2008 Washington Redskins NFL Predictions
Joe Gibbs shocked owner Dan Snyder by
retiring in January following a second playoff season in
three years. The Redskins went on a memorable run in 2007,
winning four straight to finish the season, to advance to
the playoffs. Will the Skins take a step back in their first
year under new head man Jim Zorn or will they continue to
move in the right direction?
Jimmy Boyd tells you how they stack up with the
Cowboys,
Giants,
and
Eagles in his 2008 Washington Redskins predictions
and season preview.
Get a 50% Signup Bonus at BetUS!
Offense
QB Jason Campbell has shown flashes of
brilliance and flashes of inconsistency.
Campbell is also still developing as the leader
of this team. His reluctance to take over the
roll reserved for signal callers shows that his
confidence continues to waver.
Clinton Portis was Clinton Portis again in 2007,
finishing third in the NFC in rushing and
catching a career-high 47 passes. I expect he
and Ladell Betts to team up to be one of the
better two back attacks in the league.
Santana Moss was a Pro Bowl pick in 2005 during
his record-setting Redskins debut, but has been
nagged by injuries each of the past two seasons.
Antwaan Randle El set career highs in catches
and yards last season, but he had just one
touchdown. Tight end Chris Cooley is another big
asset in this offense. He had 66 grabs and eight
touchdowns last season.
Left tackle Chris Samuels is a gem. The big
fella made his fifth Pro Bowl in eight seasons
in 2007. Center Casey Rabach is solid and
remains the line's glue. The Jets are weak at
left guard with 35-year-old banged up Pete
Kendall filling in and both the right guard and
right tackle are coming off major injuries.
Defense
Defensive end Andre Carter provided the Skins
with something they've been missing for the
better part of the decade – a pass rush. His
10.5 sacks were the most by a Skins lineman
since 2000. The rest of the line is hardly worth
mentioning however so I won't.
Strong side linebacker Marcus Washington was the
best player on the defense until the end of the
2006 season. It now appears his best football is
well behind him. Middle linebacker London
Fletcher has also already played his best ball
at age 33, but he proved to still be an asset
because of his leadership. Rocky McIntosh will
take the weak side spot after recovering from
last year's knee injury. There's not a lot of
proven depth here so the Skins really can't
afford any injuries.
The Redskins will be without Pro Bowl safety
Sean Taylor who lost his life to a tragic
shooting death last season. Shawn Springs proved
he was still an elite corner at age 32 last
season and safety LaRon Landry justified being
the sixth overall choice in 2007 with a fine
rookie campaign.
Special Teams
Rock Cartwright is one of the best kickoff
returners the Redskins have ever had and he
upped his yards per return average nearly two
yards last season. Randle El has excelled at
returning punts. The kicking game has not been a
strength for the Redskins for a long time, but
Shaun Suisham made it a strength last season.
Prediction – 4th NFC East
The Redskins will be competitive, but I believe
they'll fall victim to a tough division this
season. They rallied around the notion of
winning for Sean Taylor last year and
overachieved because of it. A slight return to
reality will put the Skins in the basement.
Jimmy Boyd will have you beating the
NFL odds all
season long with his award winning
NFL picks. All
you'll need to do is sign up for his NFL season
pass and you can sit back, relax, and watch
yourself roll in the profits week after week.
Check out the
official site
of the Washington Redskins and for more
information.
June 25th, 2008