If the Washington Redskins do get to the light at the end of their pitch-dark rebuilding tunnel, whoever's in charge of such things really wants to make sure they've earned it. A 2011 season that began with a 3-1 start and fresh hope has rapidly decomposed into a five-game losing streak and rash of injuries that don't even make sense anymore.

The latest rotten injury is a season-ender to rookie wide receiver Leonard Hankerson. And while it's not as though the Redskins' hope for a 2011 rebound died with the placement of Hankerson on IR with a torn labrum in his hip, this one really smacks Redskins fans in the face with a "What could go wrong next?" kind of sting. Hankerson had 106 yards on eight catches Sunday before his injury. One of the reasons Mike Shanahan decided to switch back to Rex Grossman at quarterback (other than finally realizing that John Beck wasn't qualified to hold the job) was because he thought Grossman could get the ball downfield more effectively and that would allow them to take a long look at Hankerson over the rest of the season.

Now, the rookie's audition for an expanded 2012 role is over before it really had a chance to start. Sure, he'll have a chance to be in the mix for a starting receiver's role anyway, assuming he's fully healthy. But he's going to miss half a season's worth of practice time, valuable NFL game experience and a crucial time in his development as a professional receiver.

If you're a Redskins fan and you want to holler about how this isn't fair, I can't really blame you. Fate or karma or the universe could have let you have this one. You're not asking to go to this year's Super Bowl. You're willing to wait out a rebuilding process if there's a payoff at the end. But in the meantime, was it too much to ask to watch a talented rookie have a little bit of success on his way to maybe becoming a star for your team? That might have been a fun part of these last seven games, and now you don't even get that. This is the kind of thing that makes you think your team might really be cursed, and if that's how you're feeling, Redskins fans, I don't how what to tell you at this point to convince you otherwise.