Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me for a decade, shame on me. This time around, I do not find myself asking why; but how Dan Snyder and the Washington Redskins got the better of me again. Like Warden Norton from the Shawshank Redemption, I reflect on the season completely baffled. How did I expect anything more than what this team gave me? Anger and frustration don't sit in my stomach as they have in years past. Instead, I place the blame upon myself. When all was well, very few had the foresight to understand this was not a great team.
A group of over achievers, Coach Zorn found himself where no one expected him to land. 6-2 with a MNF game at home, heading in to a bye week. At some point in that game against Pittsburgh, this team died. They lost their will to fight and their desire to better themselves. Following a difficult loss (like the Redskins did against the Steelers), it is up to the coaches to make sure the team would remain focused. They lost a tough game to a good team; but it was one game only. This is where Zorn failed to react like the leader this team needed. Instead, he uncharacteristically transcended his style to that of his predecessor; using conservative play calls with a penchant for throwing short of the sticks on third down. At some point between Pittsburgh and Dallas, Zorn lost this team, himself and his fans.
So where do they go from here? A 'blow up' of this team's personnel from top to bottom would be shortsighted (unfortunately, not all that unlikely). Dan Snyder needs to learn that he must build this franchise, not buy it overnight. The foundation has been laid with a young head coach, a young quarterback and a handful of talented players in their prime. Despite the perception that this team is lost for good and hope remains bleak, Snyder and Cerrato must stay the course for at least one more year. Abandoning ship for the fifth time (Norv, Shottenheimer, Spurrier, Gibbs, Zorn) would not only sink this team; it would destroy any progress Joe Gibbs worked to restore.
