Rocky McIntosh Previews the Redskins

[SmootSmack]

Redskins 2009 Preview - ESPN Video - ESPN

[budw38]

With BIG AL / Danials / Jarmon and Orakpo < Lb-De> , I believe Rocky will have a very big year for us !

[47FAN]

cant wait

[NYCskinfan82]

It's true the NFL has become a 12 month sport. Can't wait for pre-season to start.

[freddavisbro86]

excited

[MTK]

Rocky speaks! Not often you hear from this guy.

[KLHJ2]

I know, his agent usually speaks for him.

[Lotus]

Maybe we can get Zorn to push back the start of camp and make the offseason longer. No one here wants the season to start.

[Eknox]

Very excited to see the Defense. Offense not so much..lol

[Lotus]

Originally Posted by Eknox

Very excited to see the Defense. Offense not so much..lol

At this point I'm actually stoked to see the offense, too. I think it could be much improved. Notice I said "could be." It's like a wrapped Christmas present from some of my girlfriends - could be really good, might be disappointing, but I can't wait to see how it turns out!

[SeanTaGodsSafety]

I cant wait for this season to start. I got Rocky in fantasy as a keeper. Him and Fletch are gonna rip it up this year.

[redskinsfan1974]

I think the Redskins will surprise alot people and win the East and Rocky will make the pro bowl . ON another note here a preview of the Redskins 2009 season you can view the whole article at Walterfootball.com Washington Redskins (Last Year: 8-8) - Buy Tickets

2009 NFL Season Preview:

Veteran Additions:
RB Anthony Alridge, WR Roydell Williams, OT Mike Williams, G Derrick Dockery, G Jeremy Bridges, DT Albert Haynesworth, OLB Robert Thomas, P Hunter Smith.
Draft Picks:
DE/OLB Brian Orakpo, CB Kevin Barnes, OLB Cody Glenn, OLB Robert Henson, TE Eddie Williams, WR Marko Mitchell, DE Jeremy Jarmon.
Offseason Losses:
WR James Thrash, OT Jon Jansen, G Pete Kendall, C Justin Geisinger, DE Demetric Evans, DE Jason Taylor, DT Ryan Boschetti, OLB Marcus Washington, OLB Khary Campbell, OLB Darrell McClover, CB Shawn Springs, S Mike Green, P Durant Brooks, P Ryan Plackemeier, P Dirk Johnson.

2009 Washington Redskins Offense:
In his first year in Jim Zorn's West Coast offense, Jason Campbell had 13 touchdowns and six picks, but maintained a miserable YPA of 6.4. In his final eight games of the 2008 campaign, Campbell threw all six of his interceptions and countered with only five scores. However, as I mentioned in my 2009 Fantasy Football Rankings, I like Campbell this season, and I'm confident that this will be his best year of his professional career.

Why all the confidence? A few reasons, namely the fact that Campbell will be playing in the same system for a second-consecutive season for the first time as an NFL quarterback. It's absolutely insane that Campbell has never had the luxury of staying in the same scheme in back-to-back years, but I guess anything is possible when Daniel Snyder is the owner. I don't agree with putting Campbell in a West Coast offense, but as I said, Campbell's familiarity with the scheme will bolster his confidence and overall performance.

Another thing that will help will be the development of Washington's young receivers. Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly were ineffective as rookies in 2008, but the former has been running with the first team in minicamp. He'll get the chance to start, which will move Antwaan Randle El to the slot. Meanwhile, Santana Moss registered 79 receptions for 1,044 yards and six scores in 2008. Like Campbell, Moss can only benefit from being in the same system for a second season.

Washington's leading receiver last year was Chris Cooley, who garnered 83 catches for 849 yards. He disappointed his fantasy owners with just one touchdown after scoring eight in 2007. Look for that number to bounce back now that Campbell is more familiar with his offense.

A third reason as to why Campbell will improve is his offensive line. Campbell took 38 sacks in 2008, thanks to the fact that left tackle Chris Samuels missed four games, while right tackle Jon Jansen was a sieve in pass protection. Jansen is gone and the position hasn't really been upgraded with Stephon Heyer, who allowed three sacks in just seven starts. However, the line has been bolstered with left guard Derrick Dockery, who was among the league's best guards until 2008, when he was lost in pass protection (8.25 sacks). A new home may spark Dockery to play up to his potential.

The two other positions up front are problematic. Casey Rabach, 32 on Sept. 24, surrendered 5.5 sacks in 2008, which is a lot for a center. Right guard Randy Thomas, who turned 33 this offseason, allowed four sacks himself, and is just one year removed from missing 12 games.

Fortunately, Dockery's presence will help the strength of Washington's offense, which is the ground attack. Dockery is a devastating run-blocker, so he'll open up wide lanes for Clinton Portis, who rushed for 1,487 yards and nine touchdowns in 2008. There has been some talk of Portis wearing down, but I'm not buying it; Portis is only 27.

Others will point to the fact that Portis failed to gain more than 80 rushing yards in his last five games of last year's campaign, but it must be noted that he battled the Giants (5th versus the run), Ravens (2nd), Eagles (7th), Bengals (9th) and 49ers (10th). Any runner would have struggled against those defenses.

2009 Washington Redskins Defense:
Any 2008 stat that I list doesn't matter. Everything changed on Feb. 27. That was the day Daniel Snyder smashed his piggy bank and gave $100 million to Albert Haynesworth, far and away the NFL's most dominant defensive lineman in the past two seasons.

The Redskins had major problems getting to the quarterback in 2008 (24 sacks), but things will be much different with Haynesworth occupying two blockers. Suddenly, right end Andre Carter, who is a year removed from notching 10.5 sacks, will have the luxury of getting a lot of one-on-one matchups. You could make the case that aside from Haynesworth and Carter, the Redskins don't have much proven talent up front. Then again, someone could counter that every single Tennessee Titan defensive lineman who signed elsewhere struggled without Haynesworth. It's entirely possible that either Anthony Montgomery or Lorenzo Alexander could step up this season and become the next Tony Brown.

You may be asking, "What happened to Brian Orakpo? Won't he be a factor as well?" I don't like rookie defensive ends, as most of them really tend to struggle (which would also explain why I haven't touched on Jeremy Jarmon, the team's third-round supplemental draft pick.) But that's a moot point because Washington apparently has shifted Orakpo to strongside linebacker, a curious move to say the least. The Redskins don't have much else at the position, so Orakpo could be their best option there. He'll move to the line on obvious passing downs as a nickel rusher.

Elsewhere at linebacker, Rocky McIntosh, manning the weakside position, played well last year until losing reps late in the season because an old knee injury flared up. In the middle, London Fletcher continues to prove me wrong. For the past few seasons, I've suggested that Fletcher could decline in performance and production, but the veteran has continued to play well. Fletcher is now 34, so his time has to be up sooner or later.

With a better ground defense and an improved pass rush - all thanks to Haynesworth, of course - Washington's secondary will have more opportunities to create turnovers. Other than Haynesworth's deal, the Redskins' other big move was re-signing DeAngelo Hall to a 6-year, $55 million deal. Hall has a horrible attitude, but also possesses all the talent in the world. He played well for the Redskins last year, but whether or not he stays mentally focused with his guaranteed $23 million remains to be seen.

The Redskins happen to be pretty deep in the secondary, which happens to be why they were fifth in pass defense (6.3 YPA) last year. Carlos Rogers will start across from Hall, with Fred Smoot and rookie Kevin Barnes playing behind them. Meanwhile, there are no weaknesses at the safety position. Chris Horton quietly had a great rookie campaign in 2008. LaRon Landry, meanwhile, is a dominant player.



2009 Washington Redskins Schedule and Intangibles:
Call me crazy, but I don't trust the Jim Zorn-Jason Campbell combination. The Redskins were one of the most erratic teams in the NFL last season. For example, they had back-to-back road victories at Dallas and Philadelphia, only to come home and lose to the winless Rams as 11.5-point favorites. Later in the year, they managed to beat a hot Eagles team as 6-point underdogs. That however, was sandwiched in between losses to the crappy Bengals and 49ers. For the Redskins to be more successful in 2009, they have to become a lot more consistent.

In the past two years, the Redskins have surrendered three touchdowns on special teams (two in 2008). Santana Moss scored on one of his six punt returns, but Antwaan Randle El was once again ineffective in that role. Meanwhile, kick returner Rock Cartwright isn't going to scare anyone.

Shaun Suisham performed well in 2007, hitting 29-of-35 attempts. However, he really struggled last season, nailing just 26-of-36 field goals, including 1-of-4 from 50-plus.

The Redskins also had punting issues last year, which is why they decided to bring in former Indianapolis Colt Hunter Smith. Smith's 2008 average isn't going to impress anyone (44.2), but it should be noted that he sank 23-of-53 kicks inside the 20.

Washington's early-season schedule looks like a cakewalk. Following a battle against the Giants, four of the team's next five games are against the Rams, Lions, Buccaneers and Chiefs. Unfortunately, the Redskins have to deal with the Saints, Chargers, Eagles and Giants in the final six weeks of the year.

2009 Washington Redskins Positional Rankings (1-5 stars):

Quarterbacks Offensive Line Secondary
Running Backs Defensive Line Special Teams
Receivers Linebackers Coaching



2009 Washington Redskins Analysis: Washington's offense will be better with the addition of Derrick Dockery, the progression of Devin Thomas and the fact that Jason Campbell will be in the same scheme for a second consecutive season. Washington's defense will be better with the signing of Albert Haynesworth... and... umm... Albert Haynesworth (he might as well count as two people).

The Redskins had an inferior squad last year and still finished with an 8-8 record. So, with that in mind, I'd say the only thing that could possibly stand in the way of a possible playoff berth is Haynesworth himself.

I haven't mentioned this yet, but it must be addressed. Haynesworth has been extremely dominant the past two seasons, which coincided with his being in contract years. Before the 2007 campaign, Haynesworth was not nearly such a powerful force. Whether he has the motivation to work hard and remain the league's top defensive lineman with $100 million in his back pocket is something that must be questioned.

Projection: 10-6 (3rd in NFC East)

[53Fan]

^ Interesting read.

[NYCskinfan82]

good info.

[MdBluefinCrab]

I'll take the "Wait and see" attitude. We still have problems at QB and our O-line is still in question.