Who’s in danger now?
Start with quarterback, because there’s no more important or nagging issue. And let’s just say it: Taylor Heinicke isn’t going to be the quarterback who annually leads this team on deep runs in the playoffs. He has, at times, been a godsend, both with the style and substance of his play. But he is obviously limited physically. It’s the NFL. Swagger can only overcome so much.
So maybe that’s Rivera’s most significant sin: Over two offseasons, he did not address the lack of long-term stability at the sport’s most important position. Was he backed into a corner by inheriting the flawed Dwayne Haskins? Maybe. But the signing of Ryan Fitzpatrick this offseason was a move made for a roster ready to win. At 6-9 — a record that guarantees Washington’s fifth straight losing season — that roster hasn’t won.
As the eternal search for the right quarterback continues, who’s here that might help this team win in 2022 and beyond? Wide receiver Terry McLaurin is the most obvious answer, even if Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs held him to three catches over the teams’ two meetings this month. That lack of production isn’t as damning about McLaurin as a player as it is a scream that he needs help — and lots of it.
On offense, who else? Probably not Brandon Scherff, because committing $18 million per season to a guard just isn’t wise roster-building. Not Curtis Samuel, the free agent wide receiver who has been among this year’s biggest busts. Antonio Gibson? Aside from the fumbling, there’s plenty to like. But there’s no position in football in which performance drops as drastically as running back, so whether he’s this version of himself — or better — in, say, 2023 is an open question.
Tight end Logan Thomas will be 31 at the start of next season. Chase Roullier, the center lost to a broken leg, is solid but not more. Rookie right tackle Sam Cosmi? Um, maybe.
Debate these all you want. The end result: On offense, the rebuild almost feels as if it hasn’t started. NFL teams have produced at least 30 points on 137 occasions this year, an average of more than four times per team. Washington has done so twice; only Jacksonville and the New York Giants (both zero) and Chicago and Carolina (both once) have done so less frequently.
On defense, the foundational pieces could include Allen, in the midst of his best season, but his salary is only guaranteed through 2022. If this process is going to work under Rivera, Chase Young must be not just a positive contributor but a force when he returns from his blown-out knee. Safety Kam Curl was a find in the seventh round of the 2020 draft. There aren’t enough like him.
The salary cap, though, probably won’t allow Washington to keep Young, fellow end Montez Sweat and Payne to go with Allen. There’s some sorting out to do. Landon Collins as a hybrid linebacker/safety? He costs $33.4 million against the cap over the next two seasons, so it’s worth asking if that’s money well spent. Cornerbacks Kendall Fuller and William Jackson III are signed through 2023, and we can argue about whether that’s good or not. Jamin Davis, the most recent first-round pick? Uh, he would have to improve — a lot.
Beyond that? Oh, right. Tress Way. The punter.
After Sunday night, the faith in Rivera has to be in his steadfastness and focus, and his ability to gain a listing team’s attention and commitment. But it also has to be in his ability to build something from rubble, because that’s not only what he inherited but what it appears he has.
Covid certainly contributed to Sunday night’s meltdown, and maybe competitiveness contributed to infighting among teammates. Maybe the debacle at Dallas is a blip, nothing more. If that’s the case, though, it’s worth spending the next two weeks assessing Rivera’s build and asking the hard question: What’s the trend?
"much" - Google News
December 28, 2021 at 01:10AM
https://ift.tt/3FBmHmE
Perspective | Two years in, how much better off is Washington under Ron Rivera? - The Washington Post
"much" - Google News
https://ift.tt/37eLLij
Shoes Man Tutorial
Pos News Update
Meme Update
Korean Entertainment News
Japan News Update
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Perspective | Two years in, how much better off is Washington under Ron Rivera? - The Washington Post"
Post a Comment