ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Redskins ended the past season optimistic that they would build off their playoff success. Of course they'd feel that way; it's how they've always felt. The trick has been actually living up to those words.
The Redskins have not made the playoffs in consecutive years since 1991-92.
As they look ahead in the offseason, here's what they can look back on from previous years as a way to learn:
2000: After winning the NFC East at 10-6 under coach Norv Turner, and with an explosive offense, new owner Dan Snyder went for the jugular and signed seemingly every big name he could find: Deion Sanders, Bruce Smith, Mark Carrier, Jeff George. The Redskins were 6-2 at one point, but finished 8-8 as Turner was fired with three games remaining.
Lesson learned: Don't sign every aging big name. Period.
2006:The Redskins' offense was solid in 2005 as the team went 10-6, but coach Joe Gibbs wanted more and hired Al Saunders to be the offensive coordinator. The offense did a little worse in 2006 -- but the defense was much worse. The Redskins also made several personnel moves that failed: signing safety Adam Archuleta, trading for receiver Brandon Lloyd, allowing safety Ryan Clark to depart. They also cut linebacker LaVar Arrington and tried to replace him with rookie second-round pick Rocky McIntosh. The moves did not pay off; the Redskins lost five of their first seven games en route to a 5-11 finish. The Redskins also dealt with a number of injuries, with running back Clinton Portis playing only eight games. Quarterback Mark Brunell was benched in favor of Jason Campbell. Also, the defense set a then-record for fewest turnovers forced in a non-strike season with 12.
Lesson learned: Add the right people. You can go too far trying to improve and subsequently make bad decisions. Archuleta was used in a different way than he had been in St. Louis, but he also just wasn't good enough. And Lloyd was a bizarre fit in the locker room. There were reports of dissension on the coaching staff, in part because of Saunders' offense, which the defense felt put it in bad situations.
2008: Gibbs retired after the previous season, which was an emotional one with Sean Taylor's murder followed by a four-game win streak to reach the postseason at 9-7 and one-round playoff exit. The Redskins felt that even with Gibbs being gone, they could continue moving forward because of the roster first-year coach Jim Zorn inherited. They won six of their first eight games, but then injuries and a tough part of the schedule slowed them as they stumbled to an 8-8 record.
Lesson learned: Hire the right people; draft better. It was shocking at the time and even more so now that Zorn was hired to be the head coach without ever having been a coordinator. The Redskins were caught off-guard by Gibbs' retirement and did not have a list of possible replacements, leading to a prolonged coaching search in which they nearly hired Jim Fassel, only to encounter strong backlash when word of this leaked. Also, they received almost no help from the draft after selecting receivers Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly and tight end Fred Davis in the second round.
2013: After winning seven straight with NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year Robert Griffin III starring at quarterback, there was great optimism. That was true even with Griffin spending the entire offseason rehabbing his surgically-repaired knee. But he was never quite right, showing great flashes in some games but not enough, and he finished the last three games on the bench. But it wasn't just the quarterback play that was bad. The Redskins ranked 31st in points allowed per game (18th in yards). In part because of salary cap penalties, the Redskins could not do much in free agency and they had traded away their first-round pick in the Griffin deal. They mostly stood pat and failed. They finished 3-13 and coach Mike Shanahan was fired.
Lesson learned: Don't rely on one guy. Also, don't always listen to one guy. So much was focused on Griffin in the offseason that it became the start of a sideshow in Washington -- from trust issues to All in for Week 1 and Operation Patience -- and eventually beyond. Players grew tired of the constant questions about Griffin. Again, it must be emphasized the record was not due to just one player having a bad season. But underlying issues seeped out and became national headlines too often.