A Preliminary Examination Of The 2009 Washington Redskins

(Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)

A year removed from making the post-season on the wings of Sean Taylor's memory, the 2008 Washington Redskins once again became the forgotten team in the NFC East.

Though the Redskins have been known to make numerous free agent acquisitions in attempts to "buy a championship" there big free agency move this offseason was one that could legitimately do so.

No longer wishing to be in the shadow of the Eagles, Giants and Cowboys this decade the Redskins look to field their strongest team this decade with talent on both sides of the ball.

With Jim Zorn entering his second year as head coach, returning offensive lineman, young wide receivers and a young secondary can the Washington Redskins return to the glory days of the early '90s? Let us examine if they can.

Quarterbacks: 7.5/10

The starter entering the season should be Jason Campbell whom at one point I downright disliked. Campbell has a rocket of an arm and—despite what some Skins fans think—has shown signs of being a good signal caller.

Campbell hasn’t shown signs of being a game-winner yet but last season he took steps as a decision maker through realizing the importance of the checkdown and ball management; the key aspects of being a “game manager”.

While he may have been a little too over-reliant on those aspects last season what really impressed me about Campbell was how he handled the off-season. Campbell kept his mouth shut, behaving professionally this offseason, rather than complaining and moaning about the Skins attempting to make moves for Jay Cutler or Mark Sanchez.

It was his cool and collected demeanor that makes me believe that Campbell is ready to prove his front office wrong with an impressive year and then use that to hit free agency.

Backing up Campbell is veteran Todd Collins who was brought over in 2006 with then offensive coordinator Al Saunders to help the fellow quarterbacks with the adjustment to Saunders’ system.

Collins is a veteran that understands his role perfectly. He realizes that it’s not his job to win a Super Bowl for this team, but merely to be an adequate replacement in the event of an injury to the starter.

Collins had to do just such a thing in 2007 and performed admirably which is why I feel he could step in and do the same thing this season should the need arise.

The final member of the quarterback stable is former collegiate standout Colt Brennan who I am still high on. While Brennan doesn’t look to get any playing time as a Skin in the immediate future, I believe that he has the potential to play quarterback in this league.

Backfield: 8.5/10

The backfield in D.C. begins and ends with Clinton Portis. What is impressive about Portis is something that numerous people do not realize; he is only 27 years-old. Such a relatively young age means that, despite a decent amount of carries throughout his young career, he still has years left for wear and tear.

Portis is a franchise focal point that averages 1,586 yards from scrimmage per season which is usually accompanied by at least 10 touchdowns. That is a Hall of Fame pace. Sorry Brandon Jacobs and Brian Westbrook, but Portis is the best back in the division.

Though only 27 years-old Portis tends to rack up a lot of carries each season. The problem here is that this can be viewed in one of two ways; either Portis is simply that good or his backups can’t hold a torch to him.

Listed second on the depth chart for the past four seasons is Ladell Betts. I like Betts, who had a nice 1,500 yards from scrimmage season in 2006 when Portis went down but at this point that year remains to look like a fluke.

Following that season many felt there would be a halfback controversy or a runningback by committee type deal, but neither ever matriculated and the reason is because Betts is an adequate role player and nothing more.

The third halfback on the depth chart is my cousin’s longtime favorite Redskin Rock Cartwright. Cartwright hasn’t received a considerable amount of carries since 2005, but that is not where he does his damage.

Cartwright is on the team because of his kick return abilities which are excruciatingly underrated around the league. While I know my opinion isn’t of importance to the Redskins’ coaching staff, I feel that Cartwright should be utilized more in the offense if at all possible due to his big play potential.

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