Washington Redskins Season Preview

(Courtesy of My Sportsbook) - Maybe Daniel Snyder and Joe Gibbs will make fools of us all. Maybe the many head-scratching moves the Redskins owner and head coach presided over this past offseason will eventually look like works of genius. Trading away wideouts Laveranues Coles and Rod Gardner, and "upgrading" the starting lineup with Santana Moss and David Patten, two players that combined for fewer catches last year (89) than Coles himself, could one day look like the work of Stephen Hawking, or perhaps Bobby Beathard. Passing over USC receiver Mike Williams in order to draft cornerback Carlos Rogers, then engineering a draft-day trade to nab not-ready-for-prime-time Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell near the end of the first round must adhere to some advanced, convoluted rule of logic that is difficult for the average fan or scribe to comprehend. Releasing one-time starting quarterback and 27-year-old Tim Hasselbeck just 15 days after the team had re-signed him, and keeping the clearly finished, 34-year-old Mark Brunell on the roster is a move of wisdom seemingly perceptible only to a shrewd businessman owner and his Hall of Fame coach.

Not bucking up to hold onto two of the team's top defensive players - cornerback Fred Smoot and linebacker Antonio Pierce - when defense was the only reason the club managed to win six games in the first place last season, might eventually give the appearance of a chess move that would make Garry Kasparov proud. Who knows, Snyder and Gibbs could have the masses marveling at how they pulled all the right strings, as they watch the Redskins playing meaningful football in January for the first time this millennium. Then again, maybe not. Below we take a capsule look at the 2005 edition of the Washington Redskins, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

RB: Clinton Portis (1315 rushing yards, 40 receptions, 7 TD) had a disappointing but not wholly ineffective first season with the Redskins. Struggling to find running room behind a thin offensive line, Portis was held to fewer than four yards per carry in eight of the 15 games in which he played, but the team was 5-0 when Portis managed to rush for 100 yards. There is belief within the organization that improved line play will lead to a bigger 2005 season for Portis. Backing Portis again will be Ladell Betts (371 yards, 1 TD), who bounced back from an injury-plagued 2003 to have his best pro season, and former starter Rock Cartwright, who had just two carries all of last year. The Redskins use an H-back in favor of a traditional fullback, and Chris Cooley (37 receptions, 6 TD) should again assume that role following an impressive rookie season in which he led Washington in TD catches. Rookie Manuel White, Jr. (UCLA) could surface as the backup there, and Mike Sellers has experience at the position as well.

WR/TE: Gone are disgruntled receivers Laveranues Coles (90 receptions, 1 TD) and Rod Gardner (51 receptions, 5 TD), who were traded to the Jets and Panthers, respectively. Coles was dealt for wideout Santana Moss (45 receptions, 5 TD with New York), who was a 1,000-yard receiver in 2003 but struggled last season. The Skins need Moss to revert to his previous form, and also need former Patriot David Patten (44 receptions, 7 TD with New England) to thrive as a full-time starter. Washington is hoping that either Taylor Jacobs (16 receptions) or Darnerian McCants (5 receptions) can step up and win the third receiver job. Veteran James Thrash (17 receptions) had his least productive season since 1999 last year, but should stick as an important special teams player. Kevin Dyson, who last caught an NFL pass in 2003 with Carolina, is also in camp. Washington used their tight ends mainly for blocking purposes, and Robert Royal (8 receptions, 4 TD) and Brian Kozlowski (3 receptions) are both back to compete there.

OL: The ruptured Achilles suffered by right tackle Jon Jansen in the first preseason game of 2004 set a negative tone for the line from the outset. Apart from left tackle Chris Samuels, the trench unit underachieved all season, and the blame for the league's 31st-ranked scoring offense can be laid as much at their feet as the quarterback position. Jansen is back to hold down the right tackle slot opposite Samuels, which should help holdover right guard Randy Thomas be more effective. Center Cory Raymer has been relegated to second- string following the offseason acquisition of former Raven Casey Rabach, a player considered to be on the upside of his career. The other starter figures to be mistake-prone left guard Derrick Dockery, though 42-year-old soldier Ray Brown remains on the roster in case Dockery fails to show improvement. Tackles Jim Molinaro, Mark Wilson and guard Lennie Friedman will all attempt to win backup jobs after serving as backups last season.

DL: Back to anchor the defensive line is tackle Cornelius Griffin (70 tackles, 6 sacks), who was due much of the credit on a unit that finished second in the league against the run. Joe Salave'a (20 tackles, 2 sacks) started a career- high nine games at tackle last year, and is expected to again line up alongside Griffin. Brandon Noble (14 tackles, 1 sack) began training camp with a staph infection in his foot, but is being counted on to contribute at tackle as well. The Redskins are in need of stronger play from their ends, as no Washington end amassed more than three-and-a-half sacks a year ago. Phillip Daniels (4 sacks, 1 sack), who missed the final 11 games of 2004 with wrist and groin injuries, should be back and healthy in 2005. Renaldo Wynn (37 tackles, 3 sacks), a 16-game starter a year ago, will line up opposite Daniels. Ron Warner (12 tackles, 3.5 sacks), the team sack leader among ends, should stick around as a backup along with Demetric Evans (26 tackles, 2.5 sacks).

LB: The Redskins' most effective overall player in 2004 may have been linebacker Antonio Pierce (112 tackles, 2 INT), who parlayed that success into a huge free agent contract with the Giants. Pierce's departure means that the stakes are high for a return to form from LaVar Arrington (15 tackles, 1 sack), who missed 12 games with a knee injury in 2004 and was expected to miss most of training camp following offseason surgery. Marcus Washington (107 tackles, 4.5 sacks) is a holdover on the strong side and Lemar Marshall (69 tackles, 1.5 sacks) will move from the weak side to the middle. In the event that Arrington cannot return, former Bear and Brown Warrick Holdman (76 tackles with Cleveland) is slated to hold down the third linebacker slot. Draft choices Robert McCune (5th round, Louisville) and Jared Newberry (6th round, Stanford) will add depth, as will 2004 backup Chris Clemons (7 tackles).

DB: Washington lost shutdown corner Fred Smoot (59 tackles, 3 INT) to free agency, a problem the franchise attempted to remedy by selecting Auburn's Carlos Rogers with the ninth overall pick. Rogers was slowed by an ankle injury early in training camp, and might not be ready for the start of the season. If healthy, he will start opposite Shawn Springs (64 tackles, 5 INT), who had a big 2005, and veteran Walt Harris (17 tackles, 2 INT) is still around in case either falters. Artrell Hawkins (29 tackles, 1 INT with Carolina), who started 76 games over the past seven seasons with the Bengals and Panthers, offers more veteran depth. At free safety, the team is hoping 2004 first-round pick Sean Taylor (76 tackles, 4 INT) can avoid legal trouble stemming from an offseason assault and weapons charge. In the event that Taylor misses any time, the Redskins signed free agents Pierson Prioleau (22 tackles with the Bills), Tony Dixon (30 tackles, 3 sacks with the Cowboys) and former Giant Omar Stoutmire to stem the tide. Matt Bowen (23 tackles, 2 sacks), Ryan Clark (81 tackles) and Dixon were battling for strong safety duties during camp.

SPECIAL TEAMS: John Hall (8-11 FG, 13-13 XP) missed eight games due to muscle pulls during 2004, forcing the team to use both Ola Kimrin (6-10 FG, 6-6 XP) and Jeff Chandler (5-6 FG, 6-6 XP) in his place. Chandler has been brought back to challenge Hall for the full-time job. The 39-year-old Tom Tupa (44.1 avg.) will return at punter if he can hold off former Ohio State star Andy Groom. Tupa was tied for the NFL lead in punting average a year ago. Ladell Betts (23.0 avg.) and James Thrash (20.7 avg.) will vie for kickoff return duties, and Antonio Brown (8.9 avg.) should field a bulk of the punts.

PROGNOSIS: Even ardent Joe Gibbs loyalists would have to be at least a tad delusional to predict big things for this team. Patrick Ramsey does not appear set to become the next Joe Theismann, and the organization had so much confidence in Ramsey's abilities that it made a trade in order to select Jason Campbell in the first round of the April draft. The offensive line has been upgraded ever-so-slightly, but the receiving corps is without question one of the weakest in the league. The defense was terrific a year ago, but without lynchpins Antonio Pierce and Fred Smoot, and with the status of both LaVar Arrington and Sean Taylor in doubt, can that unit hope to carry the team again? What's more, the division is better, meaning that 1-5 record against NFC East foes isn't going to improve to any great degree. Gibbs' legend isn't likely to be enough to pull Washington out of the cellar in 2005.