DeAngelo Hall = Perfect Signing

Signing DeAngelo Hall is a great move. Shawn Springs and Fred Smoot have been hurt all season. He adds superior depth in a troublesome spot. I had been disappointed that the Redskins hadn't drafted Aqib Talib in the first round but Hall is a considerable upgrade. Best of all, he comes at low risk and minimal cost. Chances are that he will play well, the Skins will part ways (unfortunately) with Springs, and the team will reward Hall with a multi-year contract.

Hall had trouble in Oakland because they play a lot of man-press coverage whereas Hall was a successful zone corner in Atlanta. He will be re-energized by playing for his boyhood favorite team. Plus, anyone would be re-energized by leaving the black hole that is the Oakland Raiders. The Skins' locker room has enough leaders that any issues he'd otherwise bring will not be any kind of distraction. Kudos to the Danny and the Vinny for signing DeAngelo Hall.

Weak Nine

Obama wins! Tough sacrifice for diehard Redskins fans but one that almost anybody would be willing to make.

All comedy aside, though, the Skins were in for a rough night when they could only scrounge 6 points in the first quarter. Dick LeBeau showed exactly how to handle Jim Zorn's offense. As the Washington Post noted, quarterback Jason Campbell was the one who paid the price, suffering seven sacks and his first two interceptions. Portis was bottled up and the Redskins couldn't sustain any drives. Now every team will have a blueprint of how to frustrate the Midwest Coast Offense. In the humble opinion of a fan who's never played or coached football at any level, Zorn needs more rollouts, bootlegs, and backside runs to keep the defense guessing. Adding in more misdirection plays will be key.

Dallas will come in with a major chip on their shoulder after being embarrassed at home. Will Zorn and company be able to adjust their gameplan after their weaknesses were exposed? I believe so.

Week Eight

Again Washington played down to their level of competition. This game proved that the Skins were not an elite team. Even though they dominated, their errors and inability to close the game kept the game in doubt. An elite team would have destroyed the Lions with its no-name quarterback. It's nice to have the luxury of Santana Moss as a secret weapon on punt returns. It's also unfortunate that the punt return was the necessary difference in putting the game away.

The extremely slow development and minimal contribution of the top three draft picks is ridiculously frustrating. Nine catches for 69 yards between the three players with Malcolm Kelly on the verge of IR.

Week Seven

The Skins played down to their level of competition, the feisty but error-prone Cleveland Browns. They even recognized it. The team really needs to spread the running burden around. Cartwright and Alexander accounted for six runs but should have accounted for 10 carries. Portis has been outstanding but it will catch up with him in the second half of the season. Let's hope that Betts is ready to come in with fresh legs!

Weak Six

Of course. Classic trap game and the Skins fall right into the trap.

Everything pointed to the Rams pulling off the upset. The 0-4 Rams were in a desperate funk, most importantly, had two weeks to prepare, had re-installed Marc Bulger as starting QB, and were determined to make a strong first impression with Haslett at the helm. In addition, the potential has been there all along - they just hadn't pulled it all together. The record obviously belied the talent. In addition, the Skins were huge favorites and all the pundits had finally jumped on the bandwagon.

In some ways, it's good that the team deals with this adversity now so that after they get past the next few games, they don't suddenly spiral downwards when encountering stiff competition. That would be the Norv Turner team that started 6-2 but finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs.

The Skins ran the ball well. On the other hand, the Rams obviously found something to exploit in the Redskins offense that led to stalls, breakdowns and the first offensive turnovers of the season. The 4-1 start had many fans irrationally exhuberant, including yours truly.

However, it's reasonable to assume that the second half of the season will be much tougher than the first half. Coordinators will have much more film on both Zorn's and Blache's plays and tendencies and will better able to game-plan Washington on both sides of the ball. A 10-6 season and playoff appearance would definitely make for a successful season.

Just as I feared the inevitable trap loss to the Rams, I believe the team will solidly bounce back with a nice victory in Week 7.

Week Five

Not panicking. Not abandoning the game plan. Jim Zorn has done a remarkable job with this veteran football team in keeping everyone even-keeled. Staying the course. Whatever you want to call it. The Redskins spotted the Eagles a great first drive and DeSean Jackson's punt return to be down by two touchdowns. By sticking to the plan, the team then scored 23 unanswered points before Akers' last FG.

What's better is that Zorn and Jason Campbell didn't force the long ball to Santana Moss when it was obvious that Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson insisted on taking it away. So Moss ended up without any catches. Contrary to Terrell Owens, though, Moss was glad as long as his team won. Clinton Portis and Cooley, the two other primary offensive weapons, picked up the slack as would be expected with the attention paid to Moss, and both had huge days. Portis has talked about it before - "Pick your poison," he says. What will get the offense to the next level is improving depth. Ladell Betts needs to be able to provide the same mojo in the running game without Portis. Fred Davis needs to step up his game so he not only supplants Todd Yoder as the backup TE but develops into a full-fledged TE weapon. If and when Davis can develop to his full potential, Zorn will be able to employ a bevy of two TE sets that challenges every opposing defense.

Looking ahead, the ExtremeSkins blog summarizes what just about every Skins fan is thinking about the upcoming game with the winless Rams. It's a trap game against a team looking to break out. They've had a bye week, meaning an extra week to heal up and develop the perfect game plan. The Rams still have Steven Jackson, Marc Bulger, Orlando Pace, and Torry Holt.

Week Four (surprise!)

I didn't have high expectations for Washington this week. I just dearly hoped that they would not be absolutely blown out of the water by the high-powered Cowboys.

Instead, what happened was that the Jim Zorn-led Skins kept pace with Dallas for the first half. Then, in the second half, Jason Campbell, Clinton Portis, and mates consistently drove into Dallas territory to come away with three field goals. Meanwhile, the Skins defense contained Romo, Barber, Witten, and TO, keeping them from any meaningful drives until their last touchdown. It's hard to draw convincing conclusions without the benefit of studying the "NFL Matchup" show's famous coaching tape but it sure seems that defensive coordinator Greg Blache is coming up with all the right game plans. He's even doing it while shorthanded - Jason Taylor was out, Marcus Washington was playing hurt, and corners Fred Smoot and Shawn Springs were sitting on the sidelines during the game. It's still early to call it a masterful job by Blache but the early returns are certainly encouraging. The Horton interception was absolutely a beautifully designed and executed defensive play. Romo never saw it coming.

Now Washington travels to Philly to take on the rejuvenated McNabb and the Eagles at the Linc. Can Zorn handle Jim Johnson's blitz schemes? Will Blache dial up the right defensive plans to contain McNabb and Westbrook (assuming he returns from injury)? The Skins are building up confidence. Let's hope that they can respond if they run into adversity early on next week.

Week Three

True grit. The Skins hung tough and pulled out the win against a rising Cards team. Two wins against some decent teams. Can they continue the momentum?

Aside from Campbell's development, what I've been most impressed with the last couple weeks are Zorn's gutsy play-calls to close out the game. Against the Saints, he went for it on fourth-and-two and the slant to Moss gave the Skins the necessary first down to run out the clock. Similarly, against the Cardinals, Campbell rolled out on a naked bootleg after a play-fake to Portis and dumped a nice pass under pressure to Cooley. Cooley easily got the first down and more.

In comparison, Joe Gibbs would have gone for the safe calls - running the ball and milking the clock. The great thing about Jim Zorn's calls is that they are tremendous boosts of confidence for the players - it lets the Skins O control the end of the game, instead of hoping that the opposing offense runs out of time. On the Cooley pass, it was very well executed, as play-by-play man Larry Michael was fooled along with the Cardinals defense. Sellers and Portis sold it well.

The next two games are true tests on the road. The Cowboys are looking invincible. The Skins will have to be on their top game to stop the Boys. The last time they faced Dallas, Sean Taylor was missing and TO had a monster game. Let's hope that Blache can call up another great defensive game plan.

Week 2 Surprise

After the clunker in Week One against the Giants, I was sure that the Redskins were doomed to a woeful season of ineptitude, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Instead, the offense came up with plenty of huge plays on Sunday.

The Saints are a high-powered team with a standout quarterback in Brees and the most versatile player on the field in Reggie Bush. Shockey's no slouch, either. Fortunately, the Redskins didn't have to contend with Marques Colston. His big-play ability would definitely have changed the complexion of the game.

The big change was Jason Campbell. He was decisive in his throws and when the first option wasn't there, he went through his progressions. Amazing what a difference a week makes. All Skins fans hope that the progress continues against the scary Cardinals this Sunday.

The Cardinals offense is so explosive, it's scary. The Skins D will really need to pull it all together to contain their playmakers - Boldin, Fitzgerald, triggerman Kurt Warner, and Edgerrin James. The Skins were very lucky last year to escape with a win on a long missed field goal by Neil Rackers. They need more than luck to take on the 2-0 Cards.

Week (Sauce) One

The team looked awful.

On defense, Eli stood in the pocket, withstood the pressure, and picked the team apart alongside his partner-in-crime Plaxico Burress. Brandon Jacobs bowled over the defense figuratively and then literally with Laron Landry.

On offense, the Skins couldn't execute. Jason Campbell has severe deficiencies. It was obvious that he wasn't progressing in his reads to the second and third receivers. Worse, he is feeling the pressure too early. On the very first snap, he moved out of the pocket before he needed to. He had a few more moments to stand tall and wait for a receiver to get free but didn't. Portis was running hard but the team wasn't creating any holes. Why they didn't do more cutbacks or run to the outside on tosses is beyond me. It seems to me that against a suspect D-line with two new starters at DE, you would want to challenge how well they could contain perimeter runs.

This is going to be a long year. 4-12?

Giants in Trouble

The loss of Osi Umenyiora, coupled with the un-un-retirement of Michael Strahan leaves the Giants with a mediocre D-line at best. (In retrospect, the Skins were lucky to get Jason Taylor when they did.) In addition, several members of the Giants LB corps and secondary are gone as well.

Eli is a year more experienced. The running game was jelling in the playoffs. Ahmad Bradshaw will be better. Jeremy Shockey is gone but that benefits the team by eliminating his distractions. Therefore, the offense will be raring to go and the defense will have to desperately hope that they can keep it together to make a playoff run.

J Tay

I have to admit that I was ambivalent about the signing of Jason Taylor given that he's on the downside of his career. And the Skins gave up a second round pick (and sixth, but I consider those a dime a dozen) to get him.

However, now that it's been a few days, it's definitely a needed upgrade. Remarkably, the D-line gets younger with Taylor in the lineup. Even though he's 34, Philip Daniels is 35. As an aside, this almost assuredly means the end of Daniels' career, unfortunately. No one is going to bring in a 36 year old DE who just suffered a season-ending injury. Much cheaper and more upside with a young player that can grow with the team.

Back to Jason Taylor - he keeps himself in top physical shape, as evidenced by his physique in Dancing with the Stars clips. He demands respect that Daniels didn't get as a pass rusher. And as a newcomer with the Skins a far better team than Miami, Taylor has the motivation to prove something to the organization and to the rest of the league that it was a good move. Can't underestimate the power of motivation.

A real wild card will be Erasmus James in the DE mix. Would be wonderful to see the gamble on him pay off for the defense. Then he could spell Carter and Taylor and keep them fresh for later in the year.

Offseason So Far

Eagles - Fantastic addition with Asante Samuel. The Skins can only hope to minimize that addition by trusting their big young receivers to go up and get the ball. However, Campbell can only do that on the periphery. One tipped pass between the hashes and Samuel will take it back the other way for 6.

Chris Clemons, the former Skin, adds good depth as a situational pass rusher. His speed is a big advantage against the aged and medically reconstructed Skins O-Line.

DeSean Jackson will be a huge boost to Special Teams and pose a real challenge for Danny Smith to keep his troops disciplined to take him down.

Cowboys - TO is a year older and was put on "watch" a few days ago for missing his random drug test. He really feared Sean Taylor and now his biggest nemesis is gone. Look at his stats in the second game he played against the Redskins. He killed them.

Pacman Jones is a low risk, high reward player. Plus, with the draft, the Boys have stocked up at corner. The Skins can counter with 2 TE formations with Cooley and Davis.

Giants - Strahan finally retired. There will be a leadership void but Manning and some of the other veterans showed toughness last year. In addition, the G-Men's D-line features double digit sack guys in Umenyora and Jason Tuck anyway. Even without Strahan, they've got the talent and the moxie to contend, if not repeat.

Redskins - The Giants added less than the Redskins but they are the defending Super Bowl champs. The Eagles are considerably better with Samuel and DeSean Jackson. And the Cowboys only had the best record in the NFC last season in addition to grabbing Pacman Jones, assuming he plays. It's a tougher division and it doesn't appear the team stocked up sufficiently to keep pace.

Free Agency Needs

The two most pressing needs appear to be 1) LB (with Rocky McIntosh's injury) and 2) CB (due to Carlos Rogers' injury). Warrick Holdman appears available and would provide veteran, if slow, reinforcement. Is Junior Seau also available?

I'm not sure what happened with David Macklin last year and why he didn't really play. Wasn't he a starting corner at some point? How can he not even get on the field?

Youth along both OL and DL would be nice too.

NFL Draft Day Two

I won't pretend to have heard of any of the players drafted by the Redskins on day two other than Hawaii QB Colt Brennan.

Judging from the descriptions on nfl.com, though, it appears that the 2008 Redskins draft graded quite well. On day two, they got a couple of defensive backs from big-time programs (Tryon from ASU and Horton from UCLA) and a defensive back from a small program but with good "measurables" (Kareem Moore from Nicolls State). In addition, they all appear to be valuable special teams contributors, a major plus. I predict at least one will stick with the club and it's possible that two of them will.

Rinehart appears to project well as an interior lineman. Between the returns of Randy Thomas and Jon Jansen along with experienced starting backups Jason Fabini, Stephon Heyer and Todd Wade returning, the OL appears fortified. The concern is age and injury history. Projected OL starters on October 1: Samuels (31), Thomas (32), Rabach (31), Kendall (35), and Jansen (32).

Youth on the DL served the team well last year as youngsters Anthony Montgomery and Kedric Golston provided a needed interior push. If anyone has seen them up close and should have confidence in them, it would be Greg Blache. I'd be surprised if the 7th rounder DE makes the 53-man roster.

The "gambles" would be the punter and Brennan. Both seem worthy gambles with 6th round picks. Brennan has plenty of time to sit and develop as a scout-teaming, clipboard-toting 3rd string QB.

The glaring need not addressed by the draft was LB where starter Rocky McIntosh may not be ready to play until 2009 because of two torn knee ligaments. The Skins will have to hope to sign a serviceable LB in free agency.

NFL Draft Day One

1. Devin Thomas, WR. I am SO glad that the Redskins traded out of their spot at #21. I was really hoping that they would draft Aqib Talib but unfortunately, he was picked one spot (#20) earlier by the Buccaneers. It's also too bad that the Skins couldn't draft DE Phillip Merling when they got around to picking at #34.

However, I'm not happy with the pick of a receiver. The Redskins just don't have a good history of drafting WRs with their top choice since Hall of Famer Art Monk. Desmond Howard. Michael Westbrook. Rod Gardner. On the plus side, Devin Thomas was rated the top receiver in the draft. How he'll fit with Zorn's offense will be very interesting.

2. Fred Davis, TE. At first, I was extremely upset with this pick. Seemed like such a waste with Chris Cooley at the position. However, as I started to think about all the potential mismatches during 2 TE sets, it occurred to me that a second Chris Cooley would be a more effective contributor than a big WR. While I was hoping that the team would address defensive needs, I'm fairly satisfied with the pick of the USC tight end.

3. Malcolm Kelly, WR. Ah, the player that I really hoped that Cerrato and folks would not draft at #21. It's great that he didn't cost them a first round pick. But they already added two weapons on offense and return their top two receivers so I still dislike this decision. Is it really likely that the Skins will have two rookies contribute immediately in Zorn's newly installed offense? I'd be very surprised if that was the case. It's more likely that one of the rookies doesn't catch more than 20 passes for 300 yards.

In review, these draft picks put Randle El (728 yards last season) on the trading block. He would be a great fit in St. Louis where Isaac Bruce is gone, Torry Holt isn't happy, and former coordinator Al Saunders is calling the plays. The Rams will probably wait to see if he gets released.

Ocho Cinco

Kudos to Vinny Cerrato for attempting to trade for Chad Johnson. He is definitely worth two hit-or-miss first round picks. He should have another 3-4 good years left. It's too bad that it didn't work out.

On a related note, though, it seems a bit ridiculous that NFL players are decrying the contracts they signed just a couple years ago, saying that they've "outplayed" their contracts. What's the point of signing a contract in the first place if you don't abide by it and play to the best of your ability? This only tells me that all players have to negotiate in their contracts performance escalator clauses.

Malcolm Kelly

Don't do it! Don't draft Malcolm Kelly in the 1st round. If CB Aqib Talib is available, draft him to replace Shawn Springs.

When I see Malcolm Kelly, I can only think of one thing - Rod Gardner.

Jerome Mathis

I don't understand the move to sign Mathis when the Skins already have recently re-signed Rock Cartwright and also have Ladell Betts back to return kickoffs. They have Randle El to return punts. And they have James Thrash as a proven backup for both return spots. It would have made sense if the team had lost Cartwright to free agency but since they didn't, the Mathis signing is a head scratcher.

Darrell Green

February 2, 2008 was an amazing day for Washington Redskins football fans as two recent legends of the game were inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. For Darrell Green, it was hard to see him not being a first ballot HOF'er. For Art Monk, it was a long time coming.

Darrell Green played at a high level for an inconceivable 20 years. He played in three Super Bowls and won two (XXII and XXVI). Green probably could have played a few more years too because he was still running a 4.2 40 at 40 (years old). He had won the NFL's fastest man competition four years in a row, and Wikipedia states that he has the fastest 40 time ever recorded (4.09). Besides speed, Green's longevity was key. It's amazing to think about all the fellow corners Green played opposite -- Vernon Dean ('82-'87), Barry Wilburn ('85-'89), AJ Johnson ('89-'94), Martin Mayhew ('89-'92), Tom Carter ('93-'96), Cris Dishman ('97-'98), Champ Bailey ('99-'02), Deion Sanders ('00), and Fred Smoot ('01-'02).

In addition to his speed and extraordinary longevity, Green also had some "signature plays," including chasing down Tony Dorsett on Monday Night Football and his punt return against the Bears in a divisional playoff game.

Jim Zorn, Dan Snyder, and Vinny Cerrato

One Washington Post article I read when Jim Zorn was first hired questioned Dan Snyder's qualification at judging Jim Zorn. Specifically, he said to Joe Gibbs, "This guy (Zorn) would make a terrific head coach."

The questioning of his assessment ability is spot-on. Snyder has no idea what makes a "terrific head coach." His best coaching hire was one that was already voted into the Hall of Fame coach.

What's the most galling to Redskins fans is the lack of a credible organizational support structure. As long as Snyder owns the team, which may be for the rest of his life, Vinny Cerrato will have a job as de facto GM. Gibbs was the only one to which they were going to defer There won't be another football man like that (unless Bill Belichick goes crazy and decides he wants to work under crazy-man Snyder).

The Skins may have enough talent and schemes to compete. But if they ever do make it in the playoffs, they won't go very far. And they won't be able to compete consistently (see previous post about 2-year grace period for coaches). A quality long-term core just isn't there and won't be until Cerrato retires.

Jarvis

Darrell Jackson

The release of DJack by the 49ers gives the Redskins a good option in case Hackett doesn't sign. In fact, the team should have him visit Redskins Park immediately as he is a proven commodity with three 1,000 yard seasons under his belt. While he is likely on the downside of his career, he doesn't turn 30 until the end of the year so he's a veteran who knows the offense and could be reinvigorated by the change of scenery.

DJ Hackett

Bringing on board a veteran WR familiar with the West Coast offense like DJ Hackett would be a much better move than drafting one. Very few rookie WR's would be able to contribute immediately. This is even more the case for a team like the Skins learning an entirely new offense.

Signing Hackett (assuming a reasonable price) allows focus on the first round to be on the defensive line.

Draft Outlook

According to the Washington Post, Jim Zorn appears to be targeting a bigger wide receiver for his West Coast offense. Question is, can a rookie WR making the jump to the pros contribute? Probably not unless he's a high first rounder. Zorn also will be drafting a young QB to develop behind Campbell.

Blache needs an active lineman to help Andre Carter. At DT, Cornelius Griffin's best days are behind him. The Skins would best be served drafting a DE with their 1st round pick.

Blache also wants CB depth for the injury-prone trio of Rogers, Springs, and Smoot.

After the experience of last year's makeshift OL, the Skins need to add depth and youth there.

The only positions the team is set at are RB, TE, LB, and special teams.

In my mind, priorities ought to be:
1) DE
2) CB
3) WR
4) OG
5) DT
6) OT
7) QB

Returnees

It's quite the trend this free agency period. Griese back to the Bucs. Kearse back to the Titans. Muhammed back to the Panthers. Booker back to the Bears.

(I pity the Bears who signed Brandon Lloyd. But I pity the Skins for having wasted $10 million on him in the first place. Yes, he made some nice plays against the Skins as a Niner but there was never any sign of consistency or promise that warranted a $10 million contract. That is a clear example of why Cerrato fails in the much-needed GM capacity. I'm sure Gibbs wasn't the one who wanted Lloyd.)

Gregg Williams and Jim Zorn

He deserved so much better. Four years as heir apparent. Support of the team and fans. Support of yours truly. Four long interviews.

But he obviously sealed his own fate all along. He apparently had never reached out to form a relationship with Snyder. He hadn't earned Snyder's admiration and respect. He didn't have the charm that Snyder found with Zorn (and seemingly saw in Mora as well).

It was a big mistake not to let Gibbs know about the 10-player thing after Taylor's death. Of course Gibbs would have given his blessing. But by catching Gibbs off guard withthat, Williams didn't appear to pay the same homage to him that Snyder would have expected.

Gregg Williams moves on to a better situation. So long as Snyder and Cerrato are in charge, the best coach for the Skins was Gibbs. No other coach will ever have the same respect from Snyder unless he can immediately have the Skins contending in the playoffs and do so consistently.

Zorn will have two years. Mark my words. If there is ever a two-year period where the Skins aren't in the playoffs (including these first two), he will be gone. Say he pulls it off and has the Skins contending and even wins a Super Bowl (knock on wood). If he then hits a dry spell, that SB will probably buy him one extra year of leeway. So three years out of the playoffs and he's gone. .

Sean Taylor

Heartbreaking loss. Sports figures are so magnified in our society through the media that a loss like that really feels like we've lost a friend. Many of us feel that way even though we may not have actually met #21.

I watched the video tributes available online (on redskins.com and washingtonpost.com). Was anybody able to watch those tributes and maintain dry eyes.

There was no denying his talent. No denying his ferocity. No denying his love for the game. And that was all recognized with the Pro Bowl nod.

And then there were the personal family circumstances. So young (same age as my youngest brother). A young daughter who will grow up without him. A troubled past that he appeared to be putting behind him. Sean Taylor, we barely knew you but what we did know, we loved. Rest in peace.

Moody Blogswings

The problem I've found with blogging about my favorite sports team is that when they lose, I don't feel like rehashing and dissecting their loss in detail. I'm depressed that they lost and can't stand to read about it on washingtonpost.com. By the same token, when they're winning, I can't get enough. So I've been an absentee blogger for much of the season.

What about their winning stretch when they won a bunch in a row to get into the playoffs? First, it was just hard to blog after the Sean Taylor tragedy. Second, we die-hard sports fans all have our supersitions and know about jinxing a good thing. (And of course there was the whole finding time issue) However, I resolve to be a more consistent blogger about the Skins in 2008.