Alex Smith cites off-field dysfunction in Washington as reason for franchise's struggles

The Washington football franchise is constantly under the microscope. It's the focus of gossip, scandals and investigations. And it’s for that reason, says retired quarterback Alex Smith, it’s hard to win there.

“It’s tough. I think you’ve got to try to eliminate the noise there. There’s a lot of noise,” Smith said on The Rich Eisen Show, via Pro Football Talk. “There’s a lot of distractions — that entire organization, everything surrounding it — and, obviously, deservedly. It’s been flawed the last 20 years. There’s a lot of stuff going on there, a lot of distractions, and it makes it difficult to kind of focus in on the football.”

The Commanders have gone 156-212-1 in the regular season and 2-6 in the postseason since Daniel Snyder purchased the franchise in 1999. There has been more controversy than success, and that doesn't appear to be changing.

But if they wish to turn things around, it has to.

“All the stuff there with just the entire organization from ownership down, head coaching and G.M., there’s been historically a lot of drama there,” Smith added. “It’s a big market, obviously, the capital and a lot going on, and that organization is a really storied franchise and there’s a lot of turmoil and a lot of distractions.

“So to say that the stuff going on in the building doesn’t infiltrate the locker room or out on the field would be crazy. That’s what happens everywhere. I think that’s what great organizations eliminate and the bad ones have a hard time with. All that noise creeps into the building. Yeah, it does. It does affect the product on the field.”

It’s common to say “winning cures all” in the NFL, but it’s nearly impossible to win when the organization is in a persistent tailspin. And Washington is going to need a lot more than blind luck to steady the ship.