Washington Released

Jason La Canfora has reported that the Redskins have made the first of many expected roster moves by releasing linebacker Marcus Washington.

Washington, a nine year veteran, was signed by the Redskins during the 2004 off-season. He was a major contributor early on, but was hampered by injuries the majority of his time here. Not being able to be on the field consistently and having a large salary cap figure made him a prime candidate to get cut.

Even though he had his fair share of injuries, Washington was a good player, a leader in the locker room, and was always good to the fans. It can be difficult to part ways with players who have become leaders, but it's a move the Redskins had to make. This move will give them $4 million in cap relief, and with free agency right around the corner, more moves are expected.

Redskins Roster Review: Special Teams

As free agency approaches, I'm going to take a closer look at the Redskins three units: special teams, defense, and offense.

Special teams has long been an area of weakness for the Redskins, and the arrival of Jim Zorn did nothing to change that. In 2009, the unit ranked 21st out of 32 teams in punt return average, 28th in punt coverage, and dead last in field goal percentage.

Something, obviously, needs to change.

The first thing they need to do is to find someone, anyone else to return punts instead of Antwaan Randle El. His main focus needs to be on playing wide receiver, and he hasn't contributed returning the ball like he used to. Instead of making a defender miss and racing down the field, he often dances around in one place, rarely making any significant gains.

Another change that needs to be made is at the punter position. The low ranking of the punt coverage unit is a direct result of the lack of a consistent punter. The Redskins cut Derrick Frost in favor of rookie draft choice, Durant Brooks, who was replaced mid season by Rian Plackemeir. Plackemeir showed some improvement during the season, but was inconsistent, and was cut after the season.

Danny Smith, the special teams coordinator, has been praised by both current head coach Jim Zorn and former head coach Joe Gibbs, but he has never been given any punters with significant skills to work with. The only punter currently on the roster is Zac Atterberry, who has never even played in a regular season game. Obviously, there needs to be a punter with experience added.

Smith also has not been given a consistent kicker to coach up. Shawn Suisham showed promise towards the end of the 2007 season, but posted the lowest field goal percentage in the league this past season. Suisham will be a restricted free agent this off season, and it is expected that the Redskins retain him. They can't solely rely on him, though. Some form of competition, whether it be an undrafted rookie or a veteran, has to be brought in to at least push Suisham to get better.

The kick return and coverage units, on the other hand, shined last season, both ranking in the top ten. Special teams captain Khary Campbell was a major contributor to these units. He becomes a free agent this off season, but the Redskins need to look to retain him. He has been here a while, knows our system, and plays hard every week. He can also be a suitable plug on defense at linebacker when he is needed.

There are a few things Vinny Cerrato, vice-president of football operations, has to look at in the coming weeks, but will he take the steps necessary to improve? In recent years, it seems that Cerrato hasn't taken a long enough look at improving special teams in the offseason. There are often young, unheard of players coming in the door, and walking out a few months later. How about bringing in a veteran with some staying power for a change?

I know this may be asking a lot considering the considerable salary cap bind the Redskins are in, but most of the games the Redskins find themselves in, they are losing or winning by less than a touchdown. These games are often decided by special teams. Whoever wins the field position battle and gets a few field goals through the uprights often finds themselves with the all important "W" at the end of the game. If the Redskins could generate some longer returns off punts, pin their opponents inside the 10-yard line, or even hit some makeable field goals, they could get a few more "Ws" next season.

Free Agency Is Looming...And the Redskins Better Get Ready

The National Football League's free agency is right around the corner. It is the time of year for teams to add pieces to their rosters with the hopes of improving for next season. The Redskins have several holes to fill, but are they prepared to make a big splash? Or should they sit back quietly and a make a few shrewd moves?

Among the spots requiring upgrade are both offensive and defensive lines, outside linebacker, running back, as well as adding depth to the secondary. That is several positions to upgrade in one offseason, especially since the Redskins currently find themselves $4 million over the salary cap limit.

This is where members of the front office will have to make the tough decisions. They must decide whether they should continue their annual game of restructuring contracts, or continue with their move towards youth, and cut veterans that are no longer contributing.

There are several big names in this offseason, including DT Albert Haynesworth, OT Jordan Gross, and OLB/DE Terrel Suggs, all of whom could be intriguing to the Redskins. They have been known in the past for their desires for a fantasy football team, and could easily revert to old ways. This would not be wise.

If the Redskins want to improve long term, they better start cutting ties with players that haven't showed up on the field in recent years, either because of injury or performance. Players like Marcus Washington and Cornelius Griffin need to be out the door. Even though they are good players, they have large salaries, and often are on the injured list. Even a player like Ladell Betts could find himself on the outside looking in. He hasn't produced much lately, and the Redskins need a quicker, more elusive back to compliment Clinton Portis.

Depending on how much cap space they can clear and who they cut, the Redskins could have an interesting offseason ahead of them. They have been planning for weeks, and it's about time to put that plan in to action.

Let's just hope the plan doesn't include wasting tons of cap space on old players, or trading draft picks away senselessly. The plan has to be to continue drafting to fit their system. Through free agency they must try to find role players and maybe, maybe go after a big time player. Let's hope they make the right decisions.

A Look Back on the Super Bowl

There has been much discussion lately about this past Sunday's football finale, the Super Bowl. This worldwide spectacle had teams coming from completely different histories. One is known for being one of the most successful franchises in the history of the NFL, and always seems to find themselves in the playoff race. The other, is known for a history of losing, only reaching the playoffs six times in their existence.

So what would happen when two teams from different sides of the track meet in the Super Bowl? Obviously, we'll get a blowout. The Cardinals will simply be happy to participate in the big game. They won't be able to hang with the big, bad Steelers, an experienced group who has been there before.

This, however, did not happen.

There was a fight on the field, each team trying to match the others last blow. It came down to each teams last drive, but the Cardinals scored too early, leaving the Steelers creative quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, enough time to create a drive of destiny, scoring on an 8 play, 78 yard drive, leaving 35 seconds on the clock for Kurt Warner to answer. Warner could not make anything of the time left, giving the Steelers their 6th NFL championship.

Both teams battled hard to the very end of the game. Nothing was left on the field. Is this the best Super Bowl, though? I'm not sure yet. I have no doubt, though, that this is one of the most exciting Super Bowls I have watched, and I don't think there could be many with many more exciting plays. It seemed like anything could happen at any moment. With Fitzgerald capable of breaking a big play at any time, and Roethlisberger making remarkable moves in the pocket, plays that most would never be able to make were made. Players, on the biggest stage of their careers, made some of the biggest plays of their careers. That's what football is about though, showing up when it counts.

That's a wrap on the 2008-2009 season; a season full of twists and turns from the very beginning, and the excitement lasted all the way until the end. What will next season bring? Only time will tell, but until then, let the off season rumblings begin.