NFC East Champ?
 

Consider the state of coaching in the East. Dallas-no coach (maybe JJ). NYG-coach they don't like, and in turmoil. The division is up for grabs again this year. It might actually be a better oppurtunity for the Skins than 2006. They should be able to get stoked up about it, and get this ship righted. We'll see

Your thoughts?

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

Well we have free angency and the draft before we'll know what the teams actually look like in terms of talent. Until then I don't see one team as so much better or worse than another that it is worth talking about until we know more. Focus on us and making us better.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

My only point is the State of the Union around us. By appearances, another oppurtunity may be at hand

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

Are we not addressing the Eagles here? They looked good this season. They've got to be the clear favorites in 2007.

Of course we have an opportunity. We have an opportunity every year. But we're definitely not the favorite. We have a lot of work to do.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

I would have to say the Eaglesa would have to be the favorite going into next season.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

[quote=Hog1;272768]Consider the state of coaching in the East. Dallas-no coach (maybe JJ). NYG-coach they don't like, and in turmoil. The division is up for grabs again this year. It might actually be a better oppurtunity for the Skins than 2006. They should be able to get stoked up about it, and get this ship righted. We'll see

Your thoughts?[/quote]Well, quite clearly from my perspective, the favorite has to be Philadelphia.

Ranking the teams: Eagles, Redskins, Cowboys, Giants

We certainly have the talent to be a playoff team. However, Philly has a better team. But football is in many ways a game of chance and if we put together a pair of wins vs. the Eagles, we can take this division.

Theres not much to like about the NFC next year, so why not us?

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

I think we stand a good chance, but right now we are going to be projected to finish last in the NFC east next year. We are a bad team until we prove otherwise. Yea, i know, we've got some talent, etc. We always do.

In 2006, if you we were average we could have beaten out the majority of the other teams. Look at Chicago. They are slightly above average and their in the SB. If they win, they'll be the worst SB champions ever (or close).

The Eagles will be the favorite, rightfully so.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

[quote=Hog1;272768]Consider the state of coaching in the East. Dallas-no coach (maybe JJ). NYG-coach they don't like, and in turmoil. The division is up for grabs again this year. It might actually be a better oppurtunity for the Skins than 2006. They should be able to get stoked up about it, and get this ship righted. We'll see

Your thoughts?[/quote]

It's a sad day when everyone else in the East has to suck before we can feel some hope.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

It's really early, but my money is on Philly to win the title. But, here are some reasons why the Skins are a legitimate contender:

1). For the first time, Jason Campbell will be working in the same system for two consecutive years.

2). Jason Campbell will have all offseason to work with receivers.

3). Jason Campbell looked very promising in his last few starts.

4). We really established the run in the latter half of the season and Gibbs has repeatedly said that, henceforth, this team will be and will remain a run-first offense. In short, after fumbling and bumbling around for the first 9 games last season, we have re-established our identity on offense.

5). Todd Collins and others suggested that it would take a full year to understand Saunders' offense, but once it was understood, the offense would produce in a big way. History bears out the truth of that assessment and, as we all know, history tends to repeat itself.

6). After perhaps being overconfident last off-season, our team is hungry and feels like it has something to prove.

7). Between Betts and Portis, we have two proven runners going against some NFC East teams that, IMHO, can be run on.

8). There is no way in hell our defense can get any worse. Williams has fielded bad defenses before, but what makes him a great coach is that he adjusts his defense to ensure that he does not field poor defenses in back-to-back seasons.

9). I guarantee you we will be better at kicker next season. I think a lot of people underestimate the value of a good kicker, but Gibbs certainly does not and there are several free agent kickers that should be available this offseason (e.g., Josh Brown).

10). With a little luck, we will not have as many key injuries as we did last season. Not only was Portis injured and eventually placed on IR, but our defense lost key contributors and we didn't have the depth to overcome that. Griffin, Salave'a, and Daniels battled injuries all season long. Our secondary was without it's most important contributor. Marshall was hurt all season long. And yes, every team must cope with injuries. But, our defense was absolutely ravaged by the injury-bug.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

Until Skins prove they can play offense and defense my money is on Philly...specially if McNabb is healthy.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

[quote=saden1;272821]Until Skins prove they can play offense and defense my money is on Philly...specially if McNabb is healthy.[/quote]


*GASP* BLASPHEMY! haha lol....no really though. The NFC East is a mess, to say the least. The cowboys have no coach, or possibly no winning direction to go in anymore. Tiki's gone. Yee-Haw. Let me reiterate....

YEE HAW


Ya feel me?

The Eagles dont have McNuts but, they have [B][U]GOOD[/U][/B] depth at other key postions which is the reason they made the playoffs without him.

We are in the best postion possible at this point. The East in disarray(sp), we just went through a so-called "Rebuilding" year and it seems that a Qb change has seemed to gel team players to JC. If we cant fix WTF is wrong with our D this offseason and don't take advantage of the NFC Championship thats basically been friggin' handed to us, then I dont what what to do.

Next year looks very promising.

VERY promising.

HTTR!

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

[quote=Sheriff Gonna Getcha;272814]It's really early, but my money is on Philly to win the title. But, here are some reasons why the Skins are a legitimate contender:

1). For the first time, Jason Campbell will be working in the same system for two consecutive years.

2). Jason Campbell will have all offseason to work with receivers.

3). Jason Campbell looked very promising in his last few starts.

4). We really established the run in the latter half of the season and Gibbs has repeatedly said that, henceforth, this team will be and will remain a run-first offense. In short, after fumbling and bumbling around for the first 9 games last season, we have re-established our identity on offense.

5). Todd Collins and others suggested that it would take a full year to understand Saunders' offense, but once it was understood, the offense would produce in a big way. History bears out the truth of that assessment and, as we all know, history tends to repeat itself.

6). After perhaps being overconfident last off-season, our team is hungry and feels like it has something to prove.

7). Between Betts and Portis, we have two proven runners going against some NFC East teams that, IMHO, can be run on.

8). There is no way in hell our defense can get any worse. Williams has fielded bad defenses before, but what makes him a great coach is that he adjusts his defense to ensure that he does not field poor defenses in back-to-back seasons.

9). I guarantee you we will be better at kicker next season. I think a lot of people underestimate the value of a good kicker, but Gibbs certainly does not and there are several free agent kickers that should be available this offseason (e.g., Josh Brown).

10). With a little luck, we will not have as many key injuries as we did last season. Not only was Portis injured and eventually placed on IR, but our defense lost key contributors and we didn't have the depth to overcome that. Griffin, Salave'a, and Daniels battled injuries all season long. Our secondary was without it's most important contributor. Marshall was hurt all season long. And yes, every team must cope with injuries. But, our defense was absolutely ravaged by the injury-bug.[/quote]

Don't you think we're in an eerily similiar situation to that of the 2004 season? I think the team and the coaches will be very motivated to prove that they're much better than what they showed this past season just like they were after that season. There are also some promising things to build on next season just like after that season. I will be very suprised if the Skins don't make a playoff run next season and maybe even an NFC East title run.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

[quote=hesscl34;272795]It's a sad day when everyone else in the East has to suck before we can feel some hope.[/quote]

You have to take advantage of the situation, don't you?

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

[quote=ncskinsfanec;272900]Don't you think we're in an eerily similiar situation to that of the 2004 season? I think the team and the coaches will be very motivated to prove that they're much better than what they showed this past season just like they were after that season. There are also some promising things to build on next season just like after that season. I will be very suprised if the Skins don't make a playoff run next season and maybe even an NFC East title run.[/quote]The difference with 2004 is that in 04, our team was held back by our offense, more specifically our lineplay and QB play (Brunell was far worse than Ramsey in 04, but Ramsey was no god himself). Coaches can do things to fix offenses with scheming and playcalling. Defense cannot be fixed with scheming or playcalling...either the guys we have must start playing better or they will need to be replaced.

I can't see this 2007 team being as good as the 2005 team. But they still could finish 10-6 or better, as that 05 team caught a series of tough breaks during that 3 game stretch in Tampa, and then home against the Raiders and Chargers. Plus that schedule was really difficult that year for a 4th place schedule. It will almost certainly be softer this year.

With a few breaks, we certainly could top Philly in the division. But the safe money for this division--given even odds--is the Eagles.

And it kills me to say that, because that team got lucky for years.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

Right now only a blind optimist would predict anything other than a last place finish in the division next year.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

thats me then. i have faith in our coaching staff. i give them a free pass on this season, but they had better get it done next year, because by then they have used up all the free passes alloted them
- i give them the free pass because of all the injuries

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

[QUOTE=davy;272983]Right now only a blind optimist would predict anything other than a last place finish in the division next year.[/QUOTE]

Well, let's take a look at some division winners in 2006 and see where they finished in 2005

NFC East: Eagles (2005 finish-last place in the division)
NFC South: Saints (2005 finish-last place in the division)
AFC North: Ravens (2005 finish-tied for last place in the division)

Not to mention the Jets who jumped from 4-12 and the cellar to 10-6 and a wild card spot.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

[quote=TAFKAS;272989]Well, let's take a look at some division winners in 2006 and see where they finished in 2005

NFC East: Eagles (2005 finish-last place in the division)
NFC South: Saints (2005 finish-last place in the division)
AFC North: Ravens (2005 finish-tied for last place in the division)

[B]Not to mention the Jets who jumped from 4-12 and the cellar to 10-6 and a wild card spot[/B].[/quote]


All very good points. I loved the Jets this year. They just came out and surprised the living **** out of everyone and I like that. Next year [B][U]WILL[/U][/B] be good, I dont care if its supposed "blind-optimism" or not. Its kinda hard not to be a little optimistic about next year after you look at the big picture. We are going to be in a great postion next year to come out and rock the NFC East, and after that....ok, I'll shut up now. Maybe next month I'll say it....:-)

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

[quote=davy;272983]Right now only a blind optimist would predict anything other than a last place finish in the division next year.[/quote]

I didn't know I was blind, but I'm an optimist! Worst to first next season!

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

I think we have to be looked on as a likely playoff team. Lets say the Bears, Panthers, Eagles, and Rams win their respective divisions next year. Who would you expect to be the wildcards? New Orleans? We beat them pretty good in their house in the midst of a horrid year. Atlanta? How unsettled is that offense? The Seahawks? A league average schedule would have cost this team about 3 more losses. Arizona? Still no line play. San Francisco? Probably a year away. Any non Bears team in the North? Giants? Cowboys? Cowboys? Cowboys?

It's not a weak conference as much as it is a parity laden conference. The AFC seems to be far more top heavy by comparison. So even if we don't win our division, we have a good shot at 9 or 10 wins and the wild card. A lot of teams could be good, but we are certainly one of those teams, and probably the best bet as is.

This team isn't a Super Bowl contender, but they could find themselves playing in January for sure.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

[quote=davy;272983]Right now only a blind optimist would predict anything other than a last place finish in the division next year.[/quote]

I haven't really sat down and looked at everything closely so I reserve the right to do a 360 on this one at any time. However, my knee-jerk, off-the-cuff reaction is that we (Skins fans as a group) are falling in to a familiar trap: other teams in the division have major issues + the Redskins occasionally flashed promise in the later half of the season + they have the offseason to tweak problem areas = Washington is definately a contender next year. I'm not buying this time around.

The rest of the NFC East may well have issues, but they did all make the playoffs, and the Redskins were 1-5 against this bunch.

There are indeed some reasons for optimism, Jason Campbell's continued development being the single largest one. On the whole, though, I see no reason to expect a dramatic improvement from Washington. From this year's soggy 5-11 finish, 8-8 would seem like a reasonable goal. I have stated before that increasingly it is my belief that this orgainzation is fatally flawed from a structural perspective- not just the on the field product but the appraoch to building it - and that the five game push to close 2005 looks more and more like an anaomolly. I would LOVE to have egg on my face about this later on, but until I see demonstrably better play on the field- not here and there but on a week-to-week basis -I will be skeptical that Gibbs II is on the right path.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

Every year it is we have to be the favorite, look at our team, every one else stinks.. blah blah blah. where are the realistic Redskin fans, or the ones that obviously can see things objectively. we finished last, again. 2 out of 3 years in the Gibbs comeback. How you can say we are favored to win the division is crazy. the 3 teams ahead of us were in the freaking playoffs. And Philly didn't even have their #1 guy running the team. Dallas is going to be better no matter who they have running the team. Giants are going to be just as good and Philly, well we all know they are going to be good. Lets not forget, they have basically all their draft picks to improve the team. we have 4 picks, 1st then nothing until the 5th. So, how can anyone of you think we have an inside track to anything is just looney!! Be realistic people.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

While it is surely overly optimistic to claim that we have the inside track, it is equally absurd to say we have no shot or no realistic hope of winning the division. Anyone who has watched the NFL these past few years know that, with the exeption of the Patriots, Colts, and Texans, few teams can stay on top or on the bottom for long.


I simply think that any record (1-15 or 15-1) is fair game for the Redskins next season. While I tend to think we should probably end up with more wins than losses, who knows? Perhaps there are resident Nostradamuses here on thewarpath.net, but I am not one of them.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

[quote=Sheriff Gonna Getcha;273113]While it is surely overly optimistic to claim that we have the inside track, it is equally absurd to say we have no shot or no realistic hope of winning the division. Anyone who has watched the NFL these past few years know that, with the exeption of the Patriots, Colts, and Texans, few teams can stay on top or on the bottom for long.


I simply think that any record (1-15 or 15-1) is fair game for the Redskins next season. While I tend to think we should probably end up with more wins than losses, who knows? Perhaps there are resident Nostradamuses here on thewarpath.net, but I am not one of them.[/quote]

I agree that all teams have a "realistic hope" in this day and age, in that a "worst-to-first" scenario isn't as unheard of as it was in the 70s or 80s. But what the Redskins can hope for and what the best eductaed guess is based on the last few years are two different things.

With the exception of a sudden upswing at the end of 2005- the only surge of its type the last three years - Gibbs II has been sub .500 football the whole way (win one, lose two, win two, lose three, and so on). The 2007 team could be notably better than the 2006 edition and still miss the playoffs.

I'm not trying to be a downer and would love to be proven wrong- I've just been down this road two many times. Washington and Gibbs are going to have to show me their back among the contenders before I believe it.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

We have as much talent as anyone in the division, especially offensivley. There should be no reason we cant put up 4 touchdowns a game with the offense we have.

Defensivley, its a huge question mark, i mean its very hard to gauge this team right now.

Philadelphia I would say looks the most stable out of any of the 4, so i'd think they are the favorites as well.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

#56fanatic:

I hope I fit your description as someone who can look at the team situation objectively. If you went to Las Vegas right now and got the sportsbooks there to post a line on the Redskins winning the NFC East, the Skins would not be even-money. They'd be a long-shot.

The Skins have limitations but they are not insurmountable. The problem here is that far too many fans buy into the "simple/quick fix is all we need" mentality that infests the front office. The fix is not simple and the team needs more than one of them. And here's a news flash: There isn't a "Football Fairy Godmother" who will magically appear and wave a wand and turn a pumpkin into an All-Pro. It'd be nice if there were, but ...

Here are four areas where the Redskins MUST improve next year to get out of the NFC basement. If they significantly improve all four, they might actually win the NFC East. The probability that they will do so is far less than 50/50.


1. The wide receivers have to do a whole lot better. Moss' season was disappointing to be polite and significantly below the worst that could have been expected from him to be more honest. Lloyd is a loser and a locker-room problem waiting to happen. Patten was AWOL for the second year in a row. Randle-El is a third down receiver and a good return man. Frankly, I think their second best receiver this year was James Thrash when you consider his blocking for the running game.


2. The linebacking has to get at least 100% better than it was this year. They need to get a middle linebacker who can actually play middle linebacker without the luxury of a huge DT or two in front of him to keep every blocker on the planet off him. And unless Rocky Boy uses the off-season to figure out what the hell he's supposed to be doing in that defense, they need to find an outside linebacker too because neither Holdman nor Rocky Boy were productive last year. And before anyone talks about Rocky's "potential" let me remind everyone that "potential" means he hasn't done jack-sh*t yet.


3. They must acquire a safety who can cover pass recievers in the middle of the field because they do not have anyone on the roster at the moment who can do this reliably for an entire game. Without that change, the Skins will continue to lead the league in "big plays given up" - and that's a formula for a losing season not a division championship.


4. The current roster has one - as in ONE - defensive lineman who is above average at his position. Unless they change that, they will have the ball run down their throats by the good running teams and they will give up huge gobs of passing yards to the good passing teams. They'll contain the teams who have bad offenses to begin with - - but once again that's not the formula for a division championship.


The draft will not resolve all those problems and if history is any judge neither will the Redskins whirlwind free agency signings during the first week of March. The best thing to hope for is that the coaching staff works a lot harder on the draft this year and acquires several players who actually play and contribute next year on more than the punt coverage team for the entire season. And the second best thing to hope for is sound health for Shawn Springs, Marcus Washington and EVERYONE on the OL for 16 games next year. The roster needs help and getting back-ups for those guys will not happen if the team focuses on its other imminent needs.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

[quote=sportscurmudgeon;273134]#56fanatic:

I hope I fit your description as someone who can look at the team situation objectively. If you went to Las Vegas right now and got the sportsbooks there to post a line on the Redskins winning the NFC East, the Skins would not be even-money. They'd be a long-shot.

The Skins have limitations but they are not insurmountable. The problem here is that far too many fans buy into the "simple/quick fix is all we need" mentality that infests the front office. The fix is not simple and the team needs more than one of them. And here's a news flash: There isn't a "Football Fairy Godmother" who will magically appear and wave a wand and turn a pumpkin into an All-Pro. It'd be nice if there were, but ...

Here are four areas where the Redskins MUST improve next year to get out of the NFC basement. If they significantly improve all four, they might actually win the NFC East. The probability that they will do so is far less than 50/50.


1. The wide receivers have to do a whole lot better. Moss' season was disappointing to be polite and significantly below the worst that could have been expected from him to be more honest. Lloyd is a loser and a locker-room problem waiting to happen. Patten was AWOL for the second year in a row. Randle-El is a third down receiver and a good return man. Frankly, I think their second best receiver this year was James Thrash when you consider his blocking for the running game.


2. The linebacking has to get at least 100% better than it was this year. They need to get a middle linebacker who can actually play middle linebacker without the luxury of a huge DT or two in front of him to keep every blocker on the planet off him. And unless Rocky Boy uses the off-season to figure out what the hell he's supposed to be doing in that defense, they need to find an outside linebacker too because neither Holdman nor Rocky Boy were productive last year. And before anyone talks about Rocky's "potential" let me remind everyone that "potential" means he hasn't done jack-sh*t yet.


3. They must acquire a safety who can cover pass recievers in the middle of the field because they do not have anyone on the roster at the moment who can do this reliably for an entire game. Without that change, the Skins will continue to lead the league in "big plays given up" - and that's a formula for a losing season not a division championship.


4. The current roster has one - as in ONE - defensive lineman who is above average at his position. Unless they change that, they will have the ball run down their throats by the good running teams and they will give up huge gobs of passing yards to the good passing teams. They'll contain the teams who have bad offenses to begin with - - but once again that's not the formula for a division championship.


The draft will not resolve all those problems and if history is any judge neither will the Redskins whirlwind free agency signings during the first week of March. The best thing to hope for is that the coaching staff works a lot harder on the draft this year and acquires several players who actually play and contribute next year on more than the punt coverage team for the entire season. And the second best thing to hope for is sound health for Shawn Springs, Marcus Washington and EVERYONE on the OL for 16 games next year. The roster needs help and getting back-ups for those guys will not happen if the team focuses on its other imminent needs.[/quote]I think its safe to say that we don't need to fix ALL those things to have a legit shot at the playoffs. You pretty much named all the unfixed problems with this team. I think we can attack a few of those problems this season, and become a contender.

This team is one year removed from being among the top 4 teams in the conference. Obviously the talent to get back to that point is still on the roster. The offense in 2007 and probably even kicking game will be the best we've had them since Gibbs took over. The key, of course, is the defensive unit. Where do we have to be to be a playoff team? Probably middle of the pack defensively. Our run D was already middle of the pack, we just had the 32nd ranked pass D. As any GM will vouch for, run defense is far more sustainable than pass defense. So yes, we can fix the issues with the pass D in one offseason.

This team isn't going to be a superbowl contender, but it should at least be in the playoff hunt.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

[quote=sportscurmudgeon;273134]#56fanatic:

I hope I fit your description as someone who can look at the team situation objectively. If you went to Las Vegas right now and got the sportsbooks there to post a line on the Redskins winning the NFC East, the Skins would not be even-money. They'd be a long-shot.

The Skins have limitations but they are not insurmountable. The problem here is that far too many fans buy into the "simple/quick fix is all we need" mentality that infests the front office. The fix is not simple and the team needs more than one of them. And here's a news flash: There isn't a "Football Fairy Godmother" who will magically appear and wave a wand and turn a pumpkin into an All-Pro. It'd be nice if there were, but ...

Here are four areas where the Redskins MUST improve next year to get out of the NFC basement. If they significantly improve all four, they might actually win the NFC East. The probability that they will do so is far less than 50/50.


1. The wide receivers have to do a whole lot better. Moss' season was disappointing to be polite and significantly below the worst that could have been expected from him to be more honest. Lloyd is a loser and a locker-room problem waiting to happen. Patten was AWOL for the second year in a row. Randle-El is a third down receiver and a good return man. Frankly, I think their second best receiver this year was James Thrash when you consider his blocking for the running game.


2. The linebacking has to get at least 100% better than it was this year. They need to get a middle linebacker who can actually play middle linebacker without the luxury of a huge DT or two in front of him to keep every blocker on the planet off him. And unless Rocky Boy uses the off-season to figure out what the hell he's supposed to be doing in that defense, they need to find an outside linebacker too because neither Holdman nor Rocky Boy were productive last year. And before anyone talks about Rocky's "potential" let me remind everyone that "potential" means he hasn't done jack-sh*t yet.


3. They must acquire a safety who can cover pass recievers in the middle of the field because they do not have anyone on the roster at the moment who can do this reliably for an entire game. Without that change, the Skins will continue to lead the league in "big plays given up" - and that's a formula for a losing season not a division championship.


4. The current roster has one - as in ONE - defensive lineman who is above average at his position. Unless they change that, they will have the ball run down their throats by the good running teams and they will give up huge gobs of passing yards to the good passing teams. They'll contain the teams who have bad offenses to begin with - - but once again that's not the formula for a division championship.


The draft will not resolve all those problems and if history is any judge neither will the Redskins whirlwind free agency signings during the first week of March. The best thing to hope for is that the coaching staff works a lot harder on the draft this year and acquires several players who actually play and contribute next year on more than the punt coverage team for the entire season. And the second best thing to hope for is sound health for Shawn Springs, Marcus Washington and EVERYONE on the OL for 16 games next year. The roster needs help and getting back-ups for those guys will not happen if the team focuses on its other imminent needs.[/quote]


I for one have always been against the quick fix mentality of our franchise. I would prefer solid drafts, with the addition of maybe 1 to two players at the most that will put us over the top. You look at past winners, that is exactly what they have done. Patriots did it with corey dillon the first super bowl. Eagles with TO. Saints add Drew Breese.

I believe we have the talent on the offensive side of the ball. I have a hard time giving up on lloyd. I know he stunk, but how much of that was brunell unwillingness to throw deep, which is pretty much the routes he ran all year. The few times they did throw to him, on Randel El threw to him, he drew PI penalties. I believe with Campbell working this offseason, and the preseason as the #1, we will be a lot better in that area. Plus with Portis and Betts, teams will have to pay more attention to that area, leaving open the possibility of Lloyd, Randel El, Cooley working 1 on 1 with safeties or #2 corners.

Defensively, I agree with the MLB. I have never been a fan of Marshall. Rocky may be a player, who knows. but he has to be given a fair shot. Dline could be solid, Golsten, Montgomery, Carter, Griffen are good players. We may need another DE, but Daniels is a run stopping end, which is what I like about him. Face it, no one on that D played worth a damn, so the whole unit looked bad. Arch has to be given a shot to play. GW wanted him, then they need to spend the time with him, get him to understand what he is doing, so he reacts naturally and doesn't have to think so much on the field. Springs moving to safety, not so sure. I think he will be injured more than he is. Safeties have to hit, have to blitz up the middle and I just dont know at his age if he can take the beating.

Corner wise, that is where I would go get someone. Clemmons from the Bills. that is the only signing I would agree with. Corners are such a crap shoot in the draft. I would trade the #6 for a later first, 2nd, and maybe 5th through 7th, what ever we could get. There are quality players out there to be had.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

#56Fanatic, I broke your post down into paragraphs. It just makes it a lot easier to read. You had some good points, and I'd hate for people to just gloss over it because of the format.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

[quote=Hog1;272768]Consider the state of coaching in the East. Dallas-no coach (maybe JJ). NYG-coach they don't like, and in turmoil. The division is up for grabs again this year. It might actually be a better oppurtunity for the Skins than 2006. They should be able to get stoked up about it, and get this ship righted. We'll see

Your thoughts?[/quote]

Eagles have McNabb coming back as well as Kearse. They are the favorites.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

kearse is a non factor. guaranteed to be hurt at some point of the season

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

eagles are favorites right now without a doubt, they are the most stable. giants are out IMO since they have lost tiki and coughlin is a terrible coach and they hate him, cowboys we will have to see who their new coach is, adn for us we have to see what we do with our defense

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

[quote=TAFKAS;273147]#56Fanatic, I broke your post down into paragraphs. It just makes it a lot easier to read. You had some good points, and I'd hate for people to just gloss over it because of the format.[/quote]

thanks, i forgot to do that. I get on a roll and just keep typing.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

[B][I]I would trade the #6 for a later first, 2nd, and maybe 5th through 7th, what ever we could get. There are quality players out there to be had.[/I][/B]

#56Fanatic, I've thought about the idea you posted about trading the #6 pick, and I think that it may be a good idea, but we should wait until after the combine to decide. I think they shold take Branch with the 6th pick if he's still available, and then Gaines Adams if Branch is gone. But, I want whoever judges talent on our team to be confident that these guys are absolute studs, guys they are sure, although I guess you can never be absolutely sure, that can come in and make a difference. If not, I say trade the pick, and try to build some depth. I'd rather trade the pick and get a few good guys, then use the 6th pick on some big name guy, and have him turn out like Mario Williams. I just want to make sure we use that pick in a way that will help our team the most.

[I][B]2. The linebacking has to get at least 100% better than it was this year. They need to get a middle linebacker who can actually play middle linebacker without the luxury of a huge DT or two in front of him to keep every blocker on the planet off him. And unless Rocky Boy uses the off-season to figure out what the hell he's supposed to be doing in that defense, they need to find an outside linebacker too because neither Holdman nor Rocky Boy were productive last year. And before anyone talks about Rocky's "potential" let me remind everyone that "potential" means he hasn't done jack-sh*t yet.[/B][/I]

I personally thought Rocky looked good this year when he was in the game. He made a lot of big hits on special teams and in the two games that he started he played well. Against St. Louis he had 10 tackles. Against the Giants, he had 7. [url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=7784]ESPN.com - NFL - Roger McIntosh - Washington Redskins - Player Card[/url]
When you say he hasn't done jack shit, I disagree, ten tackles in his first start is not jack shit. He also made a huge play in the game against the Rams when he ran onto the field late in a 3rd and short and popped Stephen Jackson to stop him from getting the first down. Him and Golston are gonna me money next year.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

[quote=dmek25;273155]kearse is a non factor. guaranteed to be hurt at some point of the season[/quote]

Your might be right. But even w/out Kearse and DM they still won the division and won a playoff game. And could have advanced to the championship game. So they are still the favorites.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

I would consider them the favorite as well. I would however, not consider them a lock. That presents us with a very doable oppurtunity. We also have wild card possibility. I think it will be a good year on the rebound! Can't wait

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

[quote=skinsfan69;273287]Your might be right. But even w/out Kearse and DM they still won the division and won a playoff game. And could have advanced to the championship game. So they are still the favorites.[/quote]

Agreed- No reason think they won't be. This team was very close to being in the NFC championship game again. The Redskins were 5-11. That's a prett fat gap to close in one year. I'll believe it when I see it.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

[quote=skinsfan69;273287]Your might be right. But even w/out Kearse and DM they still won the division and won a playoff game. And could have advanced to the championship game. So they are still the favorites.[/quote]Well, it's not like Garcia was a replacement level QB either. This season he played slightly worse than McNabb did, and McNabb was in the midst of his best season as a pro before the injury.

One thing you get with Garcia that you don't get with McNabb is consistency. McNabb can have stretches of games where he can go 3 and a half quarters making poor reads, overthrowing guys, and not doing the things with his legs that he's capable of. He has other games where he comes out of the gate in the zone and posts ridiculous numbers. It's a lot like Grossman in Chicago, but McNabb rarely gets picked even on his bad days (this is probably mostly an experience thing, but also McNabb is fortunate that his poorly thrown incompletions fall harmlessly to the turf whereas Grossman's find a way into the hands of a defensive back). All in all it averages out to a pretty good QB. But the Eagles as a team probably aren't [I]too[/I] much better off offensively with Donovan than with Garcia; it's splitting hairs.

Kearse is...overrated. They let Derrick Burgess walk to make room for Kearse, and Burgess is probably the better player.

If the only thing that mattered was starting lineups, we are probably better than Philly. But they do a great job rotating in fresh defensive talent, and are built to deal well with injuries, and in an imperfect world like the NFL have a great chance to finish better than us.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

[quote=The Huddle;273336]Agreed- No reason think they won't be. This team was very close to being in the NFC championship game again. The Redskins were 5-11. That's a prett fat gap to close in one year. I'll believe it when I see it.[/quote]Not to take anything away from the Eagles, who did a great job winning the NFC's strongest division at clearly less than full strength, but anytime you have a team who had to play 3 consecutive road games in the division and won all three of them, the opposition blew it. We could have won but didn't, the Giants had it easier than us and choked, and the Cowboys had it easiest and they really choked. Does this make the Giants and Cowboys worse? Not really. They just didn't play their best football when it mattered most, and paid with wild cards instead of a division championship.

Re: NFC East Champ?
 

[QUOTE=GTripp0012;273344]One thing you get with Garcia that you don't get with McNabb is consistency. McNabb can have stretches of games where he can go 3 and a half quarters making poor reads, overthrowing guys, and not doing the things with his legs that he's capable of. He has other games where he comes out of the gate in the zone and posts ridiculous numbers. It's a lot like Grossman in Chicago, but McNabb rarely gets picked even on his bad days (this is probably mostly an experience thing, but also McNabb is fortunate that his poorly thrown incompletions fall harmlessly to the turf whereas Grossman's find a way into the hands of a defensive back). All in all it averages out to a pretty good QB. But the Eagles as a team probably aren't [I]too[/I] much better off offensively with Donovan than with Garcia; it's splitting hairs.[/QUOTE]

I agree with the rest of your post, but not your point about McNabb. Obviously, as this season proved, the Eagles offense is good even when McNabb is MIA. That said, I think McNabb is one of the best QBs in the league and is pretty consistent.

Garcia had a great year, but he looked horrible in Detroit and Cleveland. Granted, those teams are awful, but he was just off for the past two years. I guarantee that if Garcia goes somewhere else this offseason to become a starter, he'll tank.