2011 Washington Redskins Predictions
Since making the playoffs in 2007, the Washington Redskins have endured three straight last place finishes in the NFC East. Last season’s 6-10 record marked their ninth non-winning campaign in the last 11 seasons.
Washington, which hasn’t won the NFC East since 1999, appears to have some work to do before it’s ready to compete for a division title.
Offense: The Redskins ranked 18th in the NFL in total offense last season with 335.9 yards per game. They finished 25th in scoring with 18.9 points per contest.
The offense was supposed to get a boost from Donovan McNabb, who has been shipped off to Minnesota. Now, the Redskins will have to turn to either John Beck, Rex Grossman or Kellen Clemens.
Coach Mike Shanahan loves Beck and figures to give him the keys to the car, but keep in mind that Beck hasn’t played since 2007 when he was with Miami.
Something has to be done about the running game to take the pressure off Washington’s stable of mediocre quarterbacks. The Skins ranked 30th in the league with only 91.3 rushing yards per game last season.
The powerful Ryan Torain, who rushed for 742 yards and four scores in 10 games in 2010, should be able to bolster the running attack as a full-time starter.
Santana Moss remains the team’s top threat through the air. He caught 93 passes for 1,115 yards and six touchdowns last season.
Tight end is a strength with Chris Cooley and Fred Davis. The duo combined for 98 catches for 1,165 yards and six touchdowns.
The line should show growth with Trent Williams, Kory Lichtensteiger and Will Montgomery all entering their second seasons as starters.
Defense: It’s a wonder Washington even won six games in 2010. The defense was that bad.
The Skins ranked 31st in the NFL in total defense with 389.2 yards allowed per game. They finished 22nd in scoring defense with 23.6 points allowed per contest.
The Albert Haynesworth drama has come to an end. Shanahan wouldn’t give with arguably the best tackle in the game and lost a great player because of it. The defensive front now lacks star power, but there’s plenty of that at linebacker, starting with Brian Orakpo.
The 13th overall selection in the 2009 draft has not disappointed, recording a total of 19.5 sacks through his first two seasons. The Skins drafted Purdue’s Ryan Kerrigan to bring the heat opposite Orakpo. Washington’s pass rush will get a huge boost if he can make the transition to NFL outside linebacker as quickly as Orakpo did.
London Fletcher is 36 but continues to get the job done. He had 188 tackles last season. No player in the game has a nose for the football like this guy.
Across the back, cornerback DeAngelo Hall is coming off his third Pro Bowl season. He picked off six passes last year.
Prediction: 4th Place NFC East – The NFL is a quarterback’s league, and the Redskins don’t have one. You can win for a decade if you happen to fall into a position to take a player like Peyton Manning or stumble upon a player like Tom Brady. Shanahan appears willing to give Beck the chance to succeed, but I’m not sure he’s the right guy to get Washington back into title contention. NFL odds makers have listed the Redskins at +2000 to win the NFC East.
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