To keep or not to keep?

The Redskins organization has already started negotations to keep Ryan Clark and Robert Royal. Arrington has expressed a desire to stay. The fans love him but from a system-perspective, the team wouldn't lose much if he left. There is considerable upside if he can harness his playmaking talents into the system and Gregg Williams uses him even more. I'd be very surprised if Patrick Ramsey stuck around. It's disappointing that the team spent a first round pick on him and won't get more than a mid-round pick in return.

Other notable players that may on the bubble:

Ladell Betts - negligible contributions as the backup RB, his KOR status could help his case, though
Matt Bowen - solid player, should try to keep for depth but could be cut because of Omar Stoutmire's and Pierson Prioleau's contributions on special teams
Antonio Brown - could be replaced in minicamp
Rock Cartwright - will probably lose his roster spot to more affordable Nemo Broughton
Walt Harris - the Skins can do better
Warrick Holdman - depends on what happens with Arrington, may become a starter again
Taylor Jacobs - should be gone, never took advantage of his opportunities
Cory Raymer - should be gone, looks like a liability
David Patten - will probably get another chance to contribute but will face major competition, possibly from the draft
James Thrash - will stick around because of his special teams contribution and hard-working attitude

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/14/AR2006011400588.html

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/14/AR2006011401280.html?nav=hcmodule

The Redskins came up short against Seattle. Forcing three turnovers, hardly being penalized, and knocking Shaun Alexander out of the game early, it's hard to believe that the Redskins wouldn't win.

The game was over when John Hall missed the 36 yard field goal. The Skins faithful had reason to believe when Santana Moss hauled in a deflected 20 yard touchdown and the ensuing kickoff was fumbled and recovered by Hall. However, Brunell missed on a 3rd and 4 to Moss streaking across the field, setting up the missed kick.

The subsequent Seattle series came down to a 3rd down where Mack Strong found a crack on the right side and rumbled for 32 yards.

Hasselbeck was impressive, making plays with his feet when the rest of the offense was out of rhythm. Gregg Williams had a good game plan to keep the Seahawks off balance. However, Hasselbeck made plays at critical times for first downs and scores.

It was a disappointing end but in retrospect the Skins had a successful season. They have a lot to hang their collective hat on. Gibbs rallied the troops after the nadir in the middle of the season to reel off 5 straight wins and claw their way into the postseason. The Skins have building blocks in place for the future. Gregg Williams will be back and none of the key players is a threat to leave. The offseason priority is to complement Moss with another gamechanger at wide receiver. The Patten acquisition didn't work out. If he Redskins can acquire say, Mike Williams in a trade, they may get the offensive presences they desperately need.

The Skins win, defeat Bucs 17-10!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/07/AR2006010700671.html

In unimpressive fashion, the Skins sprung out to an early lead in the first quarter, thanks to the defense and then hung on to edge out the Buccaneers.

The Washington offense was completely ineffective against the league's best defense, with under 100 yards rushing and 50 yards passing. Was it team speed? Was it a lack of weapons by the Redskins? Somewhere along the line, teams have beaten the Bucs defense but it sure looked impenetrable today.

The Redskins were the beneficiaries of two close calls. The Sean Taylor fumble return for a touchdown was probably Marcus Washington down by contact in the scrum. Fortunately for the Redskins, there wasn't any video evidence to conclusively indicate that was the case. The Edell Shepherd non-touchdown is a tough one to swallow for Tampa Bay fans. However, the league is being consistent. I believe last year Laveranues Coles had a catch on the sidelines that was also ruled incomplete. Although he'd clearly established possession in the air and gotten both feet inbounds, he didn't retain possession upon hitting the ground. When it comes back to today's game, in the end, it's a bit of karma. The Bucs benefited from the questionable call that was Alstott's 2-point conversion in the first matchup, and the Redskins benefited from these calls.

Sean Taylor's ejection for spitting was troubling. Will he be suspended for the next game? The Skins will desperately need him.

The Redskins now travel to Seattle to face the top NFC-seeded 'Hawks. The Skins got a lucky bounce when Brown's kick hit the uprights. Gibbs' offense will fare better against the Seahawks' defense than Monte Kiffin's unit. But the question is, is Gregg Williams' unit up to the task of stopping Shaun Alexander, Matt Hasselbeck, and that prolific Seahawks offense?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/03/AR2006010300765.html

Redskins' fans prayers are answered (at least for one season). Gregg Williams will be around for at least one more year. However, he may listen to job offers next year. Snyder played it smart to keep him around for at least this next year since these are when the most tempting job offers to Williams are appearing -- Houston, St. Louis, and Kansas City. Those organizations will hire replacement coaches and will likely give them two years minimum. By that time, Gibbs will have coached four out of his five year contract and will either be ready to hand the reins over to Williams or convince him to wait one final year.

http://www.washtimes.com/sports/20060103-124445-4073r.htm

This Washington Times article summarized made the point that many forward-thinking Redskins fans feared, namely, that if Williams left during the offseason, the Skins would be taking steps backward. Next year, instead of building on a promising season, the Skins could be worse off. Their defense might not be as good if Williams had been allowed to leave. A star player (Moss, Portis, Cooley) being injured would seriously derail the season the way it did for the Eagles.

By keeping Williams, the Skins' faithful can trust that at least their defense will be in good shape for a couple years. And defense wins championships, does it not?

Phillip Daniels and Cornelius Griffin

These two have provided the much needed pressure the Redskins have been lacking. Daniels finished the season with 8 sacks, with 6 of those in the last three weeks. Add pressure from the front four with an additional rush from Marcus Washington or Arrington and the Redskins may be ale to compensate for the depleted secondary in the game against the Bucs.

Redskins are in the playoffs!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/01/AR2006010100489.html

A downright scary game. Washington barely beat a team they should have swatted around. The depleted secondary was dangerously exposed.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/02/AR2006010200062.html

Joey Galloway will be hard to contain without Springs on the field. If Carlos Rogers can get back, then that's ideal. If not, some options are to play Sean Taylor at CB and/or play more zones with Bowen, Stoutmire, and Prioloeau as the extra DBs. Those are probably much better options than going with unknown Christian Morton.