Do the Redskins "need to win" in 2012? And what is "winning"

[SkinsHokieFan]

The only thing that would satisfy me is that every single position on this team looks bright for the future aka the offensive line & dl is set for years. We find a replacement for London, we find a legit #1 WR, we find a legit safety if LL is not the solution, we find a FS to replace otogwe

Agree with you again. Along with that, use our first round pick the way Cleveland used theirs in 2011 to get us an extra 1st in 2012.

Lets at least come away with being the Browns of the 2013 NFL draft and fill some holes along the way

[HailGreen28]

Just a very early look, I don't see anyone in the Luck/RG3 category but it should be a deeper class.

At least I pray it is if we end up missing on Luck or RG3 this year as I expect we will and we most likely end up not in the top 3, but more in the 7-10 range

Yeah, I hate to say it but the 5-10 range is becoming regular for us. Including next season.

Despite the McNabb deal, I still have faith in Shanny's evaluaton skill, personally. I was really proud no QB drafted last time (except Newton) had a great season, while we traded down and got a great draft class instead of reaching for QB. If Shanny gets Griffin or Flynn/Tannenhill/whatever instead, great. If not, maybe next year.

I'm thinking Snyder keeps his word on letting Shanny run his contract, and hoping whether Shanny gets a QB this year or next that things will pan out.

edit: We can't go into training camp with Grossman as our only starter.

[Darth Tater]

If a rookie QB is indeed franchise worthy, he should be worth at least 2-4 plays which puts us near or even over 500. Ryan as a rookie gave the Falcons at least 10 plays. Although the Panthers only won 4 more games in 2011 than they did in 2010, their defense took a pretty big step back. Now, is a franchise rookie available? Thing is, with the exception of a few outliers, you better have the team at or near 500 (or better) in year 3 of a rebuild or you are going to get fired.

Actually, though the worse scenario in my mind would be to get someone like Manning (and forgo a future franchise guy) and go 9-7 (high end mediocre). Of course, bringing in a guy like Manning for 1-3 years while bringing in the a rookie franchise guy is a decent scenario. Although a bit embarrassing and probably not a good result for ShanAllen, bringing in someone like Manning and having another suck year might then put us in the race for a top QB in the 2013 draft.

[Missouri_Skins_Fan]

If we don't draft a QB or get a QB in Free Agency that doesn't bring some form of nostalgia from Seasons 1982-1991 & at least get a glimpse of it on the field for 2012, Shanahan is done here.

The more experience the QB has, the shorter the leash Shanahan has for 2012 to succeed. (IE, Manning, Brees, Orton, Grossman,etc)
The least NFL experience the QB has, the longer the leash Shanahan has. (RG3, Luck,,Tannehill, Foles) ...and maybe Flynn.

Matter of fact, I think I just found the 1 and only 1 good reason that getting Matt Flynn MIGHT be a good idea. His experience...(or lack there of)
It could buy Shanahan a year.

Having said that..I still don't want him.
I don't want Kolb 2.0 here.

[LadySkinsFan]

EEEK! I voted Yes when I wanted to vote NO.

The rebuilding will take as long as it takes. We need 2012 and by 2013 I expect to see at least 10 wins, division title and playoffs.

[TotalRecall]

If we get Peyton, we need to be winning now.

If somehow we get Luck or RG3 (or another rookie QB), then next season will be mainly a learning experience.

My feeling is we get Peyton to win now. The veterans on our team want to win now. And we keep filling the other holes on the team through the draft and FA. In the 2013 draft, we make the big move to draft Tyler Wilson or Landry Jones to learn from the bench.

[wildbill1952]

Nice thing about the NFL rules: the definition of a win is still this: The team that scores the most points wins. The offense and the defense were horrendous in Shanny's first year, during the switch to 3-4. Last year, the defense was much improved, but the offense still struggled to score 20 points a game. The offense has to be a lot better. Adding a QB will help, but that is not the only piece of the offensive puzzle the Skins need.

Moral victories do not show up on the year end stats. I think the solution to the offense includes a new QB, but I am not so enamored with the QB position that I think just adding RG III to the mix will produce the sort of offense we saw with the Skins and Joe Theismann or anything close. This is a bad offense, even including RG III. There has to be marked improvements at WR and especially at OL. Otherwise, the Skins will end up with the same "moral victories" that Carolina had with Cam Newton - hope for the future but a losing season.

[Rypien1191]

If we get Peyton or RG3, I expect playoffs.

[PeterMP]

They need to find a long term answer at QB.

[sportjunkie07]

what sticks out to me is our brutal schedule. 5 of 10 out of division games are playoff teams.

i dont think mike has to have a winning record this year.. but we do need to see improvement. i will be happy with more than 5 wins, continual improvement over the last couple years, and we need to get the qb position solved.

[War Paint]

It just depends on who our QB is. If we go with Peyton instead of drafting RG3, then yes, we better be better than .500. If not, Shanahan could be on the hot seat. If we don't go with Peyton and draft RG3, I think the fanbase will be more patient, so if we end up like the Panthers with Cam Newton, the fans will still have hope. In other words, I think going with RG3 buys the Shanahans a bit more time.

[deejaydana]

Wow. How good are the QB prospects in 2013? I think we may have a "shot" at high draft picks next season.

Right? I look at that schedule next year and with the exception of Minnesota, don't see a single "gimme" game for us. From first glance I see 2 wins in those 16 games but it's a parity driven league and certainly we'll win more then that in the end. Shouldn't our SOS have been easier given how bad our record was this year? And to answer to OP, we need to show progress but if we finish with 6 or 7 wins I , sadly, would still consider it progress for our team. I'm tired of the coaching carousel we've had the past decade and Shanny walked into a mess anyway. He needs more time to continue to fill out the roster, get the team younger and continue us in the right direction. Oh, and RG3 would help this April ;-)

[Pick6]

First the schedule may look brutal now, but the NFL is unpredictable. Playoffs teams in 2011 can become bad teams by next season. Newton and Dalton can hit sophomore slumps. The Ravens are getting older. Eagles and Cowboys are a toss up. I think it is too early to predict.

I voted NO, just because if the Skins get RG3 and he starts most of the season then you give Mike room to work with.

It would be YES if they decide to bring in Manning. WIth the name alone a lot of the casual fans would be calling for Mike's head if they don't do big things.

[Chump Bailey]

I was under the impression that Mike took the job only after making it crystal clear to Dan that he will need some time to do it right - something to that effect. In essence, I believe the job was accepted only after Mike was promised the full 5 years.

IMO - No: We do not need to reach.500 for Mike to keep his job next season...

I think we're finally headed in what looks to be the right direction and I've only recently come to that conclusion.

I would be in favor of getting Peyton however.

[paloosa]

I think that the OP makes some very valid points but to say that Shanahan doesn't need to win next year is not acceptable for a franchise that has not had a winning season since 2007 when it last made the playoffs. That will be 5 years of below 500 records with an average of 5 wins per season no matter who was the HC. And if you want to really get down to it then look at that the Redskins have not been to the Super Bowl or won the Conference Championship since 1991 and has only made the playoffs 4 times since then, 1992, 1999, 2005 and 2007. So this team doesn't have to win? There is a lot of people preaching patience but with these numbers you have no real argument to provide. They need to win because another below 500 record or non playoff appearance is just not something that the fanbase wants to hear. If bringing in a healthy Peyton Manning with some other FA along with good draft picks then I am for it. Peyton Manning could be another Donovan McNabb but I don't think that is the case. The risk is there but I rather have Peyton Manning being the bridge to RGIII or another QB than Rex Grossman or John Beck. Joe Theismann and everyone else that is against this move make good points but can the fanbase or the players that are here take another disasterous year under Rex "turnover" Grossman or John "dink and dump" Beck?