ESPN Power Rankings: Preseason (Redskins 29th)

[Champskins]

You actually said that Mark Fricken Brunell would have the same success that Mark Sanchez have if he was starting. I'm not Sanchez is a top 10 QB, but you really need to take the Mark Brunell comment back.

put their talent behind any decent QB, and they will have a field day, thats all im saying.... Put an elite QB out there (Peyton, Brees, Rivers) and they'll turn mediocre WR's in to stars, in this case its the other way around

[GaryGreenMonk]

Addicted,

Agree. One change for me... i think we'll split one of 49er's or Miami... i don't think those will both be wins. But I DO think we'll surprise an overconfident Eagles team once.

Same record though.. 5-11.

[Brandon Lloyd Christmas]

Sorry, don't agree. McNabb was terrible last year, and Grossman was better.

For no other reason than Rex did what was asked of him. McNabb wanted to play streetball and do his own thing. Rex worked within the system. McNabb fought it ( and its coaches).

Does that mean Grossman is a better QB than McNabb? Of course not. But I will take a decent QB playing the system than a declining good/great QB doing his own thing (which often resulted in a lot of dirt throws).

I just don't see how this team will be worse. We got better players suited for the 3-4. Better players at WR. A year under our belts in Shanhan's system. A better o-line and d-line (seemingly anyway).

All of this is on paper, and none of it is Super Bowl worthy (yet ), but I just don't see how we will be a worse team and only win half the games we won last season.

look at the defense turnover tho. we have new DL, new LB, new CB, new FS, rookies everywhere on defense. and somehow were gonna go from 31st to respectable? doubtful.

and the offense we all know will be terrible. our starting RBs are a guy who cant make it through a week of training camp without injuring himself, and a guy we just got from a team whos talented but fumbles constantly and always has, then 2 or 3 rookies behind him. we have 3 new interior lineman as starters, and a RT that was injured all last year. WR we have moss whos getting older, a vet in gaffney whos no more than a decent #2, armstrong with one nice season whos already been demoted behind gaffney, and a bunch of rookies. TE is about the only position that looks set right now. and thats not even mentioning our trainwreck at QB (which it blatantly is no matter how many sunshine and rainbow stories we wanna use to hype these guys up as legitimate).

we're in full blown rebuild, and its fine. but lets not delude ourselves into thinking were some 500 club, or that we're even gonna come close. we won 6 games last year, all either in overtime or by one possession. we're gonna be worse this year, and by a good amount.

[addicted]

That would be nice, but the two candidates that might finish worse is the Bengles and the Bills and both of those teams would draft a QB.

The Bengals just drafted Andy Dalton this year

For them to draft a QB they would have to pull a Carolina and give up on him in one season

I think they are too cheap to do that

And Buffalo could have drafted a QB this year but are riding Fitzpatrick for all he's worth

Not sure they would draft a QB with the top pick either

Us on the other hand would draft one I believe

[tdigle]

look at the talent that he is surrounded by... When you have an unstoppable running game and all pro receivers, and a defense that puts you in position to score every time... hell I'd probably get a few TD's in there

No one's arguing that Flacco isn't surrounded by great talent (I disagree about his receivers, though; he has very good receivers, but I think it's misleading to call them All-Pro caliber when Boldin's only been named to the team once and Derrick Mason's only been named to the team once as a kick returner), but it's unfair to group him with Sanchez. Sanchez is surrounded by even more impressive talent but his stats still pale in comparison to the numbers put up by Flacco.

[#98QBKiller]

No surprise here. Our QBs are Larry Moe & Curly. We ARE REBUILDING. Anyone who honestly believes otherwise is an idiot.

[MattFancy]

As i've pointed out in several threads... the last 2 years, we have LOST to the 49er's, Rams, Seahawks, Panthers and Bengals. We beat the Rams once of the 2 matches.

Yet, year after year.. the homers instantly try to chalk those games up as W's.... WE LOST PEOPLE.. WE LOST TO THOSE TEAMS.

And we beat the Packers, Eagles, and Bears last year. What's your point?

[SkinsGuy]

I have them 3-13 to 6-10 at best this year

Records aren't going to be an indicator of if this team improved from last year

Clearly we have improved

But the rest of the league has too and with that in mind here's how I see it going down:

REDSKINS 2011 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE

Date Opponent Time TV

Sun.,Sept. 11 New York Giants 4:15 - In the battle of remembering 911, it's the Giants come on. They own us (L)

Sun., Sept. 18 Arizona Cardinals 1 pm - This is a toss up but have a good feeling that we can beat Kolb (W)

Mon., Sept. 26 @ Dallas Cowboys 8:30 pm - Monday Night Game, prime time....(L)

Sun., Oct. 2 @ St. Louis Rams - Think this is a repeat of last year (L)

Sun., Oct. 9 BYE --- ---

Sun., Oct. 16 Philadelphia Eagles - With the team they built I don't think we stand a chance (L)

Sun., Oct. 23 @ Carolina Panthers - If Cam's playing I'm going to be pissed. We should win but against rookie QB's...(L)

Sun., Oct. 30 @ Buffalo Bills (Toronto) - We will win this game. Only one of two I feel confident about on the schedule (W)

Sun., Nov. 6 San Francisco 49ers - Toss up. I will go with a win here (W)

Sun., Nov. 13 @ Miami Dolphins - Clear win. The winning streaks on for another game (W)

Sun., Nov. 20 Dallas Cowboys - Toss up. We split with them every year (W)

Sun., Nov. 27 @ Seattle Seahawks - Toss up. I think either we lose to the 49ers and beat Seattle or vice versa (L)

Sun., Dec. 4 New York Jets - No chance to win. They are just better (L)

Sun., Dec. 11 New England Patriots - Ditto (L)

Sun., Dec. 18 @ New York Giants - Ditto (L)

Sat., Dec. 24 Minnesota Vikings - It's Xmas eve, think we lose this game (L)

Sun., Jan. 1 @ Philadelphia Eagles - And we finish the season off the way we started (L)

That's 5-11 by my count

Pretty downer view there, addicted. I can see the team winning games you have chalked up as losses. Yes, the rest of the teams in the league has move forward too, but to see some of these predictions, many fans seem to think that the Redskins have not moved forward. Instead, they have fallen back.

I just don't share that view.

[Crazy Levi]

No surprise here. Our QBs are Larry Moe & Curly. We ARE REBUILDING. Anyone who honestly believes otherwise is an idiot.

The only surprise to me is how easily butthurt Skins fans continue to get offended by the media's low opinion of our beloved team.

[DM72]

The Bengals just drafted Andy Dalton this year

For them to draft a QB they would have to pull a Carolina and give up on him in one season

I think they are too cheap to do that

And Buffalo could have drafted a QB this year but are riding Fitzpatrick for all he's worth

Not sure they would draft a QB with the top pick either

Us on the other hand would draft one I believe

If the Bills get a chance to draft a franchise QB and they don't, they need to get out of the league. And as for the Bengles, I have no idea who Andy Dalton is, but Locker is said to be the real deal. Can you afford to pass him up?

[Champskins]

No one's arguing that Flacco isn't surrounded by great talent (I disagree about his receivers, though; he has very good receivers, but I think it's misleading to call them All-Pro caliber when Boldin's only been named to the team once and Derrick Mason's only been named to the team once as a kick returner), but it's unfair to group him with Sanchez. Sanchez is surrounded by even more impressive talent but his stats still pale in comparison to the numbers put up by Flacco.

Oh, i certainly agree that Flacco is above Sanchez, and i also say that they are both severly overrated. Flacco came in the league because of his long ball and prototype size, but from my experience watching Bmore, his decision making skills are horrendous

[Crazy Levi]

So you think the Redskins will do WORSE than last year? (They were 6-10 last year)

Why? What draws you to that conclusion?

The Redskins can have a worse record than last year, while making progress - and even looking better.

I don't think that's out of the realm of possibility.

Eternal optimists love to say "We lost 5 games by 4 points or less last year!" but what about all the games we won by the same margin?

The Skins were a bad team with no future last year. Hopefully, they'll be a bad team with a future this year.

[SwampEm]

I have them 3-13 to 6-10 at best this year

Records aren't going to be an indicator of if this team improved from last year

Clearly we have improved

But the rest of the league has too and with that in mind here's how I see it going down:

REDSKINS 2011 REGULAR SEASON SCHEDULE

Date Opponent Time TV

Sun.,Sept. 11 New York Giants 4:15 - In the battle of remembering 911, it's the Giants come on. They own us (L)

Sun., Sept. 18 Arizona Cardinals 1 pm - This is a toss up but have a good feeling that we can beat Kolb (W)

Mon., Sept. 26 @ Dallas Cowboys 8:30 pm - Monday Night Game, prime time....(L)

Sun., Oct. 2 @ St. Louis Rams - Think this is a repeat of last year (L)

Sun., Oct. 9 BYE --- ---

Sun., Oct. 16 Philadelphia Eagles - With the team they built I don't think we stand a chance (L)

Sun., Oct. 23 @ Carolina Panthers - If Cam's playing I'm going to be pissed. We should win but against rookie QB's...(L)

Sun., Oct. 30 @ Buffalo Bills (Toronto) - We will win this game. Only one of two I feel confident about on the schedule (W)

Sun., Nov. 6 San Francisco 49ers - Toss up. I will go with a win here (W)

Sun., Nov. 13 @ Miami Dolphins - Clear win. The winning streaks on for another game (W)

Sun., Nov. 20 Dallas Cowboys - Toss up. We split with them every year (W)

Sun., Nov. 27 @ Seattle Seahawks - Toss up. I think either we lose to the 49ers and beat Seattle or vice versa (L)

Sun., Dec. 4 New York Jets - No chance to win. They are just better (L)

Sun., Dec. 11 New England Patriots - Ditto (L)

Sun., Dec. 18 @ New York Giants - Ditto (L)

Sat., Dec. 24 Minnesota Vikings - It's Xmas eve, think we lose this game (L)

Sun., Jan. 1 @ Philadelphia Eagles - And we finish the season off the way we started (L)

That's 5-11 by my count

We beat the Eagles, Packers, and Bears last year. The Packers and Bears went to the NFC Championship game. We are going to win some games that you have marked down as L's here. If they played the game on paper we would have won three or four super bowls last decade.

[scuppajones]

How exactly are the Panthers, Vikings, Seahawks, 49ers, and Cardinals tough? The only NFC West that we might have a problem beating is the Rams. We should be in every game otherwise.

Um, sorry dude, I wouldn't chalk any game up as a win this year. I wish I could. Been a long time, since the Skins could chalk up any game as a win going into the season.

[WordM]

2011 Strength of Schedule from ESPN (link: http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/35095/2011-strength-of-schedule)

1. Carolina Panthers 142-114-0 .555

2. Buffalo Bills 137-119-0 .535

3t. New York Jets* 133-123-0 .520

3t. Indianapolis Colts* 133-123-0 .520

3t. Jacksonville Jaguars 133-123-0 .520

3t. Kansas City Chiefs* 133-123-0 .520

3t. San Diego Chargers 133-133-0 .520

3t. Denver Broncos 133-123-0 .520

3t. Detroit Lions 133-123-0 .520

10t. Miami Dolphins 132-124-0 .516

10t. Houston Texans 132-124-0 .516

10t. Minnesota Vikings 132-124-0 .516

13t. Green Bay Packers* 130-126-0 .508

13t. New Orleans Saints* 130-126-0 .508

15t. New England Patriots* 129-127-0 .504

15t. Philadelphia Eagles* 129-127-0 .504

15t. Dallas Cowboys 129-127-0 .504

18. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 127-129-0 .496

19t. Cleveland Browns 126-130-0 .492

19t. Oakland Raiders 126-130-0 .492

19t. New York Giants 126-130-0 .492

19t. Atlanta Falcons* 126-130-0 .492

23t. Tennessee Titans 125-131-0 .488

23t. Chicago Bears* 125-131-0 .488

23t. Seattle Seahawks* 125-131-0 .488

26. St. Louis Rams 122-134-0 .477

27t. Pittsburgh Steelers* 121-135-0 .473

27t. Cincinnati Bengals 121-135-0 .473

27t. Washington Redskins 121-135-0 .473

30. San Francisco 49ers 119-137-0 .465

31. Baltimore Ravens* 117-139-0 .457

32. Arizona Cardinals 113-143-0 .441

Obviously, last year's schedule means nothing for this year, but still, I would rather have the Redskin's schedule .473 than the Panthers .555

[Crazy Levi]

Um, sorry dude, I wouldn't chalk any game up as a win this year. I wish I could. Been a long time, since the Skins could chalk up any game as a win going into the season.

I agree.

We should "be in every game" because it's the NFL. Beyond that, the Skins don't have a god-given right to beat ANY team in the NFL. We are among the league's worst.

For the last few years, ES fans have been shocked - SHOCKED - when we lose to teams like the Rams.

Redskins fans need to get over it. That's how other NFL fans feel when WE manage to beat them.

[SkinsGuy]

look at the defense turnover tho. we have new DL, new LB, new CB, new FS, rookies everywhere on defense. and somehow were gonna go from 31st to respectable? doubtful.

Yes, but if that is the case, won't the Eagles be terrible too? They have a lot of turnover on their team as well. Can all those "star" players mesh?

and the offense we all know will be terrible. our starting RBs are a guy who cant make it through a week of training camp without injuring himself, and a guy we just got from a team whos talented but fumbles constantly and always has, then 2 or 3 rookies behind him. we have 3 new interior lineman as starters, and a RT that was injured all last year. WR we have moss whos getting older, a vet in gaffney whos no more than a decent #2, armstrong with one nice season whos already been demoted behind gaffney, and a bunch of rookies. TE is about the only position that looks set right now. and thats not even mentioning our trainwreck at QB (which it blatantly is no matter how many sunshine and rainbow stories we wanna use to hype these guys up as legitimate).

We do know the offense will be terrible? Well, folks have been complaining about the o-line. You can't complain when they try to fix it. And Brown was injured, but came on strong.

I think our WRs will be better than you imagine. It is no longer Moss and a bunch of scrubs. The QB situation is no "trainwreck". In Flux? Yes, but not a trainwreck.

we're in full blown rebuild, and its fine. but lets not delude ourselves into thinking were some 500 club, or that we're even gonna come close. we won 6 games last year, all either in overtime or by one possession. we're gonna be worse this year, and by a good amount.

Guess we will find out.

[addicted]

Pretty downer view there, addicted. I can see the team winning games you have chalked up as losses. Yes, the rest of the teams in the league has move forward too, but to see some of these predictions, many fans seem to think that the Redskins have not moved forward. Instead, they have fallen back.

I just don't share that view.

It's ok bro only reason I responded was to disspell a notion that you brought up

To me looking at the Win Loss record this year won't be an accurate discription or answer to the question

"Did we improve"

I think the seasons screwed now because of one position

QB

You can be on the Beck Bandwagon

Or the Rex and Roll Express

But either way I think neither are going to be capable of getting us any wins this year

It's 2006 all over again, great team defense but the offense sinks the ship, imo

[SwampEm]

No one can argue the fact that Sanchez is turd, but Flacco is a very good (possibly even great) QB. His stats show that he's improved and progressed with every single season. Ultimately, I see him being the kind of QB that gets you 28-32 TDs and only 10-16 INTs per season; I'd love to have a QB like that.

Flacco and his unibrow will be sitting at home watching the playoffs this year.

[washedup2]

We are rebuilding and this will be the first year in a long time that we will not look like the typical Redskins...we have young guys that can play, we signed free agents who fit this system. I've said it before -when your top skill players in 2010 were the same in 2005, your not going to win in the NFL (Moss, Cooley, Portis) We may lose our fair share this yr but talent, execution and heart will be seen which will help us in the future when all the pieces are in place.

No surprise here. Our QBs are Larry Moe & Curly. We ARE REBUILDING. Anyone who honestly believes otherwise is an idiot--==this guy watches the NFL network too much

This was not the year to draft a QB or to sign a free agent when the first practice was a training camp, not enough time to learn and run an offense. We either draft/sign a QB and struggle with a new system, for this year OR get other pieces in place, play a QB that knows the O and draft the franchise QB with a full off season. As already stated in other posts, this O is based on quick reads and accurate throws and both Beck and Rex are capable.

[Crazy Levi]

We do know the offense will be terrible? Well, folks have been complaining about the o-line. You can't complain when they try to fix it. And Brown was injured, but came on strong.

The offense has been terrible, except for a 4 game stretch in 2005, ever since Brad Johnson got shipped out of town. I ALWAYS expect the Skins offense to be terrible - the big shock was how bad our defense was the past couple of years.

[redskindomination]

I personally think 9-7 is a possibility this year. Rex will start and I think he will suprise people this year. I think he could be similiar to Matt Shaub in Houston, just gotta minimize the turnovers. He looked good considering the circumstances last year, and he allows us to push the ball down the field. Also, the defense is going to be better. How much better? We'll see. But 9-7 for a wildcard is def possible, have a little bit of faith people, GEEEEEZ!!!!

[SkinsGuy]

The Redskins can have a worse record than last year, while making progress - and even looking better.

I don't think that's out of the realm of possibility.

Eternal optimists love to say "We lost 5 games by 4 points or less last year!" but what about all the games we won by the same margin?

The Skins were a bad team with no future last year. Hopefully, they'll be a bad team with a future this year.

Yes, but 2-14? 3-13? I mean really? You can't put "bad, but improving" on that?

I just don't get those predictions.

[tdigle]

Um, sorry dude, I wouldn't chalk any game up as a win this year. I wish I could. Been a long time, since the Skins could chalk up any game as a win going into the season.

I didn't chalk those up as wins. I said we should be in every game with each one of those teams. If we lose them, we lose them. If we win them, we win them. That being said, I'm not buying the forgone conclusion of 3-13 that some people here are trying to sell. Unless it's through severely bad luck, I just don't see how a team that has done nothing but improve its personnel can do worse than they did last year.

[PortisBetts]

Its amazing to me how some people think we are going to be so much worse then last season. Not only have we gotten better on the defensive line, the defensive backfield and the old opposite orakpo, but we have significantly upgraded the wr and rb position. We lost a qb who threw 14 tds and 15 picks and are inserting a qb who either hasnt played much, but actually has the confidence of our head coach and oc or a qb who played well (not great, but servicaeble) at the end of last season. PLUS we have a softer schedule. 3-13? 2-14? No chance. Seriously, you really think we are going to be WORSE then last season with all of those upgrades, plus being in the same system for another year AND not being one of the oldest teams in the league. I feel like people are making knee-jerk reactions based off of only the Qb position and are failing to see all of the other upgrades on the team. Cant fix the whole team in one season, but i sure as hell feel like we have upgraded MANY of the weak points of last season. i think we are more in the 7-9 win zone based off of the schedule alone.

Edit: I also dont agree with the ranking. There are teams like the 49ers and Browns who have much less talent then we do. Although i dont think we should be TOO much higher, i still think it should be a little better of a ranking. But whatever, it is just a ranking by someone who knows as much as anyone on ES knows.