Washington Redskins Predictions
June 17, 2008
Owner Daniel Snyder has been known for his splashy hires over the years. He went with a little different approach this year by hiring Jim Zorn in place of Joe Gibbs. Zorn was the Seahawks‘ quarterbacks coach and was originally hired to be the Redskins’ offensive coordinator. But several candidates turned down Washington’s head job and Snyder turned to Zorn , who had never been an NFL head coach before. The Redskins finished with a flourish of wins last season to sneak into the NFL Wild Card slot after leaning on the death of safety Sean Taylor for some motivation. Washington has enough talent to be competitive again this year. Info Plays gives you our 2008 Washington Redskins predictions along with a team preview of what to expect below.
Offense:
Jason Campbell should benefit from Zorn’s hiring more than anyone. Zorn played QB for the Seahawks from 1976-84 and has helped Matt Hasselbeck become a 3-time Pro Bowler in Seattle. Zorn has made some one-on-one time for Campbell in the spring to work on mechanics and get ready for his new West Coast offense. When Campbell went down to injury last year, The Redskins turned to 36-year-old Todd Collins who had not previously thrown a touchdown since 2002. Collins was as important as anyone on this team in leading Washington to a playoff birth. Collins will again be a solid backup to Campbell incase injury woes plague their starter this season.
Clinton Portis set career highs in receptions and receiving yards last sesaon. There is a very good chance he will eclipse these numbers again in Zorn’s offense. Portis ran for 1,262 yeards and 11 scores last year, though his 3.9 yards per carry was the second lowest in his career. Zorn plans on using Portis a lot more out of the backfield this season and prays that their starting RB can stay healthy. Fullback Mike Sellers is one of the hardest-hitting blockers in the game. Backup RB Ladell Betts is one of the most reliable reserves the game has to offer.
Two starting receivers for the Redskins are under 6′0″ tall. Santana Moss and Antwaan Ranle El offer blazing speed, but the Redskins are still lacking that tall receiver they need to make plays in the red zone. Washington drafted 6′2″ Devin Thomas out of Michigan State and 6′4″ Malcolm Kelly out of Oklahoma. They are hoping for big things from at least one of these draftees to add a much needed red zone target threat. Washington’s top threat as of now is TE Chris Cooley, who was selected to his first Pro Bowl last season after grabbing 66 catches for 786 yards and 8 scores. Second-round draft pick Fred Davis out of USC will join Cooley in their two-tight end sets.
You can look at the Redskins’ offensive line as either experienced or old. All five starters are over the age of 30. Left tackle Chris Samuels is a five-time Pro Bowler. The right side of the offensive line has hampered by injuries last year. Tackle Jon Jansen missed the entire season and guard Randy Thomas missed 13 games. Health in this aging group will be key if the Redskins want any shot of making the playoffs again this year.
Defense:
Andre Carter had a breakout year in 2007 with 10.5 sacks. But aside from Carter the pressure from the defensive side was nearly non-existent. The problem heading into this year is that the Redskins failed to address this need through the draft or free agency. Defensive end Phillip Daniels is 35 years old and had just 2.5 sacks last year. Tackle Cornelius Griffin is better than average when healthy. New defensive coordinator Greg Blache coached the defensive line last season and will be familiar with their strengths and weaknesses heading into the 2008 season.
Middle linebacker London Fletcher was a huge pick up last year as a free agent. He is now the heart and sole of this defense. Marcus Washington is coming off a disappointing and injury filled season on the strong side, but when healthy he is still one of the best players on this defense. Weak-side linebacker Rocky McIntosh was becoming a star before a terrible knee injury ended his season. He could be sidelined to start 2008 as well.
The murder of Sean Taylor shook the Redskins up, and with it depleted their secondary as well. Reed Doughtry did his best last season in Taylor’s place, but he is not nearly the same athlete. Second-year free safety LaRon Landry is every bit as athletic as Taylor was and should make his first Pro Bowl appearance this season. Cornerback Carlos Rogers missed the second half of the season with a knee injury and could be out midway through the 2008 season. Fred Smoot took his spot and Shawn Springs has lost a step but remains a solid corner on the other side at corner.
Info Plays 2008 Washington Redskins Predictions
New head coach Jim Zorn should be able to add some spark to this Redskins’ offense that has been missing for years. The plan to try and utilize Portis’ talents more out of the backfield is a genius move because he is by far their best player on offense. Their defensive line is sub-par and the loss of Taylor will be vitally missed this season. The Redskins won’t be fortunate enough to make the playoffs as they finish fourth in the NFC East conference this season.