2011 Redskins: Winds of Change or Just More Hot Air?

The most overlooked factor surrounding the 2011 Washington Redskins is the fact it is the new regime's second season. If that simple statement does not resonate, perhaps it should. The team head coach Mike Shanahan and general manager Bruce Allen inherited in 2010 was, in the most generous terms, adrift. Twenty years of regime changes and organizational about-faces had taken a cumulative toll. The Redskins brand, both on and off the field, had faded from bold light to indistinct shadow. Beyond its wildly successful marketing machine, the franchise lacked competitive direction, identity, philosophy and any other team-oriented facet you might care to name. Well, that may ... may ... be about to change. No, we don't know for sure yet, but we're about to find out. What we are going to see in 2011 is whether or not the new regime's unmistakable establishment of a clear guiding philosophy has begun to "take." More excitingly, we are going to get an indication if...