Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

[I][SIZE=1]I recently bought a football preview magazine and given that there hasn't been a lot to talk about lately I figured that I'd post a few points of interest from the Redskins part of the magazine. Note I copied these by.....hand so theres probably going to be a few spelling errors. This Thread is brought to you by the state of Georgia, for suspending my licence for the next 6 months all because I had a seizure. [/SIZE][/I]

[B]Breakout Canidate: Anthony Montgomery DT[/B]
Montgomery has all the tools to be an elite-level player. He has long arms, a powerful upper body, a good base, and is quick off the ball. Montgomery made enormous imporovemnt from rookie year to his second season. Now that he has had a taste of success, and with the teams desire to get more of a pass rush out of its tackles, montgomery is in perfect position to have a breakout season

[B]SN PICK 4th NFC East (4-12) [Bastards][/B]

[B]QB's -[/B] Jason Campbell new offense blah blah blah, 7,000th new offense since the birth of christ. hard worker, tall, strong arm, plays his guts out. Todd Collins came in did some things, been around the league long enough to grasp a system like Zorns that relys on decision making. [B]Grade C[/B]

[B]RB's -[/B] Two RB's awesome..blah blah blah. Clinton Portis tough and fast. Needs to work on catching. Betts tough inside runner.

"Mike Sellers has been frustrated that the fullback hasn't gotten many opportunites to carry the ball in the offense over the last two years. That could change this year. Sellers is massive physicall\y and has exceptional speed and agility for a man his size. He is also a devastating blocker."

Some guy named Rock is on the team. Marcus Mason will have a great preseason...oh wait. [B]Grade A[/B]

[B]Recievers[/B] - Moss is fast, adjust to the ball, durability concerns.

"Antwaan Randel EL showed marked improvement during his second season with the Redskins. A continuation of that improvement could wind up with Randle El catching 70-80 passes this season. The West Coast Offense should be a good fit for the seventh-year pro, espeically if the team can find a big reciver to line up outside, permitting Reanle El to move into the slot on third downs. Thomas and Kelly will compete for the job as the No 3 Reciever."

Cooley is 1337. Davis is talented but lazy. [B]Grade - B[/B]

[B]Offensive Line -[/B] "Is this group experienced or old?"

"However Casey Rabach is reaching the prime of his career. He has improved in each of the past three season, is strong at the point of attack, does a good job of making adjustments before the snap and is equally adept at run and pass blocking."

"Chris Samuels, 30, is the one lineman who has been able to avoid serious injuries and get better with age. Help could be coming down the pipeline. Stephon Heyer showed potential as a rookie last year. He was overmatched in the playoff game against Seattle defensive end Patrick Kerney, but if Heyer progresses normally in his second year he will eventually become a starter."

[B]Grade - B[/B]

[B]Redskins' Best-Ever LB's[/B]
[I]1. Chris Hanburger (1965-78)[/I]
[I]2. Sam Huff[/I]
[I]3.......Lavar Arrington? (I shit you not. Number 3 is Lavar Arrington).[/I]

[B]Draft Report - Grade - C[/B]

Thomas-Kelly are tall blah blah blah.

"Tight End [B]Fred Davis[/B] has the athletiscism, hands, and receiving skills, but is not a competitive blocker and doesn't consistently play with passion. The talent is there for Davis to be a solid backcp to Chris Cooley, but he'll need to step up his competitiveness to do so. Third Round Pick [B]Chad Rinehart[/B] showed at the Senior Bowl that he has what it takes to become a starter at RT or G. Cornerback [B]Justin Tryon[/B] is a tough and highly aggressive player with the speed and explosivness to become a quality starter if he can overcome his lack of height. [B]Kareem Moore[/B] is a safety with size, he must improve his technique in order to turn his athleticism into on field production."

[B]Defense[/B]

[B]Defensive Line -[/B] They're old but good. Nothing new here except the grade [B]Grade B[/B]

[B]Linebackers - [/B]Fletcher is a...veteran who, "excells at getting the players around him lined up correctly and demands accoutability from himself and his teamates. Fletcher improved the defense last year, and will continue to do so in 2008."

McIntosh is awesome but injury prone. [B]Grade B[/B]

[B]Secondary -[/B]Springs is old and and the teams best CB when healthy. We here at SN didn't read the KC Joyner article and so we say here that Smoot isn't playing like a starter anymore.

"The Safety spot is this even with one of the best defensive players in the league. Laron Landry came in as a rookie last year and was everything the Redskins hoped he would be. Landry became even more then Washington could have hoped for after the death of Sean Taylor. Landry's strong play earned him thre starting free safety spot in 2008 with Reed Doughty handling Strong Safety. Eventually they will need to find a playmaking FS so Landry can move back to strong, his best position.

[B]Grade B- [/B]

[B]Special Teams -[/B] Brooks is a punter. Frost started off strong ended not strong.

"Shaun Shuisam had several game winning kicks early in the year, but he ened the season by missing a crucial 30 yard field goal in the first round
playoff game against Seattle." Red Snapper is 1337.

[B]Grade B-[/B]

[B]Bottom Line Final Grade - 72 [Stock Report <<>> Steady][/B]

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

kinda worthless article :/ thanks for posting though.

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

I feel like it was a solid assessment. The skins have a lot of question marks going into the season, the basement of the NFC east isn't an outrageous prediction. I could see us going anywhere from 2nd to 4th in the division. Either way, I don't think I see playoffs happening at this point. Who knows, maybe the team plays amazing and with a (gasp) aggressive offense we're able to really put things together, but in June I don't see it.

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

[QUOTE=Daseal;453705]I feel like it was a solid assessment. The skins have a lot of question marks going into the season, the basement of the NFC east isn't an outrageous prediction. I could see us going anywhere from 2nd to 4th in the division. Either way, I don't think I see playoffs happening at this point. Who knows, maybe the team plays amazing and with a (gasp) aggressive offense we're able to really put things together, but in June I don't see it.[/QUOTE]

As a team that lost four heartbreakers in a row only to rebound and make the playoffs, other than head coach what question marks do we have? I see no reason our offense won't be vastly improved (young QB continuing to grow, offensive line that can't possibly more injured than last season, significant upgrades at the skill positions, and, let's face it, a more modern NFL offensive philosophy). While we do have some threatening injuries on defense, I think it's reasonable to expect a level of performance at least close to last year's. If anything we under achieved this previous season. What do you see that I don't that makes a 4-12 prediction seem anything other than outrageous?

If Zorn turns out to be a hack than yeah, maybe we'll be bad, but I am at least willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

4-12?

That's a bit of a worse case scenario isn't it?

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

Nemo:

Here are my questions. Jason Campbell. I love the guy, but it's got to be a big year for him. Granted, all these new systems isn't fair for him -- but as he goes, we go -- and I'm not sure hes ready yet. Especially since we're switching offenses this year. Secondly, where do you see huge upgrades at skill positions. We have more or less three rookie receivers (Davis isn't exactly an inline blocking type of TE), rookie receivers typically have little to no impact. RBs will be the same, as will QB -- so skill positions are the same.

However, my concern comes on the defense. From what I understand, Blache is a Dline rush coverage type guy -- which I don't think works for this team. That and I'm not sold he's a quarter of what GWill was. Also -- Rocky and Carlos probably not being there on opening day is huge, along with the question mark that is Marcus Washington. I think our defense falls off rather significantly, and our offense improves some.

Granted, it's June. Maybe I'll feel better when I see a few practices in training camp, or when I hear the injured guys are working out.

Please don't take this as a knock on Zorn. I actually think he's a great candidate. But lets be realistic, he was a quarterbacks coach less than a year ago. The adjustment might be more steep than he was expecting and it takes a while to implement an offense.

Now, 4-12 is ridiculous. I expect us to be at worse 6-10. at best 10-6. But I think in our division -- even 9-7 may not land us the 2nd spot.

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

[quote=djnemo65;453706]As a team that lost four heartbreakers in a row only to rebound and make the playoffs, other than head coach what question marks do we have? I see no reason our offense won't be vastly improved (young QB continuing to grow, offensive line that can't possibly more injured than last season, significant upgrades at the skill positions, and, let's face it, a more modern NFL offensive philosophy). While we do have some threatening injuries on defense, I think it's reasonable to expect a level of performance at least close to last year's. If anything we under achieved this previous season. What do you see that I don't that makes a 4-12 prediction seem anything other than outrageous?

If Zorn turns out to be a hack than yeah, maybe we'll be bad, but I am at least willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.[/quote]

Other than Zorn? Nothing.

But it's all about Zorn. Here's the thing, I'm a Redskin fan and traditionalist. To me, Joe Gibbs is one of the greatest coaches of all time. How do you go from him to Jim Zorn, with basically the same player personnel, without taking a step back?

If Zorn puts up a better record than Gibbs, which I admit is possible, it will pretty much turn everything I know about coaching upside down.

But if I'm a betting man, I'm with Daseal. No playoffs for us this year. I won't go so far as 4-12; but if we make 8-8 in this division with a new coach, you'd have to be pleased with Zorn's first season.

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

I might be in the minority on this but I'm pretty confident that JC is going to have a big year and will thrive in this offense. Remember last year vs. Detroit we used a quick hitting style of passing game and JC tore it up. I think he's at his best when he drops back and gets the ball out quick with the short to intermediate stuff. Overall I see the offense being much more wide open and aggressive. Of course there's going to be a learning curve, but if Zorn holds true to what he's said he won't overwhelm JC early on and we have a solid ground game to lean on in the meantime.

I'm not overly concerned about a drop off on the defensive side. Blache is an experienced DC in this league and guys will play hard for him. I'm a bit concerned about the DB's, specifically at the corners, but I think we have enough depth to get by until Rogers is closer to 100%.

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

If our OL stays healthy and our injured key defensive players (Rogers and McIntosh) come back to form quick I could see us in the playoffs and beyond. This team came so close last year and we are vastly improved in most areas, I don't think the change in the coaching philosophy will be as drastic as the experts make it to be. Our offensive line is very experienced and if free of injuries, they could dominate anyone.

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

Schneed -- I have to say, the change in offensive philosophy since Gibbs left will be one of the positives of the team this year. As I've said, I loved Gibbs every day but Sunday -- I felt like he held the offense back when he should have let it go a bit. I know we could argue forever on that point and I know many of you don't agree.

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

The summary of the article seems pretty decent and unfortunately for us these preseason mags lowballing us usually doesn't bode well for us. Last year making the playoffs was great, but in all honesty, the NFC was weak as hell. Things will again be tough for us in the NFC East with a retooled, healthier Philly. IF we do make the playoffs it will be a mirror of last season.

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

Ah i am more excited for this season then I've been in recent years. I think we will be more aggressive and productive on offense. Last year our offense was based on timing, this year receivers will be able to adjust to coverages when running routes. With the mobility of JC i think this plays more into his strengths. Yea Philly will be improved but i dont think Dall-ass and the giants will have the years they had last year. Im going to say anywhere from 8-8 to 11-5 going 3-3 in the division.

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

[QUOTE=djnemo65;453706]As a team that lost four heartbreakers in a row only to rebound and make the playoffs, other than head coach what question marks do we have? I see no reason our offense won't be vastly improved (young QB continuing to grow, [B]offensive line that can't possibly more injured than last season, significant upgrades at the skill positions[/B], and, let's face it, a more modern NFL offensive philosophy). While we do have some threatening injuries on defense, I think it's reasonable to expect a level of performance at least close to last year's. If anything we under achieved this previous season. What do you see that I don't that makes a 4-12 prediction seem anything other than outrageous?

If Zorn turns out to be a hack than yeah, maybe we'll be bad, but I am at least willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.[/QUOTE]

Where are the "significant upgrades at the skill positions" ?? Do you mean the draft picks? Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas? If they collectively amass 50 receptions this year, we should feel lucky.

The offensive line couldn't be more injured than they were last year? I hope you knocked on wood when you typed that.

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

[QUOTE=Schneed10;453710]Other than Zorn? Nothing.

But it's all about Zorn. Here's the thing, I'm a Redskin fan and traditionalist. To me, Joe Gibbs is one of the greatest coaches of all time. [b] How do you go from him to Jim Zorn, with basically the same player personnel, without taking a step back?[/b]

If Zorn puts up a better record than Gibbs, which I admit is possible, it will pretty much turn everything I know about coaching upside down.

But if I'm a betting man, I'm with Daseal. No playoffs for us this year. I won't go so far as 4-12; but if we make 8-8 in this division with a new coach, you'd have to be pleased with Zorn's first season.[/QUOTE]
Without rehashing for the umpteenth time the Gibbs/conservative playcalling issue, he/Al didn't get the most from our talent last year. There were flickers, but the burner never was turned past medium.

Here's where I think our offense will be much improved this year. To a man, we've heard the playmakers rave about what they've seen from Zorn's offense thus far. The common themes have been aggression, putting players in positions to make plays, playing to the offensive players strengths.

Maybe I am looking thru maroon and black colored glasses, but I think we're going to see an offense unlike what we've seen in DC in YEARS. I think JC is going to have a big year & Portis having a career year. I don't expect to see a breakout WR but more balanced numbers and consistency across the board. We're not going to be a remake of the '99 Rams or anything, but if we don't consistently put up 24-28 points, I will be surprised.

As someone else said, I have some questions on defense. While I didn't share the same man love most had for Grilliams, I don't know if Blache is the answer either. Again I'll refer to the players comments this offseason about how the schemes are much simpler (which also means they are simpler to scout against, but that's a different thread) and 'let guys make plays'.

If nothing else, at the end of the year we should know what kind of players we have. Are we talented enough to compete at the upper crust of the NFL as our FO seems to think or are we a collection of names who've had occassional moderate success and cashed in?

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

I think the overall assessment is fair, though 4-12 is off. Unfortunately we are a middle of the road team right now. Somewhere between the Patriots and the Dolphins. The offense will struggle early. It will take a little time to adjust to a new system and rookie receivers. Fortunately the easiest part of the schedule is in December when the offense should be more in sync. I think if we were in the NFC West or South we would win the division but in the East we probably will be 4th.
Strahan's retirement will hurt the GMen more than they think, Andy Reid will outsmart themselves and Romo still will struggle in the big games, but they are all better than us right now.

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

[QUOTE=Daseal;453709]Nemo:

Here are my questions. Jason Campbell. I love the guy, but it's got to be a big year for him. Granted, all these new systems isn't fair for him -- but as he goes, we go -- and I'm not sure hes ready yet. Especially since we're switching offenses this year. Secondly, where do you see huge upgrades at skill positions. We have more or less three rookie receivers (Davis isn't exactly an inline blocking type of TE), rookie receivers typically have little to no impact. RBs will be the same, as will QB -- so skill positions are the same.

However, my concern comes on the defense. From what I understand, Blache is a Dline rush coverage type guy -- which I don't think works for this team. That and I'm not sold he's a quarter of what GWill was. Also -- Rocky and Carlos probably not being there on opening day is huge, along with the question mark that is Marcus Washington. I think our defense falls off rather significantly, and our offense improves some.

Granted, it's June. Maybe I'll feel better when I see a few practices in training camp, or when I hear the injured guys are working out.

Please don't take this as a knock on Zorn. I actually think he's a great candidate. But lets be realistic, he was a quarterbacks coach less than a year ago. The adjustment might be more steep than he was expecting and it takes a while to implement an offense.

Now, 4-12 is ridiculous. I expect us to be at worse 6-10. at best 10-6. But I think in our division -- even 9-7 may not land us the 2nd spot.[/QUOTE]

Fair enough, I don't think 6-10 is unreasonable at all, just because of how close the division currently is. A few ball bounces will account for 3 or more wins or losses. The issue I have is with a playoff team keeping its roster intact while being picked to finish a full 5 wins lower. How do you rationalize that?

And Beemen, I consider Thomas, Kelly, and Davis to be significant upgrades. Regarding your certainty that the two former will not exceed 50 catches this season, if that happens they will have been big fat busts, since they will be used immediately and will get plenty of opportunities. While that's possible, I don't think its unreasonable to expect one to make a serious impact his first year, thus my choice of the word significant. If I'm wrong about that, as you seem convinced I will be, then I will probably also be wrong about the Skins being a playoff team next season. If I'm right I am going to laugh at you, not invite you to my playoff party, and then email you pictures showing how fun it was afterwards :)

Last year's offensive line situation was unusual, and was in many ways a perfect storm. I should say I think its also unlikely they will be equally or more injured this season; if they are we will probably be in trouble.

Just out of curiousity Beemen are you going on the record as picking them to finish last this season like the author of the article in question?

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

[QUOTE=Daseal;453709]Nemo:

Here are my questions. Jason Campbell. I love the guy, but it's got to be a big year for him. Granted, all these new systems isn't fair for him -- but as he goes, we go -- and I'm not sure hes ready yet. Especially since we're switching offenses this year. Secondly, where do you see huge upgrades at skill positions. We have more or less three rookie receivers (Davis isn't exactly an inline blocking type of TE), rookie receivers typically have little to no impact. RBs will be the same, as will QB -- so skill positions are the same.

However, my concern comes on the defense. From what I understand, Blache is a Dline rush coverage type guy -- which I don't think works for this team. That and I'm not sold he's a quarter of what GWill was. Also -- Rocky and Carlos probably not being there on opening day is huge, along with the question mark that is Marcus Washington. I think our defense falls off rather significantly, and our offense improves some.

Granted, it's June. Maybe I'll feel better when I see a few practices in training camp, or when I hear the injured guys are working out.

Please don't take this as a knock on Zorn. I actually think he's a great candidate. But lets be realistic, he was a quarterbacks coach less than a year ago. The adjustment might be more steep than he was expecting and it takes a while to implement an offense.

Now, 4-12 is ridiculous. I expect us to be at worse 6-10. at best 10-6. But I think in our division -- even 9-7 may not land us the 2nd spot.[/QUOTE]


I agree with you about the defense. The defense scares me more than the offense. think they will be okay on offense and I think Kelly or Thomas will have a big impact. I think the skins do have a chance of making the playoffs as long they don't have any major injuries. It seems Dallas maybe the only solid team in the nfc conference. They have most of the same players and made some upgrades.

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

[quote=djnemo65;453779]
And Beemen, I consider Thomas, Kelly, and Davis to be significant upgrades. Regarding your certainty that the two former will not exceed 50 catches this season, if that happens they will have been big fat busts, since they will be used immediately and will get plenty of opportunities. While that's possible, I don't think its unreasonable to expect one to make a serious impact his first year, thus my choice of the word significant. If I'm wrong about that, as you seem convinced I will be, then I will probably also be wrong about the Skins being a playoff team next season. [/quote]

The problem is that most rookie wr's don't have immediate impacts. Especially with a QB learning a new system. One will be a number 2 and one will be a number 4 (barring injuries). Their biggest addition will be in the Red Zone when their size and hands will offset their inexperience. I wouldn't be suprised to see Cooley and three rookies on the field every time we are inside the 15 while he will be with Moss and ARE the majority of time outisde of scoring position (so either leading the team in TD receptions while all three combining for 50 receptions is highly likely). That being said, neither should be considered a bust for at least two full seasons despite not taking over the game as a rookie (like Randy Moss did). As unpredictible as drafting a wr is, either could be a pro bowler in a few years though fans will have to expect mistakes along the way. Still, don't be suprised if we are in the WildCard game again this year.

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

[quote=Daseal;453709]Nemo:

Here are my questions. Jason Campbell. I love the guy, but it's got to be a big year for him. Granted, all these new systems isn't fair for him -- but as he goes, we go -- and I'm not sure hes ready yet. Especially since we're switching offenses this year. Secondly, where do you see huge upgrades at skill positions. We have more or less three rookie receivers (Davis isn't exactly an inline blocking type of TE), rookie receivers typically have little to no impact. RBs will be the same, as will QB -- so skill positions are the same.

However, my concern comes on the defense. From what I understand, Blache is a Dline rush coverage type guy -- which I don't think works for this team. That and I'm not sold he's a quarter of what GWill was. Also -- Rocky and Carlos probably not being there on opening day is huge, along with the question mark that is Marcus Washington. I think our defense falls off rather significantly, and our offense improves some.

Granted, it's June. Maybe I'll feel better when I see a few practices in training camp, or when I hear the injured guys are working out.

Please don't take this as a knock on Zorn. I actually think he's a great candidate. But lets be realistic, he was a quarterbacks coach less than a year ago. The adjustment might be more steep than he was expecting and it takes a while to implement an offense.

Now, 4-12 is ridiculous. I expect us to be at worse 6-10. at best 10-6. But I think in our division -- even 9-7 may not land us the 2nd spot.[/quote]

I agree w/most of this post, though I am more hopeful about the O. If the line stays reasonably healthy I think we'll see a top 10 offense or better.

ON D, this team is going into the year w/a lot of injury prone players, a couple are in the twighlight of their careers. I think asking Blache to get out of them what GW did is unrealistic. If the D is mediocre I think we'd be doing well given the peronnel. There is the possibility that a couple guys have big years & lift the whole unit, but I don't expect that.

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

I don't know about a lot of you, but I am excited about this upcoming season, because I see a chance for us to go deep into the playoffs. Firstly, this maybe JC's millionth offense, but it is one he is familiar with. He already has a good rep with Moss and Randle El that should be growing with each passing practice. In my opinion, the offense will go with the oline, not with JC. If the line stays relatively healthy and our backups improve from last year, then we are easily a playoff team.

People seem to be worried about Blache after G Williams, but I coulda sworn I heard Blache was just using a simpler GWill D. It is a lot of continuity in that, just as there will be a lot of continuity in the O's run game. I have a feeling that we're just going to be picking up from where we left off last season. Guys are hungry and excited to play. This will be the year that we make the transition to an elite team in the league, or maybe I'm just seeing out of my burgundy and gold colored glasses

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

Here is FoxSports prediction.

2008 NFC East Preview
Cowboys and Giants clash again in an elite division
By Paul Bessire, WhatIfSports.com
June 16th 2008
We will preview an NFL division each day for eight days, before presenting final standings, fantasy and statistical leaders, award winners, playoff results and power rankings. This analysis is part of a broader endeavor with FOXSports.com's Fantasy Football.

Rosters and depth charts are up-to-date and as accurate as possible as of June 8, 2008. A schedule of upcoming NFL preview content including links to other previews that have already been posted is located here.



For details on how we generate the results and the definition of the Absolute Record, click here.
To hide the details, click here.


For this analysis, each regular season game is simulated 1,000 times, with the sum of the winning percentages of those games being our final predicted record. As can be noted, sometimes a team is "favored" (wins more than 50% of the time) in a different number of our games than the expected record shows. We list this record as the Absolute Record. The assumption of the Absolute Record is that the more likely scenario always happens. Since we know that it does not (see Super Bowl XLII), our expected record (in parentheses next to each team) is far more accurate. Also, especially since we are rounding, it is possible for a team to win a game more often, yet score the same or fewer points on average. In those cases, for Absolute Records, we always take higher winning percentage and are not predicting a tie or a win by an underdog. This is another reason why the expected records are more accurate, as the teams are so evenly matched, the game could easily go either way.

Today we preview the NFC East.

Dallas Cowboys (12-4)
The Super Bowl run by the Giants after they defeated the Cowboys may not have sweetened the taste in the Cowboys' mouths, but this is still a very good, balanced team that had a great 2007 and should match that in 2008. The Cowboys average 29.9 points per game (#2 in the NFL) and allow 19.7 points (#6) against a schedule featuring eight games against 2007 playoff teams.

Absolute Record: 15-1

Most Significant Newcomer: Zach Thomas, LB - He probably should not be playing another season, but he signed with the Cowboys and could, yet again, be a tackling machine (when healthy). It's Thomas' chance to win a Super Bowl, and he will do everything he can to get his team there. We have Thomas with 100 tackles in 12 games. If those four missed games are the final four of the season and the injury has anything to do with his head, Thomas may be forced to retire before Dallas could vie for a spot in the Super Bowl.
Biggest Strength: Balance - This team does not have any obvious weaknesses (I just killed my next topic). The Cowboys have talent at every position and do just about everything well.

Most Exploitable Weakness: Uncertainty on Offense - Dallas can do just about everything well, but players like Marion Barber, Felix Jones, Patrick Crayton and even Tony Romo have never had to sustain a level of excellence for an entire season in the roles that they will be asked to fulfill in 2008. All the numbers point to success by the entire offense, but it is cause for concern.

Possible Fantasy Sleeper: Martellus Bennett, TE - Jason Witten is the top rated fantasy TE in the league and that is exactly why. Tony Romo loves a safety blanket over the middle. Witten is not injury-prone, but if he does slip up, Bennett is the player who will step up. And even if Witten is healthy all year, Bennett is too athletic and too skilled for Jason Garrett to ignore. The simulation gives him 23 catches for 275 yards and two touchdowns, while Witten plays all 16 games.

Closest Game: @ New York Giants (Week 9) - It is the only projected loss on the schedule. These teams may have to face each other three times again in 2008. If that's the case, the outcomes of the first two games may decide who has home-field in the third game.

Fantasy Notables (fantasy rank at position in parentheses): Tony Romo (3) 4,103 yards, 31 TDs, 17 INTs; Marion Barber (6) 1,548 total yards, 15 TDs; Felix Jones (39) 698 total yards, 9 touchdowns; Terrell Owens (3) 87 receptions, 1,335 yards, 9 TDs; Patrick Crayton (40) 52 receptions, 709 yards,6 TDs; Jason Witten (1) 88 receptions, 1,040 yards, 8 TDs; Nick Folk (1) 51/51 XPs, 32/39 FGs

Projected 2008 Results:Week Opponent Win% Avg Score
1 @Cleveland Browns 59 24-22
2 Philadelphia Eagles 72 30-18
3 @Green Bay Packers 79 29-21
4 Washington Redskins 71 30-19
5 Cincinnati Bengals 92 39-17
6 @Arizona Cardinals 75 30-22
7 @St. Louis Rams 80 32-20
8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 81 31-16
9 @New York Giants 46 21-27
11 @Washington Redskins 62 23-19
12 San Francisco 49ers 73 33-21
13 Seattle Seahawks 63 26-16
14 @Pittsburgh Steelers 63 28-24
15 New York Giants 77 34-18
16 Baltimore Ravens 92 40-16
17 @Philadelphia Eagles 71 26-21





New York Giants (11-5)
Michael Strahan is a likeable guy, but he really should have known better than to retire between the running of the simulated season and the posting of the New York Giants' preview. Fortunately, we kind of saw it coming and already had him playing less than half of the season and totaling just 14 tackles. His impact on the other pass rushers and this whole team was more than evident in the Super Bowl. In 2008, they continue on to great success without Strahan. The Giants average 26.6 points per game (#5) and allow 19.4 points (#5) against a schedule featuring just six games against 2007 playoff teams.

Absolute Record: 15-1 - The schedule shapes up very well, but Dallas at home (after last year's playoffs) should present a big challenge.

Most Significant Newcomer: Sammy Knight, S - The move was actually pretty impressive: lose Gibril Wilson; bring in Sammy Knight and Kenny Phillips. Both could start in Week 1 and both should keep this defense performing at its peak. James Butler, who actually led the team in tackling in the playoffs, could also step in if either of these players is injured or not up to par. Easy enough. The sim has Sammy Knight with 79 tackles and two interceptions.

Biggest Strength: QB Pressure - Even without Strahan, the Giants are the most intimidating defensive front seven in the league. Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck have a seemingly perfect combination of size, speed and strength. Mathias Kiwanuka is healthy and could easily approach the double-digit sack totals that Tuck and Umenyiora will almost-assuredly get (pre-Strahan retirement we had both with 14 sacks and Kiwanuka at six). Expect another 50-plus sacks by the Giants' D.

Most Exploitable Weakness: Turnover Margin - Eli Manning has definitely had some trouble keeping the ball from the other team; he did it 27 times in 2007. On the flip-side, forcing turnovers was not a strength last year and Sammy Knight is not going to make the difference. In this analysis, we have Manning with just 16 turnovers and the defense causing 17. That is an improvement, but neither number is great.

Possible Fantasy Sleeper: Ahmad Bradshaw, RB - From Steven Smith, Mario Manningham and David Tyree to Kevin Boss to Bradshaw and Derrick Ward, there are actually several options to choose. Bradshaw will get the most opportunities though. After his performance at the end of last season and in the playoffs, he should be the clear backup to Brandon Jacobs. The simulated season gives the ex-Marshall product 902 total yards and nine touchdowns. That sounds like a great handcuff for Jacobs' owners.

Closest Game: @ Minnesota (Week 17) - If both teams play this game like it matters, it will be a great game. Going into Week 17 in this exercise, the Giants could still unseat the Cowboys for the division title. The Vikings will have the North wrapped up, but should remember how well a hard-fought game propelled the Giants last season.

Fantasy Notables: Eli Manning (7) 3,750 yards, 25 TDs, 12 INTs; Brandon Jacobs (7) 1,581 total yards, 13 TDs; Ahmad Bradshaw (36) 902 total yards, 9 TDs; Plaxico Burress (15) 70 receptions, 1,097 yards, 7 TDs; Jeremy Shockey (18) 39 receptions, 456 yards, 3 TDs; Lawrence Tynes (10) 45/46 XPs, 26/33 FGs

Projected 2008 Results:Week Opponent Win% Avg Score
1 Washington Redskins 71 28-15
2 @St. Louis Rams 90 32-17
3 Cincinnati Bengals 81 32-17
5 Seattle Seahawks 65 25-16
6 @Cleveland Browns 65 25-22
7 San Francisco 49ers 71 30-18
8 @Pittsburgh Steelers 63 25-22
9 Dallas Cowboys 54 27-21
10 @Philadelphia Eagles 70 24-19
11 Baltimore Ravens 82 29-16
12 @Arizona Cardinals 78 28-21
13 @Washington Redskins 62 24-20
14 Philadelphia Eagles 72 28-16
15 @Dallas Cowboys 23 18-34
16 Carolina Panthers 67 27-15
17 @Minnesota Vikings 53 23-22

Washington Redskins (9-7)
Just because they do not make the playoffs in 2008, does not mean they are a worse team than in 2007. In 2007, they played inspired football at the end of the year and fed off of a legendary head coach. The Jim Zorn regime will begin with an identical record, but a different personality. Look for Jason Campbell to come of age at quarterback, but the defense to lose some of its tenacity without Gregg Williams. The Redskins average 23.8 points per game (#15) and allow 22.6 points (#16) against a schedule featuring six games against 2007 playoff teams.

Absolute Record: 9-7

Most Significant Newcomer: Malcolm Kelly, WR - Maybe the 40-yard dash time is of bigger weight than the analysis shows and the productive pass-catcher out of Oklahoma may just as easily become Mike Williams or Dwayne Jarrett as he could James Jones; but, Kelly's college numbers at the highest level should not lie. This is a guy who averaged over 16 yards per reception and was a touchdown machine in his final two seasons in Norman. With his size and "yards after the catch" abilities, Kelly should be a mainstay in Washington's lineup for years to come. Santana Moss, Antwann Randle El and Chris Cooley are definitely not washed up, but the new guard of Kelly, Devin Thomas and Fred Davis should match very well with what Jason Campbell and Jim Zorn want to do.

Biggest Strength: Pass Defense - Even without Williams and the late Sean Taylor, this pass rush is an elite unit. Fred Smoot, Shawn Springs, Carlos Rogers and LaRon Landry have all illustrated in their careers that they can play at the highest level in this league. London Fletcher, Rocky McIntosh and Marcus Washington are all athletic enough to get in passing lanes or rush the quarterback.

Most Exploitable Weakness: Age - After years of renting the league's most expensive free agent veterans, Washington is doing the right thing by injecting youth into the offensive skill positions. Unfortunately, the offensive line, with all starters over 30, and the entire defense, with almost exactly half of the contributors older than 30, are not getting much younger. The Redskins will address this over time. It's just going to hurt them by the end of 2008.

Possible Fantasy Sleeper: Malcolm Kelly, WR - We do not usually double-up like this, but he is doing much better in the sim than most people think. The numbers have Kelly as a top-40 WR with 51 receptions for 785 yards and five touchdowns. Fred Davis is an option here for the same reasons as Martellus Bennett above.

Closest Game: @ Seattle (Week 12) - Zorn goes back to Seattle where the Seahawks are one of the league's best home teams. Are all of the teams in the NFC East better than any team in the NFC West?. A road game at the West's division winner is as close as that debate gets.

Fantasy Notables: Jason Campbell (11) 3,058 passing yards, 21 TDs, 11 INTs; Clinton Portis (8) 1,572 total yards,13 TDs; Malcolm Kelly (38) 51 receptions, 785 yards, 5 TDs; Santana Moss (41) 70 receptions, 786 yards and 5 TDs; Chris Cooley (5) 71 receptions, 764 yards, 5 TDs; Shaun Suisham (24) 42/42 XPs, 29/33 FGs

Projected 2008 Results:Week Opponent Win% Avg Score
1 @New York Giants 29 15-28
2 New Orleans Saints 61 27-17
3 Arizona Cardinals 57 25-18
4 @Dallas Cowboys 28 19-30
5 @Philadelphia Eagles 43 18-27
6 St. Louis Rams 75 29-18
7 Cleveland Browns 37 23-26
8 @Detroit Lions 75 28-21
9 Pittsburgh Steelers 45 22-22
11 Dallas Cowboys 37 19-23
12 @Seattle Seahawks 53 20-19
13 New York Giants 37 20-24
14 @Baltimore Ravens 80 28-20
15 @Cincinnati Bengals 71 28-22
16 Philadelphia Eagles 65 28-19
17 @San Francisco 49ers 65 31-28





Philadelphia Eagles (8-8)
This is no longer an elite NFL team, but it would still be interesting to see how they would fare in a division that was not as competitive (and yes we know that we have the technology to make that happen). The division is just too tough and Philly just seems to be in a bit of a rut. Have they lacked an identity since the last NFC Championship game? Does something big have to change?... The Eagles average 22.8 points per game (#17) and allow 22.3 points (#15) against a schedule featuring eight games against 2007 playoff teams.

Absolute Record: 8-8

Most Significant Newcomer: Asante Samuel, CB - There is not a great track record of players who perfectly fit a system on a great team who later go on to thrive on their own as a star on another team. That being said, it is impossible to ignore Samuel's production over the last couple of seasons in New England and he instantly upgrades a secondary that was banged up for most of last season. The sim shows Samuel making eight interceptions and 51 tackles. Special teams are hard to judge, but DeSean Jackson has to be in this discussion. Trevor Laws, Quintin Demps and Lorenzo Booker were considered as well. All five are to be considered boom-or-bust candidates (Samuel has much less bust potential than the others).

Biggest Strength: Brian Westbrook - We single him out because he can do it all out of the running back position. When he is fully healthy, he may be as complete and dynamic an offensive weapon as there is in this league (you read that right, LT).

Most Exploitable Weakness: Pass Protection - Despite only starting 12 games and attempting 381 passes, the simulated season sees Donovan McNabb sacked 36 times, fourth most of any quarterback. Last season, he was sacked 44 times in 14 games. When the team struggles with pass protection, its yards-per-attempt passing go way down. Fortunately, they can rely on Brian Westbrook as an outlet, but not on third-and-long.

Possible Fantasy Sleeper: Chris Gocong, LB - We would love to say Lorenzo Booker, Brent Celek, DeSean Jackson or Kevin Kolb, but they may have to wait until next year. Gocong, the former Buch Buchanan Award winner (DI-AA/FCS defensive player of the year, like Jared Allen, Rashean Mathis, Dexter Coakley and Ed Hartwell) is in his second full season with the Eagles. In the simulated 2008 season, he leads the team with 93 tackles and also notches two sacks.

Closest Game: Cleveland (Week 15) - This may be another way to try to answer the question above. Cleveland presents the best team in another division, a team on the rise. This will be a great opportunity for the Eagles to show the league where it stands.

Fantasy Notables: Donovan McNabb (17) 2,701 yards, 17 TDs, 9 INTs; Brian Westbrook (2) 2,056 total yards, 16 TDs; Kevin Curtis (26) 67 receptions, 972 yards, 6 TDs; L.J. Smith (20) 41 receptions, 431 yards, 3 TDs; David Akers (15) 38/38 XPs, 28/31 FGs

Projected 2008 Results:Week Opponent Win% Avg Score
1 St. Louis Rams 72 31-19
2 @Dallas Cowboys 28 18-30
3 Pittsburgh Steelers 46 23-24
4 @Chicago Bears 85 28-19
5 Washington Redskins 57 27-18
6 @San Francisco 49ers 55 23-22
8 Atlanta Falcons 75 30-18
9 @Seattle Seahawks 44 14-21
10 New York Giants 30 19-24
11 @Cincinnati Bengals 73 26-21
12 @Baltimore Ravens 76 26-19
13 Arizona Cardinals 60 26-18
14 @New York Giants 28 16-28
15 Cleveland Browns 49 20-21
16 @Washington Redskins 35 19-28
17 Dallas Cowboys 29 21-26

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

[quote=Jamaican'Skin;453801]I don't know about a lot of you, but I am excited about this upcoming season, because I see a chance for us to go deep into the playoffs. Firstly, this maybe JC's millionth offense, but it is one he is familiar with. He already has a good rep with Moss and Randle El that should be growing with each passing practice. In my opinion, the offense will go with the oline, not with JC. If the line stays relatively healthy and our backups improve from last year, then we are easily a playoff team.

People seem to be worried about Blache after G Williams, but I coulda sworn I heard Blache was just using a simpler GWill D. It is a lot of continuity in that, just as there will be a lot of continuity in the O's run game. I have a feeling that we're just going to be picking up from where we left off last season. Guys are hungry and excited to play. This will be the year that we make the transition to an elite team in the league, or maybe I'm just seeing out of my burgundy and gold colored glasses[/quote]

I agree about JC & I also feel he's due to break out big time.

The concern about the D shouldn't just rest w/Blache. There is age & injuries to a unit that is not very deep overall. Even if Smoot & Springs can stay healthy, they are probably just a little above avg. & you have to figure age will catch SS if not injury. Rogers is an unknown at this point. The d line will again need some luck w/injuries & hope that some can become big contributors, e.g. wilson, E. James. The LBs are old and/or injury prone w/McIntosh coming back & MW, who plays his heart out but injuries & age might be catching up to him. With all the signings & draft picks, safety ironically looks like it might be the deepest position on the D.

Overall, the talent of the D isn't going to win us games & IMO GW got an awful lot of out what is basically an avg. group. It's not a criticism of Blache to say that the D will regress. I think we have to acknowledge just how good GW got that unit to play last year. However, when we were really overmatched it showed, e.g. the NE game. And teams that weren't scared of the blitzes went after our cb's. The pass rush is still a big concern. Even if Blache does a good job by most standards, that might be well below what GW could do w/that unit.

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

[quote=djnemo65;453706]As a team that lost four heartbreakers in a row only to rebound and make the playoffs, other than head coach what question marks do we have? I see no reason our offense won't be vastly improved (young QB continuing to grow, offensive line that can't possibly more injured than last season, significant upgrades at the skill positions, and, let's face it, a more modern NFL offensive philosophy). While we do have some threatening injuries on defense, I think it's reasonable to expect a level of performance at least close to last year's. If anything we under achieved this previous season. What do you see that I don't that makes a 4-12 prediction seem anything other than outrageous?

If Zorn turns out to be a hack than yeah, maybe we'll be bad, but I am at least willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.[/quote]
Yea, but the QB that got things heading in the right direction will not be starting on Sundays. I think this is JC years to show he belongs in the NFL.

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

Was that written by a chimp wearing headphones blasting the Spice Girls into his cranium?

It looks like it was written by someone with half a brain, an urgently full bladder, ADD and also in a rush to catch a flight.


Garbage article. Seriously...who writes "Blah blah blah" in a nationally-published magazine? Oh yeah, Sporting News. Did they insult players at every position on other teams or are we special?

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

[quote=Buster;453834]Was that written by a chimp wearing headphones blasting the Spice Girls into his cranium?

It looks like it was written by someone with half a brain, an urgently full bladder, ADD and also in a rush to catch a flight.


Garbage article. Seriously...who writes "Blah blah blah" in a nationally-published magazine? Oh yeah, Sporting News. Did they insult players at every position on other teams or are we special?[/quote]

pretty sure dirtbag threw in the blah blah blah, since the article probably had a bunch of fluff in it no one really cares that much about.

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

4-12? Seriously? We can't win more than 4 games? We're playing the NFC West for god sake.

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

[quote=saden1;453903]4-12? Seriously? We can't win more than 4 games? We're playing the NFC West for god sake.[/quote]

i know, right?

guess we'll just wait and see, but 4-12 would make me kinda mad...

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

4-12; their expectations are that Zorn will fare worse than the ole ball coach!
JZ has plenty to prove this year & beyond, no doubt he's going to put all his energy into it. The low expectations, if they are held by most, will only help take the pressure off.

I think 4-12 is a bold, bordering on ridiculous prediction, but on the other hand I think our fan base needs to have reasonable expectations & patience. If Zorn got 8 wins I would say that's pretty good for his first year.

On a side note, Dr. Z I heard has picked Minnesota to win it all! Tavares Jackson in the super bowl?!!!

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

4-12 is ridiculously low.

We can still make the playoffs with our QB, entire offensive line and most of our secondary and a couple of other defenders injured along with missing Portis and Moss for part of the season while running a conservative offense with a QB who hasn't started for 10 years.

Suddenly, we're healthy, filled all of our holes in the draft and have a coach who's willing to open up the playbook...and we win less than half as many games?

SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUURE.

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

[QUOTE=djnemo65;453779]And Beemen, I consider Thomas, Kelly, and Davis to be significant upgrades. Regarding your certainty that the two former will not exceed 50 catches this season, if that happens they will have been big fat busts, since they will be used immediately and will get plenty of opportunities. While that's possible, I don't think its unreasonable to expect one to make a serious impact his first year, thus my choice of the word significant. If I'm wrong about that, as you seem convinced I will be, then I will probably also be wrong about the Skins being a playoff team next season. If I'm right I am going to laugh at you, not invite you to my playoff party, and then email you pictures showing how fun it was afterwards :)

Last year's offensive line situation was unusual, and was in many ways a perfect storm. I should say I think its also unlikely they will be equally or more injured this season; if they are we will probably be in trouble.

Just out of curiousity Beemen are you going on the record as picking them to finish last this season like the author of the article in question?[/QUOTE]

I have no idea what they'll do this year. I go back and forth, wondering what 2008 will hold, but more often than not, I tend to think that they probably won't do as well as 9-7. 4-12 might be a little extreme, but after the dream season of 2005, did anyone expect a 6-10 season from a Joe Gibbs-led team when everyone (including me) thought they had it all figured out? Chalk it up to complete inexperience with head coaching -- we'd be delirious to think that Zorn will step right in without any growing pains and instantaneously hit on all cylinders right off the bat.

Also consider that, (and this is the root of our disagreement) there were really no improvements to the receiving group whatsoever. I know you count Kelly, Thomas, and Davis. Sorry, I just don't see it. Not yet anyway. Moss, Cooley, and Randle El have amounted to an average passing threat when you look at year-end statistics -- they just can't seem to break out of the middle of the pack. But don't expect the coaches to be convinced of that to the extent that they'll toss out Randle El and hand it all over to Thomas or Kelly. Everyone around the league still lives with the completely irrational notion that Randle El really is an elite wideout.

Then there's the defense. We have durability concerns with Smoot, Springs, and Rogers coming off that knee surgery. No upgrades at the pass rush other than more dumpster diving through the Vikings' trash with Erasmus James. Despite an obvious decline with Marcus Washington, a hobbling Rocky McIntosh, and an aging London Fletcher, the linebackers seem solid, but they might also be teetering on the edge. Other than run-stopping, we just don't have a solid checkmark anywhere on D.

I guess I just don't think it's impossible for this team to finish way below expectations regardless of the previous season's results. We saw it with Ritchie Petitbon in 1993, another guy with no head coaching experience. They finished 4-12 then. I certainly hope they don't finish that way, but I suppose I'm just not blind to the possibility of everything blowing up in Zorn's face in his first season the way others apparently are.

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

[QUOTE=Schneed10;453710]Other than Zorn? Nothing.

But it's all about Zorn. Here's the thing, I'm a Redskin fan and traditionalist. To me, Joe Gibbs is one of the greatest coaches of all time. How do you go from him to Jim Zorn, with basically the same player personnel, without taking a step back?

[B]If Zorn puts up a better record than Gibbs, which I admit is possible, it will pretty much turn everything I know about coaching upside down.[/B]
But if I'm a betting man, I'm with Daseal. No playoffs for us this year. I won't go so far as 4-12; but if we make 8-8 in this division with a new coach, you'd have to be pleased with Zorn's first season.[/QUOTE]

Dude, don't forget that Gibbs had a SHIT load of injuries to deal with his last two season here. Last year we finished 9-7 with ALL of our starting recievers going down (we started James Thrash and Keenan McCardell for at least one game), two or three lineman go down, our quarterback, our starting corner, our starting outside linebacker..............Cooley, our only reciever that didn't get hurt had to stay in and help block until our coaches found Alexander (talk about being desperate). And lets not forget about Sean Taylor......................after all that we still made the play offs last year. We made it because of Gibbs. If Zorn goes through all that then I wouldn't be surprised if we go 4-12. But, if Zorn has a healthy team (he better, I'm getting tired of all these injuries) We'll finish first. It won't be so much about turning coaching upside down. It will be more about this team FINALLY playing to its full potential.

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

[QUOTE="From the Fox Sports article"]For this analysis, each regular season game is simulated 1,000 times, with the sum of the winning percentages of those games being our final predicted record. As can be noted, sometimes a team is "favored" (wins more than 50% of the time) in a different number of our games than the expected record shows. We list this record as the Absolute Record. The assumption of the Absolute Record is that the more likely scenario always happens. Since we know that it does not (see Super Bowl XLII), our expected record (in parentheses next to each team) is far more accurate. Also, especially since we are rounding, it is possible for a team to win a game more often, yet score the same or fewer points on average. In those cases, for Absolute Records, we always take higher winning percentage and are not predicting a tie or a win by an underdog. This is another reason why the expected records are more accurate, as the teams are so evenly matched, the game could easily go either way. [/QUOTE]

GOSH DANG!!! What the heck has football come to? The above sounds like a science experiment!!! Football used to be about courage, athleticism, toughness, and so on! Now its about science experiments and crap! Geez, maybe I should try and watch soccer..................

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

[QUOTE=Schneed10;453710]Other than Zorn? Nothing.

But it's all about Zorn. Here's the thing, I'm a Redskin fan and traditionalist. To me, Joe Gibbs is one of the greatest coaches of all time. How do you go from him to Jim Zorn, with basically the same player personnel, without taking a step back?

If Zorn puts up a better record than Gibbs, which I admit is possible, it will pretty much turn everything I know about coaching upside down.

But if I'm a betting man, I'm with Daseal. No playoffs for us this year. I won't go so far as 4-12; but if we make 8-8 in this division with a new coach, you'd have to be pleased with Zorn's first season.[/QUOTE]

I don't have the stats to back this up, but I'm more concerned with year two of the Zorn era (should there be a year two of course). I see guys like Mangini and Payton come guns a blazing there first year, but then experience a bit of a sophomore slump.

Re: Sporting News Football '08: Redskins (Magazine)
 

I know it doesnt happen much but does anyone remember that a guy right up the road (i.e Andy Reid) did the exact same thing. He went from QB coach with Holmgren, to HC with the eagles. He had less to work with and did some things that you have to respect. I loathe and detest the eagles and everything associated with them, but the Holmgren tree is very reputible, just throwing a couple of names out there, Gruden, Reid, Marriuci, Peyton etc. So its only fair that we will better than people predict.

I am affraid our Defense will take a step back but our offense by the end of the year will be signifigantly better than we all expect. Zorn is a creative coach who will not sit on leads, so no more close wins or losses, plus no one else knows what he brings to the table in terms of philosophy and actual plays. I am hesitant in thinking Playoffs but I definately am thinking in the 6-10 to 9-7 range, which is very respectable for a first year coach.

Lets just hope that he is not a one and done coach if he doesn't win immediately. Give him sometime to get all the right personnel that he needs. In the very near future we could be pushing for the Superbowl.