After countless offseason camps, a draft and a preseason under coach Mike Shanahan, are the Washington Redskins better than a year ago?
A little — but the 53-man roster decided on Saturday doesn’t scream Super Bowl. The Redskins will benefit most from the restored health of tight end Chris Cooley and the offensive line, plus the leadership of incoming quarterback Donovan McNabb, but the 2010 roster still overflows with average players and needs better reserves.
Shanahan, McNabb and Cooley are the biggest reasons the Redskins will be improved when they open against Dallas on Sept. 12.
Shanahan vs. predecessor Jim Zorn is akin to Joe Gibbs vs. Steve Spurrier. It doesn’t always show in the win-loss column, but Shanahan and Gibbs turned a circus into a Broadway show. Maybe Shanahan could have handled disgruntled Albert Haynesworth better, but he has sharpened this roster to perhaps 8-8. Unfortunately, a youth movement will be needed when the expected NFL owners lockout next season ends, but Shanahan smartly prepares for everything.
McNabb is a reasonable bump over predecessor Jason Campbell statwise. McNabb threw for 22 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and 3,553 yards with a 92.9 rating for Philadelphia last season. Campbell threw for 20 scores and 15 picks for 3,618 yards and 86.4 rating for a much worse offense.
But there’s a more intangible reason there’s so much hope of the Redskins rebounding from a 4-12 season: McNabb and Shanahan are leaders. Shanahan won’t try consecutive fake field goals. McNabb wins games in the fourth quarter, which Campbell couldn’t.
Cooley and Fred Davis give the Redskins the best tight end combination leaguewide. Cooley compensates for the lack of a strong second receiver, while Davis consistently finds the end zone. That’s a big plus over last year.
The offensive line has three new faces, but only Trent Williams is a big improvement, and he’s still a rookie left tackle who will make mistakes. Overall, five healthy people are a step up from last year’s decimated line even if four of them are just average players.
Defensively, the biggest change is LaRon Landry’s move back to strong safety. That’s a big plus. He’s the Redskins’ best defender, especially in that role. However, the switch to 3-4 seems uncertain, especially with nose tackle Ma’ake Kemoeatu obviously not completely healthy and linebacker Andre Carter out of position. This unit may underperform for the first few weeks until it better adapts to the new scheme.
Overall, the Redskins don’t seem much better, but anytime a team upgrades its coach, quarterback and a couple playmakers, that’s enough to expect a few more wins. But a few more victories won’t be enough to make the postseason.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com and Twitter @Snide_Remarks or e-mail [email protected].
