1. Weather the Storm...Hunker Down...Have we been reduced to lines that could have been inserted into the "Field of Dreams" movie script? It would appear so. Yet that is what this team and fanbase must do. Perhaps it is true that Carolina is much better than their record. Perhaps it is true that we aren't as good as ours. Perhaps we need our heads checked for even mentioning the word "playoffs" over the last few weeks. What was true in August remains true today: this franchise is in better shape under Bruce Allen's stewardship than it was under previous management and this thing is in the process of getting turned around.
2. I am not bitter, depressed or down about what is going on with this team. While we did allow ourselves to be carried away a little with the 3-1 record we took into our bye, the fact of the matter is that this Redskins team is pretty much the team we all knew we had. We aren't counting our favorite team out just yet because there is no fun in that, but reality has arrived in the form of a losing streak that has a legit chance to continue.
3. Players aren't playing for a higher draft pick and we don't root for losing around here. In the offseason, it was funny to suggest that starting Beck was a ploy to land Andrew Luck (funny to me at least) but we should enjoy rooting for this team down the stretch. John Beck did nothing to suggest he has no business playing in the NFL. Be careful before you suggest that John Beck or this team is "embarrassing." We should know better than that, having become experts in the field of embarrassment over the years.
4. As the season progresses and it becomes clear that--among other glaring needs--franchise quarterback remains at or near the top of the list, I am becoming less and less sold on trading up for Luck. In fact, here is where I am today: if we somehow end up in position to take one of the top three quarterbacks in this draft, I would be ecstatic to trade out of the spot for the haul of picks that we could be due as a result of that deal. The opportunity to spend another draft bolstering the offensive and defensive lines, linebacking corps and secondary is one that would be hard to pass up if I am Bruce Allen.
5. I think it will be next to impossible for Mike Shanahan to get away from pulling the trigger on a quarterback in the 2012 draft. Unless...what if they decide to keep John Beck and let Rex Grossman walk? What if they bring in a middle-tier guy with some experience to compete for the job with Beck behind an upgraded line? What if we spent one more year building the corps of this team before putting a world of expectations on a rookie quarterback? Is it possible this fanbase could survive that?
6. I realize that this is more big picture stuff as opposed to talking about the game yesterday. But that is where I am--and I have to assume many of you are right there with me. I am as ready as anyone to predict this Redskins team will shock the league and beat Buffalo this week, but this season continues to be viewed by me--and many of you--as a leadup to 2012 and beyond. The pieces are simply not all there yet, but there is reason to believe they could be on the way. We all kind of knew there was short-term pain on the horizon, but nothing that has happened this year has dampened our hopes that there could be a huge payoff for everyone down the road. We just have to weather the storm we all saw coming.