NFL Predictions: Washington Redskins, 2010

TheSportsWatchers want to get you in shape for the upcoming 2010 NFL football season. So in the spirit of NFL training camp, we are doing two-a-days to get you in gear for each and every NFL team.

The Washington Redskins have gone through a lot over the years. They’ve changed coaches, they’ve changed coordinators, they changed quarterbacks—hell, they’ve even changed parking prices. Still, despite all of that change, many people believe good times are ahead for the Redskins, and some signs certainly point to a brighter future.

2009 Washington Redskins Recap

The Washington Redskins were a joke last season. While they certainly didn’t have the talent to contend for a Super Bowl, they were way more talented than the Lions and the Rams, the only two teams that rivaled the Redskins for on-field fodder. The Redskins started out okay, a respectable 2-2. Then again, their two wins were over the Rams and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and one of those early 2 losses was against the Detroit Lions. After that .500 start, the Redskins would lose their next four games and almost immediately, former head coach Jim Zorn was put on the hot seat, with his exodus from Washington practically sealed before the halfway point in the season. Needless to say, Zorn’s football players didn’t come to his defense, and the team went 2-6 during the final 8 games, ending the year without a single win against a team with a winning record.

2010 Washington Redskins Offseason

It’s hard to say what was the bigger move for the Redskins this offseason. Was it the hiring of Mike Shanahan, or was it the trade for Donovan McNabb? One would have to go with the former, because McNabb would have rejected a trade to play for the Redskins if he did not have complete faith in the head coach. Thus, Shanahan’s presence made it possible for McNabb to come to Washington, and that shouldn’t be understated when determining the success of this franchise. That said, the Redskins did make some other moves this past offseason. First, they managed to sign OL Artis Hicks, RB Larry Johnson, RB Willie Parker and QB Rex Grossman, giving this team a lot of depth in the offensive backfield. On defense, the Redskins brought in CB Philip Buchanon and DL Vonnie Holliday to help out with the new implementation of the 3-4 defense. In the 2010 NFL draft, the Redskins used their first round pick to replace future Hall of Famer Johnathan Ogden by selecting OT Trent Williams.

2010 NFL Predictions: Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins certainly have their work cut out for them if they are going to be anything worth watching during the 2010 NFL football season. That being said, the Redskins were never as poorly talented as their 4-12 record suggested, so the room for improvement, even absent Mike Shanahan’s arrival, was already there. But add to the Skins’ presumed talent, Shanahan and Donovan McNabb, and what you have is a team that could surprise a lot of football fans in 2010. The operative word being “could.” While all the pieces are there for a magical run, it’s hard to imagine this franchise overcoming its recent late season failures and the 2010 NFL schedule that has been put before them. The Redskins will face off against 12 teams that were 8-8 or better last year, six of those games coming from within the NFC East. Of course, with McNabb on their side and some semblance of a defense, the Redskins have a chance to win every game they are in this year. Thus, I’m willing to give them one more win than the number of winnable games I counted on their schedule. That would give the Redskins a 7-9 record at year’s end, which would signify upward movement for the Redskins franchise, but another year of watching the NFC playoffs on Fox.

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