Joe Gibbs called it a tough schedule. That’s nothing new; Gibbs says that every season when the schedule is announced, looking angst-ridden as he wonders how they’ll win a game.
“I’ve never seen one that I’ve liked,” he said.
But he did say one thing that rang true.
“It’s important for us to start totally different,” he said.
Last year, they lost their first two games after an 0-4 preseason.
Among the schedule’s highlights:
» National TV games: They play at Philadelphia in a Monday night game in Week 2; they host Chicago on a Thursday night in Week 14 and follow that with a Sunday night game at the New York Giants.
» Divisional games: Washington did not win a game in the NFC East last year, after going 5-1 in 2005. The Redskins play two division games among their first three. And they finish with two of their last three against NFC East foes New York and Dallas — the latter, at home, is the regular season finale.
» Tough stretch: From Oct. 14 through Nov. 25, the Redskins play five of their seven games on the road; and four straight games in this stretch come against 2006 playoff teams. In November, three of their four games will be away from home.
» The bye week: Washington has a bye after three games, which Gibbs does not prefer. They had a midseason bye last year; two years ago, they had a September bye and made the playoffs.
Meanwhile, the Redskins hosted potential No. 1 overall draft pick, quarterback JaMarcus Russell, Wednesday.
“That has nothing to do with Jason [Campbell],” Gibbs said. “We’ve brought in every player we felt was a first-round player. We feel we’re set at quarterback, but … should a set of circumstances come up, you have to be prepared.”
