Even if we lose the next two games, in my opinion this year will go down as a success. One of the big off season questions on THN was what each of us would count as an improvement, enough to warrant optimism about what McCloughan is bringing to the team. Probably the most common answer was that we needed to win at least 7 games, and here we are having hit that mark with two games to go and our own playoff destiny in our hands.
It's not just about a raw W-L total, however. Seeing Cousins take over as a starting QB and play well enough to earn the spot next year (and the year after that — sign him, FO! Don't resort to a franchise tag!), plus the success of a high percentage of our drafts picks, tells me that this team is definitely headed in the right direction. We still have holes in the roster, with safety being the best example, but as one of the most injury-bitten teams in the league this year we've also proven that we have quality depth ready to go.
I'm excited to see what McCloughan does with a second full offseason and a foundation to build on. There is no question in my mind that we are going to see progress going into the 2016 season.
But I'll hold off on speculating about that too much, because my point right now is that I already count this year as a solid success no matter what happens. And if we can win on Saturday and clinch the division, I'll upgrade that assessment from "solid" to "great" success.
Thoughts? I suspect I'm not the only one on the board who is ready to call this season what it has been.
