The Washington Redskins have been a sinking ship of dysfunction ever since Dan Snyder purchased the team in 1999. Under Snyder, the team has repeatedly cycled through coaches and quarterbacks, failed to appoint a real personnel executive to shape the roster and undermined any brief progress with baffling decision making and ego. It's no surprise then that the Redskins have finished last in the NFC East in eight of the past 11 years.
Finally, though, the sinking ship may have begun to plug some of its leaks.
Snyder has officially tapped respected personnel executive Scot McCloughan to become Washington's new general manager. Former GM Bruce Allen will remain as team president.
Snyder, after years of head scratching choices and heavy interference, is finally letting a true blue football guy with a proven track record in talent evaluating have full control over the roster. This being the Redskins, though, the move does not come without some risk. McCloughan was ousted from previous positions with the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers due to issues with alcohol. He assures folks that he is past that low point in his life.
Overall, the benefits of hiring McCloughan to turn this circus franchise around far outweigh the risks.
"McCloughan's eye for talent, his ability to mold a roster and utilize latter rounds of the draft and the waiver wire to great impact are precisely what the Skins need, especially now finally out from under the specter of the Robert Griffin III trade with the Rams and with a full complement of picks," Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports wrote. "Assuming Snyder opens the coffers some - not to set the market on top free agents but to be willing to overpay some middle-of-the-road competent starters who will require more money to pry them away from winning programs - and salary cap guru Eric Schaffer continues to ably mind that side of things, there is reason for optimism in Washington."
The optimism comes from an apparent acknowledgement from Snyder that his formula simply isn't working. While Snyder can still get a little too chummy with players he deems "important," he has mostly stayed out of football decisions over the last couple seasons (mostly, not fully, unfortunately). This move is a continuation of Washington's changing philosophy and it is a welcome one.
"...Skins officials stressing they were looking for the best personnel man possible, and not a "yes" man and not a flunkie. This is a new era," La Canfora added. Talk about self-awareness.
The sad fact that Redskins fans know all too well is that there have been similar instances where an apparent savior has come along only to ultimately disappoint. Super Bowl winning coaches Joe Gibbs and Mike Shanahan had their moments, but they were sandwiched in between periods of disarray. What each coach lacked, however, was a competent GM who could hit on first-round picks as well as find diamonds in the rough. McCloughan deserves varying degrees of credit for helping to construct Super Bowl caliber rosters in San Fran and Seattle. Patrick Willis, Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, Richard Sherman, Russell Wilson are just some of the star players that were drafted when McCloughan was with both teams.
His presence in Washington establishes a level of credibility at the upper most levels that the Redskins have lacked for years. Could it be enough to finally return this once proud franchise to its former glory?
"Maybe, just maybe, McCloughan is catching Snyder at his lowest point, more vulnerable than ever, truly on wounded knee, willing to win on someone else's terms rather than continue losing on his," La Canfora wrote. "The mere possibility, for long-suffering Skins fans, is almost too tantalizing to conceive of. McCloughan has already captured their hearts and minds, and much better days might be just ahead."
