Cult Of Colt: What Could, Should, And Will Happen In The Offseason Ahead

The 2020 season is officially in the books and we are staring down the longest stretch of the year without football. On this edition of the Cult Of Colt podcast, we put a bow on the 2020 Washington Football Team and the NFL season that was. And it was... something.

The “news” of the week (the one we recorded, not the one when we edited and published... it’s our offseason too) was the announcement of Taylor Heineke’s return to Washington on a two-year deal that is the culmination of an opportunity seized. While we believe it is highly unlikely that he’s “the answer” Washington is looking for, this certainly represents a low-cost/ high-potential opportunity and the Team will always take that opportunity cost (especially when it earns some goodwill among the fan base.)

Washington still has more questions at QB than answers, and we have plenty to discuss on that front. Even before figuring out who is next under center, the Team must figure out what is next for Alex Smith. This is clearly a balancing act: he was the feel-good story of the year and so Washington is going to have to thread the needle between expressing admiration and appreciation for what he has accomplished with the Burgundy & Gold, and a stark recognition that there is not, and cannot be a spot for him here going forward. Personally, I don’t know that Washington has the... fortitude to do what needs to be done to position them for the future. I’d like to be proven wrong.

We would be remiss in not taking some time to discuss Dwayne Haskins getting another opportunity in the NFL on a futures contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers. All we’ll say is we wish him all the best.

Washington is not the only one with an unsettled QB situation, so we take some time to look around the NFL to compare the “haves” that are well-situated for this year and beyond and the “have-nots” whose questions outpace their answers. It’s clear that while the Washington Football Team is in the latter category, misery loves company.

Ultimately we’re realists, so we take some time to discuss what we want or hope to happen, and then put on our thinking caps to determine what feasibly could or will be the outcome for the WFT heading into 2021.

There are still lots of names floating around in the ether: Derek Carr, Dak Prescott, Mitchell Trubisky, Tyrod Taylor, Sam Darnold, DESHAUN WATSON (not really on that last one) but the future still remains quite hazy. Plus, Gumbi puts words in my mouth about Cam Newton so I had to set the record straight.

It’s clear that Ron Rivera has a plan going forward, but we simply don’t know what it is (which is his right to play things close to the vest.)

There was some actual football played not all that long ago (at the time of recording) so we shared our reflections on the Super Bowl as well. It was clearly not a fun game to watch from a neutral football fan standpoint, though it was made less fun in our opinion by seeing TB12 on the podium yet again. We’re in awe of what the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to do this year and commend and their commitment to building a team and coaching staff that defies much of the NFL’s norms, but it still sucks (though Tom Brady staggering around after the boat celebration was the most relatable he’s ever been by a country mile.)

While we’re doing reflections, we won’t go so far as to praise the NFL for delivering on the inventory they promised but will acknowledge that they achieved what they set out to do, despite the headwinds and no matter how ugly things got, so... mission accomplished?

Finally, we close things out by spending a few minutes remembering Marty Schottenheimer and begrudging the ownership that never gave him a fair shake during his time in Washington, and yes, we’re still bitter.

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