COMCAST SPORTS: Redskins 2007 Season Preview

[Arsenic]

Redskins 2007 Season Preview

by Ken Harvey

Special To Comcast SportsNet.com

I’m often asked the question, “What do ex-NFL players do?” And here’s my answer:

For most of us, we try to get a job or do something meaningful with the rest of our lives, but deep down inside we still long for the thrill of being out there on the football field. I am now one of those guys who watches the game and sees everything from a birds’ eye view. I can see the mistakes others make, I can see the opportunities, and if asked I can give my thoughts on the upcoming season.

Let’s discuss last season and the team as a whole. What went wrong? As I think back to last year’s preseason, it was painfully obvious the direction the team was heading although my desire for the team to win overshadow the truth that stared me in the face. The offense looked shaky from the start, yet time after time as we watched the ineffectiveness, my mantra stayed the same. “Keep hope alive.” The signs of an ineffective defense was obvious that in the last preseason game against the Ravens. Coach Gregg Williams kept the D in longer than normal, saying later that he wanted to give them more time to "work out the bugs". The bugs should have been out and the Defense should have been a highly-skilled fighting machine. Special teams certainly looked special, and not in a good way, missed kicks and injuries almost made me want to come out of retirement and give it a try. Now considering the owner paid big, big money for players to sit on the bench, this icing on the cake did little to sweeten the season, doing more to separate the team than bringing them together. Still, I, like everyone else, kept saying over and over, “Keep hope alive. Keep hope alive.”

After a dismal season, I now look at the team with a more critical eye; not as an ex-player and fan, but as someone who knows the job and will dig deep to see the signs that I ignored last year.

Offense:

It was long overdue, but Jason Campbell finally got his chance to play and will start this season fresh. I have to say, I think he will become a great player in the future. My reasons for this statement?

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