NFL Network: 32 in 32 Redskins

I agree with 17 we are an average at best team unless JC becomes McNabb overnight... 9 wins should be a realistic goal this year. Phi, Ny and Dal are all better right now.

How can you easily dismiss our team as "average at best" and claim that all the other teams in the conference are automatically better? Right now if I were to give you a pessimistic outcome I would tell you that NYG has the best chance of taking the conference (if they had a true #1 receiver to replace Burress I would consider them a SB contender); Philly can get to the playoffs as long as Westbrook is healthy (and McNabb's too, even though he hasn't been injured he'll be 33 this season) and their young wideouts help their offense; finally I would put us and Dallas as the question marks who could make it to the playoffs, depending on certain outcomes (WAS: AH makes the defense elite, our healthy/somewhat younger line holds up, Campbell plays well all season; DAL: Roy Williams lives up to the hype/price, Wade Phillips doesn't lose control of the team, Romo doesn't choke).

Needless to say, there is a lot of offseason to go and right now it is too early to make any type of predictions. At least wait until training camp to dismiss our teams chances.


I agree with you. I don't see the drastic improvement in our team overall to make us competitive we our NFC E foes.

What would you consider a drastic improvement? I mean getting Haynesworth, Orakpo, and Dockery are pretty drastic improvements. Along with the fact that the entire team will be going into a second year under the same coaching regime for the first time in a long time.

It's a valid ranking I think, to be 17. We made some nice improvements, but mostly on a defense that was already 4th overall, 6th in scoring. Adding Dockery and few other band-aids on the O-line isn't going to take us to the next level. We need what we already have offensively to improve - JC, the redshirt pass catchers (Thomas, Kelly, Davis), and the second year in the WCO. Otherwise, we'll be a middle of the road team again.

17 seems pretty fair .. I still believe that somehow someway our team will finally "click" or "gel" and get this thing movin' .. 10-6 and were tough as nails heading into the playoffs !

It's a valid ranking I think, to be 17. We made some nice improvements, but mostly on a defense that was already 4th overall, 6th in scoring. Adding Dockery and few other band-aids on the O-line isn't going to take us to the next level. We need what we already have offensively to improve - JC, the redshirt pass catchers (Thomas, Kelly, Davis), and the second year in the WCO. Otherwise, we'll be a middle of the road team again.
That 4th ranking is not the important factor. Anywhere from 1 to 5 is something to hang your hat on. The improvement will come when we are able to get defensive turnovers, and give JC and Co. more chances to score. Not to mention the possibility for defensive touchdowns. 17 ranking is fair but we added great components to one of the most fundamentally sound defenses in the NFL. That is why we will move in to the upper half.

I think it's as much on Zorn as it is on Campbell. For a guy who was originally hired to be the Offense Coordinator to average 16 points a game is cause for concern. He's proven nothing. Everyone points to the 6-2 start, but that could have been a fluke, and the 2-6 finish could be what we get with Zorn's offense moving forward. Every team experiences injuries, and we had the same WRs all season, so no excuses.

The D should be all-world. This season will answer 2 questions: Is Zorn a good coach and is Campbell a bonafied NFL starter?

I think it's as much on Zorn as it is on Campbell. For a guy who was originally hired to be the Offense Coordinator to average 16 points a game is cause for concern. He's proven nothing. Everyone points to the 6-2 start, but that could have been a fluke, and the 2-6 finish could be what we get with Zorn's offense moving forward. Every team experiences injuries, and we had the same WRs all season, so no excuses.

The D should be all-world. This season will answer 2 questions: Is Zorn a good coach and is Campbell a bonafied NFL starter?

Could be. Or maybe Kendall fumbling the ball and losing to the Rams was a fluke. Maybe not calling a TD or blowing the play dead when Sellers was sticking the ball over the goal line that resulted in a fumble and a loss against Cincinnati was a fluke. Without those 2 losses on freak plays, we'd have made the playoffs.

Could be. Or maybe Kendall fumbling the ball and losing to the Rams was a fluke. Maybe not calling a TD or blowing the play dead when Sellers was sticking the ball over the goal line that resulted in a fumble and a loss against Cincinnati was a fluke. Without those 2 losses on freak plays, we'd have made the playoffs.

I agree, I'm more apt to call the 2-6 slide the fluke. Injuries piled up and took their toll and as you point out some odd plays went against us.

That last game v. SF might be foreshadowing; JC led the team down to a game tying td, but the defense couldn't hold SF.

I'm not penciling in this defense to carry the team as it has in the past. I think they'll have big games, but I also think the 4th overall ranking was a bit misleading by the end of the year. They're not a dominant unit & a couple injuries can derail them quite a bit. I know AH is obviously a big addition, but I think the expectations of the pass rush are a bit optimistic by many here. Orakpo is still a rook, expect a rookie like season not 10+ sacks.

I think the O will improve but not be able to score td's against the tougher defenses. I think JC is gonna 'fight his guts out' & really step up as a leader, but I don't know that the pieces are in place for this unit to be above avg. Not knowing what we have at RT yet is a big part of that.

Overall, 17 is very fair & objective at this point. This team has a lot to prove.

I think it's as much on Zorn as it is on Campbell. For a guy who was originally hired to be the Offense Coordinator to average 16 points a game is cause for concern. He's proven nothing. Everyone points to the 6-2 start, but that could have been a fluke, and the 2-6 finish could be what we get with Zorn's offense moving forward. Every team experiences injuries, and we had the same WRs all season, so no excuses.

The D should be all-world. This season will answer 2 questions: Is Zorn a good coach and is Campbell a bonafied NFL starter?

I am very worried about Zorn. Maybe since he had limited time last year is why everything looked the way it did, but it seemed like we had a very limited playbook and when we played tougher defenses at the end of the season it seemed like they figured it out. I mean when I think of Zorn I think Campbell hike, fake pass, hand-off to Portis working the first few games and then never working again. I wish I saw another play off that, like a fake pass, play action. I remember a lot of bubble screens to Moss and HB screens to Portis and them being much less effective after the first few games. The thing I'm most worried about next season is not Haynesworth or Campbell or any player it's Zorn. I really don't know about him and whether he can make the offense work. I want him to be the guy, but I have no clue if he will be.

I don't think Zorn could install as much of the offense as he would have liked last year. Everyone was learning a new system including the coaches. He made mistakes which is to be expected for a rookie HC, but I expect the offense to expand this year and run smoother.