Showing posts with label Robert Griffin III. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Robert Griffin III. Show all posts

Sunday, January 6, 2013

And the Winner is...

andrew-luck (1)
Andrew Luck, above, may be the front runner for Rookie of the Year. (Photo: PathosProject)

As the regular season draws to end and the playoffs begin, the award races are beginning to heat up. For today's post, I'll be taking a look at the Rookie of the Year race.

At the beginning of the season, there were three clear-cut front runners: Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III (RG3), and Trent Richardson. Following the regular season, the number of players in the running increased to four...but two were not expected.

Andrew Luck and RG3 were essentially locks as finalists for the award. But, after a season that came up just short of 1,000 rush yards for Richardson, I am removing him from my final four. Instead, I am adding Russell Wilson and Alfred Morris.

As the season progressed, so did Wilson (and that's what landed him on this list). However, based off of his slow start and inconsistent season, you can eliminate him. Luck, RG3, and Morris were consistent in their performances throughout the whole season.

So that brings it down to three finalists: Andrew Luck, RG3, and Alfred Morris.

Let's start with the dynamic duo of RG3 and Alfred Morris. Washington's most loved players became the first rookie quarterback and running back tandem to rush for over 500 yards individually in a single season and led the Redskins to a 10-6 record and into the playoffs.

Unfortunately, when it comes to the award races, these are two are each others worst enemy. They rely on each other like blue cheese and buffalo wings. If you remove one, the other is awful. And if RG3 or Morris is removed from the offense, it is nowhere near as successful.

Who does Andrew Luck have? No one. The running game has been less then stable this season for the Colts and without Reggie Wayne the passing attack would have a hard time getting going. Simply put, Luck is doing this by himself. He's putting on an absolute display and has been doing so since the beginning of season. Plus, he's led his team to an 11-5 record, better than RG3s 10-6.

BUT, in the interest of fun, here are my final two for NFL Rookie of the Year....Andrew Luck and Alfred Morris.

OUTRAGE in the Nations capital as RG3 is left off my final two for a sixth round draft pick that just happens to also play for the Redskins...but, I have my reasons.

What happens when RG3 can't find the handle? Who do they rely on? Alfred Morris. Who is the "set-up" man for the offense? Alfred Morris. The Redskins rely on the run game of Alfred Morris to make the passing game go "BOOM". So, that's why he's my finalist.

As for Andrew Luck? Well, come on. Didn't I explain that above? He is the Colts sole source of offense and has filled some pretty big shoes (*cough* Manning *cough*) pretty well. In fact, Luck's rookie season has gone considerably better than Manning's AND Luck didn't even have a real head coach for most of it.

So...the winner of the 2012-2013 NFL Rookie of the Year Award is........Andrew Luck.

Luck has gone against all odds. The questions about whether he'll be like Manning, then his head coach  leaves after being diagnosed with cancer (#ChuckStrong), and he still lead his team to an 11-6 record and a playoff birth.

Read it and weep, ladies and gents.

Who do you think should be Rookie of the Year? Leave your answer in a comment below!

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Pierre Garcon Out Against Panthers

Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garcon has officially been ruled out of this weekends game against the Panthers according to the Washington Post. For more on Garcon and a few other injured Redskins, go to this link.

Garcon has played in just three of the Redskins eight games this season. He started week one against the Saints and had a huge impact early in that game. Garcon had four receptions for 109 yards including an 88 yard touchdown reception. Garcon then left the game late in the first half after injuring his foot.

Garcon then returned in weeks four and five and had nowhere near the impact that he had in week one. In those two games combined, Garcon was targeted by quarterback Robert Griffin III eight times and made just four receptions for 44 yards and no touchdowns.

The biggest problem that the Redskins biggest free-agency addition this past season has been running into is his explosion and ability to push hard off that foot. Not being able to do that will effect his jump off the line, jumping ability, and he has also said that it hampers his ability to go side to side.

The earliest we will see Garcon return to the field next is against the Eagles in week 11. Following the Redskins game against the Panthers, Washington has a bye week. That will give Garcon more time to try to heal his foot.

Another thing to keep in mind about Pierre Garcon's injury is that it could require surgery. While a doctor told Garcon that he doesn't need surgery for it to heal (doing so would end his season), he will need to stay off of hit completely in order for it to heal the fastest.

As for now, Garcon and the Redskins are trying to avoid surgery by giving him plenty of rest. Expect Santana Moss to still have an impact on the passing game. He has been Griffin's top target with Garcon out. Another receiver that has felt the impact of Garcon's absence is Dezmon Briscoe. Briscoe has seen an elevation in playing time as the fourth receiver.

Question: How do you think Garcon's absence has impacted the Redskins? Leave your opinion in a comment below!

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Source: Washington Post

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Redskins Biggest Problem

It may be obvious, but the Redskins have one glaring problem with their team: the passing game.

Both on offense and defense, the Redskins will live and die by the passing game this season. Against the Steelers, this weakness was exploited and used to the advantage of the Redskins opponent.

All season long, the Redskins have been able to give up over 300 pass yards a game and still keep it close at the end or even come away with the win. What the defense has lacked in pass defense, the offense has made up for in pass offense.

Since the Redskins pass offense has been so solid the entire season, the running game has felt the positive effects and the Redskins have averaged 166.3 yards on the ground per game which is second in the NFL.

When the Redskins passing game suffers, however, the whole offense falls apart. There becomes no balance because the defense can then zero in on stopping the run. Against the Steelers, the Redskins offense made THEMSELVES one dimensional.

Over the course of the game, the Redskins nearly doubled their season drops. Coming into the game, the Redskins had 11 dropped passes through the first seven games. Against the Steelers, the Redskins receivers came within one or two drops of doubling that season mark.

That inability to hang on to the football led the Redskins offense becoming one dimensional. One drive in the fourth quarter, the receivers dropped a pass on first, second, and third down which forced a three-and-out for the Redskins offense.

The same can be said on defense. The secondary is simply over matched. The Redskins don't have the athletes to match up against the receivers on the opposing teams. DeAngelo Hall was good...once. But, he's not as good as he used to be. He has his moments, but they are few and far between.

As a defense, the Redskins gives up over 314 yards per game passing. Yes, that's good enough for 32nd in the NFL. Notice my wording: "as a defense".

It starts at the bottom, the Redskins need to get pressure on the quarterback. One of the few times the Redskins got pressure on Ben Rothelisberger it actually saved a touchdown. Ben was ready to launch the ball down field but had to tuck it to save himself from being sacked.

Unfortunately, the Redskins really only have one pass rusher that's any good: Ryan Kerrigan. So, the opposing offense just game plans to block him and the pass rush literally becomes non-existent. In turn, the Redskins secondary gets put on an island and that does not bode well for the secondary.

The Redskins style of offense, believe it or not, is not setup by the running game. The passing game sets up the running game. That's what makes the pistol/triple option formation so successful. It looks like a pass, could be run, but then sometimes it comes out as an option play.

To sum it all up, if the Redskins pass offense doesn't get going, the team doesn't get going. The defense can't stop the pass and the running game will never get going without the pass offense making plays.

Robert Griffin III is the hinge point for the Redskins as a team. His ability to make plays allows the Redskins to keep up with their opponents (because they have by no means stopped anybody). The success of this team is a direct reflection of RG3 and what he can/can't do during a game.

Question: What do you think is the Redskins biggest problem? Comment your answer in the section below!

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Monday, October 15, 2012

Redskins Defeat Vikings 38-26

If you had Vikings kicker Blair Walsh on your  fantasy team today, you're golden. If you had the Vikings defense on your fantasy team today, you're not so golden.

The Vikings offense came out of the gate fast in yesterday's game at FedEx field. On three straight possessions to open the game, they got inside the Redskins 20 yard line. All three times, however, the Redskins defense stood tall in the redzone and held them to a field goal.

With just under two minutes left in the first quarter, new Redskins kicker Kai Forbath came on to kick his first NFL field goal. How do the Redskins welcome him to the NFL? A 50 yard field goal attempt, of course. Forbath, however, split the uprights and it looked as though the kick could have been good from 60 yards away, as well.

The Redskins defense then tightened up in the second quarter. In three drives by the Vikings, they forced two punts and an interception (according to ESPN).

The interception came when Redskins linebacker Lorenzo Alexander picked the ball out of the air following Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder getting by Adrian Peterson. On the ensuing offense play for the Redskins, Robert Griffin III found fullback Darrell Young for a six-yard touchdown pass.

Earlier in the quarter, running back Alfred Morris capped off an 11 play, 90 yard scoring drive with a 1-yard run of his own.

The Redskins got the ball to start the second half and were looking to put more points on the board. Robert Griffin III led the offense on a 10 play, 80 yard drive that he capped off all by himself when he took it in from seven yards for a rushing touchdown.

The Redskins were rolling and had scored 24 straight points on the Vikings to take a 24-9 lead. Blair Walsh added a field goal late in the third quarter for the Vikings and the score was 24-12 to start the fourth quarter.

At the beginning of the final quarter of play, newly acquired Redskins safety Madieu Williams picked off a bad pass from Christian Ponder and returned it 24 yards for the touchdown. It was the Redskins fourth defensive touchdown of the season. The Redskins just kept pouring it on and were now up 31-12.

If only for a few moments, however, as it looked as though they might blow it...

The Redskins offense began to falter in the fourth quarter and the Viking defense began to tighten up their play. They forced two short drives by the Redskins and converted both ensuing offensive possessions for touchdowns to bring the score to 26-31.

On the ensuing drive by the Redskins, they were one play away from yet another 3-and-out and handing the ball back to a Viking offense that had momentum. On third and short, they put the ball, and the game, in the hands of their prized draft pick: Robert Griffin III.

On third and short, Kyle Shanahan drew up a designed quarterback draw and Robert Griffin III had more than just a first down in mind when he tucked the ball away.

Robert Griffin III danced his way through the line of scrimmage and past the Vikings secondary and took it 79 yards for a touchdown to deliver the final blow the Vikings. As soon as he crossed the goal line, chants of "R-G-3!!" could be heard throughout the stadium.

DeAngelo Hall then picked off a pass in the endzone with under a minute left to play and then Griffin took a knee to seal the victory.

With a 38-26 victory yesterday, the Redskins snapped an eight game home losing streak and improved to 3-3 on the season.

Robert Griffin III finished today 17/22 with 182 yards and  a touchdown through the air. On the ground, he had 13 carries for 132 yards and two touchdowns. Alfred Morris finished the game with 16 carries for 47 yards and a touchdown.

Santana Moss was the teams leading receiver with four receptions for 46 yards. Fred Davis and Josh Morgan both had three receptions each and Leonard Hankerson had two receptions.

Linebacker Perry Riley led the way for the defense with 13 tackles (6 solo). Safety Madieu Williams had 12 tackles (8 solo) to go along with his pick-six. London Fletcher had 11 tackles (6 solo), as well.

The newest Redskins, Kai Forbath, was perfect on the day. He finished 1/1 on field goal attempts and 5/5 on extra point attempts.

Next week, the Redskins play the first NFC East division game against the New York Giants in New York. Last season, the Redskins swept the season series against the Giants. Kickoff is set for 1 PM EST on Fox.

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Monday, October 8, 2012

Redskins Injury Report

The Redskins updated the status of two key players today. One could return as soon as this week and one will be out for at least the next four weeks. Both players, however, are starters.

The Washington Redskins official Twitter page, @Redskins, tweeted this today:

"@Redskins: Shanahan reports doctors have predicted S. Brandon Meriweather (knee) will not be eligible to return for another four weeks."

Meriweather has already missed the first five games of the season due to a knee injury and now it seems he will likely miss the first nine weeks of the season all together. The Pro Bowl safety was set to return to action last weekend against the Buccaneers, but a pre-game collision between he and Aldrick Robinson kept them both out for the game and reaggravated his knee injury.

The Redskins have been going with Reed Doughty in place of Meriweather as of late. Doughty has performed better than expected which has been a pleasant and almost unnoticed surprise for the Redskins. Through the first five games of the season, Doughty has 15 tackles and one interception.

The big news from today regards Redskins rookie phenom Robert Griffin III. Late in the third quarter, Griffin was knocked out of the game due to a mild concussion. Back quarterback Kirk Cousins finished the game for the Redskins and threw a touchdown and two interceptions.

Griffin will be going to see a specialist this evening so he can be examined. Dan Graziano of ESPN has the full report here.

Griffin will have to pass all of the NFL rigorous post-concussion tests if he wants to play this weekend against the Vikings. According to the report, Griffin appears to be feeling better today and could even practice as soon as Wednesday. If he practices, expect to see him play on Sunday. If not, likely Kirk Cousins will get the nod.

How do you think the Redskins should handle RG3's situation? Start the discussion and leave a comment below!

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Source: Redskins, ESPN

Redskins Fall to Falcons

In a very valiant and respectable effort today at FedEx Field, the Washington Redskins fell to the Atlanta Falcons 24-17. For the Redskins, however, that was one of two losses on the day...

Ryan Kerrigan made the play of the day for the Washington Redskins. In the beginning of the second quarter, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan looked to get the ball into the flats. However, defensive end Ryan Kerrigan stepped pawed the ball out of the air for the interception and ran it into the endzone for a touchdown.

Unlike the rest of the season up to this point, it wasn't the Redskins lack of defense that lost them this game. The Falcons offense more than doubled the offense when it came to first downs (28-12) and nearly doubled the Redskins in total plays run (81-48). The Redskins defense was on the field for a total of 37:01.

While the defense had troubles keeping the Falcons to short drives, the offense had troubles sustaining drives. On third down, the Redskins were 1-9 and started the game 0-8. They only had the ball for 22:59 which meant the defense didn't have much time rest and, in the end, that's what cost them this game.

Twice, however, the Redskins were well within field goal range for Billy Cundiff and had him in position to put six total points on the board. However, they only managed to collect three of them. Cundiff was one-for-two today with a missed field goal from 31 yards away.

Cundiffs second field goal attempt came in the third quarter and it put the Redskins ahead 10-7. However, the drive was in vain as the Redskins leader, Robert Griffin III was knocked out of the game due to a concussion after taking a hard hit to the head from Falcons player Sean Weatherspoon.

Following the injury to Griffin, enter the Redskins fourth round draft pick Kirk Cousins. This is exactly the reason the Redskins drafted him behind Robert Griffin III.

To start off his stint in the game, Cousins didn't do too badly. In fact, according to the stats Cousin's had a better game than Griffin. Cousin's finished with 111 yards passing to Griffin's 91.

Following the Falcons touchdown drive to open the fourth quarter, the Redskins found themselves down by four points. On the ensuing Redskins drive, Cousin's found Santana Moss wide open behind the safeties for a 77 yard touchdown to put the Redskins back up 17-14.

The next Falcons lasted nine plays and the Redskins defense was beginning to show signs of fatigue. They were on the field for 4:21 game minutes, but the drive seemed to last an eternity for the men on the field. It ended with a game tying 53 yard field goal from Matt Bryant.

After the Redskins went three and out on their next drive, the tired and battered defense was back at it again. The Falcons used a heavy dose of running back Michael Turner to lead them to the endzone to take the lead 24-17.

Much like Robert Griffin III against the Buccaneers, Kirk Cousins had his shot at a dramatic fourth quarter victory.

It was not meant to be, however, as Cousins final two passes were intercepted by the Falcons secondary. His final interception was one that you would expect from a rookie. He was fooled by the secondary and threw in tight coverage.

It was a very admirable effort from the Redskins as much off the football world didn't even expect this game to be close. Many were calling for this game to be a blowout and the Redskins kept it close.

While the Redskins didn't give up their usual 30+ points a game today, they did employ a very bendable, but not breakable, defense. Matt Ryan finished 34/52 with 345 yards and two touchdowns. Tight end Tony Gonzalez shredded the Redskins linebackers for 13 catches and 123 yards and a touchdown. Julio Jones finished with 10 catches for 94 yards and a touchdown, as well.

The run defense was solid again, today. Michael Turner only managed 67 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. The front seven did an excellent job stopping the run including a three-and-out with under two minutes to the give the Redskins offense one last chance.

One place where the offense had an advantage was in the running game. The Falcons statistically don't have that solid of a run defense and Alfred Morris exploited that today. Morris took the handoff 18 times for 115 yards including and long 29 run.

Ironically, the game in which Griffin ran the least was the game that he got hurt, and sustained a mild concussion on, on his just his second rushing attempt of the game. It went down as a sack, but that is only because it occurred behind the line of scrimmage.

For the second consecutive week, Fred Davis led the team in receptions with five for 54 yards. Pierre Garcon spoiled what could have been a sensational game for him with four drops. He still managed for 4 3 receptions for 24 yards. Moss finished with 80 yards and a touchdown catch.

The Washington defense forced two turnovers today. One was the pick-six from Kerrigan and the other was a fumble recovery by Perry Riley. London Fletcher led the game in tackles yesterday with 20 total tackles including eight solo tackles. The Redskins front seven did an excellent job getting their hands in the passing lanes as the defense deflected eight passes.

Following the loss, the Redskins dropped to a strong 2-3 team. Each of the Redskins game this season have been close and they have a had a chance to win each and every one of them. The Redskins front seven will be tested as they take on Adrian Peterson at home next Sunday at 4:25. The Vikings have won the past two games against the Redskins.

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Thursday, October 4, 2012

RG3 Player of the Month

 Robert Griffin III
Griffin, above, had a very impressive September. (Photo: Keith Allison)
This morning, the NFL announced that Redskins rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III is the Offensive Rookie of the Month for the month of September. This is Griffin second award of this kind as he was Offensive Rookie of the Week in week one.

Griffin was nothing short of sensational in September. His fabulous month was capped off by a game winning two-minute drill drive against the Buccaneers this past Sunday.

In the month of September, Griffin completed 69.4 percent of his passes for 1,070 yards and four touchdowns. He threw just one interception and his longest pass was an 88 yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon during the Redskins week one upset of the New Orleans Saints.

Griffin has been just as productive on the ground. He has rushed 41 times for 234 yards and four touchdowns. He averages just under 6 yards per carry and his longest run was for 19 yards. When running the ball, Griffin has created 16 first downs for the Redskins offense.

Overall, Griffin has a quarterback rating of 103.2. That is almost unheard of for a rookie quarterback.

When compared to the rest of the NFL, Griffin ranks near the top in almost all quarterback categories.

His completion percentage of 69.5 percent ranks tied for second with Matt Ryan. He is twelth in the NFL for total pass yards with 1,070. His yards per attempt average of 8.63 puts him at third overall. Griffins 88 yard pass to Garcon is the longest thrown by any quarterback this season. His quarterback rating of 103.2 ranks him fourth and his pass yards per game average of 268 ranks him 14th.

When it comes to running the ball, Robert Griffin III ranks ahead of Cam Newton (167) and Michael Vick (130) in total rush yards (all three quarterbacks have at least 25 carries). He holds the third best yard per carry average of any quarterback or running back. Griffin is tied for first with Arian Foster and fellow Redskins Alfred Morris in rushing touchdowns with four.

Simply put, Robert Griffin III has got to be the leading Rookie of the Year candidate. His numbers are near the top in most categories at the quarterback position. I have a feeling this won't be the last time Griffin receives and All-Rookie award.

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Source: NFL.com

Monday, October 1, 2012

Redskins defeate Bucs 24-22

In the words of the great Bill Cowher, "so what if we won ugly?" That's exactly what the Redskins did yesterday in their 24-22 win over the Bucs...they won ugly.

It was tale of two halfs for both teams. The Redskins came out fast and hard in the first half and rang up 21 points on a Buccaneers defense that prides itself in run defense. Alfred Morris had already surpasses the most yards allowed on the ground by the Buccaneers before we even got to half time.

With about five minutes to go in the first half, Redskins rookie running back Alfred Morris had what is possibly his best run of the season. He took the hand-off to the left side and found the hole early and exploded through it. Once he got to the second level he made two more Buccaneers miss before dashing 39 yards to the endzone for a touchdown.

Morris finished with 29 carries for 113 and one touchdown. Morris gained nearly 90 yards in the first half.

Check that stat one more time: he gained nearly 90 of his 113 yards in the first half. So what happened in the second half?

The Redskins offense simply came apar t in the second half. Robert Griffin III had a sensational first half that even included a five yard touchdown run on a quarterback draw play. In the second half, however, the Redskins offense was hard pressed to get anything going.

What made things worse that the Buccaneers offense finally found their spark. Receivers Mike Williams and Vincent Jackson came to life and, with the help of quarterback Josh Freeman, led the way for the late third quarter/fourth quarter comeback.

It was all setup late in the third quarter when Freeman connected with Williams deep down the right side for a 65 yard pass play. Just a few plays later, Freeman then found Jackson for a seven yard touchdown pass and the rally was on.

Going back to a Connor Barth field goal just before the half, the Buccaneers scored 20 unanswered points against the Redskins. Two of the scores were touchdown passes. Following the 65 yard pitch and catch to Williams, Freeman started to find his groove.

With 1:42 left in the game, the Redskins found themselves down by one after Barth hit a field goal to put the Buccaneers in the lead. It was time for Robert Griffin III to have his first two minute drill comeback.

Griffin started it off with a 15 yard pass to Santana Moss. It was Moss' second catch of the day. He then follow that when he found Fred Davis for a team high fourth time on the day for 20 yards. Griffin then kicked off the hurry up and found Evan Royster for four yards and then Griffin himself scrambled for 15 yards all the way down the Tampa Bay 26 yard line.

Griffin the connected with Moss for a third time for a seven yard completion to the Buccaneers 24 yard line. In just over a minute and a half, Robert Griffin III had directed the offense down the field and had set-up Billy Cundiff for the game winning 41 yard field goal.

Now, that field goal was by no means automatic. Cundiff had already missed three kicks from 47, 57, and 31 yards away. This one from 41 yards had everyone on pins and needles.

Cundiff booted the ball and sailed from right to left across the upright and just barely squeaked inside the left upright and through. With three second left, the Redskins were winning 24-22.

Tampa Bay would try a little trickery on the kickoff return, but ended up fumbling the ball out of bounds. It was official. Robert Griffin III had successfully completed his first two minute drill comeback.

Robert Griffin III finish the game 26/35 with 323 yards passing. He also carried the ball seven times for 43 yards and a touchdown. Alfred Morris was the games leading rusher with 113 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown. His mom was in attendance at the game.

Fred Davis led the way for the receivers. The Pro Bowl tight end finished with four receptions for 70 yards. Josh Morgan also had four receptions for 62 yards. Leonard Hankerson had the most catches with seven to go along with 57 yards receiving. In his first game since week one, Pierre Garcon had one catch for 20 yards and he recovered a fumble in the endzone for the Redskins first touchdown.

Safety Madieu Williams led the defense in tackles with seven. Reed Doughty followed with six tackles. Cornerback DeAngelo Hall had the defenses only takeaway of the day when he intercepted a pass in the fourth quarter.

Next week, the Redskins take their 2-2 record and head home to take on the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons are 4-0 with wins against the Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs, and Panthers. The secondary will once again be tested by the precision of Matt Ryan and his weapons of Julio Jones and Roddy White. Kickoff is at 1 PM EST.

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Friday, June 8, 2012

Will Redskins Go From Worst To First?

On NFL.com, they had a cute little segment where they ranked teams that finished last in their respective NFC divisions last season and then ranked them on whether or not they can win their respective divisions this coming season.

I know that the thought of that is exciting and all, but, it's not very practical. While, being a Redskins fan, I would enjoy watching them win the NFC East, the rest of the division simply won't let that happen.

Last season, the Redskins swept the season series from the Giants. While that was fun, that won't happen this season.

The dream has finally gotten rid of it's cockiest player, the back-up quarterback, and also had their ego's put in check. Look for them to come back better than ever.

The Cowboys...okay so the Redskins will finish third at the worst.

I'll be honest with you, people, the Redskins have a very slim shot at winning the division this year. While the Giants don't have Mario Manningham anymore and have lost Hakeem Nicks for a while due to injury, I don't see them being as shakey as they were last season.

The Giants have the best shot at repeating their divisonal win this season. With Osi Umenyiora taken care, now he and Jason Pierre-Paul can run wild in opponents backfields. You may scoffe at my praise of Pierre-Paul, but don't forget he recorded 16 tackles during the Redskins 23-10 week 13 victory.


What about the Eagles? Let's not forget one minor detail: they still have Michael Vick. The same Michael Vick that lit up the Redskins defense two-seasons ago during that Monday night ga-...meltdown.

DeSean Jackson is still going to be the same playmaker that he always has been. Remember that guy that defeated the Giants with that last-second punt return for a touchdown? Yeah...he's still there.

They Eagles also have Nnamdi Asomugha and Dominique Rogers-Cromartie to try to stop Robert Griffin III when they meet.

The addition of one guy doesn't turn a team from the worst to the best by any stretch of the imagination. The Washington Redskins still have a ways to go before letting Rex Grossman make a ridiculous prediction and then fall flat on his face.

However, the Redskins are on the right track in the rebuilding process. Instead of signing high-priced, out of shape, past their prime free-agents, they are beginning to rebuild through the draft and by signing younger, more promising players.

The days of the Redskins being a constant threat to win their division are still a few years away. However, their is a reason to stop circling the Redskins as an automatic "W" on your teams calendar.