The position by position breakdown... as I see it.

[HeathShuler]

With the season fastly approaching, I know I'm not alone in the excitement I have built up inside. From what I have read in the media, there really isn't any reason to be excited, because our Redskins will be nothing more than a 6 or 7 win team at best. This is all I have heard and read from ESPN and many other sports outlets. Before we get into the whole, "the media hates the Redskins" thing, let me say I actually enjoy reading a lot on espn.com and watching espn. I absolutely love Fox NFL Sunday. I honestly don't think all the media hates us.

On this board however, I have read quite a bit of optimism. I've seen predictions anywhere from 8-8 to 11-5. Well I'm here to tell you all why I think the latter is actually very obtainable. A position by position breakdown as compared to the rest of the league will show you why:

Let's start with side of the ball which I think we can all agree really held us back last year -- the defense.

-- Defensive Line --

All I have heard is from the media and ExtremeSkins fans alike is that our D-line is the weakest part of our team. And I have to agree, it probably is. But when I say that, I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. Andre Carter will be better. Not the 10 sack guy Larry picked on Redskins Radio today, but definitely an 8 or 9 sack guy. Hopefully Griffin stays healthy, and Golsten/Monty sure up the inside. Overall, I rank them top 20 in the league.

-- Linebacker --

This will be the most improved area of the defense. London Fletcher will make his first pro bowl, and Rocky will have a break out year. I'm not worried about Marcus as long as he comes back healthy relatively soon. Any weaknesses the D-Line possess will be covered by the speed and aggressiveness these guys posses. Top 10.

-- Secondary --

A unit that struggled, to say the least, in '06. Springs' injury problems, in my opinion, are vastly exaggered. Last year was not a good year for him, but I believe he comes back strong in '07. ST and LL (Area 51--great name btw) are PERFECT compliments to one another. Landry will be your DROY. Taylor will have around 5 picks. Top 10

Offensively, I don't think the team is too far off from being actually very good.

-- Quarterback --

JC is poised for a breakout season. What I saw from him against JAX in the final preseason game as enough to allow me to think he's ready for the prime time. I think he breaks out as an emerging star in '07. Top 15.

-- Running Back --

Clinton Portis. Rested and healthy. While I would be lying if I said I wasn't concerned at all about his health, I do believe he returns to form. He, along with Betts, gives the Redskins one of the best attacks in the league. Top 5.

-- Wide Receiver --

We know what Santana can do for us when healthy. And as much pounding Brandon Lloyd has taken on this site, I really do think he's ready to step up and be productive for this team. He will regain his #2 spot by the end of the year. Top 15.

-- Offensive Line --

The addition of Pete Kendall makes this unit very dominant. This will be the strongest aspect of the team if they stay heatlhy. Top 5.

-- Special Teams --

I know this is a broad category, but I feel the Skins are sufficient enough in these categories. Frost has shown steady improvement every year I think. And Suisham, I believe, can be that kicker we've been looking for for years. Rock is a pretty good kick returner, and we have one of the best punt returners in ARE. Top 15.

When I average my rankings within the league for each position, I find that the Redskins will be the 11.88 (12th) best team in the league. And if I'm correct, 12 teams make the playoffs. This puts us right where we were in '05, and I think this team can be better than the playoff team of '05.

I know this is ALL a very optimistic view of the upcoming season, but isn't that what football is all about. I know I'm excited for Sunday, and hopefully this thread is the start of good karma coming our way. Hail.

[Touchdown Redskins]

Hmmm not a bad breakdown. I have our three weakest positions as D-line first, then WRs, then QB. This isn't exactly a revelation, but I think that we can't win every battle, and I think our D-line is going to be subpar in the pass rush (but great against the run), and either ARE or Lloyd isn't going to live up to the hype. Other than that I can see Campbell doing really well, as you said, and Santana and Cooley helping our passing game.

[ChampSkinsFanatic]

real nice breakdown, I'm just iffy about our pass rush. The first game should make me feel better about the Dline hopefully.