Norv Turner had to settle for making progress in his first year as head coach of the Washington Redskins.
He'll be looking for victories in his second season.
As the losses piled up in Turner's first year, he kept saying the team was making progress.
There wasn't much else he could say, as the Redskins blew second-half leads in eight of their 13 losses.
After the team ended a seven-game losing streak with a 24-21 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in the last game of the season Saturday, Turner was quick to say that winning -- not progress -- is his goal.
"You always judge by wins and losses," he said. "If anyone has gotten the impression that I'm not judging it by wins and losses, I've given a bad impression. That's why you play this game. When you're not winning, you look for ways that you're improving and ways to sell your team that you're getting better and keep them going. But no one's going to be satisfied, especially me, until we're winning consistently."
Although Turner said Saturday's victory will make the off-season a lot more pleasant, he also said that it didn't change the overall picture much. Even a couple of more victories wouldn't have done that.
"If we'd won two or three close games along the way, the Tampa game, the Philadelphia game, we're still the same team," Turner said. "I see a lot of positives, and I think we all see areas we need to improve."
Even the victory over the Rams was less than a masterpiece.
"We played better, but we still did some of the same things. Obviously, we gave up a big play, a pass [a 36-yard touchdown pass] at the end of the half, something you shouldn't do," Turner said. "Things like that. [But] our guys kept competing. Maybe it was the law of averages. We had to get one."
As Turner looks ahead to next season, the biggest plus is that he'll have quarterback Heath Shuler for an entire off-season and training camp.
Shuler's final game of the season was typical of his rookie season. He was inconsistent.
"It's similar to all the games he's played," Turner said. "He comes out and he has spurts where he's consistent and makes plays."
Turner figures Shuler will be more consistent next year with more experience.
In fact, quarterback is one position that's virtually set. Shuler and Gus Frerotte will be 1-2, John Friesz will depart and the Redskins will try to sign or draft a third-stringer.
But there are a lot of holes to fill on the rest of the team. The Redskins hope to get a blue-chip player in the fourth position in the draft and sign a few free agents who can help them the way Ken Harvey and Henry Ellard did this year.
They also have to make a lot of decisions on several of their players. They probably won't bring back line backer Monte Coleman, who finished his 16th NFL season, but they must decide, among other things, whether they want to pay 12-year cornerback Darrell Green enough to keep him from taking another offer.
A big-time defensive lineman who can rush the passer and an outstanding running back are at the top of the Redskins' wish list.
Turner said he didn't like the running back-by-committee system he had this year with Ricky Ervins, Brian Mitchell and Reggie Brooks.
"We've got to get to the point where we get one guy to carry the load," Turner said. "I'm certainly a lot more comfortable with one guy being the feature back."
Earlier in the year, it looked as if Brooks no longer was in the Redskins' plans. But his 13 carries for 50 yards Saturday against the Rams seemed to convince Turner he has a shot at being that feature back. Brooks got off to a slow start in training camp after pulling a hamstring during the off-season, and never played the way he did as a rookie.
"I want Reggie to have a great off-season," Turner said. "I want him to have a great April and May at our minicamps and then come into training camp hungry and fighting to be our running back. He's a good player. We need to get him ready to play."
Figuring out whether Brooks can be a feature back or whether the Redskins have to draft one or find one in free agency is just one question Turner must answer before next season starts. He'll need to come up with a lot of answers if the team is to be judged by victories instead of progress next season.