It’s no secret that the Washington Redskins organization has been an absolutely disgruntled mess over the past decade or so, and it’s caused the on-field product to live in the doldrums of the NFL.
There are many things that you could blame for this, be it unadvised contracts that were handed out, a litany of injuries that took place over the years, or a coach who was allowed to stay a bit past his welcome. At the center of it all, though, stands one man. You know who I’m talking about.
“It happened because there was a massive power struggle with Bruce Allen,” NFL Network’s Dan Hellie said, via NBC Sports Washington.
While a team often operates somewhat separately from the front office, there is a lot of causation and correlation between the two. If the GM and coaches don’t see eye to eye, chances are that you’ll be able to notice it at some point based on the on-field product. For the Redskins, this became extremely apparent after a couple of years went by. Hellie helps explain why:
Allen’s inability to allow others to receive credit and have success was a massive problem for the Burgundy and Gold during his tenure, according to Hellie.
“The infighting crushed that organization and I’m not just talking about the on the field product,” he said.
Hellie cited the December 2018 firing of the well-regarded Brian Lafemina, who was brought on to lead the team’s marketing and improve its relationship with fans, as a prime example of Allen’s major flaw.
Lafemina was given just eight months on the job before he was forced out, and that decision summed up just how dysfunctional the Redskins could be with Allen leading the way.
While it may be interesting to look back on the past and work to figure out where things went wrong, I don’t blame you for being a bit peeved on the topic choice. With Ron Rivera now at the helm, side-by-side with Kyle Smith, the future looks bright in Washington for the first time in years. The seeds of change may not germinate in 2020, or 2021 for that matter, but it’s hard not to feel confident that something is being built inside of the Redskins organization that could allow them to realize some of the glory days they once knew in the distant past.
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