Are the Redskins staff and upper management in any real trouble?

The Redskins have officially begun tail spinning; unfortunately, there is no readily available emergency guide for a safe landing. The crash landing will be rough; the results of it may be underwhelming or possibly drastic; nonetheless, there will be changes. On the field, what Washington has done since their 5-2 start has been nothing short of astounding. As history repeats itself this year, a first-place Redskins team that led the NFC East for the majority of the season has lost four out of their last five games to fall to 6-6 and third place in the division.

Yes, astounding is the proper way to describe the Redskins 2018 implosion. A top ten defense with hardly any injuries, and even a “boost” on paper after acquiring safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, has regressed mightily following their week nine loss against the Atlanta Falcons. There has been no drop-off in talent that got them to a top ten status, even top five; however, the defense is averaging 430 yards per game allowed the past five weeks and 23 points per game.

The issue in its totality is a mystery, but there are some leads as to why the defense has started to regress. Opposing offensive coordinators and play-callers have found the glaring weaknesses of the Redskins. The Redskins lack speed and have linebackers who struggle in coverage. It is effortless to exploit the defense by first getting them out of position due to their aggressive nature, which opens voids in coverage or allows running backs to consistently reach the second level of the defense.

Offensively, injuries have depleted a side of the ball that was, without the success of running back Adrian Peterson, being carried by the defense the entire season. Now, what was the strength of the team all season has started to struggle alongside the offense. Overall, coaching along with a porous display of execution has completely diminished the two-game advantage the Redskins once had in the division.

The question that will drive the Redskins situation moving forward is simple: Where do Jay Gruden and Bruce Allen stand in the eyes of owner Daniel Snyder?

Over the past two weeks Washington has faced off the field scrutiny with their decision making along with their public statements in defense of those decisions. This just piled on to the negative public perception. Snyder, who is a huge Redskins fan himself, has understood the meaning of patience and proper team development over the past few years. However, there is a growing sense of fan dissatisfaction and even resentment. No matter how patient Dan may come across as being now, one thing he will never want fans to revert to is the apathy following the 2014 season. The work alone it takes to get fans back invested into the Redskins following on and off the field disasters will take longer than one season to recover from.

For whatever reason under Snyder’s reign, winning has been hard to come by for Washington. Gruden, along with the help of upper management, has had five years to establish a winning culture along with a winning product on the field. Yes, the last two seasons have been riddled with injuries to essential players on the roster, so there is a case to keep Gruden and his staff. In the end, though, the lead individuals involved have fallen short. Well, that is the perception of many, but how does Snyder feel? Because in the end, he will be the one to pull the trigger on any significant decision.