Why the Skins are Mediocre! It's easy to see.

[B.F. SKINner]

How do the Redskins not be a mediocre team year in and year out, as we have for the past 15 years? If you want to succeed, find out who has been successful and follow their methods. Let's look at some perennial winners in the NFL. These teams sometimes have off years, but are consistently playoff contenders: Patriots, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Carolina. I'm sure there are others. They do things the right way by making excellent personnel decisions and keeping continuity of front office, coaching staff, and players. They keep their salary structures fair, not signing big name free agents every year at huge bonus amounts, alienating other team members who have been there. They grow their own with good draft picks. They let those go who want too much money and they replace them with good young draft picks. That is why they are good teams year in and year out. Not a lot of high priced free agents. Good drafting. Consistent coaching. A team identity. You know what to expect when you play them. They are not flashy. They don't have alot of superstars. They play physical football and win. That is who we should aspire to be like. I am not satisfied with mediocrity and this team and its fans should not be satisfied with it either. If you want to succeed, try doing it the way that successful teams do it. There is no quick fix, or some special few players that we can bring in to fix everything. What has to change is the way the team operates.

[JGisLordOfTheRings]

Originally Posted by B.F. SKINner

How do the Redskins not be a mediocre team year in and year out, as we have for the past 15 years? If you want to succeed, find out who has been successful and follow their methods. Let's look at some perennial winners in the NFL. These teams sometimes have off years, but are consistently playoff contenders: Patriots, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Carolina. I'm sure there are others. They do things the right way by making excellent personnel decisions and keeping continuity of front office, coaching staff, and players. They keep their salary structures fair, not signing big name free agents every year at huge bonus amounts, alienating other team members who have been there. They grow their own with good draft picks. They let those go who want too much money and they replace them with good young draft picks. That is why they are good teams year in and year out. Not a lot of high priced free agents. Good drafting. Consistent coaching. A team identity. You know what to expect when you play them. They are not flashy. They don't have alot of superstars. They play physical football and win. That is who we should aspire to be like. I am not satisfied with mediocrity and this team and its fans should not be satisfied with it either. If you want to succeed, try doing it the way that successful teams do it. There is no quick fix, or some special few players that we can bring in to fix everything. What has to change is the way the team operates.

Lots of good points but, look how is on these teams:
Tom Brady (ahem, nuff said)
Peyton Manning (ahem, yeah....) M. Harrison, R. Wayne
Hines Ward Troy Palomalu
Steve Smith
Brain Westbrook McNabb


Now, most of these teams MADE these players superstars in this league which gives credit to a lot of what you said. Winning teams try to CREATE their cohesion, not buy it. They have an identity and use the draft to create depth and a family type atmosphere and it leads to tight, well knit teams that are ready for anything. If we make very few FA moves this year and keep this as close to the way it is in most places, we will be one step closer to finding ourselves walking down that road the teams you mentioned are. The less change, the better.

HTTR!

[12thMan]

I mean really, how many different ways can we argue this same subject? I think it's been exhausted as far as we can.

Just jump in any one of three or four threads already going and vent there.

I'm locking this one up.

Hahaha...sound like a mod don't I

[12thMan]

double post

[JGisLordOfTheRings]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

I mean really, how many different ways can we argue this same subject? I think it's been exhausted as far as we can.

Just jump in any one of three or four threads already going and vent there.

I'm locking this one up.

Hahaha...sound like a mod don't I

Quite...haha love the sig too....

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

I mean really, how many different ways can we argue this same subject? I think it's been exhausted as far as we can.

Just jump in any one of three or four threads already going and vent there.

I'm locking this one up.

Hahaha...sound like a mod don't I

I'll lock it but you can be the presenting sponsor

[redsk1]

Well done. These teams tend to stay fairly young too, ie good drafting w/ some free agents to plug some holes.

[memphisskin]

Good post, kinda. But "making excellent personnel decisions" is a little hard to quantify, isn't it? I mean its easy to say the Skins make terrible personnel decisions, until you really look at it. We whiffed on Archuleta, but Marcus Washington is a stud. And maybe Lloyd hasn't made much impact, but Shawn Springs is the cornerstone of our secondary. So for every dud, we've picked up a stud, or need I introduce you to Cornelius Griffin?

The problem as I see it is that success requires patience and planning, and every year we overhaul the plan. Sure, those teams build around the draft, but when you're paying a qb 100 mil (see Indy and Philly) or even 66 mil (see NE) then you're going to have to sacrifice something. Indy sacrificed Edge, NE sacrificed their wideouts, and Philly is just cheap. Meanwhile, we don't have patience b/c every year we think "this is the year."

You need talent to win, and you also need depth. Perhaps you are confusing the money we sign guys to with their being superstars. When's the last time you saw the Skins advertising season tickets? They don't b/c they don't need to, and thats why they can pay 30 mil to ARE and Lloyd and not throw them the ball, the Skins aren't beholden to the fans, b/c the fans will pay regardless if the team is 4-12 or 12-4. You want change, organize the fans to stop going to games, stop buying concessions, and stopr buying tickets.

[SmootSmack]

We've been repeating this ad nauseaum all over the board in various threads

This thread lock brought to you by 12thMan and the number 3