2008 Washington Redskins NFL Picks & Predictions

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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’s NFL predictions tell you how they stack up with the Cowboys, Giants, and Eagles in his 2008 Washington Redskins season preview.

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 season pass and you can sit back, relax, and watch yourself roll in the profits week after week with your NFL betting.

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About the Author: Jimmy Boyd is known for his consistency. He's a proven winner in college and pro football, college and pro basketball and pro baseball. He finished as the No. 1 ranked MLB handicapper in 2007 by earning $1,000/game bettors $50,050. He also finished as the No. 1 ranked basketball handicapper in the 2008-09 season, profiting $1,000/game bettors 38,530. His basketball plays have banked $1,000/game bettors nearly $80,000 the last five years. Check out Jimmy's premium picks for tonight!
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