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Past is Prologue for Redskins

Bulldog

The Legend
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2009 is playing itself out to be a mirror image of the second half of the 2008 season. Injuries, age, declining performances and a lack of any experienced depth has combined to make this a team what in NBA terms is looking more and more like a 'lottery team'.

1. Injuries and Age.

Philip Daniels, 36, is hurt again.
Cornelius Griffin, 33, is hurt again.
Chris Samuels, 32, is hurt again.
Randy Thomas, 33, is out for the season.

2. Declining or Disappointing Performances (once again the same players as in 2008)

Clinton Portis - has he lost speed? can he still get outside?
Casey Rabach - at age 32 the steady decline continues. every time I see him he is holding or dragging somebody down from behind.
Antwaan Randle El - punt returns are still a net minus for this team. Randle El at 31 isn't going to 'shake and bake' anyone anymore.
Carlos Rogers - can he catch a football? his drops have accounted for 3-4 game changing outcomes in the past year plus.
Class of 2008 - Add Chad Rinehart to the list of Malcolm Kelly, Devin Thomas, Fred Davis as 2008 alumni that come to the games for gatorade refreshment and occasional exercise. The fact an NFL game is being played is of marginal import for this group.

3. Depth Issues

Mike Williams for Jason Fabini - we traded a 33 year old guard/tackle with 12 years NFL experience for a 29/30 year old guard/tackle who hasn't played a down in 4 years in the NFL. This is an improvement?

Adding Kevin Barnes and JT Tryon via the draft and holding onto Fred Smoot hasn't changed the fact that when the Redskins have to go to nickel or dime packages, it is time to cover your eyes. Barnes, like Rinehart, is one of the quietest #3 picks I have seen. Usually a team drafting a guy at #3 expects to see some productivity that rookie season, if only as a platoon guy or on special teams. So, the end result is like last season, all is on the shoulders of the starters. If Rogers or Hall gets hurt the jig is just about up.

Where is the strongside linebacker? Marcus Washington was hurt and unavailable last year. What is the excuse this year? Brian Orakpo is a DE who isn't a SAM, but did stay at a Holiday Inn Express during the offseason.

HB Blades is the ONLY legitimate depth at LB on this team. And while the 5'10 245 pound Blades may be future middle backer in the NFL, he doesn't have the size or speed to play on the outside. Robert Thomas was cut in preseason and no one else was signed to take his place for veteran depth.

What is that old adage, when you have a lot of something you often have nothing? :laugh:

Look at what is behind the slumping Portis.

Betts, Cartwright, Mason and Alridge. Maybe if you could combine the skills of these several backs you would have something. But this list only proves that Portis isn't in danger of losing any carries even if he isn't in the best shape and isn't as productive game to game as expected. That's why he's not worried about it.

Even though he loves to play GM, do you think he ever went to Joe Gibbs or Vinny and asked them to draft a fast, taller back in one of the top 3 rounds to groom for the future? :)

No, he was worried about which safety we would take in Round 6.

Finally we get to Campbell and the quarterbacks.

If Zorn was going to install the WCO fine. He needed to bring in a veteran quarterback to be the primary backup and help him develop Campbell and show the receivers how the scheme is supposed to work in practice, but also be a guy that could go into the game and help the team win games if it came down to that.

Jeff Garcia was available and should have been added last year. He should have been added this year.

What Garcia offered was the opportunity to sit Campbell if and when he was struggling (in 2008) and have him watch how Garcia operated in the WCO. Campbell would have improved just by seeing a veteran perform in this system in the minicamps, OTAs and training camp/preseason.

Instead the club kept Collins and last year Todd was learning the new system and looked as lost as Campbell in preseason. Opportunity lost there for Jason to learn and grow.

Neither Colt Brennan nor Chase Daniel was really worth starting a thread over and I think that is clear to most folks now. Daniel was a great college story much the same way that Danny Wuerffel was in the 1990's at Florida. But he's not NFL material.

Brennan is what he is. An undisciplined player whose modest success came in garbage time against guys that are now aisle clerks at Walmart.

Oh, and for a third straight year (following from college) he is hurt yet again.

Just what this team needs, a YOUNGER player that comes to the team as damaged goods.

Oops, I forgot about Malcolm Kelly.................. :(
 
After reading this, five words come to mind. "Be afraid, be VERY afraid".
 

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