[jdc65]

Very discouraging way to lose a big game. I have absolutely no confidence in a Redskin defense to make a big stop in a key situation, and today's loss just amplifies that hopelessness. This would have been Shanahan's biggest victory in D.C. in my opinion, but now I believe it is his worst loss here.

The reality is this team has a losing mentality, they've had it since Gibbs-ll left, and Shanahan has done zero to instill a winning attitude here. Yes, he brought Griffin here, and Robert is clearly a winner, but this loss has to sting him pretty good. Cam Newton is already shot in Carolina because of the losing, and his play has been progressively getting worse. Losses like this can have longer term negative effects, and this is another bad loss in yet another season slipping away.

The defense is far worse now than it was when Shanahan took over, and can't be relied on at all to make winning plays in crunch time. The offense is working because Griffin has put it on his shoulders, and dominated with his ability and misdirection. Too much is on him to carry this team, and as a result, pressure intensifies. Too much pressure leads to mistakes and takes away the fun of playing.

This team cannot win unless a rookie quarterback makes huge plays consistantly. Inexcuseable. This is what happens with those continued expectations. Look no further than Cam Newton and the Panthers. A stud with a promising future getting flushed down the toilet under the weight of enormous pressure. Shanahan has had 3 years now to build a solid foundation and instill a winning attitude. 3 years to build a quality team that believes in itself and spreads the responsibility of winning evenly.

The foundation consists exactly of Robert Griffin the 3rd. And now he is being indoctrinated into the league with a losing mentality and unnecessary pressure to outperform. Worse, his mistakes are also amplified. The team is supposed to be carrying the rookie, not the other way around. Losing is contagious, and this team reeks of it. The Shanny mystique is completely gone, and confidence in him has to also. Losing is the expected outcome, and that is unacceptable.

This team will not be consistant winners with him in charge in my honest opinion. The die has been cast, the Rubicon has been crossed, the fire is gone. Losing is the Redskin-Shanahan way, and now a bright prospect's future will likely be adversely affected. 4 bad losses already this year, each worse than the one before, and would be more if not for Griffin's stellar play. The Head Coach has no answers, only acceptance.

Follow Newton and the Panthers for a look into the near future. Losing is poison, and destroys everything it touches. Some very difficult decisions will need to be made, sooner than later, and it starts at the top. It starts with Mike Shanahan.