http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/27/AR2005112700943.html

This WP article after the Cardinals game cited the following stat.

4: Times in 27 games since Gibbs's return the Redskins have scored more than 21 points.

New stat.

3: Times in 4 games since then that the Redskins have scored more than 21 points.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/29/AR2005122901331.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/28/AR2005122801331.html

Might things be different if Gregg Williams takes on a head coaching gig elsewhere? Worst case: Redskins lose both Williams and Arrington during the offseason. Best case (but unlikely): Both stay put, Arrington has a great year, and makes the defense that much better.

One interesting scenario would be the Redskins not making the playoffs but going deep into the postseason and Arrington playing a critical role down the stretch. LaVar seems the reconciliatory type. Can Snyder be the same?

http://www.washtimes.com/sports/20051228-120248-9729r.htm

Hard to believe this kind of article came out. Is Arrington seriously thinking about leaving football? In his mind, he probably is at peace with that idea. However, faced with the actual prospect of it, it's doubtful that he'll really stepping away from the gridiron. He's too enamored with the celebrity of being a sports star.

Arrington won't restructure his contract. Gibbs is probably tired of dealing with him. He has said that he has spoken more with LaVar than with any other player in his coaching history -- which says a lot, considering the colorful cast of characters Gibbs has dealt with (Gary Clark, Riggins, Dexter Manley).

Arrington is one of the most beloved Redskins and it is sad to see his situation with the team deteriorate as it has. As Elfin notes, he's likely to get cut before the Redskins pay him the huge signing bonus. He's also not likely to be traded because the Redskins would have to take on another staggering salary cap hit the way they did with Laveranues Coles' trade.

The fans loved him because he plays with great energy, he's always smiling, he makes big plays, and everyone envisioned him as a perennial Pro Bowler and likely Hall of Famer once he was drafted. They won't want to see him leave but obviously the management, starting with Snyder, is readying to move on without him. It would be painful to see LaVar Arrington in another uniform but as long as he's not wearing Eagle green, Giant blue, or the Cowboy star, fans will accept it if the team keeps winning.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2265576

Norv doesn't have it in him to be head coach. He doesn't have the gumption to straighten players out who step out of line. Poor Norv. He's a good playcaller but he'll never be a head coach. It's just not his personality.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2265650

The Redskins were right to let go of Gardner. Now if only they had listened to Danny Boy and drafted Moss in 2001 instead of Gardner... at least they got a low draft choice out of him whereas the Panthers ended up releasing him.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/18/AR2005121801017.html

Losing Randy Thomas could make all the diference in the world. He was making huge blocks for Portis. Ray Brown is a capable backup but in his forties, there's no way he's as agile, quick, and devastating as Thomas, who had a Pro Bowl-caliber year.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/18/AR2005121800345.html?nav=hcmodule

A beautiful win. What's surprising is why Dallas wouldn't employ a max protect scheme again, given Bledsoe's tendencies. Presumably, they wanted to take advantage of the Redskins' banged-up secondary.

The Skins have now maneuvered into the second wild card spot and control their own destiny. Their chance to win the division likely came to an end when the Chiefs fell to Tiki Barber's 220 yards and the rest of the G-men's efforts. What also hurt was the prior week when the Giants slipped past the Eagles in overtime. If the Giants had lost to the Eagles, and the Skins continue running the table, they would have had the divisional record tiebreaker over the Giants at the end of the season.

As it is, the Skins still have to remain supremely focused against an extremely talented Giants team with two potent defensive ends, a spy as the 3rd QB, and an explosive offense.

Redskins' Offseason Needs

Here's a first pass at what the team needs going into next year, in order of priority.

DE - It's evident to everyone that the Redskins can't mount a pass rush with their front four. Wynn and Daniels are capable but not difference-makers.

WR - Patten wasn't the complementary WR opposite Santana Moss that they envisioned.

DT - When Cornelius Griffin goes down, the Skins' D-line is in trouble.

CB - Walt Harris's performance dropped off dramatically this year. Shawn Springs is getting older and will break down more. The team will need to acquire a solid 3rd CB that can step up into the starting role if Rogers or Springs is injured.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/04/AR2005120401368.html

This win just proves that the Rams feel like they are always going to play their style of football. Despite the fact that they were starting a rookie quarterback against a blitzing defense and despite the fact that other teams have demonstrated success with maximum protection, the Rams (even without Martz calling the plays) showed the stubbornness in game-planning that had been Martz' Achilles heel the previous few years.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/04/AR2005120401309.html

Derrick Dockery states eloquently:

"Look, we understand that on third-and-long we need to buckle up and protect. But whenever it's possible, let us attack the line. Even in the passing game, with quick passes we can attack. We're all good athletes, we can all move. Let us get out on screens and attack the defense. And it seems to fit with the defense we have. It would help us control the clock, and I think in some cases cut out some of all the silly mistakes we made over the last four or five weeks."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/04/AR2005120400470.html

Gregg Williams was able to flummox a rookie QB once again. Will he be able to do the same against Kurt Warner, Drew Bledsoe, and a now-season Eli Manning when they have their maximum protection schemes?

Four wins.

Arizona is definitely beatable. The Cards running game is weak. However, Kurt Warner, Boldin, and Fitzgerald are a formidable trio capable of racking up big-time yards. Gregg Williams will be challenged to keep keep the Cards' aerial in check. The team's advantage is the Skins' O vs. the Cards' D.

If the Skins get by the Cards, then each game gets bigger and bigger. The next game against Dallas in Landover would have both teams in playoff contention and Skins' fans the world over would go berserk to see that rumble end in the Skins' favor.

Two 100 Yard Rushers

Running over the Rams 27th-ranked rushing defense should be a good confidence builder. Arizona's rushing defense (after week 11) is ranked 20th.

Is Rock Cartwright the (backup) man? Not yet. At this point, Betts has done a better job proving himself as the fill-in guy. Betts' knock is his health. The fact that Cartwright was able to rip off a 55-yard run in a short-yardage situation is what the Skins needed to see.

Five Wins.

Can the Skins go 5-0 to close out the season? Wishful thinking. If they can beat the Rams, it sure would be a sweet start though.

Fantasy Assessment.

Brunell and Santana Moss had maximum value through the first half of the season. Since opposing defenses started double covering moss and rolling coverages toward him, he hasn't broken the 100-yard barrier.

David Patten was a complete bust. Thrash and Taylor Jacobs weren't even worth considering either.

With 943 yards through 11 games, Clinton Portis is on par for a second 1300 yard season. While it would be an excellent for just about any back, it's subpar considering his three straight 1500 yard seasons in Denver with which he started his career.

Chris Cooley is sure getting a lot of looks and catches but he's not getting any TDs. The TDs that would normally come his way are getting siphoned away by Mike Sellers.

The Redskins defense isn't the same caliber it was last year, although they started strong. A lack of turnovers, lack of pass rush, and a suspect run defense are three major weaknesses. Two are enough to hurt a team but all three combined are debilitating. Maybe Gregg Williams won't be flooded with head coaching offers after all. Teams have figured that max protecting is the best way to stave off his zone blitzing schemes.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/27/AR2005112700313.html

Nothing is impossible with these Skins. Unfortunately, with that statement the team is on the wrong side of impossible.

It's inconceivable that the Skins should lose to an inferior team like the Raiders under not-deserving-to-be-a-head-coach-because-of-the-lack-of-discipline Norv at HOME with his 24th ranked defense. Follow that with a seemingly strong outing against the solid Chargers but let a 10-point lead slip away in the fourth quarter. For the third straight game. At HOME again. Giving up makeable field goal position with a holding penalty.

All the breaks that were falling the team's way in the first half of the season have caught up with them. Is it possible that the Skins could go 5-0 to close out the season. Sure, anything is possible. But for all intents and purposes, the team's playoff chances are out the window. This was the one opportunity to make up ground with both the Cowboys and the Giants having lost and the Skins having games with each of them to finish out the season. It's always heartbreaking to see your team drop games. If they can finish on a strong enough note to finish 8-8, it will be a lot of fans happy. Not nearly as happy as a playoff-bound season, though.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/20/AR2005112000318.html

The Skins' offense fails again with three turnovers. Two big-time fumbles by Clinton Portis. The Skins' defense finally scored but couldn't make enough other big plays to make up for the woeful offense. Like most Norv teams, the Raiders' high-octane offense was hampered by a weak defense. However, the Skins' once-high-octane offense didn't dominate the Raiders D the way it should have and instead, the Raiders made Brunell looked awful. The Skins went into the locker room with a 13-3 lead. Gibbs, once the master of halftime adjustments, was outadjusted by Norval and his staff.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/18/AR2005111801621.html

David Patten is out for the season.

He hasn't made an impact anyway. The Skins can only benefit, hoping that Taylor Jacobs makes the most of this opportunity with his speed.

The Skins had Kevin Dyson in training camp but he was cut early. Besides coming up one yard short in the Super Bowl, Dyson also had the infamy of being the receiver drafted (#16) before Randy Moss (#21). Have his skills deteriorated that badly that the team would bring back local boy Rich Parson before him?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/15/AR2005111501723.html

Two big problems with Williams' defense.

1. Everyone recognizes the lack of pressure from the front four. Rushing only four never seems to be enough, which is a major problem. The Redskins desperately need to address this. Is the solution switching to 3-4 and having Arrington rush? I'm sure Williams has considered that option and even utilizes it occasionally. But the base defense remains the 4-3 missing the key ingredient of Cornelius Griffin inside. This should be the #1 priority in the offseason, addressed through the draft.

2. Blitzing with safeties leaves the corners on islands for a few seconds. That's okay when your corners are Champ Bailey, Fred Smoot, or Shawn Springs. It's not okay when it's Walt Harris and rookie Carlos Rogers covering, who get burned for huge plays.

Redskins Lose In Dramatic Fashion to Bucs

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/13/AR2005111300485.html

The end result leaves faithful followers with tons of questions about the Redskins' ability to compete as a team and stay in the playoff hunt.

Why didn't Brunell try throwing the ball on his last possession of the game, instead of running fruitlessly on 4th and 10? Why does the offense keep committing turnovers to put themselves in holes? Why is Gregg Williams' once-famed defense leaking huge holes? How can an unknown receiver like Edell Shepherd and inexperienced QB Chris Simms connect to make big plays? Why wasn't there any pressure on Simms? How come, with everyone in the stadium knowing that Alstott was getting the ball, they still couldn't stop him?

The defense is rightfully taking a lot of the blame for allowing the Bucs to move down the field. On the flip side, the offense was the side that committed three turnovers in the first half and allowed the Bucs to get up on an 11-point lead.

It's going to be a tough race to get into the playoffs. The Skins' best bet is to win the NFC East because the NFC South is likely to garner the two wild card berths. The Skins need Philly to beat Dallas on Monday night to keep the NFC East bunched up.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/11/06/AR2005110600810.html
What a gutsy win by the Washington Redskins. I'm sure many Skins fans were anticipating a melt-down of epic proportions the way the Eagles marched down the field during that last drive. In fact, in a very glass half-empty vision, with plenty of time on the clock and assuming that the Eagles scored a TD to tie, it was entirely possible that they could have forced a Redskins 3-and-out on the ensuing possession to get the ball back with some time left and a shot at a game winning FG.

Instead, the Skins held on four straight downs after giving up a huge 26-yard pass play to Reggie Brown and then a 27-yard screen down the sideline to Brian Westbrook.

Beating Philly is a huge emotional hurdle the team has overcome. Despite all of the Eagles' troubles this year (primarily TO, injuries, and the lack of a running game), until teams prove that they can knock them out of the driver's seat, they are still the reigning NFC champions. Their determined play, bringing the game down to the final two minutes and on the Skins' 7-yard line, proved as much.

The Redskins' run game is having some problems getting established. David Patten has less than 200 yards receiving (although he's been able to draw a couple big pass interference calls). And the Redskins' were getting run roughshod prior to facing the hapless Eagles run game.

Looking ahead, the Skins' face stiff challenges in the 5-3 Bucs, the explosive Raiders and Rams, and LT and the physical Chargers. They play to Cardinals in Arizona and finish off the season with a trifecta of divisional games.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/30/AR2005103001106.html

It was worse than what I could have thought. Tiki Barber stunned the Redskins from the opening play. The previously suscepible Giants defense swarmed the Skins O. Riding an emotional wave, the G-Men not only pitched a shutout but they did so in convincing fashion.

Giants-Redskins Matchup

The ESPN analysts are picking the Redskins to come out on top. However, there is much more to this game than the Skins' D vs. Giants' O and vice versa. The main poits that is ignored is the intangibles factor.

The emotional aspect where the home team will be honoring Wellington Mara is a definitive edge. In addition, Antonio Pierce is highly motivated against his former compatriots. Brunell is playing against his former head coach in Tom Coughlin. Tim Hasselbeck knows the Skins' offense and has been briefing the Giants organization all week. These factors, combined with the fact that the Skins haven't solved the turnover problem (except for one week against the lowly Niners) will likely amount to big problems for the Redskins. It's easy to imagine that the Giants defense will elevate their level of play several notches, inspired by the emotional calling. They will probably play better than they have all season. Plus, once they force a couple turnovers, the face of the game changes completely.

CBS Sportsline has analysts who are believers of this latter theory. Plus, they point out that despite giving up a lot of yardage, the Giants defense has forced a league-leading 18 turnovers.

NFL.com - NFL News

All the NFL.com analysts vote Mark Brunell as the "new" QB of the year. The question is how long he can maintain his impressive performance. Closely tied to Brunell's fortunes are those of Santana Moss. He is on a tear, on pace to break the team record for receiving yardage. Clearly, the revamped offense has worked wonders in the first half of the year.

What will happen, though, is that opposing defensive coordinators will get more footage of the opened-up Redskins' offense with each successive game. They will then be able to game-plan better to contain Moss. The Brunell to Moss combo will be far less potent in the second half of the year. Meanwhile, the running game will open up as defenses back off to prevent the big play. Defensive coordinators will also be more than willing to give up the underneath stuff. Gibbs then has to be ready to adjust his receivers' routes to hitches, curls, and slants.

An exciting play to see unfold was the double screen to Cooley in the San Francisco game. As John Madden always notes, defenses have become much better at sniffing out and defending screen than offenses have been at executing them. However, the double screen is often very effective because the defense gets spread out.

As Taylor matures, his game improves�-�Sports�-�The Washington Times, America's Newspaper

Sean Taylor is a force to be reckoned with. He hit Patrick Crayton so hard it forced the ball out to prevent a 3rd down conversion late in the game as the Cowboys were driving. I still believe that was possession and a fumble.

He made a big play with an interception against the 49ers. The tackle from Brandon Lloyd looked like it could have caused a severe ankle injury. Nevertheless, all indications are that Taylor will play against the Giants.

On the other hand, I stand by my previous post that Sean Taylor is around for this season only. Each game that they get out of him is a bonus since his assault charge likely means serious jail time.

With Taylor, Marcus Washington, and now LaVar Arrington back in the mix, commentators and analysts can't refer to Gregg Williams' defense as a no-name defense.

Griffin's Status: Day-to-Day

Losing Griffin would be quite a blow. Between Burress, Shockey, Manning, and Barber, the Giants have an explosive offense. Griffin truly anchors the middle. Without him, the Skins would have a gaping hole.

On the other hand, going to a 3-4 could allow LaVar Arrington to get on the field more. Renaldo Wynn and Philip Daniels are perfectly suited to be 3-4 ends that are closer to being defensive tackles and plugs than anything else. It's convenient that the Skins were able to get some practice at the 3-4 against the hapless Niners.

Redskins Quash the Niners

Despite Gibbs' rants, this was a gimme win. Nevertheless, it's Gibbs' role to make sure his team doesn't get complacent and overlook a lowly team like the Niners. Luckily, they performed the way most people expected them to. They beat the Niners soundly in all three phases of the games. They got LaVar Arrington significant playing time, they racked up sacks, they created turnovers. Portis scored. The offense minimized mistakes. This was the complete performance that defines a good team. It will be interesting to see if the team can keep the momentum heading into the roughest part of their schedule, starting with the Giants next week.

The rushing TD that the second team allowed to Frank Gore was awful. Up to that point, they had allowed ~70 yards rushing. Then that rushing yardage was promptly doubled.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/20/AR2005102001821.html

This article mentions a point that many Skins followers, myself included, thought -- going from Coles with his great work ethic to injured Moss would be a downgrade. It seemed as though their speed was probably equivalent. In reality, it's a significant difference. Moss has breakaway speed and consistently makes big plays work. Switching from Coles and Gardner to Moss and Patten seemed like a push at best. However, Moss' game-breaking ability is head and shoulders above what preceded him. Patten still has yet to prove that he was a worthy addition. As more defenses roll toward Moss, he'll get his opportunity.

Many fans who have felt hopeless with Dan Snyder running the show and recognized that he was too involved. He was the one who felt that the Skins should have drafted Santana Moss whereas Schottenheimer, who was calling all the football shots at the time, drafted Gardner instead. Now this proves that at least on this one point, Snyder was right. For fans, this may be a dangerous precedent because they don't want to see "Jerry Jones hand-picks Quincy Carter and Chad Hutchinson"-type moves.

Coles is still a good player. If he got his foot operated on and was 100%, he'd be in the upper echelon again. Imagine if the Skins had Coles and Moss (rather than Gardner).

Who would have predicted that the Skins offense would be humming along, at least yardage-wise? Who else besides Joe Gibbs looked at the offseason moves and thought that the Skins had actually upgraded? There's still a long season to go but all the parts are there to continue the ride the rest of the season. The nagging thing is the turnover battle.

Skins Bumblingly Lose to the Chiefs

Sigh. I guess it was to be expected. I already foresee a 1-2 or possibly even 0-3 stretch with NY, Philly, and TB. The turnover ratio is absolutely crippling to the team. Football analysts are singing Gregg Williams' praises and hailing the Skins defense as a playoff-caliber defense. However, without forcing any turnovers, it definitely falls short of the mark. A suffocating defense that doesn't force turnovers is simply a bend don't break defense. In this case, the Redskins defense has bent and broken. Last weekend, it was Tatum Bell with two explosive runs and Jeb Putzier with a big play down the middle. This weekend, Priest Holmes had an impressive screen-run and catch where multiple defenders grasped at air, looking pedestrian in pursuit. Where are the zone blitzes? Where are the sacks? A defense that allows less yardage but doesn't sacks nor turnovers isn't as valuable as a defense that does the opposite.

On the other side of the ball, one can only wonder how stalwart Jon Jansen, former Pro Bowler Chris Samuels, and line coach Joe Bugel let a rookie beat each of them to have a phenomenal game. He pressured, he sacked, he forced fumbles, and he recovered.

The Niners offer hope for redemption, however short. For one week, the Skins have an opportunity to get back on track and play mistake free football. They have the opportunity to start fresh and carry that over into their next three games.

The Broncos loss stung. The defense just couldn't contain Tatum Bell, who sprung open for two long TD runs. The Skins made a go of it at the end but the missed FG opportunities made all the difference. What I don't understand is why, at the end of the first half, Gibbs chose to Hail Mary it instead of giving Novak a shot from 59 yards. His leg seemed strong enough on the 54 yarder (which was wiped out by Sellers' false start).

Tomorrow's game against the Chiefs is critical. If they can win, it'll be tremendous - they'll push their record to 4-1 with the Niners the following week. They could be 5-1 and exuding confidence when they enter the roughest part of their schedule -- facing the Giants, Eagles, and Bucs. On the other hand, if they end up losing to the Chiefs and are on a downward trend, it looks like trouble. Even given a win against the 49ers (which is no guarantee in this league), they'd be 4-2 but without the confidence boost and could potentially drop three in a row and be 4-5 in a very bad-case scenario. Then they face a troubled but talented Raiders team (with a vengeful Norv) having lost 4 of their last 5. The Skins really have to be at their best and prove that they can eliminate mistakes, force turnovers, and execute in all three phases.

Arrington's Hefty Contract Limits Redskins' Options

Arrington's Hefty Contract Limits Redskins' Options

LaVar Arrington's lack of playing time is extremely disappointing. He was one of the players dedicated to the Redskins, who went out of his way to make accommodations for the team (if I'm remembering correctly) by restructuring his contract, and starred for the team when they struggled mightily. There is no doubt that he's a talented and charismatic player. The fact that he isn't getting any playing time is not only perplexing; it seems downright dismissive of Skins coaching and management.

Arrington has been known to play out of position and make mistakes in the past but by sitting him on the bench and not working with him, the Skins are wasting a perennial Pro Bowl talent who once had an incredibly bright looking future.

3-0. Fans in DC are getting excited but some of us know better. Three wins by a total of six points against mediocre to bad teams is far from impressive. It's certainly better than 0-3 but playing a good team like the Broncos is truly going to show the team what it is made of. If the Skins are able to split the 2-game road trip against the Chiefs and Broncos, there will be merit to their record.

Otherwise, playing against a hot team like the Giants or the perennial powerhouse that is the Eagles will bring them crashing back down to earth.

http://washtimes.com/sports/20050921-121731-6078r.htm

I found it hard to believe. Too many times over the last 10 years have the Skins been the ones to give away games in the waning moments. Too many times did they commit ridiculous penalties to keep drives alive, fumble the ball away (Stephen Davis) to give Dallas time to mount a game-winning drive, or give up a huge play in the final seconds (Patrick Crayton). It was practically in the Skins' DNA to lose these games. And it showed in all the 1-7 point losses over the years. It showed in the 1-14 record over the past 15 games.

There was plenty with which to be to be disappointed. The 56 minutes of inept offensive output up to that point were pitiful. The 5 sacks given up were frustrating. The 3 turnovers were inexcusable. They're not going to make the playoffs averaging a -2.5 giveaway/takeaway ratio.

Too often have the Skins been in the Cowboys' shoes. But this time, for once, they pulled it off.

Luck changes for Gibbs' team on wild night in Dallas�-�Sports�-�The Washington Times, America's Newspaper

I found it unbelievable. How many times in the past 10 years have the Skins been up in the waning moments of the game and then have it slip through their fingers with stupid plays and maybe questionable calls that aid the other team? It seems countless. The Skins always seemed to be the ones caught with their pants down in the end -- especially losing to a guy like Bill Parcells, who basically owns Joe Gibbs.

This time, however, the situation was inexplicably reversed. The Skins pulled a handful of wild plays out of their hat and the Boys were the ones looking bewildered and downtrodden at the end. How beautiful to see Jerry Jones and Parcells look tormented and depressed that way. How wonderful that it happened the night the Triplets were inducted into the Ring of Honor. How perfect it was to do it in such dramatic fashion and shock all of Dallas. So often the Skins had been on the wrong side of the equation, with the most recent loss to Dallas, courtesy of Crayton and Sean Taylor as a prime example. Not to say that the Skins really look good as a team because the offense obviously still has major issues. Allowing five sacks is inexcusable and being -5 in turnover ratio is horrible. But at least this time, for one night, the Skins pulled it off. Glorious.

Brunell Is Named Starting QB

Ramsey being demoted is an extremely surprising development given Gibbs' reputation for loyalty. Ramsey has to feel like this is a stab in the back after Gibbs spent the entire offseason saying that this is Patrick's team. It's unfair given the long leash Brunell had last year while Ramsey was only given one game before being pulled (if it truly wasn't injury-related as Gibbs claims).

However, it is the best move for the Skins as a team. As much as he's been given the opportunity to eliminate mistakes, Ramsey never did play mistake-free football. In the preseason, he still had a penchant for holding the ball too long and throwing INTs at the wrong time.

With Jason Campbell waiting in the wings, Ramsey may have to hope for injury to his friend Brunell in order to prove himself again. Otherwise, he'll be looking for work elsewhere after this season.

Skins Edge Bears

While it's great that the Skins were victorious, it's extremely disappointing that it barely happened against one of the weaker teams in the league starting a rookie quarterback. I'm sure we all hoped that the Skins would be able to force Orton into throwing 4 picks and that the Skins would win in a rout. The Bears were only able to score because of Antonio Brown fumbling so they got a very short field to work with.

The fact that Washington barely beat Chicago reveals what all Skins fans feared but hoped might not be true, that the Skins are also bottom dwellers. With the kinds of mistakes that they made on offense and special teams, they won't be able to compete with better teams, like Dallas on Monday night.

The Skins and Fantasy Football

In our 10-team league, Portis fell to the middle of the second round, which I found a bit surprising. I picked up Santana Moss in the 11th round with pick #102 and needing a TE to round out the roster, drafted Chris Cooley in the 12th round with pick #119.

I would have loved to pick up Kerry Collins and should have done so in the 5th round but I didn't know he was still available. I was drafting remotely with the commish helping me make selections with general guidelines of my draft strategy while I happened to be at dinner with some friends. I picked up Mike Anderson in round 5 and Collins got picked up 3 picks later (to the commish, no less). Then I compete against commish in week 1 and Collins throws 3 TDs and scores 20 points on me.

Nevertheless, I feel good about the roster I compiled even if it was remote. We play 2 QBs, 3 RBs, 3 WRs, and 1 TE. My picks, in order:

Tomlinson - Chargers
Barber - Giants
TO - Eagles
Arrington - Cards
M. Anderson - Broncos
D. Jackson - Seahawks
Boldin - Cards
Warner - Cards
McNair - Titans
Staley - Steelers
Moss - Skins
Cooley - Skins
Houshmandzadeh - Bengals

Cooley probably won't get more than 400 yards and 6 TDs. Moss has the potential of going for 1100-1200 yards and 8 TDs. I predict Patten will end up just shy of 1000 yards and 5 TDs. Between them, Thrash and Jacobs will probably combine for 500 yards and 4 TDs.

This could be a big year for Portis. If he stays healthy and the line stays healthy (both of which are always big IFs in the Not For Long league), he should be able to get his 1500 yards, depending on how much he's spelled by Betts.

Special teams players

Hall, Groom, Brown, and Albright, naturally.

Also, Carlos Rogers, Molinaro, Sellers, Kozlowski, Thrash, Khary Campbell, Jimoh, Walt Harris, Cartwright, Stoutmire, Prioleau, Ryan Clark, Royal, Keasey, and probably Broughton.

I don't know what special teams positions look like but I imagine that for punt coverage, the gunners are likely Jimoh and Thrash. Albright snaps to Groom so that's a total of four. Then there are three men on each side flanking Albright and the upback.

The following is complete speculation: Molinaro, Sellers, Kozlowski, Royal, Campbell, and Keasey are candidates to man the line. A typical scenario may have Molinaro, Sellers, Kozlowski, and Campbell along the line, along with faster guys like Clark, Stoutmire, and/or Prioleau manning the edges. Then Broughton is probably the upback.

KO coverage probably removes Molinaro and Albright from the equation and replaces Groom with Hall. The S and LBs probably run down to cover kickoffs to lay good hits as well as Rogers, Jimoh, and Thrash for speed. Keasey and Cartwright have made tackles on KO coverage.

Final Cuts: Dyson, 16 Others

McCants was immediately signed by WR-depleted Philly. The Skins then proceed to keep Taylor Jacobs on potential while cutting Kevin Dyson and the previously-mentioned unnotable Jimmy Farris. However, in his last preseason game, Farris then did all he could to prevent from getting cut with a 2 TD game and still can't last, which can only be extremely disheartening.

We can go through the roster and figure out who was guaranteed to be one of the 53 spots. On offense, each of the 3 QBs was set. Both Portis and Betts were safe. Moss, Patten, and Thrash were guaranteed to make it. The starting line of Jansen, Thomas, Rabach, Thomas, and Samuels are locked, and backups Ray Brown and Raymer were pretty much set as well. Chris Cooley, Sellers, and Robert Royal were solid. That's 18 on offense.

LS Ethan Albright was safe as was John Hall. Groom surprisingly beat out Chris Mohr for the P spot vacated by Tupa. That's 3 more spots for special teams, bringing the total to 21.

On defense, Daniels, Salave'a, Noble, Griffin, and Wynn were going to make it for the D-line. Behind them, Holdman, Arrington, Marshall, and Washington were guaranteed LB spots. Rogers, Springs, and Walt Harris were going to be the top three corners, and Clark, Bowen, and Taylor are the top three safeties. That's 15 spots on defense, bringing the total to 36.

That leaves 17 spots vacant and they fall among certain areas. Both lines need depth and rotation. The O-line got 9 spots, which is probably best. Having only 3 backups seems like you can run out of people in a hurry. Friedman had an inside track since he can play both C and G. Molinaro got the last spot. I found it surprising that Mark Wilson was cut but expect him to get re-signed to the practice squad. Maybe it shouldn't be too shocking since he was the 10th man. Molinaro and Wilson had been praised last year togethr as the next generation Hogs.

At WR, I'm shocked that Jacobs survived. Perhaps his status as a 2nd round draft pick bought him a little more time. If Farris still has eligibility, he'll likely get re-signed to the practice squad.

I can't see Gibbs ever deploying a Charlie Weis-like 5 WR set but if they ever do, they'll probably split Cooley out wide before putting Antonio Brown on the field. As far as H-back/TE/FB, the Skins kept a surprising glut of players between Cooley, Royal, Sellers, Kozlowski, Cartwright, and Broughton. Having a 3rd tailback like Cartwright seems prudent given some bad history the Skins have had like when they had to press Chad Morton into RB duty. [Speaking of which, Morton was cut by the Pats, so the Skins should have re-signed him to a 1-year deal and gotten rid of Brown.] Broughton seems extraneous.

The LB spots figured to have two more positions open but surprisingly, the Skins kept 3 slots there, which went to the surprise keeper, Zak Keasey, an undrafted rookie free agent from Princeton, Khary Campbell, and Chris Clemons. On the D-line, it's surprising that Ron Warner, who got a good amount of playing time last year, was bumped out by Nic Clemons.

Stoutmire and Prioleau were good shots to make it given the Skins need for depth at safety as well as their special teams experience. However, it's surprising that Garnell Wilds didn't make it given the notoriety he got for covering Randy Moss in last year's season finale. He must not have played on special teams which seems like a must for any unproven non-starter. Otherwise, you're just taking up roster space.

Cal football

Cal destroys Sac State in their opener. http://calbears.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/090305aah.html

Sac State WR Ryan Coogler: "Positives are that we know we can play with anybody. Negatives are that we need to get better at finishing games."

Is this guy for real? How can you be demolished by a score of 41-3 and say that you know you can play with anybody? Doesn't a 0 for 10 QB stretch and 2 fumbled handoffs while the opponent STILL beats you handily mean that you're nowhere near in the same class as them? Hey Ryan, you could have scored 5 touchdowns and you still would have lost. Talk about delusional.

It's very upsetting that Longshore was supposedly looking as good as he was and is now out for the season. Everyone must be scratching their head with what is going on with the JC transfer Ayoob, who was supposed to be highly regarded. He's obviously confused himself. Perhaps Tedford's playbook is too complex for him. All other material on him before this season points to a promising player. I really hope he turns a corner in the next week or two or Cal won't be able to compete against the PAC-10.

Cuts: McCants, Newberry, Smith

It blows my mind that the Skins would cut a guy like McCants, who has performed on the field in the past, compared to unknowns like Jimmy Farris and Jamin Elliott.

McCants has been hugely disappointing after a promising rookie season.

Patrick Ramsey completed some deep balls, which is promising. The three long completions to David Patten and the strike to Thrash in the Bengals game provide confidence that the game plan is indeed opening up. It would be better to see a higher completion percentage and no turnovers but one step at a time, I guess.

Ladell Betts

I've said this before but I'll say it again. The Skins would do well with Betts as their featured back. He's got the straight-ahead pound-it mentality that fits Gibbs' power running offenses. It's not that the Redskins shouldn't have traded Bailey for Portis since Bailey wasn't about to re-sign with the team anyway. But in that trade, the Skins also did lose a 2nd rounder.

If Betts were to be the #1 guy, the Skins could now dangle Portis for a talented receiver or defender in return. The only prerequisite would be that the team develop a #3 guy that can step up to be Betts' understudy in case he goes down.

TimesDispatch.com | Full speed ahead

It's interesting that Gibbs' offense was labeled as ultra-conservative. He comes from the Air Coryell family. Norv also runs an Air Coryell offense as does Mike Martz, who learned it from Norv but has since added his own wrinkles. Gibbs also tailored his offensive scheme behind a power running game with Counter Treys and Counter Gaps but it definitely still has roots in Air Coryell. His offense had the Posse (Art Monk, Gary Clark, and Ricky Sanders) also accumulate 1,000 yards receiving in the same season. Conservative was one of the last terms I would have ever used to describe Gibbs' offense. Yet on the field last year, it really was a risk-averse playbook. The same downfield plays that used to be a staple of Gibbs' playcalled during the late 80s and early 90s were missing. It might be a function of his comfort level with his QB and the receivers at that time. With more comfort in Ramsey and the knowledge that Moss and Patten can separate, the downfield shots should be a much bigger part of the game this year.

Terrell Owens

What an unbelievable circus in Philadelphia. This is great a negative impact as Skins fans could hope for coming out of the city of brotherly love. TO has turned everything upside down along with his ridiculous agent Drew Rosenhaus. Who tries to re-negotiate after only the 1st year of a very generous deal! At this stage, it seems like a longshot that Brian Dawkins and Jeremiah Trotter (who, according to ESPN, are trying to bring together TO and the Eagles camp together) will be able to call a cease-fire. TO's attitude is ridiculous. He ought to be banished from the game. The longer he's a distraction to the Eagles, the better it is for the Redskins.

Gibbs Apologizes for Insulting Dallas Fans

Does one, especially when that one is Joe Gibbs, really have to apologize about what is so obviously a joke and meant in good fun? Would anyone honestly think that Joe Gibbs truly believes Dallas residents are ugly people.

It's tough in this day and age when you are a public figure and everything that you say and do is scrutinized so heavily. Such is the influence of the media.

Returnees That (Hopefully) Will Make A Difference

The sad but fortunate thing about last year's team are the number of players hit by injury that lost significant time. Yet Williams was still able to cobble together a defense in his first year with relative no-names stepping up. Lemar Marshall got some good game experience. So did Garnell Wilds and players on the D-line.

The silver lining is that getting players back from injury is like a little jackpot. Arrington only played 4 games last year. What if he'd been able to play a full season? How much more of a difference could he have made? One would assume so (although Arrington's mental mistakes have also hurt them in the past). Philip Daniels was injured most of the time with pulled stomach and groin muscles. Would he have been able to help with a stronger pass rush? One would assume so. Bowen returns - he will definitely be a factor. If the Redskins can keep most of these core players, including stars from last year's squad - Shawn Springs, Marcus Washington, Cornelius Griffin, healthy, it makes for just as good a core group, if not better.

People look at the Skins' offseason acquisitions and have pretty much counted them out because of a lack of star power in terms of free-agent signings. The difference is that Gibbs will translate his one-year crash course back to the modern NFL into on the field wins. This team should finish 8-8, if not better, simply because Gibbs will have adjusted. And although the acquisitions aren't headliners, they are ones that have his stamp on them. Presumably, they are players that can come and be solid contributors. Omar Stoutmire and Prioleau add excellent secondary depth, for example.

Barrow of Laughs
Why the Skins stuck with Mike Barrow as long as they did, I will never understand. It seemed pretty clear early on that he was an over-the-hill injured player that wasn't going to make it on the field. The Skins should have released him early and focused with all their might on retaining Antonio Pierce. I'll never figure that one out.

Yahoo! Sports - NFL - Redskins' Sean Taylor expresses no regrets

I read this and shake my head. Again, I feel that Sean Taylor is a lost cause. So one half-full way to look at the situation is that any playing time that the Redskins can get out of him before he destroys his own future is now a bonus.

That said, the Skins should look to make a move in the secondary preparing for life without Sean Taylor. The return of Matt Bowen should be a big plus. Between Lott and the other young players in the secondary that stepped up while Bowen was gone, hopefully the Skins will have it covered.

Taylor really needs someone to take him under his wing and show him the right way to do things and conduct himself. Unfortunately, neither his agent Drew Rosenhaus nor Clinton Portis are the ones to do so. Even more unfortunately, those are probably the two people closest to him in his professional life.

So long Taylor, it was nice to see the flash of talent that you had. Too bad we won't enjoy it for too much longer.

Gardner to Carolina

It's really too bad that Gardner never panned out. He had a hit-or-miss sophomore season but it certainly was promising in that he broke the 1000-yard barrier. In the end, though, Rod Gardner needed to be able to get open on his own, something he never appeared capable of doing on a regular basis. He's been very pedestrian the last two years. It's such a shame that the Skins wasted a first round draft pick on him and will probably get no better than a 4th round pick in return. On the flip side, they were going to release him anyway so better something than nothing.

The irony is that the Skins could have picked Santana Moss instead of Gardner if they (gasp!) listened to Danny Boy. Marty was running the show then and wanted a big receiver. Danny liked Moss' explosiveness and big play ability. Theoretically, then, the Skins could have had both the speedy Coles and Moss as their starting receivers.

Some other notable choices the Skins passsed up in order to select Gardner: Reggie Wayne, Deuce McAllister, Todd Heap, Chad Johnson, Alge Crumpler, Kendrell Bell.

Redskins' Taylor Rejects Plea Offer in Assault Case

It looks like Sean Taylor may be a lost cause. There is no denying his talent on the football field. But these first two offseasons have been an absolute disaster. Given the cloud hanging over his head and the ominous beginning to his professional career, it's almost impossible to see a Pro Bowls unfolding down the road. In fact, if he's convicted of assault and battery, he won't even have a career.

This isn't to say that Kellen Winslow (the other viable and enticing option the Redskins had when they drafted Taylor) would have been better. Obviously, Winslow has had his share of problems. On the plus side, though, Winslow still can have a great career ahead of him. It's harder and harder to see that happening for Sean Taylor.

David Patten and Santana Moss as FF prospects

The future is bleak for Redskins fans that are looking to the WR corps to put up some statistics. If Moss stays healthy, he may be capable of gathering in 900 yards of catches. Patten is probably good for 700 yards. I predict that Thrash and Jacobs will combine for 600 yards. McCants will still be left out in the cold unless he contributes big-time in the first three or four games.

Redskins Draft Class

I'm glad that the Skins stayed put and didn't trade up. Carlos Rogers fills a need but I feel that they would have been much better served taking Mike Williams, who could make an instant impact on offense. Carlos Rogers, on the other hand, will be the third corner behind Springs and Harris, and won't get the ball in his hands to make game-changing plays.

As for the #25 pick in Jason Campbell, the term project pretty much equates to a worst case scenario of bust. I am very down on this pick. What makes matters worse is that the Skins have established #2 and #3 quarterbacks in Brunell and Hasselbeck, respectively. The Skins just recently re-signed Hasselbeck. Perhaps now they plan on trading him away for a low pick in next year's draft? If he stays on the active roster, does Campbell get allocated to NFL Europe and/or the Skins keep 4 QBs on the roster? That seems highly unlikely. This pick should have been used on a WR or DE that can step in and contribute right away. Everything in the NFL is very short term. A QB for the future should have been the least of their concerns.

Cal Bears in the Draft

Rodgers experienced a horrible day, falling from #1 to #24. However, he is in an ideal situation, sitting behind and developing behind the great Brett Favre. He will likely have a much more successful career than Alex Smith. I project that he will also have a better career than Jason Campbell who is going to be far too much of a project.

Arrington went in the second round as projected. He's a bit short but he's powerful and runs with forward lean. He has speed and he blocks well.

I'm shocked that the Saints took a gamble on Lyman as high as they did (in the 4th round). It's a big IF, but he can do a great job if stays injury free.

It's also surprising that Geoff McArthur went undrafted. It's safe to say, though, that someone will sign him as a rookie free agent. He must have graded too slow, not enough straight-line speed nor quickness in and out of breaks. He doesn't have as much upside as other players.

Matt Giordano (whom I neglected to mention in my predictions about Cal players) did have a great season but will need to add about 15-20 pounds to play at the NFL level. He's pretty fast for a safety and should be a pretty good fit for Tony Dungy's cover-2 defense in Indy. Ryan Riddle also went in the 6th round to hometown team Oakland.

NFL Draft Forecast

On the eve before the NFL draft, here are predictions for Redskins moves in the first round.

1. (prediction) The Redskins stupidly package their #9 and #25 picks in the first round and strike a trade with San Francisco for the right to pick Braylon Edwards. I will be very disappointed in Gibbs if the Skins pull off such a foolish move. This is the scenario most recently painted by the Washington Post.

2. If the Skins do keep their picks, they take Pac-Man Jones and Jason Campbell, as seems to be the current consensus. However, I disagree with the Campbell choice, thinking that the Skins should draft for need.

The reason moving to #1 to draft Edwards would be idiotic would be all the sacrifice given up to draft him. It has been pretty well-established that there this no clear-cut stud in this draft, head and shoulders above all others. It was already disheartening that the Skins gave up three picks including a valuable 3rd rounder. Hence, two first-rounders, a 3rd rounder and a 4th rounder next year make for way too steep a price for any rookie. The Skins' last 1st round WR picks have been busts, although bust is a bit extreme to describe Gardner. He's serviceable.

On the other hand, using 1st rounders to sign restricted free agents (like the move to sign Laveranues Coles) would be brilliant. It seems like a no-brainer to sign stars on the rise for the price of a #1 pick rather than play the "lottery" with college kids. Despite Coles wanting out and leaving a bad taste in Skins' fans mouths, he still played his heart out and had been a great acquisition. It's unfortunate that things ended the way they did.

Free Agents

It was disappointing to lost both Fred Smoot and Antonio Pierce. Both were the "true" Redskins Gibbs says he covet with the character to boot. Depending on what happens in the draft, it would be great to get experienced depth at both positions. One injury to Shawn Springs and the Skins are in major trouble. Walt Harris, Garnell Wilds and Ade Jimoh are not intimidating names. In fact, they very much sound like names that offensive coordinators would be happy to pick on.

Redskins 2005 Draft

What do with the #9 pick? The Skins' position needs are CB and WR. The Skins will likely picked whoever is still on the board between Braylon Edwards, Mike Williams, Antrel Rolle, and Pac-man Jones. And whoever it is, they will sit and learn behind the vets. At WR, the Skins will have Moss and Patten as #1 and #2, respectively. Thrash and Taylor Jacobs will compete for #3 and #4, respectively, with the new draft choice. In case it's Rolle or Jones, then he will compete with Wilds and Jimoh for the nickel slot. Jones has less appeal to the Skins than he does to other teams because the Redskins are set at return men with Morton and Moss.

I would actually be in favor of the Skins trading down for more picks and filling up spots. None of the four choices listed above are likely to make a significant impact in their first year or two.

Redskins Win One, Lose One (washingtonpost.com)

It's pretty disappointing to lose Antonio Pierce. A smart linebacker who can run Gregg Williams' complex schemes is not going to be easy to come by. Throughout the season, coaches kept raving about his intelligence. Even during his rookie season, Schottenheimer also praised him as the smartest LB that he'd been around. Pierce did a great job getting the defense lined up correctly.

The Skins won't be the same with 35-year old Mike Barrow lining the middle. 'Trading' a young rising star like Pierce to the Giants for Barrow is an unfortunate situation.

Obtaining David Patten is pretty underwhelming. The Skins probably could have had him for even less. He's turning 31 this year, maybe has 3 solid seasons left in him, and has never had more than 824 yards.

We can only hope that the team can make one WOW acquisition. Maybe they're saving it for the draft.

Cal Football in the NFL Draft

Cal QB Aaron Rodgers could very well be the first overall pick in the draft. He could have had an outstanding year if all his receivers had stayed healthy. Geoff McArthur had an off year, Chase Lyman was tragically injured after a fantastic start, Burl Toler was injured, and Jonathan Makonnen never got off the injury wagon either. In fact, Lyman played in only 3.5 games and still finished as the team's second leading receiver yardage-wise. Rodgers was throwing only to McArthur and his backs as outlets all season long.

Add some playmakers around him and he'd be able to do some amazing things. Rodgers has far more potential to succeed in the NFL than Boller ever will. If Rodgers does go to the Niners as the top pick, it would be a dream come true for Rodgers since he loved San Francisco growing up and idolized Montana and Young. The downside is being part of a team where the owner doesn't want to spend money to build a winning program. Rodgers would be better off in a QB-friendly environment. SF isn't one of those places.

JJ Arrington has been turning heads with his solid performances at the combine. Arrington can be an excellent back at the pro level because he'll pound it inside and take the yards he can get. He has speed for a burst but can be as good a back as Curtis Martin or Stephen Davis.

If Chase Lyman is able to get a workout with a team, his size and speed will impress. His biggest albatross is his unfortunate injury history. If a team takes a chance on him, they'll get a phenomenal talent with huge upside if he can stay healthy.

Ryan Riddle and Lorenzo Alexander played great for Cal's stout defense but are mid-round prospects at best.

Joe Maningo is undersized and probably a tad slow for the pros. If he does get drafted, he'll have to earn his way with special teams. He'll also have to hope for a break when guys ahead of him on the depth chart go down.

Wendell Hunter is undersized as well but he could project to safety. He has the speed.

Moss in Oakland

Are you kidding me? Mike Tice, who appeared to be a pretty good fit to keep Moss under control, couldn't do it. The only coach in the league who can probably do it is Parcells but thank goodness for the Redskins Moss didn't go to the Cowboys. Instead, Randy Moss is now Norv Turner's problem.

This is the same Norv Turner that couldn't handle Michael Westbrook. Westbrook was immature, had discipline problems, and beat up Stephen Davis. But in comparison to Moss' behavior, Westbrook doesn't compare. Norv the non-disciplinarian is going to get walked all over by a guy like Moss. Norv's only saving grace is winning football games. If they win, everyone will be happy and overlook the antics. Norv's problem is that his lack of a disciplined team means they won't try hard enough and they will lose games. I feel for Raiders fans... it will be an up and down season. Kerry Collins, Porter, and Moss can make for a great combination but they may have an equally trying season with frustrating losses.

Brian Mitchell

It's about time BMitch returned to the Skins. It was terrible that he left on bad terms with the team and it's a relief to know that he considers himself a Redskin through and through. He's as much Mr. Redskin as Darrell Green was. It's perfect that Gibbs welcomes him for his short-lived return. As much as people talk about his career stats being second-only to Rice in all-purpose yards, I highly doubt that Brian Mitchell will ever be considered for the Hall of Fame.

Jeremiah Trotter

Speaking of returns, Trotter's successful return to Philly pisses me off horribly. The Redskins made him rich by rewarding his Pro Bowl years at their division rival. Then he arrives in DC and does nothing. In fact, he did nothing but prove himself utterly replaceable. I guess it must be Jim Johnson's system that suits Trotter so well. But the high-profile signings for huge $ and underpeformance is a sad trend. Wilkinson, Stubblefield, Sanders, Trotter. What makes it worse about Trotter was his mending of ways with Philly and stabilizing the middle for them.

Art Monk

Re: the Hall of Fame, it seems like Monk is destined to always fall short when the final cuts are made. His teammate Gary Clark (my favorite Redskin of all time) ironically becomes his opponent because Monk detractors say that Clark made the clutch catches. I guess those detractors conveniently forget that he set the single-season record for receptions with 106, retired as the #1 receiver in catches, teamed with Clark and Ricky Sanders to be only the second trio with 1,000 yards receiving), and was a part of three Super Bowl teams.

Randy Moss and Plaxico Burress

Both would be outstanding players for a Redskins looking to upgrade its receiving corps. A potentially horrific situation for the rest of the league has either or those two signing with Philadelphia and lining up opposite Terrell Owens. However, the chances of that happening are slim to none based on the other players under Philly's salary cap. Both will be looking for huge signing bonuses.

From the personnel fit, though, neither Moss nor Burress is the kind of core Redskins player Gibbs preaches. Gibbs likes the hard worker, bust your butt kind of guy like a James Thrash or a Hines Ward. Laveranues Coles is definitely in that mold but he was severely limited this year by his injury. Moss and Burress are me-first players. On the flip side, Snyder has proven himself to make splash after splash in the free market arena. Clinton Portis isn't exactly the most selfless guy himself but is one that Gibbs stands behind. So there is certainly a chance (albeit remote) that either of them could end up with the Skins.

Very few rookie receivers have made huge impacts - Moss being the exception - so I am not keen on the Redskins drafting Mike Williams (who could have character issues) or Braylon Edwards (who doesn't stand out any more than his Michigan predecessor David Terrell). Rod Gardner has only proven himself as an inconsistent threat. One can see that Michael Westbrook had more talent than Gardner, it's too bad that Westbrook didn't dedicate himself in the off-season with a Jerry Rice-like work ethic to get better each day. Westbrook certainly had the potential but had two strikes against him - 1) injury bug, and 2) reliance on talent over hard work.

NFL In the end, Moss' antics likely to draw fine from NFL - CBS SportsLine.com

Moss was widely criticized for a mimicked mooning of the crowd during this weekend's wild card game. The announcer in particular called it "disgusting" and "classless." I had the same reaction as Tony Dungy; I found it pretty amusing. The action makes complete sense when you consider the history of the Packers fans mooning the visiting team bus as they leave, as mentioned in the article.

Given the announcer's violent reaction, you would have thought that Moss really bared his bottom to the viewing public. Lighten up folks.

Fantasy Football Recap:

Laveranues Coles - est. 1400 yds, 9-10 TDs; only 950 yds and 1 TD due to the new offense and his lingering toe injury

Rod Gardner - est. 900 yds, 6 TDs; Gardner will also have a bigger year but not huge (a late round pick); only 650 yds and 5 TDs; very disappointing season will probably result in Gardner departing the team in one form or another

James Thrash - est. 400 yds, 1-2 TDs (do not draft); 200 yds, no TDs; Gibbs regrets not making more use of Thrash but given the passing game maladies

Darnerian McCants - est. 200 yds, 3 TDs; McCants' red zone TDs will likely give way to Portis rushing them in (do not draft); extremely surprising that McCants was inactive so often this season

Clinton Portis - est. 1700 yds rushing/receiving, 15 TDs (a mid-1st rd pick); 1550 yds rushing/receiving, 3 TDs; although the total yardage was surprisingly close, the TD total was obviously far below expected; when you look at the body of work, Portis got the ball a lot throughout the year - the only times he had less than 20 touches were the first Philly game (18 touches for 33 yds), Pittsburgh (6 runs for 17 yds) and Dallas (10 carries for 32 yds). Continuing to tailor the run game to Portis with more stretch plays should pay dividends next season. Factor in the return of Jon Jansen and this could increase to 2000 yds rushing/receiving.

Mark Brunell - est. 2400 yds passing, 16 TDs/7 INTs; I see Brunell missing about 1/3 of the games due to injury (draft as 3rd QB); 1200 yds passing, 7 TDs/6 INTs; Brunell proved remarkably resilient and ineffective for playing the first half of the season; inconceivably passed for <100>Patrick Ramsey - est. 1100 yds passing, 6 TDs, 4 INTs subbing for Brunell; 1665 yds passing, 10 TDs, 11 INTs; Ramsey got more playing time than I anticipated but threw picks at the worst times; still not a viable fantasy option with only ~1 TD per game; in our league, his scores for his starts would have been 3 (PHI), 8 (PIT), 23 (NYG), 6 (PHI), 13 (SF), 7 (DAL), 15 (MIN).

Chris Cooley - est 200 yds, 2 TDs; not worth drafting"; 314 yds, 6 TDs; Cooley was the only player who exceeded expecations; Ramsey really looked to him in the second half and Cooley caught at least 3 balls in the last 6 games; however, even at his best, Cooley will never be in the same group as a Gonzalez, Gates, Crumpler or Witten

Ramsey made big strides at QB in '04 - Redskins Extra - The Washington Times: Sports - January 05, 2005

Calling Ramsey's progress "big" strides is pushing it. He made progress but then again, so did Eli Manning in his final four games. The fact that this progress comes while Ramsey is in his third year whereas Eli is in his first doesn't favor the veteran. On the other hand, it's better than going backwards.

The article certainly ends on a positive note about Gibbs' second second season with each new quarterback.

The Skins will have to upgrade their receiving corps to hope for the same type of success. Braylon Edwards doesn't have blazing speed that distinguishes him from Rod Gardner or former Wolverine David Terrell. In fact, he's much in the same mold as Gardner with his inconsistency. The Skins are better off with a burner at wideout and this is the time when Skins fans everywhere may be wishing that they had drafted Santana Moss instead of Gardner.

I didn't post at all during the season after the Skins' opening-day win. The team went on a 4-game losing skid and it was far too depressing to write. Even then, most of the games were close and winnable in the fourth quarter.

A few breaks here and there and the Skins could be 9-7. The inexplicable motion penalty during the Packers game comes to mind. The multiple turnovers in Giants territory in their first matchup also comes to mind. Bootleg after bootleg by Jeff Garcia on third downs resulting in killer first downs along with Coles' fumble on the Skins' last drive was enough to sabotage the Skins in the Cleveland game. The horrible Deion interception of Brunell in the Ravens game. The Ramsey interception at the end of the Eagles MNF game when they were well in field goal range. The debilitating TD pass given up with 30 seconds left against Dallas.

Now comes the time to look to the offseason. Rumored to be parting ways with the Redskins are Chris Samuels, Rod Gardner, and Smoot. Gardner would not be much of a loss. The Redskins need much more production and consistency than they are getting from their former first round pick. The Redskins would do well to draft a top receiver like Mike Williams of USC or Braylon Edwards from Michigan. Taylor Jacobs can improve and Thrash can contribute more. Samuels has not been particularly open to restructuring his contract for salary cap relief. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him leaving the team given his cap number. That would leave a gaping hole on the left side and the Skins will need to groom one of their two young rookie linemen (Wilson, Molinaro) as a replacement. Smoot's loss would not be debilitating either from a personnel standpoint. He's great for team morale but has been victimized plenty of times. The Cowboys, in particular, enjoy attacking him, often successfully.

The Skins' priority in free agency lies with a pass-rushing defensive end. The Skins absolutely have to be able to pressure with just the front four to become a dangerous defense. Otherwise, they are just a stout defense. The secondary and linebacking corps should be set. The offensive line may reshuffle, depending on what happens with Chris Samuels, but is probably okay. Chris Cooley really came on during the second half of the season and will become an increasingly bigger threat. He caught 3 or more balls in the last 6 games and also scored 3 touchdowns. Royal also made the most of his touches, scoring 4 TDs in the last 5 games.

Also on the positive end, Gregg Williams will be back. Jansen will be back. Bowen will be back. Arrington will return. The Redskins should be able to re-sign Pierce. If not, they've sufficiently developed Lemar Marshall. Taylor should be even better. This Redskins team has a good foundation for next year. They've instilled discipline with Gibbs, although their penalty yards might indicate otherwise. They'll be in their second year in the same system and Ramsey should be better by leaps and bounds. Gibb's offensive staff will have had an entire year to adjust to the shorter time clock as well as all the other changes they encountered after a decade-plus out of the league.

The offseason is always a time for hope and high expectations. In today's era of parity and worst to first, why not the Redskins?