Have the Redskins Improved as Much as People Think?
The Dan Snyder era in Washington has constantly spelled doom for the Redskins. Rather than building a team through the draft, the team has constantly looked for quick fixes and tried to put together a championship team in one season.
While that goal is possible, the Redskins simply tried it in all the wrong ways. They constantly looked for veterans around the league to fill holes, and most of the time they overspent and took veterans who were past their prime.
At least this year the Redskins have found a man capable of turning the franchise’s fortunes around in head coach Mike Shanahan. Shanahan is a proven winner, a two time Super Bowl champion, and an offensive mastermind.
Once again this offseason, the Redskins went with a quick fix to their problems. Their most notable move was acquiring 33 year-old quarterback (QB) Donovan McNabb. McNabb is certainly an upgrade over Jason Campbell, who was traded to Oakland, but it doesn’t necessarily make the team an instant contender, especially in the toughest division in football.
The team also has three veterans competing for the starting job, but all three are worn down. The trio consists of Clinton Portis, Willie Parker and Larry Johnson. All three have been stars in the league, but injuries have beaten these three up. The good news is that they’ll likely all share the workload.
Unlike other veteran stacked teams Snyder has put together though, this one may be the best chance the Redskins have of a quick improvement.
On offence, of course the team is better. McNabb is experienced and is used to the tough NFC East division after spending his whole career in Philadelphia. His knowledge of the Eagles defensive schemes may serve the Redskins well when they play their division rivals.
McNabb can improve the offence if he keeps mistakes to a minimum. The problem is, he doesn’t have the same type of weapons he had in Philly. He’ll work under Shanahan’s west-coast offence and it may be a difficult adjustment not having the kind of offensive line and receiving corps the Eagles gave him.
Clinton Portis will get a chance to show he still has great football left in him but 2,418 career touches have worn him down at 28 years-old, which seems to be a common theme for NFL running backs. If Portis struggles, 31 year-old Larry Johnson is likely to take carries as Willie Parker’s numbers have constantly dropped the last five seasons and he is very injury-prone.
The receiving corps is less than spectacular as Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly have battled injury in their first two unremarkable pro seasons. McNabb’s best weapon is Santana Moss, who constantly faces double coverage due to the ineptitudes of his fellow receivers. Even acquisition Joey Galloway is in the twilight of his career and wasn’t good enough for Pittsburgh and New England to keep him.
Tight end (TE) Chris Cooley will have to stay healthy and give McNabb a steady option.
The biggest question mark on defence is the $100 million dollar man Albert Haynesworth. New defensive coordinator Jim Haslett has instilled a new 3-4 defensive scheme, which doesn’t sit well with the run-plugging defensive tackle. Obviously, Haynesworth has been immature and has let his teammates down with his behaviour.
The new scheme will help out London Fletcher and Rocky McIntosh. Fletcher is 35 years old and McIntosh is playing for a new contract.
The secondary will need to create more plays after forcing a league-low 17 turnovers in 2009. Cornerback (CB) Deangelo Hall is capable of picking passes, but he has shoddy tackling and poor mechanics. His partner, Carlos Rogers, is also very mistake-prone.
At safety, Laron Landry has speed, but lacks the awareness necessary to track down the ball. The other spot is wide open between Kareem Moore, Chris Horton or Reed Doughty.
The Redskins special-teams coverage is very good as they were ranked third covering kicks and sixth covering punts. Their return game was as poor as their coverage was good (24th kickoffs, 30th punts). The team brought in Graham Gano last year after releasing a struggling Shaun Suisham. Gano went 4/4 despite playing with a broken foot. Josh Bidwell is a great punter as well. Terence Austin, the team’s seventh round pick, will be counted on to fix their return-woes.
Overall, the Redskins did improve this offseason. They addressed some key issues, but the finished product is still a long way away. The upgrades will not bring them long-term success and the bottom line is, they share a division with better teams in Philly, New York and Dallas. We’ll see some strides of progress this season, but don’t expect any miracles.
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