Redskins meltdown: a study in lost potential

The Skins started off on such a promising note this year. After four games, they were 3-1. The passing game looked stellar, with Ramsey even enjoying back-to-back 350+ games. Although the offensive line was weak and sporadic, the passing and running games worked together and overcame adversity. The defense was superb. And then everything fell apart.

Redskins fans are used to long slides and hopeless slumps, as the team has not made the playoffs since 1999. However, this season's skid was particularly gut wrenching for fans with heightened expectations. Four straight losses to the Eagles, the Bucs, the Bills, and the Cowboys turned the Skins into the league laughingstock. Washington has a lot of challenges ahead if they hope to finish above .500.

According to the Washington Post, the Redskins have one of the least experienced coaching staffs in the NFL. Spurrier has an admirable college record, but so far the question of whether he can make it in the big leagues is still unanswered. Six of Washington's coaches came straight from college, with no NFL experience. The average experience of the coaching staff is a mere five years; meaning many of the coaches have far less experience than their players.

This lack of proven staff is one of the chief reasons for the team's erratic performance. A coach is only as good as his or her knowledge – and coaches with zero NFL experience can hardly hope to create a disciplined, cohesive unit of players. The Redskins certainly had plenty of talent coming into this season – one of the best secondaries in the league, an incredible young quarterback, all-star tackles and newer, faster running backs and receivers. The fault lies mainly with the coaching staff for failing to mold these players into a team.

Sunday's victory over the Seahawks should by no means be viewed as the Redskins' turning point. The team still has many injuries to contend with. Tailback Trung Candidate was shaky last game after returning from an injury, and Ladell Betts, and Chad Morton are still out of the lineup, leaving much of the running game to inexperienced Rock Cartwright. Cornerbacks Fred Smoot and Champ Bailey have both been playing with bruises and fractures as well. Patrick Ramsey is surely feeling numerous aches and pains after all the time he's spent on his back.

Cold facts and statistics still remain as well. The Redskins are only 4-5, and have only won one game by more than three points. On Sunday, the Seahawks came perilously close to making Washington a 3-6 team. The Skins victory depended entirely on mistakes the opposing team made. Risky trick plays and a dropped pass by Seahawks receiver Darrel Jackson in the final seconds of the game were the only reasons that Washington didn't have to take the game to overtime.

The offensive line did perform better than usual on Sunday, allowing no sacks on Ramsey. However, they are still close to the league high with 29 sacks allowed, not to mention the countless hits Ramsey has endured. The entire team committed only four penalties, a big achievement for a squad on track to break the NFL season record for penalty yards. Also, legend Bruce Smith sacked Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck, leaving him only one sack short of the all-time NFL record set by Reggie White.

The Redskins certainly still have a long way to go if they want to have a winning or even .500 season, and playoffs are probably out of the question without some extremely lucky breaks. Perhaps this season will go down in a warning in the NFL – talented players don't matter if they're not coached into a team.

The Redskins will play the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, November 16, at 1:00 PM.