The 2010 Redskins Schedule - Part 2

Here is my amateur analysis of the second half of the Washington Redskins 2010 schedule:

November 15th: Philadelphia Eagles (Monday Night Football) - My first half prediction included a Redskins win over Philadelphia in Philly with Donovan McNabb riding the emotions of playing against the team that drafted him and the city that never really appreciated him. I don't know if the Redskins can do it twice in one season. Aside from last year, Washington has played fairly well against the Eagles the past few seasons but I think this year that they're going to split games. If anything, my rationale will have to resort back to the primetime argument. The Redskins are horrible on Sunday and Monday Night Football. (L)

November 21st: @ Tennessee Titans - The Tennessee Titans are coming off of a year in which they went 0-6 their first 6 games and then finished up the season winning 8 of their last 10. Chris Johnson is the most dynamic running back in the NFL and Vince Young is starting to show signs of improvement and maturity (on the field). That being said, it does not make up for the fact that their defense was the fifth worst in the league in giving up points and yards in 2009. I also think that Chris Johnson will come back next year and still be an extremely effective back, but I doubt that he will be able to come close to his production level of 2009. I'm going to give the Redskins the nod on this one (W)

November 28th: Minnesota Vikings - This is an easy one. If Brett Favre is back and playing (which all signs indicate he will be) then the Vikings win. If not, the Redskins have a much better chance. The Vikings gave Brett Favre the keys to the Bentley last year when they signed him. With a top 10 defense, (arguably) the best back in the league, a young wide receiver waiting to break out in Sidney Rice, and a dynamic playmaker in Percy Harvin, the Vikings were only missing that one piece to make them a true contender and that piece was Brett Favre. He stepped into the locker room with only a few weeks until the regular season began and took the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game which they almost won. All of this evidence being laid out in front of us, I think we have to give this one to the Vikings. (L)

December 5th: @ New York Giants - The Giants are coming off of a lackluster season, much like the Redskins. The only difference is, the Giants still swept the Redskins last year. The Giants have been a torn in the Redskins side for the past several seasons. Whereas the Redskins have had fairly good luck against the Eagles, they've had almost the exact opposite against the Giants. The Giants have some big question marks in their secondary, run game, and they also have to find a suitable replacement for middle linebacker Antonio Pierce. I believe that their passing game will be very effective and Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks are going to both have breakout seasons very similar to what Steve Smith did last year. I'm going to give this one to the Giants, although I do think that it will be close. (L)

December 12th: Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Tampa Bay has become one of the most unstable teams in the NFL the past two seasons. Last year they had a season that came close to the pathetic one turned in by the Redskins. Their QB Josh Freeman is young and inexperienced, but does have a lot of upside. I see him being a Jason Campbell type of quarterback that flies under the radar and puts up solid statistics but never really wows you. I believe that by this point in the season the Redskins will have stabilized under Mike Shanahan and will be able to put teams like Tampa Bay away much more easily than they have in past seasons, especially if they are trying to make a playoff push. (W)

December 19th: @ Dallas Cowboys - The Cowboys look to be the cream of the NFC crop next year. Along with teams like the Saints, Packers and Vikings they should have already solidified a playoff position by this point in the season due to lackluster competition from the Redskins, Giants and Eagles who all seem to be in the rebuilding phase, whether they would like to admit it or not. Even if their playoff ticket has been stamped, they will still be playing for that number one seed and the Redskins are a divisional opponent so I doubt they will pull any punches. I'm sure that most people remember the 24-0 thrashing that the Cowboys laid on the Eagles in week 17 of last season. I don't know that it will be a beat down of that magnitude, but I think it will definitely be a loss. (L)

December 26th: @ Jacksonville Jaguars - This is a very easily winable game. The Jaguars are the worst team in a weak division (aside from the always strong Colts). Their defense was awful last year as they attempted the 3-4 and turned in only 14 sacks (14!!!! This should be a red flag all of you 3-4 diehards out there). They do have a great running back in Maurice Jones-Drew, but David Gerrard has been inconsistent and downright bad at times. This one is going to the Redskins. (W)

January 2nd: New York Giants - The last game of the season, both of these teams will possibly be fighting for a playoff spot in a very talented NFC. I think that the Redskins will be able to pull this one out at home. I know that they have had bad luck against the Giants in the past, but I think that Shanahan will get these guys motivated to win this game and get a shot at making the playoffs or at least ending the season on positive note. (W)

Final Record: 8-8

Will they make the playoffs? This is a tough question to answer. I believe that the division winners this year will be the Cowboys, Saints, Packers, and 49ers. That leaves behind plenty of talented competition for the 2 remaining wild card spots with teams like the Vikings, Eagles, Giants, Falcons, and Cardinals still lurking around. With a record like 8-8 though (which they would be lucky to have after last season) I really just don't believe that it will be enough to make it to the post-season. The NFC is so deep this year that it's probably going to be tough getting into the playoffs with 9 wins on your schedule. That being said, I think the Redskins improve on a horrible season in 2009 and gain some hope for the future. Now lets get training camp started up.

Haynesworth Releases Statement....DC Fans Roll Their Eyes

On Wednesday, June 23rd, Albert Haynesworth released a statement concerning his current situation with the Washington Redskins. In this statement he said:

"Despite my current differences with the Redskins, I have always planned to attend training camp and honor my contract. As I have previously said, I am continuing to prepare for the season individually and will report on time, in shape and ready to play football. Any issues I have with the club I will discuss privately and therefore do not plan to make any further public comments about this matter."

Ok so first of all, it's hard to believe that this guy even looked at this statement. My first reaction is that his agent wrote this thing up, told Haynesworth he was going to put it out there and that was that. I don't give Haynesworth any credit at all becuase he couldn't even come out and say this in person. He could have at least made some sort of appearance to show that what he's saying is sincere. Although I'm sure that Big Al's agent had the best of intentions, I feel as if the situation may have just gotten worse after the release of the statement.

Who cares if you're going to show up to training camp? You just got paid $21 million, why wouldn't you show up at training camp!?!?!?! What you should have been doing is showing up to all of the voluntary OTA's and minicamps that have been going on for the past 3 months. What you should have been doing is sweating it out and hitting the weight room with your team mates building chemistry after a dismal 4-12 season. What you SHOULD HAVE BEEN DOING IS WHAT YOUR COACHES TOLD YOU TO AFTER YOU HAVE BEEN PAID $32 MILLION FOR A SINGLE SEASON IN WHICH YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING BUT EMBARRASS YOURSELF EVERY GAME! Nobody has any sympathy for you becuase you don't want to play Nose Tackle in the 3-4. You have been publicly scrutinized by present and future Hall of Fame players for your disgusting behavior and your disservice to this city that welcomed you with open arms and hope in their hearts.

Now that you say you're going to show up at training camp, how do you think you're going to be received? Almost the entire team has expressed their disappointment in you as a team mate and as a person. I can only imagine the tension that is going to resonate in that locker room when you walk in there on the first day of camp. I can only imagine what its going to be like when London Fletcher has the defense huddled up and these guys are looking at you and thinking "Does this guy really have our back?" I hope that you don't even have the guts to look them in the eyes becuase quite honestly, you don't deserve to even be on the same field as players like London Fletcher and Philip Daniels. They may not have $100 million contracts, but they don't need them to know that they are better team mates and better leaders that you could ever DREAM TO BE.

I know many passionate Redskins fans feel the same way that I do about this entire situation. The sad thing, however, is that if Haynesworth does come back in good shape and ends up on the final roster and starts making plays, the whole situation will be forgotten quicker than Haynesworth was able to cash his $21 million roster bonus on April 1st. Even I have to admit, the anger that I have towards Haynesworth would probably subside if he helps the Redskins win some games next season. There is no denying that the Redskins couldn't use an immense talent like him on their side come September. But that's not the point. The point is that Haynesworth should have been here. After a 4-12 season and a total revamping of the coaching staff, he should have been here. The Redskins did not need a distraction like this during this offseason. Not this year. Unfortunately, its too late for that. The only thing that we can all hope now is that Albert does show up for training camp (in shape) and does some serious bridge mending with his fellow team mates becuase right now it looks as if that is the best case scenario.

The 2010 Redskins Schedule

We have now reached what I like to call the sports "dead zone". It's that time period after the NBA Finals and NHL Finals wrap up and there's nothing on the docket for the next two months but baseball. Although there is the World Cup this year (which I'll watch over endless games of baseball any day) there isn't much hope for football fans until training camp starts and you begin to hear a few reports here and there about how your team is doing and what position competitions are heating up. So, in honor of the sports "dead zone" I thought I'd go through the first half of next year's regular season schedule for the Redskins and give my amateur analysis.

September 12: Dallas Cowboys (Sunday Night Football) - This has got to be a loss. I realize that there is no better way for the 'Skins to kick off the season than to play the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football at home in primetime, but the odds are against them. The Redskins are terrible in primetime. Since 2000 they are 6-6 in Sunday Night Football, 2-2 on Thursday Night NFL Network games, and an atrocious 3-10 in their Monday Night contests. Plus it will be the debut of the new regime under Coach Shanahan, I just think that too many things for this team are too new and they aren't ready to face a Cowboys team that many believe are Super Bowl Bound. (L)

September 19: Houston Texans -This is a tough one to call. While at times the Texans last year looked like they were heading for their first playoff berth, at other times they seemed very suspect. Although they had the number one passing offense in the league last year, they ranked near the very bottom in rushing. Their defense, while boasting young stars like Mario Williams and newly caught juice-head Brian Cushing, was just average to say the most. I think that their offense takes a hit from Kyle Shanahan leaving, but they have enough talent to overcome it. There isn't a player on the roster that is going to be able to cover Andre Johnson and their running game should be much more balanced with the addition of Ben Tate through the draft. I'm giving this one to the Texans, although I do think it'll be close. (L)

September 26th: @ St. Louis Rams - So the Redskins have played the Rams twice the last two seasons. The first game, back in 2008, the Redskins had just come off of 4 straight wins and were looking hot. The Rams were lurking at the bottom of the barrel along with the Lions and were being interim coached by new Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett. The Redskins lost this contest in one of the most frustrating games I have ever watched. Last year, the 'Skins played them again but this time won, albeit only scoring 3 field goals in an atrocious offensive showing. This year I'm putting my money on Washington, but as history has shown those Rams can be a tricky bunch (please note sarcasm). (W)

October 3rd: @ Philadelphia Eagles - Donovan McNabb's homecoming. This game is going to be huge. I can already picture the Sportscenter promos and Sal Palantonios riveting on site reporting. Donovan McNabb is going to want to gut-check the fans who never really wanted him to begin with. The same fans who booed him when he was drafted instead of Ricky Williams. The same fans who no matter how many times he won, no matter how many NFC Championship games he carried them to, they always wanted more. I personally think that this game is going to be too close to call, the Eagles are essentially rebuilding their secondary and they have a new starting QB in Kevin Kolb who is largely unproven. Kolb will be a good NFL quarterback, but I don't think that he lives up to McNabb. I'll give this one to the Skins just because I'm rooting for number 5. (W)

October 10th: Green Bay Packers - The Packers are a team that are on the rise. There's a good chance that they can make a deep playoff run next year and at the very least, they're one of the top teams in the NFC. Aaron Rodgers is one of the best young quarterbacks in the NFL. Charles Woodson looked like he was 22 last season. Their defense has improved, Ryan Grant is a very capable running back, in April they drafted a huge Left Tackle in Brian Bulaga, and did I mention they have Aaron Rodgers as their quarterback? Barring some sort of miracle, I don't think that there's any way that the Redskins get out of this one with a win. (L)

October 17th: Indianapolis Colts (Sunday Night Football) - Peyton Manning. Primetime. Enough said. (L)

October 24th: @ Chicago Bears - The Bears are a strange team. They are a team in search of an identity and you can't really give them a label. It's hard to tell if they're good or bad, but going by last year's standards I'd say they're just average. One day they're being completely embarassed by the Packers and Jay Cutler throws 6 ints, but later on the season Cutler out duels Brett Favre and the Vikings on Monday Night Football. They really didn't have many draft picks to use in this years draft becuase they basically sold the farm to get Cutler in the '09 offseason. They did sign Julius Peppers to a massive free agent deal, but we all saw how that worked out with the Redskins and Haynesworth and from what most people say, Peppers is cut from the same mold as Big Al. He works when it comes to the contract year, but that's about it. The Bears don't have any receivers, and their rushing game is average at best. Shanahan coached drafted and coached Cutler, so I'm hoping he can tip the defense off and they can rattle him into throwing multiple picks. The jury is still out on their defense, but I'm going to have to take the Redskins. (W)

October 31st: @ Detroit Lions - The Lions embarassed the Redskins last year by ending their 19 game losing streak by beating the Redskins at home. The Redskins instantly became a national joke. They did what no other team could do, they lost to the Detriot Lions. The Lions have added quite a bit of talent to their roster this year, though. They added WR Nate Burleson, DE Kyle Vanden Bosch, and TE Tony Scheffler through free agency and they had arguably one of the best drafts in the NFL by drafting Ndamukong Suh and Jahvid Best in the first round. They already have young talent QB Matthew Stafford, WR Calvin Johnson, and TE Brandon Pettigrew. The Lions are obviously a team on the rise, but I think that the Redskins have the revenge factor. They know they got embarassed last year, and they don't want to see it happen again. (W)

Record going into the Bye week: 4-4

Second Half preditions coming soon.

Redskins Trade for Jammal Brown

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Redskins have traded for New Orleans Saints offensive tackle Jammal Brown. The terms of the trade are tied into the trade that was made earlier this offseason for Donovan McNabb. According to Schefter the terms of the deal are:

"Washington owes the Eagles a third- or fourth-round pick in 2011 for McNabb, based on how the quarterback plays or the team performs. If the Redskins win nine games, go to the playoffs or McNabb gets selected to the Pro Bowl, Philadelphia will receive Washington's third-round pick and New Orleans will get Washington's fourth. If none of those happen, the Eagles will get the Redskins' fourth-round pick and the Saints will get the Redskins' third-round pick.

If New Orleans receives Washington's third-round pick, then the Redskins will get a 2011 fifth-round pick back from the Saints. However, if Washington's third-round pick goes to Philadelphia, then the Saints will send a 2011 sixth- or seventh-round pick back to the Redskins."

So after breaking all of that down what does it mean for the Redskins? Well it means that they have already reduced their 2011 draft picks down to 6, which isn't great after the small number of picks that they had this year, most of them coming in the latter rounds of the draft. However, this could potentially be a great move for the 'Skins. Brown is a 2 time former Pro Bowler and although he is coming off of a 2009 season spent on the IR he still has huge potential.

This really is a move that was long overdue for the Redskins. They haven't done much to shore up their offensive line in the offseason aside from drafting Trent Williams 4th overall in the draft and adding Minnesota Vikings backup Artis Hicks through free agency. With this signing, Brown could play Right Tackle and Williams could play Left Tackle, immediately making an impact on both the rushing and passing game. It is a bit frustrating to see the Redskins trading away more picks, something they are very accustomed to doing, but at least they are using these picks in the right way.

Mike Shanahan making moves like this and others like signing Donovan McNabb, Larry Johnson, and Willie Parker suggest that Shanahan is discarding the idea of "rebuilding" the Redskins and rather is going to try to win right now. I suppose this is a good idea seeing that Dan Snyder doesn't usually give his coaches much time to build a team before he quickly disposes of them for the next big name that becomes available. Either way, this is another positive move in the right direction for the Redskins and if anything else, it should at least take away from the Haynesworth talk for a day or two.

Portis Sounds off on Zorn.....Again

In a recent interview with NBC's Dan Hellie, Clinton Portis had some feelings he wanted to express on the situation last year in Washington under former Coach Jim Zorn:

"You become nonchalant, you become a whatever, and I think I just became a whatever-type guy," Portis said, per the Washington Post. "The consideration of walking away, the idea of wanting to be traded, wanting to be out of D.C., all of the sudden it was like the people who you think know you buy into the outside conversation, like hmm, maybe he should be gone. I think that was more eye-opening, like I guess people really wanted me out of there. And I think there was a point, up until Coach Shanahan coming in, I really wanted out of there"

Clinton Portis has become known for his outspoken nature during his tenure with the Washington Redskins. From his early days of dressing up as Sheriff Gonna Getcha and Coach Janky Spanky to his recent media war with former Redskins linebacker LaVar Arrington, Portis has always been a soundbite goldmine. But this time, he actually seems to be making sense (for once).

The Redskins under Jim Zorn, although starting off hot with a 6-2 record their first 8 games of the 2008 season, quickly went from bad to worse when they lost 18 of their last 24 games in the 2008-2009 seasons. The play calling was horrific. The defense couldn't stop big plays. Jason Campbell got tossed around like a rag doll behind a paper-thin offensive line. Jim Zorn quickly became a national punchline when he was stripped of his play calling duties in favor of bingo calling "offensive consultant" Sherman Lewis. Worst of all for Portis, though, is that he went from rushing for 1487 yards and being the third-leading rusher in the NFL in 2008 to rushing for 494 yards and ending up on the Injured Reserve list after a season ending concussion against the Atlanta Falcons.

This, however, is a new year. The Redskins got rid of former Darth Vader to Dan Snyder's Emperor Vinny Cerrato. They replaced him with former Redskins Coach George Allan's son, Bruce Allan. They brought in two-time Super Bowl Champion coach Mike Shanahan and his son, protege Kyle Shanahan. They made probably one of the biggest offseason trades in the history of the NFL when they obtained Donovan McNabb from the Phildelphia Eagles on Easter Sunday of this year. Change is most definately in the air.

Portis seems to have been invigorated by the new regime under his former coach Mike Shanahan. Although the team has brought in aging veterans Larry Johnson and Willie Parker and have extended a contract offer to former Philadelphia Eagle Brian Westbrook, Portis seems to be thriving off of the competition. Portis has reported to more offseason OTA's and minicamps than he has in years past and early rumors are that Portis is looking more like his old self by the day. An inspired Portis, combined with a Mike Shanahan offense could equal a very productive season for the 28 year old back. As all Redskins fans know, after last year's abysmal rushing attack finished 27th in the league, they could certainly use all the help they can get.

The Haynesworth Saga Reaches A New Level

And so it has truly begun. The continuing drama that has plagued
Redskins Park finally reached a head last night when it was reported
that Albert Haynesworth would not be attending mandatory minicamp with
the Redskins today and that he would like to be traded to another
team. In my opinion, there is only one way to describe this situation:
shameful.

Shame on Dan Snyder and Vinny Cerrato for giving this man a $100
million contract. Shame on them for not listening to the insiders who
warned of Haynesworth's poor work ethic and bad attitude. Shame on
Albert Haynesworth for claiming that he wanted to become the next
Reggie White, only to show up the next season out of shape and needing
to be carted off the field every other play.

But most of all, shame on the fans who believed that this wouldn't be
just another money wasting free agent bust by the Dan Snyder-owned
Washington Redskins. Many have come in the past: Bruce Smith, Adam
Archuleta, Trung Canidate, Jason Taylor......but this one deal with
Haynesworth may lay claim to the contemptous prize of being the
biggest free-agent bust in Redskins history. And yet, what have we
learned?

What we learned is what we have known for a long time now, don't bring
other team's stars to the Redskins, give them enormous contracts, and
expect it to pay off, because it won't. The team seems to be moving in
the right direction with Bruce Allen running the show when it comes to
dealing with contracts but only time will tell how that works. One
thing is for sure, though, and that is this offseason will be very
Albert-centric. Personally, I don't see how that can help a team
coming off of a 4-12 season with a new coach, new GM, new quarterback,
and new defensive scheme, but thats just me.

So what can be done? The Defensive Captain and all around team leader, London Fletcher has already come out and said that he believes that
Haynesworth is acting selfish and not thinking about his team mates. In fact, almost every person who was interviewed Wednesday was critical of Haynesworth, excluding DeAngelo Hall who probably still feels kinship with the only player to come to his rescue during last seasons sideline-brawl with the Atlanta Falcons. I think that the only
thing to do is for Dan Snyder to take a big gulp and swallow that pride of his and let Haynesworth go. $32 million is a huge number to swallow, but if anyone can do it, it's Snyder. That's the only way
that this team will come close to success next year, they have to be cancer free. Unfortunately, Haynesworth is a cancer of the worst kind.