Difficult times still ahead for the Washington Redskins
Difficult times still ahead for the Washington Redskins
Coming off a 5-11 season last year one thing was certain in Washington .... Heads would roll. First up was a new Head Coach, enter Joe Gibbs who will also undertake the roll of team president. Gibbs needs no introduction to NFL and this will be his second stint with the Redskins (1981-1992).
What was clear during the regular season last year was for a greater output from the offense which managed to amass a paltry 287 points from their 16 regular season games (an average of under 18 points per game). The Redskins only had four draft choices overall this year, however, Gibbs acquired quarter back Marc Brunell from Jacksonville and traded All-Pro corner-back Bailey to Denver in exchange for running back Clinton Portis. Brunell who joined camp early will no doubt take time to re-adjust as he only threw a total of 82 passes last season for two touchdowns. Portis brings a big running game to the table for Washington having ran for over 1500 yards last season.
The defensive side of the ball caused more concern for HC Gibbs after they allowed 372 points last year (over 23 points per game). Some good moves were made during the Summer months. The Redskins lost Bailey in their trade for Portis but added linebackers Brown and Barron and defensive tackle Griffin from the Giants along with Harris from Indianapolis and Springs from Seattle. Raiding the New York Giants for defensive players may not be the smartest of moves as the Giants allowed more points (387) than Washington last year! The Skins also added Safety Taylor from Miami and his skills will improve areas of the defense.
Although changes had to be made, in my opinion the changes made this off season has done little more than paste over the cracks. Of as much significance as the playing staff is HC Gibbs himself. Away from the game for more than ten years, it is asking a lot for him to step in and turn this Franchise around over sixteen games. With player shuffling and new coaching schemes introduced this off-season, one can expect it to be hard work during the first few months of the 2004 season.
The sports books in Vegas have reacted to all the "hype" surrounding the Redskins posting a total of 9 Over/Under total wins for the 2004 season. In their NFC East division they have the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys who both have more talent the the Skins. Looking at the rest of Washington's schedule see's them having to play eight of their ten non-division games against opponents who had better records in 2003. Life is not made any easier with games against the Minnesota Vikings, Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens. With the anticipated early woes and those eight games against teams that had winning seasons in 2003, there really are no positives to warrant supporting Washington to go 10-6 or more in 2004 and make the OVER 9 wins on the season a winning wager. Play smart and back the UNDER 9 total wins as once again the Redskins struggle.
Play On: Washington Redskins Under 9 Total Wins
