Are you buying into the Shanaplan?

[JoeRedskin]

Originally Posted by 12thMan

I'm somewhere in the middle of the majority of those who have bought in and wait in see in mode. Obviously, everyone is very pleased with the current results and winning streak, but let's not get too carried away. Shanahan hasn't put together Tom Coughlin type seasons here. Let's finish the season on a high note and see what we're made of over the stretch of a full 16 game season next year.

If you consider most of the past Super Bowl winners: The Giants, Patriots, Packers, and Steelers. The common thread is a franchise quarterback. Sure they have great supporting casts, great coaches, but this is by and large a quarterback driven league. To the extent that Robert continues to develop his game and steers clear of major injuries, I fully expect the Redskins to be in the playoff discussion going forward.

The more appropriate question right now, in my mind, has the franchise turned the corner? And the answer to that is emphatically, yes. I don't believe not drinking the Kool Aid makes you a skeptic or a crank or less passionate about the future of the team, it is what it is. There's an ebb and flow to winning. Teams get hot. Things come together at the right time and you're prepared to seize that moment. The truly great teams manage to overcome injuries, adversity, and setbacks and win games when they matter.

Have I bought into Shanaplan? For the here and now, yep.

Have we turned the corner? Not sure - I think we will. Again, I want to see how ShanAllen handles the coming need for talent replacement/retention. If we succeed, if the talent level is improving, players will be lost. How they are replaced is key.

Look at Houston, their D lost DeMarco Ryans & Mario Williams this past year and is still playing at a high level. Sure, their was a scheme switch. Regardless, most teams losing two pro-bowlers from the first & second level of their defense would be in serious trouble. In Houston, however, they maintained there performance. I don't recall Houston signing guys to huge UFA contracts to replace them. Instead, they retained and replaced from inside - w/ guys on the roster that nobody may have known before plus good drafting (J.J. Watt makes up for a lot of other talent defeciencies).