The Redskins were predicted to end at 8 and 8 and so they did. Ironically, the defense, stalwart most of the season, produced the losing sequence, appearing out of position and out of energy as the Niners drove to an easy field goal to win the game at the buzzer.

Let's document the atrocities:

1. The owner and his familiar, Vinnie the CEO, continued to mark themselves as the worst managing duo in pro football since Bidwell and Bidwell. They panicked with the two sudden injuries in the pre-season at defensive end and overpaid for Taylor who grossly underperformed. Their draft was famously awful. Perhaps it was the worst draft in the history of drafts; hard to say for sure but a monkey at a typewriter could have written a better novel than this duo picked wide receivers. And of course the very idea of picking wide receivers when both o and d lines were shaky, old, and thin was deeply, profoundly insane.

2. The Giants and Eagles were, after all, far better coached. Only the Boys were worse, and we can be pretty sure their coach will be fired. Zorn was, as one might have expected, unprepared for the many dimensions of the job. He acted like a qb coach and not a leader of a whole team. He should have had a creative, experienced offensive assistant; he didn't. He did too many jobs himself, and so did none of them very well. All this was in part due to the D and V mismanagement: they got what they asked for.

3. It will be a long time before the Skins get better. Indeed, it is possible that only a business failure that forces Snyder to sell the team will in fact produce an owner good enough to lead to championship team. People underestimate how valuable Cooke was to Gibbs. But Snyder is so young and so continuingly awful that the future looks dark for decades to come. I think it's possible that the awfulness of the Skins will last longer than my actuarial life expectancy. Now that's a dread-filling thought.

4. To be more particular about the matter: the outside positions on both o and d lines are woeful: small and weak where they should be large and strong. The linebackers are, except for aged Fletcher, mediocre. These are the positions that should be filled by the draft and by free agent signings. I can bet they won't be; if D and V can get this wrong, and they can, then they certainly will. What is the worst they can do? They can draft another receiver, a running back, a quarterback, a punt returner, and a kicker. I bet they commit at least three of these five mistakes.

5. I note that the Skins castigate Jason LaC of the Wapo. He does a better job at his craft than anyone else at the newspaper. For that he is the object of contumely. There's no deserving in journalism or life.