2009 Washington Redskins: Still More Questions Than Answers.

 As the upcoming NFL season steadily approaches, the 2009 version of the Washington Redskins has its mix of familiar faces, some big name newcomers, and some lingering questions.  Where this all results in will be played out over the next several months and into the season, as this cast of characters will be looking to turn around what was last year a mediocre season of 8-8 and no playoffs.

The main familiar face that is back this year is the five-year veteran, quarterback Jason Campbell, who was the topic of several trade rumors this offseason.  With an offense that was pretty anemic last year, quarterback Jason Campbell seemed to take the brunt of the blame.

The Redskins explored trade talks for then disgruntled quarterback Jay Cutler, and even made it known that they were heavily interested in possibly acquiring stud quarterback Mark Sanchez out of Southern California in the draft. Fortunately for Campbell none of those situations ever materialized, and he was left still sitting on top of the depth chart for the 2009 season. 

Campbell, who was sacked 38 times last season, finished the season with a respectable 13 TD's and 6 INT's.  However, he never once threw for over 2 TD's in a game and after Week 4 he never threw for more than 1 TD in a game.  In a division like the NFC East, where quarterbacks such as Eli Manning, Donovan McNabb, and Tony Romo are franchise quarterbacks, you can see where the Redskins are feeling the urgency to match their rivals at that position. 

Now the Redskins are left with a quarterback who's not sure if he's really wanted, and quite possibly a damaged ego beyond repair.  Campbell will need a big year to put all of these doubts to rest, otherwise next offseason he could be dealing with the same whirlwind again.

Holding true to form, team owner Daniel Snyder once again made a big splash in the free agent signing period.  He landed probably the most coveted free agent in defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth.  Snyder once again showed fans and the rest of the league how free spending he can be by signing Haynesworth to a record contract of $100 million. 

Yes, Haynesworth is a monster on the inside, but for a guy that routinely draws double and triple teams from opposing teams, you have to wonder if Haynesworth will ever be able to live up to that contract.  While Haynesworth may not be able to do all the damage by himself, he certainly should create opportunities for other guys on the defense to shine. 

The most notable benefactor from the addition of Haynesworth, could be the highly touted rookie defensive end Brian Orakpo from the University of Texas.  Orakpo was a combine freak and had several GM's across the league salivating at the mouth in hopes of picking this guy up in the draft.  The Redskins were able to land Orakpo with the 13th pick, and he should provide the speed rusher at the defensive end position that the Redskins have lacked for years.  However, he is a rookie so its quite possible that there could be an adjustment period before Orakpo is the guy that everyone envisions.

While the Redskins have made it a point to magnify the deficiencies at the quarterback position and have attempted to upgrade the defensive line, other positions still remain a question mark.  As earlier noted Campbell was on his back 38 times last season, and the Skins failed to make any real changes on the offensive line. 

They brought back guard Derrick Dockery, who started his career in D.C., then jumped ship to Buffalo, and has now come full circle back to D.C.  Other than that, the same unit remains in tact that was together last year.  The line is full of aging and injury plagued veterans, as Chris Samuels and Jon Jansen seem to alternate every year with an out-for-the-season injury. 

Rounding out the line are Randy Thomas and Casey Rabach, servicable veterans, but both are in their 30's.  Further compounding the problem is that there is a major drop off in the guys behind the starters.  If there are any injuries to the starters on the offensive line, the lack of depth could really end up hurting this team. 

An issue that also could be hindering quarterback Jason Campbell's progress, is the wide receiver corps.  In an era where the "big" receiver has become quarterbacks favorite targets across the league, the Redskins No. 1 and No. 2 receiver are both 5'10".  Yes, Santana Moss and Antwaan Randle El are solid, quick receivers but they do not have the size to go up and get a ball if Campbell needs to make a quick throw under duress. 

With the issues of the offensive line, usually Campbell is making these types of throws so it would have really benefited to go out and get that "big" receiver.  However, it's possible the Redskins may have that guy on their roster in second year pro's Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly. 

Thomas (6'2") and Kelly (6'4"), both drafted in the second round last year, were thought to be those reliable "big" guys to give Campbell another added dimension.  Things didn't quite work as planned last year, as the two rookies failed to make any major contributions, combining for a measly 18 catches between the two. 

The Skins do have an all-pro tight end in Chris Cooley and an all-pro running back in Clinton Portis. The problem is opposing defenses game-plan to take these two players away, and force the others to beat them.  Portis, ever since he has been a Redskin, consistently faces eight and nine man fronts daring the offense to pass the football.  Also, Cooley often finds himself being guarded by safeties, as defenses prefer to take Cooley away and dare the Redskins receivers to beat them.

On the other side of the ball the defense looks to be the strength of the team.   Haynesworth should be the anchor of the unit, clogging the middle, and allowing linebackers London Fletcher and Rocky McIntosh to have big years. 

Defensive ends Andre Carter and Phillip Daniels are both veterans who will play a key part in the development of rookie end Brian Orakpo.  If this group on the defensive line can generate a pass rush the defense could be even more deadly, as their secondary has several playmakers. 

The Redskins say good-bye to veteran cornerback Shawn Springs, but say hello to speedster DeAngelo Hall.  Hall, who was waived by the Oakland Raiders mid-season last year, was picked up for the remainder of the season last year by the Skins and didn't disappoint.  In his limited action with the Skins he had two interceptions and showed the ability to cover opposing teams No. 1 receivers.  Combine Hall with former first round draft pick, Carlos Rogers, and veteran Fred Smoot and you have a pretty decent group of cornerbacks. 

At the safety position, LaRon Landry is slowly starting to help Redskin fans recover from the tragic loss of do-it-all safety Sean Taylor.  His running mate at safety, Chris Horton may turn out to be one of those diamonds in the rough at safety, as the Redskins may have found a starter for the next several years in the seventh round of last years draft. 

The third aspect of the game, and usually the most overlooked is the special teams department.  Surprisingly, the Redskins did not feel the need to make a change at the kicker position, as Shaun Suisham will be retaining those duties.  Suisham was somewhat shaky last season, nailing only 26 out of 36 kicks, and really struggled from 40 yards and beyond going 12/20. Those numbers will need to improve, especially for a team that struggled to put the ball in the end zone last season. 

Also, the punting game was average at best last season with Ryan Plackemeier (41.5 avg.) handling most of the kicks.  He will compete with veteran Dirk Johnson, who has a career average of 41.7 yards per kick. 

In the return game, Randle El will continue to handle the punt return duties, and veteran Rock Cartwright is the kickoff return specialist.  While these guys didn't hurt the team with turnovers in the special teams area, they didn't do much either as Randle El (avg. 6.5 yards a return) and Cartwright (avg. 25.6 yards a return) both failed to provide that big-play ability that is desperately needed on special teams.

Overall, the 2009 Redskins have alot of questions to be answered.  In a division where the Redskins have failed to get over the hump the last two seasons going 6-6 against the Giants, Eagles, and Cowboys, they have seen their rivals enjoy success.  The Giants two seasons ago, did the unthinkable winning the Super Bowl over the previously undefeated New England Patriots, and the Eagles made a run to the NFC Championship game last season. 

The pressure is on this Washington Redskins team to take that same step that their divisional foes have already made, otherwise it could be another long season in the metropolitan area!