Washington Redskins: 5 Reasons the 'Skins Will Be Better in 2011

At best, 2010 was a year to forget for the Washington Redskins. It added a new dimension of heartbreak that only Redskins fans seem to fathom, after the slate appeared to be wiped clean by a new and proven head coach and quarterback.

It's the kind of heartbreak that could linger and fester, and in turn plague future seasons with lost confidence and the sting of embarrassing losses.

In response to that looming possibility, the Redskins front office has put its team in a position to progress from a lost 2010. Twelve rookies have been added from an aggressive draft, and sensible free-agency acquisitions have replaced glitzy ones.

Last season showed an esteemed franchise with a rich history at its lowest point, which speaks volumes given the recent string of mediocre seasons. But a sense of positive change emanates from Ashburn, Va.'s training camp, and could surprise even the fiercest of critics. Just ask Rex Grossman about the team's confidence level.

In context to the rock-bottom events of last season, I'll preface the five reasons for Washington's improvement with the age-old risky statement:

How could it possibly get any worse?

Reason No. 1: Rookie Contributors

This year's draft has a real chance to be reflected upon as one of the more successful drafts in the Dan Snyder era.

Historically, Snyder emphasized an approach to land big-name players through free agency and trades. Often, precious draft picks were sacrificed to do this.

Big names have come and gone in Washington and have rarely panned out favorably. In wake of another failed offseason splash in 2010, Bruce Allen and Mike Shanahan put together a shrewd draft and found great value in 12 selections.

As a result, talented newcomers such as Ryan Kerrigan, Jarvis Jenkins, Leonard Hankerson and Roy Helu will have to prove themselves capable of functioning in Mike Shanahan's system. It is an acceptable request that will motivate the promising youngsters, but without burdening them with the responsibility of carrying a franchise.

Of the 12 rookies, only Kerrigan is expected to be a Week 1 starter. But many additional draft picks could see plenty of field time, develop and ultimately contribute with a reasonable workload.

Reason No. 2: Signing Low-Risk Free Agents

The days of going after guys like Dana Stubblefield, Adam Archuleta, Albert Haynesworth, Jeff George, Deion Sanders, Jeremiah Trotter, Jesse Armstead and Laveranues Coles appeared to be long-gone this offseason.

Let me let my fingers catch their breath for a second.

Instead of shelling out dozens of millions of dollars on one player, both Shanahan and Allen spent their money more wisely than previous Snyder-led debacles.

The two worked collectively to acquire proper personnel and put themselves in favorable situations for future years, instead of gambling with overpriced aging veterans.

Without inflated price tags, players will likely not come anywhere close to the amount of scrutiny faced by the underachieving multi-millionaires of the Burgundy and Gold's recent past.

Reason No. 3: Proper 3-4 Defense Personnel

"Fitting a square peg in a round hole" is a seemingly perfect cliche to describe how the Redskins tried to deal with transitioning to the 3-4 defense.

I still don't feel like that phrase does it justice. No, this was more like an elephant trying to walk through a mouse hole, or maybe Saturn trying to fit through a Cheerio. Either way, you get the point.

The addition of the aforementioned Kerrigan adds a relentless motor to the other outside linebacker position. This will complement Brian Orakpo on the other side, giving the Redskins much needed depth to their pass-rush.

Newly acquired Stephen Bowen and Barry Cofield solidify a formerly porous front-line that generated little pressure—and allowed the sixth-most rushing yards in 2010. Rookie Jarvis Jenkins also fits well in a 3-4 scheme and has impressed throughout training camp. He will see many snaps this season.

The theme of upgrades continued throughout the secondary, when the Redskins replaced the shaky duo of Carlos Rogers and Kareem Moore with Oshiomogho Atogwe and Josh Wilson.

Wilson may be their best-valued addition, given that the Redskins will pay a modest salary to a corner who held quarterbacks to a 67.8 rating when they threw in his direction.

New players in new schemes tend to have their share of growing pains, but it is at least comforting for fans to know there is a greater upside than last season.

Reason No. 4: Easy Schedule

There's an old saying that goes, "You have to win before you get good."

The 2011 Washington Redskins schedule provides them with that possibility at the very least. While none of these games are sure-things for the Burgundy and Gold by any means, there are still more than a handful of winnable match-ups.

The league's fourth easiest schedule includes games against the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins. In fact, just four games will be against teams who made the playoffs in 2010. One of them is a Seattle Seahawks team that finished 7-9.

Confidence is a characteristic not seen in Washington since Joe Gibbs led the Redskins to two playoff seasons just a few years ago. There's still much that needs to improve internally, but this schedule could aid the Redskins in setting a brand new tone for the 2011 season.

Reason No. 5: Zero Pressure

If actions do speak louder than words, we can assess that the Redskins have finally accepted that they are in need of rebuilding.

This means no more irresponsible contracts for big names and more sensible building through the draft and free agency.

It's a tough pill to swallow, but it's a much-needed painkiller. In doing this, they have alleviated the distraction of many marquee names and are finally in a position where they can focus more on development than having an unreasonable "playoffs or bust" mantra.

There is zero pressure in Washington, and that may be the most important numerical goal for the Redskins to strive for this season.