So after their wild-card-round loss to the Packers on Sunday, can the Redskins avoid another backslide? There’s a big difference this time — general manager Scot McCloughan.

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McCloughan’s first year running the operation went phenomenally well. The draft produced five contributors and the free agent pickups all delivered — Junior Galette notwithstanding. (Galette’s season-ending injury was just bad luck.) The late-season signings to fill in for injuries were simply amazing. Best of all, the team, for once, didn’t have more leaks than Edward Snowden’s laptop. The Redskins became a competent football operation again like they were during the halcyon days under coaches Joe Gibbs and George Allen.

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Washington will find next season even more challenging. A tougher schedule for being a first-place team, later draft picks and a midseason trip to London will certainly test Washington.

Hopefully, Snyder learned that hiring real football execs is the best way to win. The owner can take a more hands-off approach this offseason, go on vacation and call occasionally for updates. That’s the way owner Jack Kent Cooke ran the team during Washington’s three Super Bowl championships. Snyder spent 15 years acting like Redskins founding owner George Preston Marshall, who after early success spent two decades overseeing awful teams.

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McCloughan certainly has a busy offseason ahead. Re-signing quarterback Kirk Cousins is a must. Deciding whether to keep running back Alfred Morris after a poor season is key. Are high-priced receivers Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson both worth keeping? If not, which one stays? Is defensive end Jason Hatcher urged to stay or retire? Does nose tackle Terrance Knighton re-sign and turn into a smaller “Pot Roast” who can play more than two straight snaps? And then there’s the draft to find more talent.

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Seriously, McCloughan will get five minutes off to enjoy the past season before he has to start on the next.

McCloughan has brought coach Jay Gruden stability to build on a solid second season. Gruden was a much better coach in 2015, but the Green Bay loss shows that the staff needs to learn how to make adjustments and counterpunch during games.

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It’s a long offseason, but if played correctly, it could lead to another postseason.