2007 Outlook:

'07 doesn't look much rosier than '06 for the Washington Redskins. A 5-11 team who neglected to make much of an impact in free agency and who was stuck with only one pick on the first day of the draft. Typically, the Skins have made bad draft pick for trade decisions, so this year they decided to sit idle. Frustrating for fans, but lose, lose, lose is their new motto. When looking up and down the NFC East, they are in a class by themselves. And that is not a good thing.

2007 Draft Review:

The Skins had a limited draft as they had only one pick in the first four rounds. To help out on defense, they selected Laron Landry to play opposite of Sean Taylor. While it sounds supremely intimidating to have two bone crushing hitters like Landry and Taylor staring opposing receivers down, you must be able to cover, which neither of these guys do well. HB Blades was a great pick in the sixth round, but overall they just didn't have enough draft picks to truly make an impact for this season earning a C-.

Key Acquisition:

Fred Smoot returns after a short stint with the Vikings to aid a defense that ranked 29th last season in the NFL. With the inability of Springs to stay off the injury report and the inability of Carlos Rogers to realize his potential thus far, the Skins were determined to upgrade their cornerback position. Smoot will likely return to the starting corner along side Springs allowing Rogers and Macklin to work into the Nickel back positions. It will be interesting to see if Smoot can return to the shut down corner he once was. Allowing Landry and Taylor to roam will be critical to the overall success of this defensive backfield. While the Redskins Defense will still not call for a spot on your fantasy roster, they should be slightly improved this season earning a 17-20 rated defense in the NFL.

Key Departure:

TJ Duckett tops the charts for the worst departure for the Washington Redskins. TJ Duckett? It epitomizes the Skins over the past few years. Last season, they determined it was a great idea to trade for a player who has never amounted to anything but a goal line runner. When Portis went down with injury, instead of getting a serviceable free agent to be the emergency backup, they trade away a 3rd and 4th round pick for a guy that was all but useless. Let us review. New England trades a 4th round pick alone for Randy Moss. The Redskins trade a 3rd and 4th round pick for TJ Duckett, who they kept on the bench for one season and then released him. Any questions as to why New England wins, and Washington loses?

Offensive Preview:

The Skins struggled with offense all season with Brunell, and later, Campbell. Another team in desperate need of a leader, the Skins have officially turned the reigns over to their young quarterback. How he responds will determine the upcoming season. Campbell has been through more coaches than many players will in a career and should begin to develop a comfort level working with Saunders again this sesaon. Blessed by a strong running game led by Portis and Betts, Campbell will have one of the best 1-2 punches out of the backfield in the NFL. If the line can stay out of injury trouble and Portis/Betts run well, the Skins offense could have the resemblance of a quality club worthy of a 10-12 rating in the NFL.

Defensive/Special Teams Preview:

The Skins defense was one of the worst in the league last season. They couldn't stop the run, and they couldn't stop the pass. Not exactly a recipe for success. To help the squad, the team went into free agency, acquiring Fred Smoot, David Macklin, and London Fletcher, while adding LSU Safety, Laron Landry, with their first round pick in the '07 draft. Greg Williams enters his 4th season and his clubs tend to hit their stride around that time with him at the helm. Talent is a concern though and playing in the NFC East does not help. The Skins defense should be avoided on draft day, even with the possibility of improvement. They will be a waiver wire team to keep an eye on though.

Season Prediction:

Coach Gibbs will be spending his last season with the Washington Redskins. While the beloved Coach did great things in his time, that time was over a decade ago. Get back to the track Coach! The Skins will yet again find ways to lose games. Campbell can, and will eventually become a quality NFL quarterback. But with it being only his 2nd season as a signal caller, there will continue to be some growing pains. Moss, Cooley, Portis, and Betts give him some weapons at his disposal, but the dismal play of the defense and the question marks across the offensive line will be their undoing as the Skins will be home for the holidays, yet again. Ho Ho Ho!

Projected Finish

4 Wins, 12 Losses (4th NFC East)

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