Last Year:
We must protect this house! I guess the 2003 Washington Redskins don?t watch Under Armor commercials or they likely would have played a little better than 3-5 at home. The Redskins were an embarrassment with Steve Spurrier as their Head Coach especially since he used his quarterbacks as pi?atas. It?s over and done with now as Joe Gibbs? career is reincarnated, but will the Redskins reawaken as an NFL contender?
What we Learned from Last Year:
Is there much point in transferring the knowledge from the Redskins previous season to this go around? Is there anything of value to transmit?
The Redskins have overhauled the roster all over again this off-season, and you figure sooner or later they?ll hit the jackpot with the constant roster shifts, but when dealing with the last season, or should I say Steve Spurrier?s last season as an NFL coach, the Redskins were abysmal.
Coming from the University of Florida to the National Football League it was no secret to anyone, including Redskin rivals, that Spurrier planned to throw the ball the greater chunk of the time. Unfortunately without a dominant offensive line, and little offensive ambiguity, it was fairly easy for opponents to defend Washington?s attack.
Patrick Ramsey started the year as the team?s quarterback, but he didn?t finish. He was sacked an unheard of 30 times in 11 games. The young quarterback?s 53.7 completion percentage is indicative of the incessant pressure he faced.
Where was the running game you ask? Trung Canidate averaged 4.2 yards per carry but the team was not committed enough to him, shades of Mike Martz who too will be out of a job soon, and a poor offensive line did not help his cause.
The beneficiary from the heavy dose of passing was Laveranues Coles, who tallied 1204 yards receiving ? one of the few positives that seeps through to the coming season.
Defensively the Redskins lived and died, but more on the died side, by the defensive line. Registering a miniscule amount of 27 sacks (6th worst) cancelled off the play of Fred Smoot and Champ Bailey, two of the better shutdown cornerbacks in the league.
Linebackers were average, safeties performed at an even lower level but it all stemmed from the defensive line.
With so many deficiencies stemming from the front four on defense, and the front five on offense, does a new coach and all sorts of external changes appendage enough to band-aid the shortage of talent on the lines?
What Has Changed?:
Does Dan Snyder listen to David Bowie?s ?Changes? every off-season?
After another inept record, the Redskins are going through ch-ch-ch-ch-changes, once again, but how much better will this team be?
Joe Gibbs, a historical Redskin figure, has been brought back to coach and effort should be the first noticeable metamorphosis on this team. Joe Bugel, offensive line coach, will be the key component on this coaching staff. In his heyday he developed a strong offensive line, but is there enough talent amongst this group? Losing Jon Jansen for the season is painful. Chris Samuels, Randy Thomas, Derrick Dockery, and Lennie Friedman were exploited by Steve Spurrier?s pass happy system. A good kick in the butt from Bugel should get these guys back on track, but they are still far from the best line in the league.
From Spurrier to Gibbs, the running goes from invisible to front and center. Clinton Portis was acquired in a media-covered trade, and though his numbers will drop significantly, he will still be the focal point of this offense. Portis is not overrated, but his numbers are considering the amount of running backs that have had success in Denver. Orlandis Gary and Mike Anderson look attractive in Bronco suits, but likely would slide into the shadows elsewhere. Portis is very talented, but it?s unlikely that he will still average 5.5 yards per carry in this offense.
At quarterback, Patrick Ramsey?s bell was rung last season, and it was rung again when he was pushed to second in line for starting duties. In essence, this move provides competition and depth, two things the Redskins evidently lacked a season ago.
The starting receivers are a talented duo of Coles and Gardner. The latter is underrated, and still growing in the league, while the first was one of the few highlights on a disastrous squad from last year.
Just like the offensive line will dictate the success of the offense, the front lines on the other side of the ball will have a lot to say as to how much the defense achieves.
Hall-of-Famer to be, Bruce Smith, and co-worker Lionel Dalton are out, while run stuffer Cornelius Griffin and defensive end Phillip Daniels are in. With Brandon Noble, and Renaldo Wynn as the other two starters I?m curious to know where the sacks will come from.
The linebackers will have to complement, or carry the pass-rush and LaVar Arrington is definitely up for that task. A couple of seasons ago money was deposited into the accounts of Jessie Armstead and Jeremiah Trotter who both downgraded their resumes during their stays in Washington, and now Michael Barrow and Marcus Washington are the new employees. Washington is a young linebacker on the way up, and Barrow is steady. This group will have lots of tackles to clean up.
The secondary will be without Champ Bailey, but in comes the once heralded Shawn Springs. He is still an above average cornerback, but he?s not worth the amount of money Dan Snyder threw at him. Walt Harris is a good nickel down pickup.
One of Joe Gibbs first big decision was whether to draft Kellen Winslow Jr. and ameliorate the offense, or solidify the back end of the team with All-American safety Sean Taylor. Taylor was the right choice as these defensive backs will need a lot of help if the quarterback pressure is inadequate. This guy is always around the ball and might be a Pro Bowler in his first season. The hard-hitting Matt Bowen steps over to strong safety, a position he is much more accustomed to.
The boiling point on this team is literally the offensive and defensive lines. If they want to be a different man, like David Bowie, then they?ll have to get the protection and production from these groupings. Otherwise they can turn and face the strain.
O/U 8.5:
What?s to say that Joe Gibbs will step in with his crew and make this team a nice playoff hat? What?s to say that the team will gel perfectly? The team is better than 5-11, but the defensive line is still a liability, and a lot of questions need answering. The Redskins play: TB, @CLE, BAL, @CHI, GB, @DET, CIN, @PIT, @SF, and MIN.
Fantasy Sleeper:
Coles and Portis are no sleepers, and with the controversy at quarterback, it?s best to stay away. It appears as though the Redskins will need to rack up points to stay involved in a number of their games so look for a bounce-back year from Rod Gardner. He had 1006 yards receiving two years ago, and had only one less touchdown catch the Coles last year.
We must protect this house! I guess the 2003 Washington Redskins don?t watch Under Armor commercials or they likely would have played a little better than 3-5 at home. The Redskins were an embarrassment with Steve Spurrier as their Head Coach especially since he used his quarterbacks as pi?atas. It?s over and done with now as Joe Gibbs? career is reincarnated, but will the Redskins reawaken as an NFL contender?
What we Learned from Last Year:
Is there much point in transferring the knowledge from the Redskins previous season to this go around? Is there anything of value to transmit?
The Redskins have overhauled the roster all over again this off-season, and you figure sooner or later they?ll hit the jackpot with the constant roster shifts, but when dealing with the last season, or should I say Steve Spurrier?s last season as an NFL coach, the Redskins were abysmal.
Coming from the University of Florida to the National Football League it was no secret to anyone, including Redskin rivals, that Spurrier planned to throw the ball the greater chunk of the time. Unfortunately without a dominant offensive line, and little offensive ambiguity, it was fairly easy for opponents to defend Washington?s attack.
Patrick Ramsey started the year as the team?s quarterback, but he didn?t finish. He was sacked an unheard of 30 times in 11 games. The young quarterback?s 53.7 completion percentage is indicative of the incessant pressure he faced.
Where was the running game you ask? Trung Canidate averaged 4.2 yards per carry but the team was not committed enough to him, shades of Mike Martz who too will be out of a job soon, and a poor offensive line did not help his cause.
The beneficiary from the heavy dose of passing was Laveranues Coles, who tallied 1204 yards receiving ? one of the few positives that seeps through to the coming season.
Defensively the Redskins lived and died, but more on the died side, by the defensive line. Registering a miniscule amount of 27 sacks (6th worst) cancelled off the play of Fred Smoot and Champ Bailey, two of the better shutdown cornerbacks in the league.
Linebackers were average, safeties performed at an even lower level but it all stemmed from the defensive line.
With so many deficiencies stemming from the front four on defense, and the front five on offense, does a new coach and all sorts of external changes appendage enough to band-aid the shortage of talent on the lines?
What Has Changed?:
Does Dan Snyder listen to David Bowie?s ?Changes? every off-season?
After another inept record, the Redskins are going through ch-ch-ch-ch-changes, once again, but how much better will this team be?
Joe Gibbs, a historical Redskin figure, has been brought back to coach and effort should be the first noticeable metamorphosis on this team. Joe Bugel, offensive line coach, will be the key component on this coaching staff. In his heyday he developed a strong offensive line, but is there enough talent amongst this group? Losing Jon Jansen for the season is painful. Chris Samuels, Randy Thomas, Derrick Dockery, and Lennie Friedman were exploited by Steve Spurrier?s pass happy system. A good kick in the butt from Bugel should get these guys back on track, but they are still far from the best line in the league.
From Spurrier to Gibbs, the running goes from invisible to front and center. Clinton Portis was acquired in a media-covered trade, and though his numbers will drop significantly, he will still be the focal point of this offense. Portis is not overrated, but his numbers are considering the amount of running backs that have had success in Denver. Orlandis Gary and Mike Anderson look attractive in Bronco suits, but likely would slide into the shadows elsewhere. Portis is very talented, but it?s unlikely that he will still average 5.5 yards per carry in this offense.
At quarterback, Patrick Ramsey?s bell was rung last season, and it was rung again when he was pushed to second in line for starting duties. In essence, this move provides competition and depth, two things the Redskins evidently lacked a season ago.
The starting receivers are a talented duo of Coles and Gardner. The latter is underrated, and still growing in the league, while the first was one of the few highlights on a disastrous squad from last year.
Just like the offensive line will dictate the success of the offense, the front lines on the other side of the ball will have a lot to say as to how much the defense achieves.
Hall-of-Famer to be, Bruce Smith, and co-worker Lionel Dalton are out, while run stuffer Cornelius Griffin and defensive end Phillip Daniels are in. With Brandon Noble, and Renaldo Wynn as the other two starters I?m curious to know where the sacks will come from.
The linebackers will have to complement, or carry the pass-rush and LaVar Arrington is definitely up for that task. A couple of seasons ago money was deposited into the accounts of Jessie Armstead and Jeremiah Trotter who both downgraded their resumes during their stays in Washington, and now Michael Barrow and Marcus Washington are the new employees. Washington is a young linebacker on the way up, and Barrow is steady. This group will have lots of tackles to clean up.
The secondary will be without Champ Bailey, but in comes the once heralded Shawn Springs. He is still an above average cornerback, but he?s not worth the amount of money Dan Snyder threw at him. Walt Harris is a good nickel down pickup.
One of Joe Gibbs first big decision was whether to draft Kellen Winslow Jr. and ameliorate the offense, or solidify the back end of the team with All-American safety Sean Taylor. Taylor was the right choice as these defensive backs will need a lot of help if the quarterback pressure is inadequate. This guy is always around the ball and might be a Pro Bowler in his first season. The hard-hitting Matt Bowen steps over to strong safety, a position he is much more accustomed to.
The boiling point on this team is literally the offensive and defensive lines. If they want to be a different man, like David Bowie, then they?ll have to get the protection and production from these groupings. Otherwise they can turn and face the strain.
O/U 8.5:
What?s to say that Joe Gibbs will step in with his crew and make this team a nice playoff hat? What?s to say that the team will gel perfectly? The team is better than 5-11, but the defensive line is still a liability, and a lot of questions need answering. The Redskins play: TB, @CLE, BAL, @CHI, GB, @DET, CIN, @PIT, @SF, and MIN.
Fantasy Sleeper:
Coles and Portis are no sleepers, and with the controversy at quarterback, it?s best to stay away. It appears as though the Redskins will need to rack up points to stay involved in a number of their games so look for a bounce-back year from Rod Gardner. He had 1006 yards receiving two years ago, and had only one less touchdown catch the Coles last year.