DC Examiner: Redskins rank low

Apparently, a revamped coaching staff led by someone with two Super Bowls in his past, and a perennial Pro Bowl quarterback can only take the Redskins so far. That's the opinion of one of the most respected pro football writers.

The Dallas Morning News' Rick Gosselin ranked the Redskins as the 25th best team in the NFL, or four spots above where he rated them at the end of the 2009 season.

His rationale? He wrote this about Washington: "The Redskins will be an old team this season. Veteran Pro Bowlers Donovan McNabb, Larry Johnson and Willie Parker have been added to the roster along with former first-round draft picks Philip Buchanan, Adam Carriker, Joey Galloway and Vonnie Holliday."

He could also have mentioned an offensive line that has new, and in some cases unproven, parts and a defense that is switching to a 3-4 as well as a receiving corps that has a lot to prove. But it's still hard to think they'll be better than only seven teams in the league. At this point I'd say their ceiling is around .500. I do agree that they are an old team; it's hard to disagree considering the players they've added. But I would think the new coach/quarterback combination will be worth three more wins.

Here's another thing you might not like about this: Dallas is ranked second and Gosselin predicts the Cowboys will face Indianapolis in the Super Bowl.

Of course, this is just one opinion. But until the games begin, you'll have to suffer more of these ratings. And it is interesting to see how outsiders view the changes at Redskins Park.

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I have a great deal of respect for Gosselin. He is makes the sports talk circuit here in Dallas regularly and is well spoken and insightful. Usually he is pretty fair in his writing too and no one is harsher on the Cowboys when things aren't right at Valley Ranch than Rich.

But come on...how much more homerish can you get?

The Boys have done nothing this off season to address the problem that got them bounced out of the playoffs last year, namely the offensive line and didn't do much to address what most here in Dallas considered the second biggest problem after that...safety. How are they the second best team in the league?

And while I don't see the Skins as world beaters this year, they better than 7th to last. Good grief. The sad thing is, I don't think homerism is involved in the Skins position at all. Gosselin, like most of the Dallas media these days, considers the Skins-Boys rivalry to be long over. We are largely just a footnote around here now.

Neophyte said:

The sad thing is, I don't think homerism is involved in the Skins position at all. Gosselin, like most of the Dallas media these days, considers the Skins-Boys rivalry to be long over. We are largely just a footnote around here now.

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Just like Cowboy fans. They conveniently started having this opinion right around the time Mark Brunell drove two daggers into their hearts on MNF.

every year somebody predicts Dallas going to the Superbowl....whatever.

Dallas is the third best NFC team going into this season IMO.
Who have the Saints lost? Mark Brunell....

It's funny how the Cowboys draft Dez Bryant and they're going to the superbowl....yawn.

Funny, since nobody is sure if Romo's blindside will be protected.....

As for the Skins, please rank our team really low. Think we suck (especially you Dallas) and hopefully this team will pull a upset on opening night.

So some Dallas sports writer overrated the Cowboys and underrated the Redskins. Isn't that a given? Seriously, who the hell cares?