Renderings of Washington’s new stadium at the site of demolished RFK Stadium were released in January.

Bill Belichick once stated in his deadpan voice, “There are no days off in the NFL.” Players get the occasional off day during the season. But, the Staff and Executives do not. The end of the regular season came for the WFT without a playoff berth in hand. One year after a magical year the season spiraled into a familiar vortex with the accompanying sound of flushing. It was bad. Patience is a scarce commodity within the League. Fortunately the former Owner was not in charge. The Afterguard of General Manager and Head Coach stayed put. It may have been the most important decision of the entire off-season. It says here that Josh Harris got it right.

Picking Up the Pieces

After a year where the Defense was offensive it was hardly a surprise that the Defensive Coordinator was jettisoned. Joe Whitt had been joined at the hip with Head Coach Dan Quinn for many years. No matter. It was just “Business” as Sal Tessio told Michael Corleone. The team had put major stock in two Defensive Linemen hoping for great returns. What came out of the vending machine was a torn Quadriceps and and an ACL severance. With no pass rush the aged Defense was like an open Buffet Bar for the opposition. Dallas went for it on fourth down six times in one game, converting them all. Why punt if the other team can’t stop you?

The Offense wasn’t much better. Wide Receivers hold out, then “Hold In” during Training Camp. It’s a thing. They usually end up injured with soft tissue insults when they return. Terry McLaurin was not one of the lucky ones to escape that fate. Without him there was no need to bracket any of the other options by the opposing Defense. The logical fix for that is to go “Heavy” running 13 personnel (1 Running Back and 3 Tight Ends) or 21 personnel with a Fullback. Kliff Kingsbury did neither. Chris Rodriguez Jr was a Fullback waiting to happen. But, Kliff didn’t budge off of his philosophy. It was a career-altering mistake. More “Business” ensued.

So, now Washington had to hire new Coordinators for both sides of the ball. Mike McDaniel was out there. The former “Running Game Coordinator” went to Miami and forgot that running the ball was an option. He ended up in Los Angeles with the Chargers where Jim Harbaugh will remind him. Washington had invested heavily in protection up front for young Jayden Daniels. They now needed an Offensive philosophy that would take advantage of it. The answer was found in the building with young David Blough getting the position. What we know is that he is smart; was on a lot of franchises’ radar; and will put Daniels under Center quite often. That’s it. What Seattle showed last year is that running the ball may still be so last century…but, it works. Three of the final four teams carried Fullbacks. Seattle carried two. Defenses have been getting lighter up front for years. Lighter guys are easier to push around. The trend is toward old-fashioned smash-mouth football. It’s natural to assume that Blough will follow suit.

The Defense needed a basic oil change. Bobby Wagner has been a wonderful player for many years. But, in a League where youth is consumed at a frightening clip the “…many years” part is the problem. Teams would isolate Wagner on a Running Back executing a Wheel Route. He simply did not have the speed to stop it. The move then was to show the old guys the door; get young; and get much faster. The Defense that shut out Washington last year was run by Brian Flores. It’s aggressive, confusing to opponents, and built on deception. His assistant was Daronte Jones. One of the oldest things in sport is to go get an opponent that has caused significant local damage. Grabbing Jones continues the tradition. The hope is that he can bring Flores’ magic to Washington. With that decision made the Draft and Free Agency picture cleared up.

The Biadasz Maneuver

In a move that surprised many the team cut starting Center Tyler Biadasz on February 26. Why? That answer is still not definitive. He left town only to sign a contract with the Chargers for more money. Those that hate on Adam Peters, and there are a number of them, took this as proof positive that Adam had botched things. There are a couple of things in play here that might bring some light to bear. The Chargers have excellent Tackles. On the other hand the interior of their O-Line is abysmal. With their Tackles hobbled last year QB Justin Herbert was sacked some 54-times. Biadasz is widely considered to be “Average.” For the Chargers that was a great upgrade.

But, why was Biadaz cut? The answer MAY lie in the old practice of giving a player a “Haircut.” The conventional wisdom is that if you ask a player to take a pay cut he can either accept it, or you have to cut him. The logic behind that is a bit muddled. But, it centers on the thought that the team does not want to have a player around that successfully challenged the franchise. Such a thing could spread. Washington baseball fans will remember that the former General Manager had short tenures for players that challenged the team in arbitration and won.

If the team is good to the player this happens early in Free Agency. Jobs are open. For a starter the chances of a soft landing are positive. But, franchises can be hard-edged. A post-Draft haircut puts the player in a position where it’s either swallow hard and take it or go out into a job market with few vacancies. It happens. Almost always it is in the last year of a contract. The player isn’t coming back. Nor is he expected to do so.

Without corroborating evidence the thinking here is the Biadasz was offered a haircut. He turned it down. Adios. Nick Allegretti will get the starting nod. The team also Drafted a Center in Round #6. As with almost every other position there are still some veteran Free Agents floating around. Although, at the moment this seems settled.

What’s in a Number?

Among other things that happened this off-season the franchise lost its “Face of the Franchise” for over fifty-years. Sonny Jurgensen was irreplaceable. His #9 is one of only 7-jerseys retired by the 94-year old franchise. The others are Sammy Baugh #33, Darrell Green #28, Bobby Mitchell #49, Art Monk #81 and Sean Taylor #21.

On July 9 John Riggins became the seventh with the retirement of #44. Riggins’ place in team lore was forever cemented when he steamrolled Miami Defensive Back Don McLean to convert a 4th down into an iconic Super Bowl rumble for a touchdown on January 30, 1983. That year in 4-playoff games John ran for 610-yards and 4-TDs. That was the tip of the iceberg. Riggins had been The Man for Washington when it got to crunch time. Nowadays it’s known as the “4-minute Drill.” No team today runs it like Joe Gibbs ran it then. When #44 was playing it was the “Riggo Drill.” No one else was getting the ball. One time during that playoff run an opposing Defensive Lineman asked Joe Jacoby, “Are you going to run that same old play again?” Jacoby said, “Yes” only for Russ Grimm to jump in and tell the opponent, “And, it’s on 2.” They knew the play. Knew the snap count. And, none of it mattered. There was no stopping The Diesel.

Riggins sold the jersey this year he wore during his Super Bowl MVP game during Super Bowl week. While making his rounds of Radio Row he recounted one of his memories from his Jets’ days. Joe Namath had been injured. He wasn’t supposed to return for this game. But, the second-string QB got injured. Namath came into the game accompanied by a roar from the Shea Stadium faithful that, “…gave me the chills.” John closed his eyes trying to imagine a stadium raising such a thunderclap for him. His moment came years later at old RFK Stadium on January 15, 1983. Minnesota had no answer for the question that was John Riggins. He told the interviewers that he had waited all those years for that one moment. When it arrived he no longer needed to close his eyes and imagine.

Camp is Coming

Training Camp starts on July 28. Next week we’ll start the ever popular position group breakdowns. Hint: The WFT roster is not perfect. Pro Tip: No NFL team’s roster is perfect. The stress level over perceived or real “holes” in the lineup usually exceed the confidence level concerning areas of strength. Such is the nature of fandom.

About the New Stadium

It took a while. But, there are now “Environmental Concerns” being raised about the new palace on the Anacostia River. Washington DC is not a business-friendly locale. Expect more of this type of flak as the process of putting in the new facility moves forward. Construction is not slated to start until 2027. Will it be ready for Opening Day 2030?