It’s difficult to spin a 5-11 season as anything but a failure, and in our winner-takes-all sports culture, where regular season games—even those against hated rivals—are analyzed only in the context of playoff seedings and potential championship runs, abject failure may be the most appropriate descriptor.

Revival was the theme of NFL 2011. The Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers made the playoffs for the first time since God-knows-when-or-cares-to-remember. The city of Houston earned its first playoff game since the beloved Oilers relocated to the Bible Belt. Even the Miami Dolphins showed signs of life after briefly threatening to lay a goose egg in the wins column.

In Denver, a God-fearing quarterback and serious young man teamed up with a resourceful coaching staff to revive the read option offensive scheme, which hasn’t seen this much NFL action since before the NFL-AFL merger.

But in the feel-good culture of reinvigorated franchises and continued TV ratings dominance, not every team received an auspice of better things to come. The Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Browns, two of the most hapless franchises in all of professional sports, remain relegated to history, confined to NFL Films highlight reels that recall a time when meaningful games regularly took place off the banks of the Potomac and Cuyahoga Rivers.

Browns fans take the cake for most pained NFL fanbase since they have never experienced a Super Bowl win, and their current team can only be described as the pseudo-Browns, the original franchise having left almost two decades ago to take up residence in Baltimore. That doesn’t mean the men, women and children who commute an unfathomable distance to FedEx Field every Sunday to sing Hail to the Redskins are any less frustrated.

Washington and Cleveland are actually connected in more ways than one: Since Art Modell took his team and their talents to the city where everyone’s favorite meditation on the decay of urban America was set, the Ravens, not the Redskins, have been the class of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan area.

Twenty years ago, no one could have predicted that the beloved and uber-successful Redskins would one day be usurped as the best professional football team south of the Mason-Dixon Line, but such a transformation has happened, and now, no one can say with certainty if the Burgundy and Gold will ever regain their status as one of league’s elite franchises.

Bruce Allen hired Mike Shanahan to restore the glory, but the latter has since admitted that turning the Redskins around has been harder than he initially anticipated. Shanahan clearly did not understand all the baggage he was taking on when he signed Dan Snyder’s offer letter.

But even in a rain-cloud filled season, there are a few silver linings to be gleaned and more than a few lessons to be learned.

Professional football today is all about the audacity of hope, the illogical impulse to believe that your team will be the one out of the 32 (a three percent chance for the mathematically disinclined) to host a trophy at season’s end.

The Washington Redskins won’t be that team this year, but with a few tweaks, they may one day get back to where they once belonged. In the mean time, fans can take solace that the Redskins are still 100 times more competent than the no-account Washington Wizards.

The Washington Redskins should target ferocious inside linebacker Bart Scott this offseason. Yesterday, NFL.com reported that Scott is unlikely to be back with the New York Jets in 2012.

It seems that the veteran is set to become one of the high-profile casualties of the Jets’ inevitable house cleaning, following their limp finish to the season.

Mike Shanahan should seriously consider adding Scott to the Redskins 3-4 defense. The 6’2″, 242-pounder is a vicious hitter and a highly aggressive presence in the middle of a 3-4 front.

Scott’s tough tackling and physicality would help improve the Redskins’ soft run defense. Jim Haslett’s unit could use an infusion of tenacity after ending 2011 by surrendering 67 points in two games.

The defense was outmuscled by the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16 and appeared unable to cope with the brute force of bruising back Toby Gerhart.

Scott would add a nasty streak to the defense and make the group more intimidating at the point of attack.

Scott is also an excellent blitzer, having played in Rex Ryan’s multiple fire zone schemes for most of his career.

This skill would make the 10-year pro a valuable weapon in the heavy blitz packages favoured by the Redskins defense.

With London Fletcher now 36, Perry Riley still growing into the position and Rocky McIntosh’s future in the 3-4 in doubt, the Redskins need to add another capable inside linebacker to the mix.

There won’t be many as qualified as Scott available. His abundance of 3-4 experience and fiery demeanour would provide the spark to elevate the Redskins defense from a solid unit to an elite one.

Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan issued a public challenge Monday to left tackle Trent Williams, saying the 2010 first-round draft pick needs to continue his on-field development and demonstrate improved commitment and maturity following his drug-related suspension. The coach also said he sees a change in tight end and /free-agent-to-be Fred Davis, who also ended the season on a four-game suspension for failing multiple drug tests.

A dejected Trent Williams after the Redskins lost to to the Dallas Cowboys 18-16 on Sept. 26 in Arlington. (Toni L. Sandys/Washington Post)Williams was the first draft pick of Shanahan’s tenure as head coach of the Redskins. Washington selected him fourth overall out of Oklahoma, and Williams this season was picked as one of the team’s offensive captains.

Shanahan said that Williams showed improvement both in his play and his work ethic this season. But the failed drug tests put a dark cloud over any positives Williams produced this year.

“He’s got to be smart enough to understand that if you disappoint your football team like you did, you’d better come back with a passion and the drive to do what we need him to do, especially being the fourth pick of the draft,” Shanahan said. “We know the talent he has, we know he’s a likeable guy. I was pleased with his work ethic coming into his second year, how he was playing, but he’s got to prove that he can do it on a day-to-day basis and set the standard for our football team and our organization.”

Davis, meanwhile, is eligible for free agency after playing the final season of the contract he signed as a second-round draft pick in 2008. Davis had a breakout year this season, recording 59 receptions for 796 yards in 12 starts – all career highs. He also had three touchdown catches.

He and Williams were among 11 NFL players who failed drug tests for recreational marijuana use following the end of the league’s lockout. Only Williams and Davis continued to fail drug tests over the course of the season.

Davis likely has hurt his chances of earning a lucrative, long-term deal. One more failed drug test would result in a one-year suspension for him. (The same goes for Williams, but he is under contract for next year).

But Shanahan said that he isn’t judging Davis more harshly because of the suspension.

“Fred made a mistake. We sat down and talked about his mistake. I do feel very good about Fred as a person,” the coach said. “I like the way he worked, I like his attitude. I like his development over the last year-and-a-half since I’ve been here. I think he’s had a complete change in the way he handles himself off the field, to preparing himself to be a consummate pro, to working out, and hopefully the mistake won’t happen that he made this year.”

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Washington Redskins‘ miserable National Football League season has hardened the resolve of head coach Mike Shanahan to return the once-proud franchise to its winning ways.

The three-time Super Bowl-winning Redskins finished in last place in the NFC East with a 5-11 record, losing 10 of their last 12 games after opening the year with a 3-1 mark.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge of putting a great football team together here with the Washington Redskins. I know we’re not there yet,” Shanahan told reporters on Monday.

“But I’m excited with what I do. I’m excited about this football team and the players that we’ve got. And I’m excited for the future.”

Washington was 6-10 a year ago in Shanahan’s first season with the club and the coach admitted he did not expect to see an immediate turnaround for a franchise that has not made the NFL playoffs since the 2007 campaign.

“We’ve got the people that I feel give you the chance to make up something special. And that’s where it starts. It’s not going to happen all in one year or two years,” he said.

“I’m still disappointed we didn’t win 10 or 11 games. I really believe if we would have stayed healthy – that’s not using it as an excuse because we didn’t have a lot of depth – I think we could have gotten there.”

The Redskins lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 34-10 in their season finale on Sunday, sealing the team’s fourth-consecutive finish in the NFC East basement.

Shanahan, who won two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos, conceded losing was agonizing.

“With all the time that you put in, every time you have a loss, especially with the effort that you put in, it’s like somebody sticks a knife in you. It’s tough to go through a season like that,” he said.

“Thank God I haven’t gone through any like this before. I might not have been in this profession very long. But it’s something that really drives you, motivates you.

“It’s something that I look forward to doing – putting a great football team together and doing it the right way. And sometimes it takes a little bit longer than sometimes expected.”

(Reporting By Steve Ginsburg; Editing by Frank Pingue)

The Washington Redskins’
miserable National Football League season has hardened the
resolve of head coach Mike Shanahan to return , you better be
motivated, because if you’re not motivated, you’re not going to
be in this business for a long time,” Shanahan the once-proud
franchise to its winning ways.

The three-time Super Bowl-winning Redskins finished in last
place in the NFC East with a 5-11 record, losing 10 of their
last 12 games after opening the year with a 3-1 mark.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge of putting a great
football team together here with the Washington Redskins. I know
we’re not there yet.

“But I’m excited with what I do. I’m excited about this
football team and the players that we’ve got. And I’m excited
for the future.”

Washington was 6-10 a year ago in Shanahan’s first season
with the club and the coach admitted he did not expect to see an
immediate turnaround for a franchise that has not made the NFL
playoffs since the 2007 campaign.

“We’ve got the people that I feel give you the chance to
make up something special. And that’s where it starts. It’s not
going to happen all in one year or two years,” he said.

“I’m still disappointed we didn’t win 10 or 11 games. I
really believe if we would have stayed healthy – that’s not
using it as an excuse because we didn’t have a lot of depth – I
think we could have gotten there.”

The Redskins lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 34-10 in their
season finale on Sunday, sealing the team’s fourth-consecutive
finish in the NFC East basement.

Shanahan, who won two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos,
conceded losing was agonizing.

“With all the time that you put in, every time you have a
loss, especially with the effort that you put in, it’s like
somebody sticks a knife in you. It’s tough to go through a
season like that,” he said.

“Thank God I haven’t gone through any like this before. I
might not have been in this profession very long. But it’s
something that really drives you, motivates you.

“It’s something that I look forward to doing – putting a
great football team together and doing it the right way. And
sometimes it takes a little bit longer than sometimes expected.”