Last Year:
From boring and dull to fun and gun was the Redskins metamorphosis from 2001 to 2002 as they went from Marty Schottenheimer and Jeff George to Steve Spurrier and Patrick Ramsey. As Dan Snyder slipped in to the background he let his team and coach do the talking instead of himself. After the original goofiness of Steve Spurrier and his Florida craze he realized that things that he did in college football would need to be changed for them to work in the NFL. Has beens/never weres such as Danny Wuerrfel and Shane Mathews accomplished nothing for their collegiate coach and reality set in as Spurrier gave the reigns to Patrick Ramsey. For a rookie quarterback Ramsey wasn?t bad, but his 51% completion percentage was not good enough for this team to win. Stephen Davis was slowly fazed out of the offense and then quickly pushed out the door as he was no longer the centerpiece he used to be. After a year of trial and error, this will be the first year that we truly see Steve Spurrier?s offense. If Ramsey improves, the Redskins will vie for a playoff spot. If not, then the Redskins are just a year older, and no closer to a championship than they used to be.
What we Learned from Last Year:
For a team that is in the process of re-building, it?s important to look at what they accomplished last year and what they have to build upon.
Last year after messing around for the first part of the season, the Redskins got their QB. Patrick Ramsey, last year?s first round pick, did look good at times. Other times he looked like a rookie quarterback. In Steve Spurrier?s offense, the quarterback?s play is so crucial to the success and they will need Ramsey to make some big strides from last year. He played in 9 games last year, but in only one game did he have a completion percentage above 60%. You can?t expect a lot more from a quarterback in his rookie season, but in his second season everyone will be expecting more.
One thing that is for certain is the Redskins defense. Filled with veterans in the line-backing corps, and a couple of great DB?s these troops can get it done. They finished fifth in the league in total defense, and they may have to play that good again while the offense finds its feet. The linebackers are ridiculously stacked with Jeremiah Trotter, Jessie Armstead and Lavar Arrington. Don?t forget about cornerbacks Fred Smoot and Champ Bailey can cover most receivers one-on-one which is really what is saving this defense. The defensive line is not great, but without needing too many defensive backs to cover receivers, it allows this team to send extra guys to add pressure. Hopefully they can keep it up.
What has Changed?:
The Redskins went through another makeover this year, but they are still one short of Anna Nicole Smith. Out goes Stephen Davis who really didn?t fit the offense anymore because of his lack of breakaway speed and his average receiving skills and in comes a virtually opposite running back in Trung Canidate. Canidate has performed well in the pre-season but that means pretty much nothing. Nonetheless he is speedy, and he does have good hands coming out of the backfield which does mean he could do well this year.
The next addition to the offense is Laverneus Coles. For an offense that was looking for speed, they got the right guy. He?s a good route runner, and he?s got some nice after-burners. There are no question about his receiving skills and what he can do with the ball once he has it, but the question is will he be getting the ball in the right spots and how consistently. He will help Ramsey look a lot better but will Ramsey help him look good. With Rod Gardner on the other side of the field it will be hard to send extra attention to either of these receivers.
The big question on this whole team is Patrick Ramsey. Can he play well enough to give this team a chance to win week in and week out? Is he ready to take that next step in his sophomore year as a quarterback? The offensive line has played well enough to give him protection; he has two quality wide receivers beside him, a defense to keep his team in the game, and a good running back to take pressure off of him. He?s in a great position to succeed, so we know all that is left for him to do.
O/U 7.5:
8 wins is very close to where the Redskins might finish because the team will probably go through growing pains along with their starting QB. Fun and Gun might experience another year of babysitting before it becomes mature. Nonetheless, here?s who they play: Jets, @Falcons, Patriots, Buccaneers, @Bills, Seahawks, @Panthers, @Dolphins, Saints, and @Bears.
Fantasy Sleeper:
This team has a couple of guys that could be boom or bust. Guys like Coles, Gardner are not sleepers, but their success depends highly on Patrick Ramsey. I guess you could say Ramsey is a sleeper if he performs well because you?ll have a good starting QB on what would be a playoff team then. He?s a good fantasy reserve for now.
From boring and dull to fun and gun was the Redskins metamorphosis from 2001 to 2002 as they went from Marty Schottenheimer and Jeff George to Steve Spurrier and Patrick Ramsey. As Dan Snyder slipped in to the background he let his team and coach do the talking instead of himself. After the original goofiness of Steve Spurrier and his Florida craze he realized that things that he did in college football would need to be changed for them to work in the NFL. Has beens/never weres such as Danny Wuerrfel and Shane Mathews accomplished nothing for their collegiate coach and reality set in as Spurrier gave the reigns to Patrick Ramsey. For a rookie quarterback Ramsey wasn?t bad, but his 51% completion percentage was not good enough for this team to win. Stephen Davis was slowly fazed out of the offense and then quickly pushed out the door as he was no longer the centerpiece he used to be. After a year of trial and error, this will be the first year that we truly see Steve Spurrier?s offense. If Ramsey improves, the Redskins will vie for a playoff spot. If not, then the Redskins are just a year older, and no closer to a championship than they used to be.
What we Learned from Last Year:
For a team that is in the process of re-building, it?s important to look at what they accomplished last year and what they have to build upon.
Last year after messing around for the first part of the season, the Redskins got their QB. Patrick Ramsey, last year?s first round pick, did look good at times. Other times he looked like a rookie quarterback. In Steve Spurrier?s offense, the quarterback?s play is so crucial to the success and they will need Ramsey to make some big strides from last year. He played in 9 games last year, but in only one game did he have a completion percentage above 60%. You can?t expect a lot more from a quarterback in his rookie season, but in his second season everyone will be expecting more.
One thing that is for certain is the Redskins defense. Filled with veterans in the line-backing corps, and a couple of great DB?s these troops can get it done. They finished fifth in the league in total defense, and they may have to play that good again while the offense finds its feet. The linebackers are ridiculously stacked with Jeremiah Trotter, Jessie Armstead and Lavar Arrington. Don?t forget about cornerbacks Fred Smoot and Champ Bailey can cover most receivers one-on-one which is really what is saving this defense. The defensive line is not great, but without needing too many defensive backs to cover receivers, it allows this team to send extra guys to add pressure. Hopefully they can keep it up.
What has Changed?:
The Redskins went through another makeover this year, but they are still one short of Anna Nicole Smith. Out goes Stephen Davis who really didn?t fit the offense anymore because of his lack of breakaway speed and his average receiving skills and in comes a virtually opposite running back in Trung Canidate. Canidate has performed well in the pre-season but that means pretty much nothing. Nonetheless he is speedy, and he does have good hands coming out of the backfield which does mean he could do well this year.
The next addition to the offense is Laverneus Coles. For an offense that was looking for speed, they got the right guy. He?s a good route runner, and he?s got some nice after-burners. There are no question about his receiving skills and what he can do with the ball once he has it, but the question is will he be getting the ball in the right spots and how consistently. He will help Ramsey look a lot better but will Ramsey help him look good. With Rod Gardner on the other side of the field it will be hard to send extra attention to either of these receivers.
The big question on this whole team is Patrick Ramsey. Can he play well enough to give this team a chance to win week in and week out? Is he ready to take that next step in his sophomore year as a quarterback? The offensive line has played well enough to give him protection; he has two quality wide receivers beside him, a defense to keep his team in the game, and a good running back to take pressure off of him. He?s in a great position to succeed, so we know all that is left for him to do.
O/U 7.5:
8 wins is very close to where the Redskins might finish because the team will probably go through growing pains along with their starting QB. Fun and Gun might experience another year of babysitting before it becomes mature. Nonetheless, here?s who they play: Jets, @Falcons, Patriots, Buccaneers, @Bills, Seahawks, @Panthers, @Dolphins, Saints, and @Bears.
Fantasy Sleeper:
This team has a couple of guys that could be boom or bust. Guys like Coles, Gardner are not sleepers, but their success depends highly on Patrick Ramsey. I guess you could say Ramsey is a sleeper if he performs well because you?ll have a good starting QB on what would be a playoff team then. He?s a good fantasy reserve for now.
