The Washington Redskins Are Bound for the Playoffs

Predicting how a football team will perform is always a difficult issue, but this is the time of the year when just about every fan is doing just that. Let us look at the major determining factors to see how the Washington Redskins will perform in 2009.

Redskin Culture The Washington Redskins are a first class organization, which has already won three Superbowls. The Washington area is fascinating as the rich and powerful live side by side with the poor and underprivileged. The one thing they have in common, and what really unites them is their love for the Redskins. People come and go in the Washington area and when they leave they still have the Redskins in their blood. As a result, the Redskins have fans all over the country.

The good qualities of the Redskins are seen in their charity work and in the tribute they are playing to their former player, the late Sean Taylor. On November 27, 2007 Sean Taylor passed away as a result of a shooting injury he suffered at home. On November 30, 2007, the Redskins celebrated his life at an emotional ceremony at their stadium. He was inducted into the Redskins' Ring of Fame at FedEx Field, which honors those who have made outstanding contributions to the team. Redskin owner Daniel M. Synder said that "It's appropriate that Sean joins our Ring of Fame after a stellar career cut short far too soon." Executive Vice President of Football operations Vinny Cerrato stated that "Sean was developing into one of the best to ever play the safety position, as well as becoming a role model to those who knew him." On that same day, the Redskins established a trust fund to benefit Taylor's daughter Jackie. The team and owner Daniel M. Synder have dedicated a minimum of $500,000 to the fund. Additionally, all profits from the sale of Sean Taylor jerseys and other items at Official Redskins Stores and the Redskins Online Store will be contributed to the fund.

The Redskins also do some interesting charity work. Through their Holiday Programs the Redskins annually provide a collection of holiday programs including Thanksgiving food distributions, toy, and coat giveaways. The Redskins participate in the NFL Hometown Huddle and support the local community through annual community service projects.

Can this first class organization produce a Superbowl champion on the field?

The Schedule The first clue is found in the schedule. The Redskins have a fascinating schedule. The preseason should really help them prepare for the regular season. During the preseason, the Redskins play the defending world champion Pittsburgh Steelers, and two great teams, the New England Patriots and the Baltimore Ravens. They close out the preseason with the young and aggressive Jacksonville Jaguars. .

The regular season is a mixed bag. The Redskins play in the rugged Eastern Division of the National Football Conference. The teams in the Eastern Division play smash-mouth football, a brutal, hard-hitting style of football. In addition to the Redskins, the division features the New York Giants, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys. As one would expect the toughest games are in their own division, and the Redskins play all of their divisional opponents twice. While the Redskins will be fortunate to finish even in the division, they must capitalize on their other games. The good news is the Redskins play a lot of manageable opponents outside of their division. Next season the Redskins play the Rams, Lions, Buccaneers, Chiefs, Falcons, Broncos, Saints, Raiders, and Chargers. They need to win 6 or 7 games outside their division to make the playoffs.

Strengths The Redskins have a solid defense ad a good running game. The running game features halfback Clinton Portis. The speedy Portis rushed for 1487 yards on 342 attempts, averaged 4.3 yards per carry and scored nine touchdowns. Overall, the Redskins ran for over 2000 yards, 2095 to be precise, while holding their opponents to just 1526 yards. The Redskins outplayed most of their opponents, winning in the important categories of total offensive yards and time of possession.

Weaknesses Although the organization is first class, the team itself is only average, mediocre. Last year the Redskins were 8 and 8. The team has two glaring problems The Redskins give up more big plays than they make, and their passing game is average at best. Although the Redskins outplayed their opponents, they gave up 32 touchdowns and only scored 27 touchdowns.

The passing game needs significant improvement. The Redskins opponents passed for more yards and more touchdowns than the Redskins. The Redskins were held to 3025 yards and 14 touchdowns while their opponents passed for 3095 yards and 16 touchdowns. An improvement here should produce dramatic results, and the Redskins should improve. Quarterback Jason Campbell is a great athlete who should master the West Coast Offensive, which has traditionally been a very successful system. Moreover, Head Coach Jim Zorn is a former quarterback and a great quarterback coach. In Seattle he transformed Mattt Haselback from an average quarterback into a Superbowl quarterback who almost won the big game.

Predictions The Redskins will make significant progress on their quest to win their fourth Superbowl. They should finish about 9-7 or 10-6 and make the playoffs. They will probably lose in the first or second round of the playoffs as they are not ready for the Superbowl.

Sources:

1. www.redskins.com.

2. www.nfl.com.