Predicting 16

The 'Skins season kicks off this Sunday with a fierce rival from the NFC East, the New York Giants. But before this game initiates the beginning of a long, grueling season, I've gotta take a stab at the 'Skins schedule.

Week One: @ Giants (0-0)
The Giants are one of the best teams in the NFL, and games in the NFC are especially competitive, so the edge has to go to the home team. Giants in a close one, 20-17.

Week Two: VS Rams (0-1)
The 'Skins will be looking to bounce back after this week, and with first year head coach Steve Spagnuolo, who was the Giants defensive coordinator the past two years, the defense should be ready for what the 'Skins have to offer, but the defense is going to take this one over. 'Skins win 24-6.

Week Three: @ Lions (1-1)
With a chance to go above a .500 record in week three while playing the worst team from last year should be an easy win for the 'Skins, but they better not take this game lightly. They found themselves in the loss column with a similar game against the Rams last year, and they came to regret it at the end of the season. This team will remember that game, however, and blowout a young Lions team, 27-10.

Week Four: VS Buccaneers (2-1)
The 'Skins come home week four to play their third rookie head coach in a row. The Buccaneers are in a rebuilding season, and with a roster filled with youngsters, the Redskins should overmatch them greatly. Veterans like Ronde Barber, however, will prevent the 'Skins passing attack from taking off, and the game will be a little closer. 20-13.

Week Five: @ Panthers (3-1)
This game should be the biggest challenge the 'Skins have had since the season opener against the Giants. The Panthers have a fierce running attack and always put a solid defense on the field. The 'Skins lose in a close one, 21-17.

Week Six: VS Chiefs (3-2)
Wanting to stay above .500 and frustrated about the close loss to the Panthers, the 'Skins will dominate a young Chiefs team. Matt Cassel will throw a lot to stay in this one, and will get picked off a few times, but with a porous defense, the Chiefs won't be able to keep up. 'Skins win easily, 34-17.

Week Seven: VS Eagles (4-2)
Mike Vick makes his first appearance at FedEx Field and causes a stir. The focus will be on him coming to town and not on the team, and they will thrive. This will still be a battle in the East, but the Eagles will still be getting used to using Vick, so the 'Skins steal one, 24-21.

Week Eight: BYE WEEK (5-2 and feeling good)

Week Nine: @ Falcons (5-2)
Coming off the bye week, the 'Skins are fully rested, ready to play some football again, but are shocked by Matt Ryan and the fantastic Falcons. 'Skins lose, 24-10.

Week Ten: VS Broncos (5-3)
Once again on edge after a loss, the 'Skins come back ready to face the team that almost had a hand in sending Jason Campbell out of town. Campbell has a big day, throwing three TD's. 'Skins win handily, 31-13.

Week Eleven: @ Cowboys (6-3)
It's finally the biggest rivalry of the season, and the 'Skins first trip to Jerry Jones' Palace. It's a close one between these two rivals, and after a delay where Shawn Suisham breaks the Jerry's big screen TV over the stadium, the 'Skins blow it in the fourth quarter as Marion Barber runs all over them, 24-13.

Week Twelve: @ Eagles (6-4)
The Eagles have figured out their offense, and the defense has hit their midseason stride. This is a close game, but it doesn't show on the scoreboard. Eagles win, 27-14.

Week Thirteen: VS Saints (6-5)
Hitting their first two game skid of the season, the 'Skins look to bounce back at home verse their old defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams. The Redskins current coordinator, Greg Blatche, worked for several years with Williams, and the 'Skins offense practices against pretty much the same defensive scheme every day, they will take this one, but not without Saints quarterback Drew Brees putting a few nice scoring drives together. Redskins, 31-21.

Week Fourteen: @ Raiders (7-5)
The Raiders recently traded a first round pick in 2011 for a 29 year old defensive end who has only played 16 games two times in his eight year NFL career. Do I need to say more to how much disarray this organization is in? 'Skins crush, 35-9.

Week Fifteen: VS Giants (8-5)
Entering their toughest home stretch of the season, the 'Skins beat a banged up Giants team, but it's an ugly one. 14-10.

Week Sixteen: VS Cowboys (9-5)
The rivalry comes home and with the playoffs on the line for the both teams, the home team prevails in another slugfest. Redskins win, 17-16.

Week Seventeen: @ Chargers (10-5)
It comes down to the last game of the season, but the Chargers have already clinched their division and their hearts aren't in the game as much as the 'Skins are. The 'Skins win this one from the beginning, 21-17.

The 'Skins finish 11-5 with a wildcard spot in the NFC. It's going to be tough, and a lot of this depends on the team staying healthy, but I think it should shake out like this. What does everyone else think?

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?

'Skins Fall to Patriots

It was a close game Friday night, and even though they lost on the scoreboard, the 'Skins should feel good about their performance.

Jason Campbell had a solid performance. He moved around in the pocket well, took some big hits, all while putting 17 points on the board in the first half against a Patriots defense that is always ready to go.

Campbell still missed some open passes, but he made plenty more good plays than bad. He spread the ball around, threw no interceptions, and even ran one in for a touchdown. I'm still in Jason's corner, and I think this is just a taste of what we'll get the whole season.

The defense was solid, but had no answer for Randy Moss. He could hit whatever route he wanted to whenever he wanted. Covering big wide receivers could now be the biggest weapon for the defense, and teams will look to exploit it. No receiver will have Moss's combination of size and speed, but size could be all you need.

Also impressive were the wide receivers. They played physical, and ran some real quick routes. With so many options, they should tear up secondaries this season.

More to come on this game if I get to watch anymore of it, work needs to stop getting in the way of important stuff...like Redskins football.

Redskins' Bombed During Battle of the Beltway

The Redskins fell to the hands of Ravens Thursday night, getting shut out 23-0. Talk about a great start to the season.

I understand that it's the first game of the season and there's still some time to go until the games really count, but getting shut out is never a good thing. The offense stalled in the middle of the field several times and never even entered the kickers field goal range.

Aside from the shortcomings in points, the game wasn't too horrible. The first team offense proved they'd be able to protect Jason Campbell, but also had trouble opening holes for running back Ladell Betts. I still think they will be the key to the season, and they're going to have to show more improvement as preseason continues.

The best part of the game was watching second year safety Kareem Moore flying around the field, laying crunching hits left and right. He seemed real comfortable in the defense, which allowed him to make several plays.

The team still has a lot to work on, but it's a start. It's better to get all the mistakes out of the way during the preseason, learn from them and go in to the season ready for everything. The team will get better as preseason continues, let's just hope they find the end zone sooner than later

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.

Who Will Backup Campbell?

As most fans know, this off season brought a lot of turmoil for starting quarterback Jason Campbell. The team tried to replace him twice, giving fans more reason to doubt the quarterback's ability (myself not included). For these nonbelievers, their favorite player to talk about will undoubtedly be Campbell's backup.

Todd Collins is the currently holds this spot, but his position will surely be challenged by youngsters Colt Brennan and Chase Daniel. Saturday, Collins was very precise while executing the offense, but moved noticeably slower than Campbell.

Brennan, who is entering his second season, looked the best of the bunch. He took quick drops, released the ball quickly and was very accurate. Undrafted rookie Daniel seems to have caught on quickly, and was very accurate.

It seems like Brennan could be putting himself in a position to supplant Collins for the spot, but this is still early in camp. Nothing will be decided until head coach Jim Zorn sees them in live action when the bullets are really flying. It will be interesting to see how Zorn splits up snaps the rest of camp, there could definitely be reason to give Brennan a few more reps.

Vick to the 'Skins?

Things have been rather slow at Redskins Park since the draft. The roster is essentially set for the training camp, and the players are preparing themselves for the upcoming season.

It's kind of nice to see things quiet around there for once, but fans want to stir the pot by throwing Mike Vick's out as a possible addition to the roster.

I say let's do it!

I mean, obviously, it would be a great addition to the team. Jason Campbell needs to be pushed, and bringing in Vick, who was just released from a 23-month jail term, would be great for that. I mean, he's had two years off from football, that's gotta be good for his legs.

I can see where you might say he maybe hasn't thrown a football during his time in the joint, or at least to an NFL caliber receiver, but who cares?! Vick was an elite passer during his 6-year career, posting a phenomenal 53.8 completion percentage over his career. Since the West Coast offense needs an accurate passer, this should be an upgrade from Campbell's lousy career numbers.

Vick may be most known for his passing abilities, but he also has the ability to break long runs at any moment. He should be poised for a breakout season after resting his legs for so long, there should be no problems there either.

Pretty much, this is a no brainer. Amazing arm, big play potential, and I didn't even have to touch on his leadership qualities. I would not be surprised if the team contacted Vick as soon as he's reinstated to the league. He's the quarterback we've been waiting so long for.

Draft: Orakpo is First Selection

The draft has finally come and gone, and with their first selection the Redskins selected University of Texas defensive end Brian Orakpo.

PHEW!!!

Going into the draft, the 'Skins had been rumored to be in the mix to trade up so they could draft USC quarterback Mark Sanchez. Though Sanchez has a great chance at being a top performer at this level, taking him would have set the Redskins back several years. They would have traded future draft picks and most of their picks of value this year, not to mention probably driving Jason Campbell to request a trade. But...they didn't...so let's just be thankful for that.

Instead, they got extremely lucky with Orakpo landing at the 13th pick. He was the elite pass rusher in this years class, but he brings much more than physical gifts to this team. At his introductory press conference Monday, he showed that his head hasn't ballooned with all the draft coverage he's been getting.

"It's a dream come true," Orakpo said. "Basically it's a great defense that I'll be a part of...these guys have been winning games without me. I just want to come in and help and keep this train rolling."

"I just want to show Redskins Nation that I am a guy who's here ready to work, come in humble, compete, and most importantly win." he said. "That's the most important thing."

And that's exactly what you want to hear from a rookie. He's a very skilled player who should shoot into the starting lineup, but to come in and think anything is guaranteed would be a mistake. The Redskins have a welcoming locker room, as long as you come in with the right attitude, and it seems like Orakpo should fit in just fine.

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.

Cutler to Chicago

The Chicago Bears ended up being the winners in the Jay Cutler sweepstakes, dealing quarterback Kyle Orton, along with two first round draft choices, and a third rounder. The Bears also received a fifth round choice in the draft.

The Redskins never fail to bring the circus to town, but I never expected Cirque du Soleil to be coming to town this year. Seeing the Giant Man sign a $100 million contract was just the opening act to a much greater show.

These trade allogations now place the Redskins in pretty much the same position the Broncos were in a month ago, trying to trade their starting quarterback, and failing. The biggest difference has been the quarterback's reaction. Campbell has been showing up for practice, not letting any of the show around him detract from his focus.

"I still went and worked out," Campbell told local reporters. "My teammates said, 'Jason, why are you here?' And I told them: 'I'm still the quarterback of this team until they get rid of me. You haven't seen the best of me. I'm not here for ownership. I won't miss days working out with you, and I won't miss time preparing for the season. Who knows? A trade may not work out.' "

And let's be happy it didn't. If every player on that team doesn't see that this guy isn't here for the money, or anything else other than to win, they'd be crazy. This situation, in some sick way, could help this time. A team always looks to their quarterbacks in times of despair, and right now their are seeing theirs in his lowest moment, and seeing him react with courage. This should be in the back of every players minds the rest of the season, and take any doubt out of their minds that he's ready to lead.

Trade at QB coming?

Newsdays's Bob Glauber reported today that the Redskins could be in the mix for a trade involving Denver quarterback Jay Cutler.

Please let him be wrong.

The trade would go against everything this organization has been saying they need to do to get back to the Super Bowl. They preach about consistency. They speak of a desire to minimize player overturn so everyone can grow together in the schemes.

NEWS FLASH: Trading for a new quarterback would be starting over...again.

Last year the 'Skins started over by hiring first time head coach Jim Zorn. Zorn, 55, brought his version of the West Coast offense with him, which the entire time had to learn. And in any offense, the quarterback has the most work ahead of him.

The man in this position, Jason Campbell, performed admirably in his first year in the new system, which was his third system in four years. He didn't throw an interception in the first 8 games, but also threw only eight touchdowns in that span. While playing behind a deteriorating offensive line, he never threw around blame and concentrated on getting himself better every week.

So what would be beneficial from trading a quarterback who performed well in a system and can only improve in it with more familiarity, for a quarterback that comes in with no knowledge of Zorn's system?

Well, Cutler, 25, does have a big arm. He also has been to a Pro Bowl. Furthermore, he's thrown a whopping 19 more touchdowns than Campbell, 27, over the last three years. What could this kid possibly be lacking?

Try character, a quality Campbell has shown many times throughout his career. He always has the team as his priority, not letting outside distractions (like these trade rumors) get in the way of doing his best. Cutler, on the other hand, is on the trading block because he can't get along with his boss, newly hired head coach Josh McDaniels.

McDaniels, the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots last season, reportedly tried to trade Cutler in a three way trade, receiving the Patriots backup quarterback, Matt Cassel, as compensation. Cassel, 26, was forced into the starting role last year after a season ending injury to famed starter, Tom Brady, and Cassel excelled.

The only guy McDaniels would have wanted to trade Cutler for was Cassel. He wouldn't have to teach a quarterback a new system, which, I'm not sure if you've heard, is kind of hard. McDaniels had to take a shot at it. The deal, however, wasn't struck and Cassel landed in Kansas City instead.

McDaniels reassured Cutler after this saga that he was their quarterback, and they would no longer be trying to trade him. Cutler responded by requesting to be traded while not showing up for the beginning of off season workouts, which is critical for quarterbacks to be at because they are supposed to be the leaders of their teams. Even if you aren't going to get along with someone at work, you can't bring everyone else down too.

Campbell, of course, showed up right on time.

I know many people don't have confidence in Campbell, but it's not all about numbers. It's about leadership and determination. Campbell has become a leader on this offense because he plays for his teammates. He hasn't had the luxery of starting in the same system for consecutive years, but has still performed well. With a full off season becoming more comfortable in the offense, Campbell is getting the consistency that he and this organization needs to succeed, and it would be ridiculous to give that up now.

Redskins Roster Review: Offense

In order for the Redskins to get back to the playoffs next year, the offense is going to have to make great strides.

A year ago, Jim Zorn was just getting started teaching his new team the West Coast offense. The offense started off hot but cooled off as the season came to a close.

This off season, Zorn will be able to pay closer attention to details since the players now know what he wants from them. Though progress will be made from the coaching standpoint, the personnel side still needs some work.

Upgrading the offensive line has been a goal this off season. Last season the offensive line deteriorated as the season went on, showing their age more and more each week. Though getting younger at this position is viewed as a priority, the only move made so far was the signing of left guard Derrick Dockery, 28.

There are still question marks at wide receiver, and it will be essential for second year players Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly to make strides to learn the offense better so they can play prominent roles in the offense. Incumbent starters Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El are going to be relying on the youngsters to step up and take some of the heat off them.

Quarterback Jason Campbell will have to show improvement in his second year in the West Coast offense. He played well last year, but needs to show more improvement in the red zone. This team needs to figure out how to score touchdowns, and he could make big contributions in that department.

Coach Zorn has to push these guys real hard this off season and improvements have to be made. A few more moves might have to be made, most likely through the draft, but they should have every opportunity to take those strides next season.