Washington Redskins Face Uphill Battle in NFC East

Going into last season, sports writers nationwide lauded the NFC East as unquestionably the toughest division in football.

After the New York Giants pulled off a once-in-a-lifetime upset against the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII and with the Dallas Cowboys already crowned Super Bowl favorites in the upcoming year, the NFC East earned the apropos nickname of “the NFC Beast.”

The division lived up to its expectations despite some embarrassing stumbles by teams along the way (the Philadelphia Eagles’ tie against the Bengals comes to mind, albeit the reason they ultimately sneaked into the playoffs...on the heels of that Week 17 thrashing of the Cowboys). 

The Eagles knocked the top-seeded Giants out of the playoffs in the Meadowlands, then came within eight minutes of beating the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC Championship in Glendale, Arizona. 

Unfortunately for the Washington Redskins, being in such a division means someone gets left out, and the Redskins have been that team as of late. 

The ‘Skins, who haven’t made it past the divisional round of the playoffs since winning the Super Bowl in 1991, have gone through a carousel of quarterbacks and coaches in the past 15 years, hoping to find the right combination (Belichick and Brady, Dungy and Manning...even Coughlin and Manning) to lead them to the franchise’s fourth Super Bowl victory.

This year, the road to the Super Bowl looks no easier after Draft Day, as two of the other three teams in the NFC East significantly improved on paper (the Eagles and the Giants).

The Redskins, always a player to make a major offseason move, made their annual strike at midnight on the first day of free agency, signing DT Albert Haynesworth to a 7-year, $100 million contract. 

However, reports began circulating in the two weeks leading up to the NFL Draft that the Redskins had become seriously interested in QB Mark Sanchez from USC (the Jets ended up picking Sanchez fifth overall), suggesting a potential lack of confidence in supposed franchise quarterback Jason Campbell.

Here’s what the other three teams in the NFC East did in the offseason; I’ll explain what these moves mean for the Redskins below.            

New York Giants: The top-seeded team in the NFC last season only bolstered an already impressive defense, adding defensive linemen Rocky Bernard (formerly a Seattle Seahawk) and Chris Canty (from divisional rival Dallas) as well as linebacker Michael Boley (from the Falcons). 

By adding these free agents to an already strong defensive line, not to mention the return of Osi Umenyiora from season-ending surgery suffered in last year’s preseason, the Giants add to one of the already-toughest defenses in the league and have ensured that teams will endure great headaches trying to figure out ways to score on the G-Men this season.

The team’s biggest concern heading into the offseason was finding a replacement for WR Plaxico Burress, who finds himself on the wrong end of unlicensed gun charges punishable by up to three and one-half years in jail. 

After Plax shot himself in the leg in late November, teams noticeably game planned for the Giants differently (Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Johnson admitted as such after a Week 14 win against the G-Men), leading the defending Super Bowl champs to end their season sputtering at 1-4 in their last five games.

The Giants addressed their receiving needs by adding WRs Hakeem Nicks (from UNC) in the first round and Ramses Barden (from Cal Poly) in the third round of the recent NFL draft. 

They hope the two can come in and contribute immediately, challenging incumbent receivers such as Steve Smith, Domenik Hixon and Mario Manningham for playing time this season.

Despite a difficult schedule in the 2009-2010 season (starting with two divisional games, one on the road, before a visit to Tampa Bay in Week Three...and it doesn’t get much easier from there), sports writers seem to be mentioning the Giants as an early NFC favorite and Super Bowl contender.

Dallas Cowboys: No team had a harder fall from grace last season than the Cowboys.

They started the season profiling their training camp on HBO’s Hard Knocks as the eminent favorites from the NFC to advance to the Super Bowl.

They ended their season with a whimper in a 44-6 Week 17 massacre to the Philadelphia Eagles to find themselves sitting at home for the start of the playoffs. The NFL’s “most talented team on paper” could muster no better than a 9-7 record.

Surprisingly, despite how livid owner Jerry Jones was on the heels of the humiliating conclusion of the season, the Cowboys have been the least active team in the NFC East during the offseason.

Their biggest move involved the biggest mouth on their team, when Jones decided to cut WR Terrell Owens from the team at the beginning of March. The T.O. era in Dallas ended without much fulfillment, as the Cowboys playoff victory drought now stands somewhere between 10 and 7,000 years.

With no first or second round picks in the NFL Draft in April and no major free agent signings, the Cowboys are relying on establishing a locker room chemistry that remained non-existent last year in order to get that elusive playoff win under their belts.

Philadelphia Eagles: The only word to describe the offseason of the Philadelphia Eagles? 

Hectic.

In an offseasonthat saw the departure of a number of team leaders, including vocal defensive leader 35-year-old Brian Dawkins (who signed with Denver) and tackles Jon Runyan, 35, and Tra Thomas, 34 (who went as a free agent to Jacksonville). 

Philly fans found themselves up in arms about the loss of these beloved figures, especially Dawkins.

Now, after the NFL Draft, Eagles fans find themselves primarily satisfied with the slew of the team’s maneuvering since the beginning of the offseason. 

Along with Dawkins, Thomas and Runyan, the Eagles found themselves without starting tight end L.J. Smith (who signed with Atlanta during free agency), backup running back Correll Buckhalter 

Andy Reid, always a “build from the lines” coach, replaced his two older tackles with 6’7”, 340 lbs. Stacy Andrews from the Bengals and by trading a first and fourth round pick (and sixth round in 2010) to Buffalo for two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters, who had grown increasingly upset with his contract in Buffalo before requesting a trade.

The offensive renovation didn’t stop there, as the youth movement spread to the Eagles’ skill positions. The Eagles traded up and drafted Mizzou WR Jeremy Maclin as the 19th pick in the first round (while many scouts had Maclin as a surefire top-10 pick), the highest draft pick the Eagles spent on a skill position since.

They added Pitt RB LeSean McCoy, described as a Brian Westbrook clone and the best pass-catching running back in the draft. Tight end Cornelius Ingram of Florida, who the Eagles targeted in the third round but drafted in the fifth round, could get some valuable play time down the road if he becomes more proficient at blocking.

The Eagles also proved their draft day savvy, pulling off trade after trade on Day Two which netted them a reservoir of picks for next year and CB Ellis Hobbs from the New England Patriots for two fifth-round picks. 

SI’s Peter King recently wrotean article where he praised the Eagles for their crafty maneuvering, suggesting, “What would you think if I told you the Philadelphia Eagles got third-, fifth-, sixth- and seventh-round draft choices, plus half a starting cornerback for nothing in this year's draft?

"That's right. For free. There is no smoke, mirrors or cheating involved. Only thought and effort. For moving down six spots in the third round—eventually taking a player they were considering for that 85th pick anyway—the Eagles got filthy rich."

Based on their offseason additions, the Eagles find themselves face-to-face with the Giants as the team to beat in the NFC East (and the NFC as a whole).               

So where does this leave the Redskins? 

The ‘Skins struck draft gold by picking DE Brian Orakpo from Texas as the 13th choice in the draft, but trades left them without second and fourth round picks, meaning Orakpo is arguably the only draft choice expected to make an impact this year.

Their 8-8 record last year was good for last in the NFC East, an indictment which seems unfair considering the mediocrity of other divisions (the NFC West, anyone?).  The ‘Skins have an upward battle this year, as the Giants and Eagles made significant strides to place themselves in real contention for the Super Bowl this year. 

The Redskins have to pray their $100 million man brings results on the level of their investment, or they could find themselves at the bottom of the NFC East barrel at the end of this year.