BACH
Superbowl, Homeboy!
Up we go, deeper into the top ten. Eight are left. The Indianapolis Colts. The Seattle Seahawks. The Pittsburgh Steelers. The Carolina Panthers. The New England Patriots. The Miami Dolphins. The Denver Broncos.
The Washington Redskins.
We like what the Redskins have done in the offseason. A lot. We like the upgrades to the coaching staff, though they probably overpaid a bit. We like the upgrades to the roster, though they probably overpaid a lot.
But we've got one big concern. Quarterback. Mark Brunell turns 36 in September, and two years ago he was thought to be on his way out of D.C. Though he can still play, there's really no one with any quality experience behind him. If Brunell goes down, the 'Skins are done.
Even if Brunell stays healthy, our concern is that the Redskins will emerge from a competitive NFC East field without enough wins to secure home field for the playoffs. Complicating matters in this regard are games against the Colts, Jaguars, Panthers, and Bucs.
Are these Redskins capable of advancing to the Super Bowl? For the first time in a long time, the answer is yes. But we don't think that, when the postseason rolls around, they'll get any farther than they did in 2005. This isn't a team that can win consistently on the road in January, and absent home field advantage they won't make it to the Super Bowl.
Newcomers are receiver Brandon Lloyd, receiver Antwaan Randle El, tight end Christian Fauria, defensive end Andre Carter, and safety Adam Archuleta. Gone is linebacker LaVar Arrington. On balance, the roster is better.
The 'Skins didn't have a first-round pick in the draft, due to the trade in 2005 that allowed them to land quarterback Jason Campbell at the bottom of round one. The team had only one pick on the first day of the draft, no fourth-rounder, one fifth-rounder, two sixes, and two sevens. Don't expect any rookies to contribute much this year.
We like what tailback Clinton Portis and receiver Santana Moss bring to the table, and the two of them -- if they can stay healthy -- can help take the team very, very far.
But not far enough. Not this year. Maybe next year. Not this one.
Now for the fantasy grades.
Quarterback: How good was Mark Brunell in 2005? His 23 touchdown passes were the most in one season for his entire career. But that's another reason why we think there will be a correction this year. Our gut tells us he's at a C level at best for 2006.
Running back: Clinton Portis is one of the best in the game -- a three-down back who gets plenty of touches per game. He gets an A-.
Receiver: Santana Moss had the best season of his career, with nearly 1,500 yards receiving. He's got the speed to draw double coverage, and he'll likely be solid again in 2006. We give him a B. We'd hold off, however, on Brandon Lloyd or Antwaan Randle El. Lloyd has been mediocre in three seasons, and Randle El will get drafted by another owner based on hype, not production.
Tight end: Chris Cooley was a surprise player in 2005. His numbers were very good for a tight end, but we're on the fence as to whether we'd use another receiver in lieu of Cooley, if in a league that permits the tight end to be bypassed.
Defense: Solid and improving unit, which likely will be better even without Arrington on the team. We give them a B-.
Kicker: Injuries have marred Jon Hall's performance for the past two seasons, causing him to miss a total of 14 games. We'd avoid him.
The Washington Redskins.
We like what the Redskins have done in the offseason. A lot. We like the upgrades to the coaching staff, though they probably overpaid a bit. We like the upgrades to the roster, though they probably overpaid a lot.
But we've got one big concern. Quarterback. Mark Brunell turns 36 in September, and two years ago he was thought to be on his way out of D.C. Though he can still play, there's really no one with any quality experience behind him. If Brunell goes down, the 'Skins are done.
Even if Brunell stays healthy, our concern is that the Redskins will emerge from a competitive NFC East field without enough wins to secure home field for the playoffs. Complicating matters in this regard are games against the Colts, Jaguars, Panthers, and Bucs.
Are these Redskins capable of advancing to the Super Bowl? For the first time in a long time, the answer is yes. But we don't think that, when the postseason rolls around, they'll get any farther than they did in 2005. This isn't a team that can win consistently on the road in January, and absent home field advantage they won't make it to the Super Bowl.
Newcomers are receiver Brandon Lloyd, receiver Antwaan Randle El, tight end Christian Fauria, defensive end Andre Carter, and safety Adam Archuleta. Gone is linebacker LaVar Arrington. On balance, the roster is better.
The 'Skins didn't have a first-round pick in the draft, due to the trade in 2005 that allowed them to land quarterback Jason Campbell at the bottom of round one. The team had only one pick on the first day of the draft, no fourth-rounder, one fifth-rounder, two sixes, and two sevens. Don't expect any rookies to contribute much this year.
We like what tailback Clinton Portis and receiver Santana Moss bring to the table, and the two of them -- if they can stay healthy -- can help take the team very, very far.
But not far enough. Not this year. Maybe next year. Not this one.
Now for the fantasy grades.
Quarterback: How good was Mark Brunell in 2005? His 23 touchdown passes were the most in one season for his entire career. But that's another reason why we think there will be a correction this year. Our gut tells us he's at a C level at best for 2006.
Running back: Clinton Portis is one of the best in the game -- a three-down back who gets plenty of touches per game. He gets an A-.
Receiver: Santana Moss had the best season of his career, with nearly 1,500 yards receiving. He's got the speed to draw double coverage, and he'll likely be solid again in 2006. We give him a B. We'd hold off, however, on Brandon Lloyd or Antwaan Randle El. Lloyd has been mediocre in three seasons, and Randle El will get drafted by another owner based on hype, not production.
Tight end: Chris Cooley was a surprise player in 2005. His numbers were very good for a tight end, but we're on the fence as to whether we'd use another receiver in lieu of Cooley, if in a league that permits the tight end to be bypassed.
Defense: Solid and improving unit, which likely will be better even without Arrington on the team. We give them a B-.
Kicker: Injuries have marred Jon Hall's performance for the past two seasons, causing him to miss a total of 14 games. We'd avoid him.
