The difference between 10-6 and 6-10

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by Beemnseven

Then what happened in 2006? Having talent and going to the playoffs don't necessarily go hand in hand. It's certainly tough to make the postseason if you don't have talent, but talented players can underperform (Santana Moss is Exhibit A), injuries can take a toll, and then there's coaching.

Do the national publications have a point when they express doubt that there will be a seamless transition from the Hall of Fame legend Joe Gibbs to the completely unproven Jim Zorn? Couldn't it be argued that we as Redskins fans aren't giving enough credence to this fact?

Also, consider that there have been no significant upgrades on either side of the ball; Carlos Rogers and Rocky McIntosh are coming back (we hope) from devastating injuries; and we just saw aging, battered, limping and hobbling offensive line get shuffled around week after week with only the hope that nothing like that will happen again, because, as many people seem to say, Murphy's Law just CAN'T be as bad this year .... right?

Call me a pessimist, and some no doubt will question my status as a "real fan", but is it impossible for anyone else to see how the 2008 season can totally blow up in our face? To me, there are very legitimate concerns everywhere for this team.

Totally blow up? Almost certainly not, assuming that's referring to a 4 or fewer win season.

Too many veteran players we can rely on for that to happen. As much as we need Campbell to break out to make a playoff run, he would have to be substantially worse than his prior season and a half for us to totally collapse.

Portis figures to have a rebound year of sorts, so theres that, and although the pass defense is only one year removed from being the worst pass d of the last ten years, it's a pretty safe bet that they will finish somewhere in the top 20. On third downs alone, the team figures to improve somewhat simply because Grilliams' schemes were pretty historically bad at preventing third down conversions.

So even though I think 8-8 would be somewhat optimistic thinking, I would think 3-13 or 4-12 would be pretty downright weak predictions. I mean, we play the Lions, Browns, and Niners for crying out loud, and though I'm not going to use the phrasing "automatic win" (because such a thing doesn't exist in the NFL), even at our worst, we'd be favored to beat those teams.

[Beemnseven]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

Totally blow up? Almost certainly not, assuming that's referring to a 4 or fewer win season.

Too many veteran players we can rely on for that to happen. As much as we need Campbell to break out to make a playoff run, he would have to be substantially worse than his prior season and a half for us to totally collapse.

Portis figures to have a rebound year of sorts, so theres that, and although the pass defense is only one year removed from being the worst pass d of the last ten years, it's a pretty safe bet that they will finish somewhere in the top 20. On third downs alone, the team figures to improve somewhat simply because Grilliams' schemes were pretty historically bad at preventing third down conversions.

So even though I think 8-8 would be somewhat optimistic thinking, I would think 3-13 or 4-12 would be pretty downright weak predictions. I mean, we play the Lions, Browns, and Niners for crying out loud, and though I'm not going to use the phrasing "automatic win" (because such a thing doesn't exist in the NFL), even at our worst, we'd be favored to beat those teams.

The Redskins have consistently been one of the teams that has a significant veteran presence over the past five years or so. So much so, in fact, that people often use the term "old" when describing this team. With more of an emphasis on the draft, I expect this to change with more of a blend of savvy vets with young, upstart talent from the college ranks. Nonetheless, all the veterans we've had -- the "locker room leaders" we hear so much about -- gave us a 30-34 record under the guidance of a living legend in Joe Gibbs.

So you'll have to forgive me if I believe the possibility exists that things might not go quite the way most everybody here thinks.