Roster Down to 53 Today

With the start of the season only a week away, the Redskins finally have to decide who is coming into the season with them, and who is going to get sent packing.

There were several people fighting for their jobs throughout training camp, but it seems like it's fairly obvious what the team is going to look like. There are always surprises, and I'm by no means an expert on this stuff at all, but this is what I think it's going to look like.

3 Spots: Special Teamers (50 left) The easiest spots to give away are the special teamers. Punter Hunter Smith and long snapper Ethan Albright had their spots locked up when training camp started, but the kickers had to fight for it. The fight was clinched Friday night by Shawn Suisham when he nailed 48 yard field goal against the Jaguars. Hopefully he can keep it up all season.

On the offensive side, I used some detective skills to find out from Jason Reid that Vinny Cerrato plans to keep 25 plays on offense. That makes choosing these guys a little less difficult.

3 Spots: Quarterback (47 left) Jason Campbell will start for his second full year in Jim Zorn's offense, and Todd Collins will be right behind him if anything unfortunate were to happen to him. Colt Brennan and Chase Daniel have been slugging it out all offseason, but with growing concerns over injuries and erratic play in the red zone, Brennan will be on the outside looking in. He may be kept on the team, however, if they decide to put him on the injured reserve list, which would end his season.

4 Spots: Running Back (43 left) Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts are going to have to work together real well for this team to go anywhere, but they're the one-two punch for this team; atleast for now. Marcus Mason should be kept on the team, and could challenge Betts for playing time as the season progresses. Rock Cartwright will be returning as well as a key contributor on special teams.

1 Spot: Full Back (42 left) Mike Sellers, enough said.

5 Spots: Wide Receiver (37 left) It looks like Santana Moss and Malcolm Kelly will be the starters, and with good reason. Moss is a beast, and Kelly has shown that he is determined to get in the starting spot and keep it. Randle El will work the slot, and Devin Thomas should be a big deep threat. The fifth spot goes to my man Marko Mitchell, who I've been watching all offseason. He's shown up in all the preseason games, but he'll have to keep working hard to have it carry over to the regular season.

3 Spots: Tight End (34 left) Chris Cooley should be making another trip to the Pro Bowl this year. Fred Davis has performed well during the preseason, but still makes mental errors. Todd Yoder is a consummate professional and will help this teams a lot on special teams.

9 Spots: Offensive Line (25 left for defense) The starting unit is set (from left to right): Chris Samuels, Derrick Dockery, Casey Rabach, Randy Thomas, Stephon Heyer. There were a lot of questions about this unit entering the season, and they came out and performed above expectations. The big concern now is what happens if any of these guys go down. The primary backup will be Jeremy Bridges, with Chad Rhinehart right behind him. The last two spots I struggled with, but it'll probably be Will Montgomery and Mike Williams. Montgomery has shown the ability to play center and guard, something line coach, Joe Bugel, loves. Williams is on, well, because there's really no one else.

4 Spots: Safety (21 left) The team didn't bring anyone new in to challenge for these spots because they are stacked as it is. Laron Landry and Chris Horton will be the starters, but Reed Doughty and Kareem Moore should see plenty of playing time since the team loves playing three safeties.

5 Spots: Cornerback (16 left) This unit could make or break the defense. DeAngelo Hall and Carlos Rogers will be the starters, but after them there are several big question marks. Fred Smoot isn't getting any younger, but Justin Tryon and rookie Kevin Barnes may be too young. These three will have to step up their games with the season finally here, or pass happy offenses will pick right through them.

9 Spots: Defensive Line (7 Left) The starters upfront will undoubtedly be Phillip Daniels, Albert Haynesworth, Cornelius Griffin and Andre Carter. These guys should be monsters this season, especially since they can stay fresh while defensive coordinator Greg Blatche rotates several proven players off the bench. Renaldo Wynn, Kedric Golston, Anthony Montgomery, Lorenzo Alexander and rookie Jeremy Jarmon make up that list, and should all be ready for plenty of playing time.

2 Spots: DE/LB Hybrid (5 Left) I wasn't sure where to put either of these guys, so they get their own category. Rookie Brian Orakpo is going to dominate from defensive end, and he seems to be making strides at linebacker so expect him to be on the field a lot this season. Chris Wilson also made the switch from defensive end to linebacker, and has made the switch look easy. He's still extremely fast off the edge, and has the speed and agility to stay with players in coverage.

5 Spots: Linebacker (Can I have your playbook?) London Fletcher and Rocky McIntosh will be on the field the most, starting along side Brian Orakpo. H.B. Blades is very reliable, and will be the first guy off the bench if anyone needs a breather. Robert Thomas will stay on the team as a trusted veteran. The last spot will go to a rookie linebacker, and the other the team will try to add to the practice squad, but I think they keep Chris Henson. He's shown up on special teams, and the team needs help there.

Alright, that's what I've got. What does everyone else think?

Next Up: Steelers

The Redskins will play in their second preseason game Saturday against the Steelers, and here are three things I'll be watching out for:

Albert Haynesworth
The $100 million man makes his debut in the burgundy and gold, and let's hope it goes smoothly. fans will be looking for him to get a big push up the middle, but what they really need is for him to come out healthy. There's a lot riding on this guy being here for the majority of the season, and I don't even mean monetarily.

Offensive Line
The group looked solid in their first outing and I expect nothing less this time. They'll be facing a 3-4 defense that loves to blitz, so this will be a great test for the team. Randy Thomas should be seeing his first game which will allow the unit to get used to playing with the actual starting five.

Wide Receivers
There's a race for the number two receiver, and Malcolm Kelly put his name in the running with his strong performance last week. Devin Thomas and Antwaan Randle El are not backing down from the challenge, however, and should put on strong showings in the game as well. This battle will come down to the last game, so every game will count.

Defense Sets Tone at Practices

As training camp has progressed, it has become obvious that the defense is ahead of the offense.

Many players have said this is normal. The defense always starts fast, and the offense will catch up, nothing to worry about. Though the offense isn't worried, opponents probably should be.

Last season, the defense ranked fourth overall but had trouble getting pressure on the quarterback and creating turnovers. To change this, the team added defensive linemen Albert Haynesworth, Brian Orakpo, Phillip Daniels and Renaldo Wynn, and it's definitely evident that there is a difference.

During drills at camp, these guys were all over the place. They seemed to beat our line with ease on just about every play. Good thing for Campbell there's no hitting the quarterback during drills, or he'd be in a world of pain.

The secondary is the youngest unit on the team, with the oldest starter, Laron Landry, only 24. There are four players entering their second season with the team, and with a full offseason with the team they should show a lot of improvement. Knowing their assignments will allow the players to go out and play and not have to think.

At linebacker, the team will use draft choice Brian Orakpo as a speed rusher. This role had been lost with the injuries to Marcus Washington for several years, and the team believes Orakpo will resurrect this position. The man is fast and strong, and any lineman will have his hands full playing against him.

This defense has the potential to be one of the best in Redskins' history. They have a great mix of veterans and youngsters, and if they can stay healthy, they can do a lot of damage every week.

Any Shot at the Super Bowl?

So is this finally the year? Will the Redskins finally make the trip fans have been longing to see for so many years? Is the Super Bowl even in their sights?

Well, everyone has a chance at the beginning of the season, so why no the 'Skins? But if they're going to do it, these three things have to happen.

#3 Jason Campbell will have to show improvement

Jason Campbell is entering his second season as the starter under head coach Jim Zorn's version of the West Coast Offense. This will be the first time Campbell will be in the same offense as the starter for two years in a row, and should be ready for a much improved season.

Campbell already knows the offense, allowing him to play and react rather than think everything through. The progress of second year receivers Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas will also be critical to his success, having few reliable receiving options last season.

#2 The defensive has to dominate, especially in the trenches

The saying goes, "Defense wins championships," and Vinny Cerrato has seemingly upgraded a defense that ranked 4th in the league last season. He replaced two injury riddled veterans, Sean Springs and Marcus Washington, with the two highest draft choices the team had.

The defensive line is deeper than it's ever been, with free agents Albert Haynesworth and Renaldo Wynn joining an already formidle group including Andre Carter, Cornelius Griffin, Anothony Montgomery and Kedric Golston. Returning to this group is Phillip Daniels and draft choices Brian Orakpo and Jeremy Jarmon.

With these players rotating in throughout the game, it will be very different for opposing lines to stop them from reaching the quarterback. This will create sacks and turnovers, which could slot this defense at the top of the league.

#1 Clinton Portis and the offensive line have to stay healthy and hungry

With the addition of Derrick Dockery, the left side of the line should definitely be the strength. When Dock last played next to Pro Bowl tackle Chris Samuels, Clinton Portis had had his highest yardage total as a Redskin.

The key for these guys is making it through the season. Playing along the line, injuries are going to happen, but the line slowed down in the second half of last season. They seemed to lose their edge; their hunger. The big guys up front know what happened last year, and seem determined to prove they are better than they appeared last season.

If the 'Skins can pound the ball, and Campbell keeps his throws between 20 and 25 times a game, they could be in a position to any game they enter.

Orakpo: LB or DE?

OTA's came to a close Friday, and with the releases of Jon Jansen and wide receiver James Thrash, questions about the offenses direction were answered. On the defensive side, however, there are still some decisions that have to be made, and probably the most important is which position number one draft choice Brian Orakpo will play at.

Orakpo was drafted because of his relentless play off the edge as a defensive end in college. He racked up 11 sacks during his senior year at the University of Texas, and was viewed as a great fit as a defensive end in the a 4-3 system, which the Redskins run. So in his first practices as a professional football player, the Redskins made the obvious decision of playing him at strong side linebacker.

Come on guys. Really?

The Redskins have long been awaiting a dominant defensive end, and when they draft a kid who has the potential to do it for years to come, they want to switch his position? That's just ridiculous. Especially since he'd be playing next to one of the biggest forces at defensive tackle, Albert Haynesworth, who will boost his game even further without having to face double teams.

Maybe they're just trying to get see how he does at OLB so they don't have to use time doing it in training camp...and let's hope that's all it is. To win in this league, and definitely in the NFC East, you need a superb pass rush, and Orakpo might be the best shot at getting that.

Positional Analysis: Defensive End

Defensive end has long been a problematic position for the Redskins, and this season will be no different.

Andre Carter is returning to start at right end, and hopefully will have a greater impact with the addition of Albert Haynesworth in the middle. Carter is supposed to be the best pass rusher along the line, but only got three sacks last season. A bigger push up the middle and less double teams sent his way should up that total, but he is not the real concern along the line.

The starter at right end will have to be decided during training camp. After the 'Skins failed to re-sign Demetric Evans, who led the team in sacks last year, and releasing Jason Taylor, there was a huge void left.

Vinny Cerrato's plan to fill the empty spots? Sign two veterans familiar with the organization and defensive coordinator Greg Blatche's scheme, but both well out of their prime: Phillip Daniels and Renaldo Wynn.

Daniels, 35, and Wynn, 34, both signed one year contracts close to the veteran minimum. Both fit the same mold of large, run-stopping ends with little ability to pressure the quarterback, and should split snaps. Blatche loves to rotate his linemen, and the rotation with these two will be monitored closely. Both are old and injury prone, and there aren't many reliable players behind them who can go in.

Backing up the starters is a group of unproven youngsters. Two players who fit essentially the same mold are Chris Wilson, 26, and Rob Jackson, 23. Both are undersized speed rushers that can easily be taken advantage of in running situations. Since they fit the same mold, the team will probably have to choose one to keep on the roster for the season.

Another youngster is Alex Buzbee, 23, who was out the entire season last year with an Achilles Tendon injury. He is still raw and unproven, and will have to fight for a roster spot.

With the draft coming up, look for the Redskins to target an end with either their first pick, 13th overall, or their third round choice, 80th overall. They have long needed to get younger at this position, and the time to do it is now.

Positional Analysis: Defensive Tackle

After all the madness with Jason Campbell, it's time to get back to reviewing the roster. Let's start with the big boys up front, the defensive tackles.

Heading in to free agency, the Redskins had been rumored to have interest in what many experts believed was the best player available, Albert Haynesworth. The Redskins signed him in the opening hours of free agency, and he adds to a group that is now arguably the deepest position on the defense.

Starting alongside Haynesworth will be 10-year veteran Cornelious Griffin. Griffin has been solid when healthy, but has his fair share of injuries over the past few years, though he often played through them. With Haynesworth now taking on the double teams, Griffin should be freed up more to be the playmaker he looked like when the 'Skins first signed him.

Backing up the two starters will be youngsters Anthony Montgomery and Kedric Golston, both 25. They both have seen a lot of playing time since being drafted four years ago, and I wouldn't expect to see a large decrease in their playing time with the addition of Haynesworth. Defensive coordinator Greg Blatche loves to rotate his linemen to keep them fresh, and he trusts both players to perform. Both, however, may be battling for a long-term starting position with the team, as Griffin gets in to the last years of his career.

The addition of Haynesworth has made the defensive tackle position better, but should also enhance other positions play. With a great push up the middle, defensive ends will get to the quarterback quicker, causing them to throw the ball sooner. Now, the corners won't have to cover their receivers all day, allowing them to make plays on the ball. The tackles will also eat up blockers on run plays, freeing linebackers to make more plays at the line of scrimmage. The upgrade at tackle was a shrewd move, and shoould prove beneficial right away.

Redskins Roster Review: Defense

Even if you only saw one Redskins game last year, you would have left knowing the strong point of the team was it's defense.

The 'Skins finished the season ranked 4th overall on yards allowed. Defensive coordinator Greg Blatche has repeatedly defended his players and his scheme, but there is definitely room for improvement.

The defense ranked 29th in takeaways last season, only taking the ball from their opponents 18 times. They also posted only 24 sacks, placing them in the cellar of the NFC. Moves this off season should help to raise these numbers.

Vinny Cerrato is back to true form this off season, making huge splashes wit the signings of DeAngelo Hall and the $100 million man, Albert Haynesworth. These two players should make a big difference in both categories.

Hall, who with the team for the second half of the season, had three interceptions in his short time with the team. An off season with the coaches and his teammates will only increase his production, but the big man in the middle will help him the most.

Haynesworth is a beast up front, taking on double and triple teams while still reaching the quarterback. This also frees up teammates to get the quarterback, and will also make quarterbacks throw errant passes which the defensive backs can jump on.

Even with these additions, there are gaps. An experienced starting outside linebacker is needed as well as another pass rusher, but overall the group is moving in the right direction.

Fast Start to Free Agency

The Redskins started free agency fast last week, signing three starters for next season in the first 24 hours.

The first player to sign with the Redskins was DeAngelo Hall, 24, who played with the team during the second half of last season. He inked a 6-year, $55 million deal with $23 million guaranteed. The two sides agreed to terms just before free agency started, but the Redskins were just getting started.

The Redskins negotiated with All Pro defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth through the night, agreeing on a 7-year deal worth $100 million, the largest contract given to a defensive player ever. The deal includes $41 million in guarantees, and Haynesworth, 27, is set to get $32 million in the first 13 months. This was not the end of the signing spree.

The Redskins also brought back guard Derrick Dockery, 28, who left Washington two years ago in free agency to play for the Buffalo Bills. He was released by them for salary cap reasons, and was quickly pursued by the Redskins.

These were three shrewd signings, and the Redskins picked good players to give their money to. All three will undoubtedly start next season, barring any injuries, and should contribute for years to come.

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.