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The thread title alone will piss some of you off.
The 2025 season has been an unmitigated disaster. It could be worse, but just barely. There isn't a Washington fan anywhere who has not felt their soul crushed this season.
It sucks. On that we can all agree.
On the other hand, it's just one season. And it's a season in which we have experienced injuries on an epic scale. In our podcast last week, I mentioned that we had had 17 starters prior to the Lions game miss significant time. That's nearly a third of the roster. 21% of the roster has gone to IR or has been lost for the year. Those aren't numbers that replying 'All NFL teams have injuries' can account for. Those kinds of numbers don't constitute an 'excuse', they represent a reality that as fans we find annoying and disappointing, but which create a situation for our coaches and the remaining players that is almost impossible to contend with.
I also mentioned in our last podcast that it's not just about those individual players. When 2 of our WR starters are unavailable and the 3rd misses time as well, and our starting QB is hurt multiple times - it isn't just about whether Marcus Mariota is a capable backup, or 'next man up' for the WR corps. It makes it very difficult to mount an effective passing attack. These guys haven't played together in live action. The injuries at WR and QB alone would make a winning record unlikely on almost any NFL team. But the injuries also change game dynamics. Playcalling has to be different, defenses don't have to worry much about the passing game and can focus on going after the QB and stopping the run almost exclusively. Our mobile QBs are now facing bodies in the backfield and crowding the line. And scoring is now a supreme challenge. We fall behind early and don't have the guns to keep pace.
We've also had major injuries on defense. Our top sack threat. A key CB. 2 of our best DE's. Safeties banged up and frequently unavailable. This year's defense, like the 2024 version, was not going to be dominating by any stretch, but now on a unit where coordination, communication, and cohesiveness is key instead you have constant change and chaos. It hasn't worked out very well. Couple a defense that can't get teams off the field and it compounds the injuries on offense, giving them fewer opportunities and less time to accomplish what is already supremely challenging.
We are all incredibly bummed and disappointed. But seasons like this happen in the NFL. All you can really do is suck it up, grind out 2025 as a fan (whether you elect to watch every remaining minute, or find somethnig else to do on Sundays), and wait for 2026.
Here's what I am not going to do:
1. Ignore other data sets. 2024 happened. With many of the same players and this coaching staff. A game away from a Super Bowl appearance. Yes - a lot of things had to go right for that to happen - but it didn't happen in a vacuum. This coaching staff and these players were a huge part of it. It should be noted that we did not experience devastating injuries in 2024.
2. Call for coaching firings. I am very skeptical that Joe Whitt Jr. is going to be a great DC for us. He should get some consideration as he has had to navigate the injuries this season just like every other coach. But I do have doubts about him as he has never (yet) shown himself to be a capable DC at this level. They may feel they need to go in a different direction after this season. I think it's likely. But these are the same coaches who performed miracles in 2024. I think, overall, we have as experienced and capable a coaching staff as most other NFL teams. Maybe better. And I'm not a subscriber to the belief that changing coaches like your underwear is the key to NFL success. People want to find blame somewhere when bad things happen, it is one of the most common human traits there is, but I'm not sure blaming Kliff Kingsbury because he can't come up with an offense that makes backups and practice squad players look like starters is entirely fair.
3. Lose faith in our GM. Again - we can't know what Adam Peters legacy will look like when all is said and done. But he's the same guy Josh Harris landed on in his GM search today as he was when he was hired LESS THAN 2 YEARS AGO. He's made some great moves and he's made some suspect ones (dare we say 'mistakes'?). That's pretty on par for NFL GMs. There is no legitimate reason to doubt the guy yet. It takes time to rebuild an NFL team.
4. Attack fellow fans who disagree or see things more ominously than I do. All of us as Washington fans have earned the right to criticise, complain loudly, cast blame, etc... so I don't begrudge anyone those things. I may even engage in my lesser moments myself. It's fine. I would just remind everyone that while it may be true that 'This team has done nothing but suck for 30 years and I am so sick of it', it is not this regime's fault or responsibility. It's really patently unfair to heap scorn on the Front Office and coaching staff for a single season of despair. That's arguably the sum total of their crimes committed so far - 1 horrific season. Maybe this will prove to be the mean going forward and the Harris group will clean house and start over again. I seriously doubt that is what happens but we will see. Until then, I'm sure the guys in the thick of all of this are just as upset and frustrated as we are. I just wish we could all take a deep breath as fans and try and keep some perspective.
I imagine my comments will piss some off because it is more satisfying to scream bloody murder. I completely get that. And I am not saying that there haven't been mistakes, misjudgements, and yes even awful performances at every level in 2025. But it all starts with our best players getting hurt. Things have snowballed, and snowballed badly. But it doesn't mean the future isn't going to be a bright one.
The best thing we can do as fans is to man up, recognize for the 100th time that to be a die-hard fan means to open yourself up to the possibility of pain, suffering, and brutal disappointment. But also to be open to the possibility things will ultimately work out and better seasons are ahead. What other choice do we really have?
The 2025 season has been an unmitigated disaster. It could be worse, but just barely. There isn't a Washington fan anywhere who has not felt their soul crushed this season.
It sucks. On that we can all agree.
On the other hand, it's just one season. And it's a season in which we have experienced injuries on an epic scale. In our podcast last week, I mentioned that we had had 17 starters prior to the Lions game miss significant time. That's nearly a third of the roster. 21% of the roster has gone to IR or has been lost for the year. Those aren't numbers that replying 'All NFL teams have injuries' can account for. Those kinds of numbers don't constitute an 'excuse', they represent a reality that as fans we find annoying and disappointing, but which create a situation for our coaches and the remaining players that is almost impossible to contend with.
I also mentioned in our last podcast that it's not just about those individual players. When 2 of our WR starters are unavailable and the 3rd misses time as well, and our starting QB is hurt multiple times - it isn't just about whether Marcus Mariota is a capable backup, or 'next man up' for the WR corps. It makes it very difficult to mount an effective passing attack. These guys haven't played together in live action. The injuries at WR and QB alone would make a winning record unlikely on almost any NFL team. But the injuries also change game dynamics. Playcalling has to be different, defenses don't have to worry much about the passing game and can focus on going after the QB and stopping the run almost exclusively. Our mobile QBs are now facing bodies in the backfield and crowding the line. And scoring is now a supreme challenge. We fall behind early and don't have the guns to keep pace.
We've also had major injuries on defense. Our top sack threat. A key CB. 2 of our best DE's. Safeties banged up and frequently unavailable. This year's defense, like the 2024 version, was not going to be dominating by any stretch, but now on a unit where coordination, communication, and cohesiveness is key instead you have constant change and chaos. It hasn't worked out very well. Couple a defense that can't get teams off the field and it compounds the injuries on offense, giving them fewer opportunities and less time to accomplish what is already supremely challenging.
We are all incredibly bummed and disappointed. But seasons like this happen in the NFL. All you can really do is suck it up, grind out 2025 as a fan (whether you elect to watch every remaining minute, or find somethnig else to do on Sundays), and wait for 2026.
Here's what I am not going to do:
1. Ignore other data sets. 2024 happened. With many of the same players and this coaching staff. A game away from a Super Bowl appearance. Yes - a lot of things had to go right for that to happen - but it didn't happen in a vacuum. This coaching staff and these players were a huge part of it. It should be noted that we did not experience devastating injuries in 2024.
2. Call for coaching firings. I am very skeptical that Joe Whitt Jr. is going to be a great DC for us. He should get some consideration as he has had to navigate the injuries this season just like every other coach. But I do have doubts about him as he has never (yet) shown himself to be a capable DC at this level. They may feel they need to go in a different direction after this season. I think it's likely. But these are the same coaches who performed miracles in 2024. I think, overall, we have as experienced and capable a coaching staff as most other NFL teams. Maybe better. And I'm not a subscriber to the belief that changing coaches like your underwear is the key to NFL success. People want to find blame somewhere when bad things happen, it is one of the most common human traits there is, but I'm not sure blaming Kliff Kingsbury because he can't come up with an offense that makes backups and practice squad players look like starters is entirely fair.
3. Lose faith in our GM. Again - we can't know what Adam Peters legacy will look like when all is said and done. But he's the same guy Josh Harris landed on in his GM search today as he was when he was hired LESS THAN 2 YEARS AGO. He's made some great moves and he's made some suspect ones (dare we say 'mistakes'?). That's pretty on par for NFL GMs. There is no legitimate reason to doubt the guy yet. It takes time to rebuild an NFL team.
4. Attack fellow fans who disagree or see things more ominously than I do. All of us as Washington fans have earned the right to criticise, complain loudly, cast blame, etc... so I don't begrudge anyone those things. I may even engage in my lesser moments myself. It's fine. I would just remind everyone that while it may be true that 'This team has done nothing but suck for 30 years and I am so sick of it', it is not this regime's fault or responsibility. It's really patently unfair to heap scorn on the Front Office and coaching staff for a single season of despair. That's arguably the sum total of their crimes committed so far - 1 horrific season. Maybe this will prove to be the mean going forward and the Harris group will clean house and start over again. I seriously doubt that is what happens but we will see. Until then, I'm sure the guys in the thick of all of this are just as upset and frustrated as we are. I just wish we could all take a deep breath as fans and try and keep some perspective.
I imagine my comments will piss some off because it is more satisfying to scream bloody murder. I completely get that. And I am not saying that there haven't been mistakes, misjudgements, and yes even awful performances at every level in 2025. But it all starts with our best players getting hurt. Things have snowballed, and snowballed badly. But it doesn't mean the future isn't going to be a bright one.
The best thing we can do as fans is to man up, recognize for the 100th time that to be a die-hard fan means to open yourself up to the possibility of pain, suffering, and brutal disappointment. But also to be open to the possibility things will ultimately work out and better seasons are ahead. What other choice do we really have?
