Every year, the offseason functions as a safe haven for unreasonable, unending optimism. The are two ways to react to this kind of euphoria. One may reject it, with the consequence of lost hope. Or one may cherish it.
Teams that find themselves falling short of the playoffs on an annual basis are more likely to hold onto this hope, because it is a hope that they do not often experience in the months of autumn and winter.
For this reason, it makes sense that every time May comes around, the Washington Redskins are better than they were last year.