Mike Greenberg Really Likes the Washington Football Team's Chances This Year

One would be hard-pressed to find a national media member who is higher on the Washington Football Team than ESPN's Mike Greenberg this offseason. Four months ago he predicted Ron Rivera's team will emerge as the class of the NFC East. Time has done nothing to move him off that opinion. In fact, he's raising the potential ceiling for the fighting Ryan Fitzpatricks as the season draws near. Here he is this morning on Get Up drawing comparisons between this WFT side and the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers of 2019.

Greenberg believes that a good quarterback, combined with a dominant defensive line, combined with a winning coach is a recipe for success. Recent history, including that Niners team that allowed a Lombardi Trophy to slip out of its hands, has shown it to be as reliable a formula as any other. Twenty-five to one to win the conference does feel like tremendous value considering the relatively high floor WFT will have as long as the team stays healthy. Throw in a weak division in which at least two of the three competing rivals may see things go totally off the rails and there's a lot to like.

On the other hand, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers exist.

Still, whether it be repetition or realization, something is making me share Greenberg's optimism. The randomness of the NFL rears its head come playoff time and having a clear path to the postseason is of paramount importance. WFT's is much clearer than some other franchise's this year, even if they may have less overall talent.

File this away for January. It'll either look salient or a humorous relic from long ago.