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Coff · 01-28-2013, 12:29 PM

Our season this year was a tale of two halves. The first half, the close ones got away from us, the second half the close ones went our way. Sometimes a team is a little better or worse than its record; this year our record was a good reflection of our team.

So, what differences next season will affect our success?

1. Injuries. This year we were one of the most injured teams in the league, particularly our defense. A healthier defense would make this team at least two wins stronger. The loss of Garcon greatly affected our ability to score, and subsequently the Redskins didn't win many games when he was out. On the other hand, we can't expect our offensive line to be as healthy next year. And of course, there's the matter of RGIII. If we had to guess, I'd say we'd have to worry more about injuries next year because of RGIII's surgery. That being said, I think we'll have to take wins off the board considering injuries.

2. Schedule- Could be a wash; we'll have a first place schedule instead of a last place schedule which will make it harder. On the other hand, the AFC opponents are coming out of the west instead of the North, which will benefit us. As far as our division opponents, who can say? I don't expect the Giants to improve, however the Eagles are a talented club. Who knows? Schedule- a wash.

3. Roster- unlikely that any draft picks will immediately help the team, since we don't have a high pick. Could add depth, but that would only be if injuries were a problem. Age isn't really a problem, with the obvious exception of Fletcher. Free agency isn't going to help much considering out cap restrictions. A slight addition to the secondary could make a marked difference however, and I'm optimistic we can do something on that front. (Though it is worth noted that during our winning streak, the secondary played very well). Overall, I see this as a slight advantage to the Redskins

4. RGIII experience- look, we all know the importance of RGIII. So how much we he grow in his second year? A better question might be to what extent will opposing defenses better prepare for what they will be facing? Look, this off-season every defensive coach in the league will be making it a priority to figure out ways to limit RGIII, Wilson, Kaepernick, Cam Newton, etc. I think we'll see some big improvements. I anticipate we will see some regression on this front as defenses advance more quickly then the QBs.

Altogether, the Skins could reasonably be better, they could reasonably be worse. If we were to draw parameters, I think we could say that the Redskins will win between 8 and 12 games this year; the big difference is RGIII's health. I'd put the win total for next season at 9.

01-28-2013, 12:29 PM	#11
Coff Impact Rookie Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Halfmoon, NY Posts: 688	Re: A question for all Redskins fans..... Our season this year was a tale of two halves. The first half, the close ones got away from us, the second half the close ones went our way. Sometimes a team is a little better or worse than its record; this year our record was a good reflection of our team. So, what differences next season will affect our success? 1. Injuries. This year we were one of the most injured teams in the league, particularly our defense. A healthier defense would make this team at least two wins stronger. The loss of Garcon greatly affected our ability to score, and subsequently the Redskins didn't win many games when he was out. On the other hand, we can't expect our offensive line to be as healthy next year. And of course, there's the matter of RGIII. If we had to guess, I'd say we'd have to worry more about injuries next year because of RGIII's surgery. That being said, I think we'll have to take wins off the board considering injuries. 2. Schedule- Could be a wash; we'll have a first place schedule instead of a last place schedule which will make it harder. On the other hand, the AFC opponents are coming out of the west instead of the North, which will benefit us. As far as our division opponents, who can say? I don't expect the Giants to improve, however the Eagles are a talented club. Who knows? Schedule- a wash. 3. Roster- unlikely that any draft picks will immediately help the team, since we don't have a high pick. Could add depth, but that would only be if injuries were a problem. Age isn't really a problem, with the obvious exception of Fletcher. Free agency isn't going to help much considering out cap restrictions. A slight addition to the secondary could make a marked difference however, and I'm optimistic we can do something on that front. (Though it is worth noted that during our winning streak, the secondary played very well). Overall, I see this as a slight advantage to the Redskins 4. RGIII experience- look, we all know the importance of RGIII. So how much we he grow in his second year? A better question might be to what extent will opposing defenses better prepare for what they will be facing? Look, this off-season every defensive coach in the league will be making it a priority to figure out ways to limit RGIII, Wilson, Kaepernick, Cam Newton, etc. I think we'll see some big improvements. I anticipate we will see some regression on this front as defenses advance more quickly then the QBs. Altogether, the Skins could reasonably be better, they could reasonably be worse. If we were to draw parameters, I think we could say that the Redskins will win between 8 and 12 games this year; the big difference is RGIII's health. I'd put the win total for next season at 9.