ROCK BOTTOM

Well, this sure is a dismal time to be a diehard Redskins fan. But to be honest with you, I was more angry and upset after last week's loss to Carolina... This week, I was just numb. I thought we'd probably beat the Chiefs (not overly confident of it, though), but I didn't think this team would win more than once or twice the rest of the year regardless.

After the Carolina game, some (albeit a small minority) were saying they only lost because of a fluke play on the punt. What that game masked (because the defense set up the offense at the 10 and the 1), was how utterly inept the offense had become. They could literally do nothing against a below average Carolina defense... I knew then, virtually 100%, what I had pretty much known already, their offensive line is historically bad, and you just can't win with that bad an O-line.

I knew they had a bad O-line in the 2nd half of last year, and I knew their O-line upgrades were somewhat laughable in the offseason, but until you actually see it play out, you hope against hope that it works out.

But here's why I'm actually optimistic. I think hitting rock bottom was the only way to make Dan Snyder see the light. I'm not 100% positive that he sees the light, but he'd have to be pretty blind to not have his previous mindset, in which he doesn't believe he's part of the problem, altered.

Now, do I think he'll sell the team? Not really, although I don't feel as steadfast about that as much as before. I'd say there may now be a 1-5% chance that he would sell the team. Why? Because maybe it's hard for a person to deal with being so hated. Maybe it's hard on his family. Maybe he doesn't think it's worth it to keep putting them through such a horrible time...

I still don't think he'll sell, though, BUT the percentage that he alters how he runs things changes. Before today, I would have said there was a 10-20% chance he'd fire Vinny and step back as one of the decision-makers. I'd now say there's a 60% chance he'll fire Vinny, and a 25% chance he'll step back as a decision-maker...

Yes, I'd love both those numbers to be 100%, but at least there's hope for it happening now... That's what rock bottom can do. It sheds people of their enablers and let's them finally see the light. If this team barely beat Carolina and KC and muddled to 8-8, then nothing would change about the front office structure. Zorn would be fired, but as we now painfully have confirmed, he ain't the whole problem.

Do I want the Skins to lose the rest of the year? No, it pains me when they lose. But if there's hope that that losing leads to changes (and a high draft pick) then knowing that somehow eases my pain.

If Snyder does decide to sell the team, how much would it parallel the feeling after the wicked witch of the West was killed by Dorothy? Redskins fans in unison would have their own ecstatic "Ding Dong the witch is dead" type chant... Ah, dare to dream (Note: I don't want Snyder dead. That's evil. The game of life is more important than the game of football... I just want him to either be an entirely different type of owner, or sell the team).