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The Washington Redskins finished the 2007 regular season with a 9-7 record and made the playoffs. The Redskins drew the Seattle Seahawks in the Wildcard Playoffs and lost on the road 35-14. Joe Gibbs retired from coaching and Joe Gibbs Racing is dominating Nascar this season. Former Seattle Seahawk quarterback Jim Zorn takes over duties of head coach in 2008. Starting quarterback Jason Campbell got injured in week 14 and backup Todd Collins led the team to 4 straight victories to earn a playoff berth. Oddsmakers have set the Washington Redskins projected win total for the 2008 season at 7 1/2 wins.

Schedule:

The Redskins play in the NFC East and that means two games with the Cowboys, Eagles and Giants. The NFC East plays the NFC West and AFC North this season and the toughest games are at Seattle and Cincinnati. They host Pittsburgh on November 3rd. As a third place team in the NFC East last season that means two games against the other third place NFC teams. They are on the road at Detroit and host New Orleans.

Offense:

Jason Campbell is not a very consistent quarterback and made mistakes in crucial points in games last season. The Redskins were a losing club in 2007 with Campbell at the helm producing a 5-7 record before an injury ended his season. Campbell must improve on his decision-making as he threw for 12 TDs and 11 interceptions in 2007. The Redskins picked up 2 good receivers in the draft in Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly. Kelly at 6 foot 4 inches gives Campbell a big target and someone who can run after the catch. Antwaan Randle El is coming off a career year of 51 catches and 7238 yards last season. Santana Moss gives Campbell another wide receiving threat and with Clinton Portis in his backfield the 3rd year QB has weapons.


Defense:

Linebacker London Fletcher is entering the season with 119 consecutive starts and has led the team he has played on in tackles over his last 9 seasons. Starters Rocky McIntosh and Marcus Washington are both coming off injuries last season. Washington missed 5 games last season and McIntosh is coming off major knee surgery. A big trade prior to training camp saw the arrival of defensive tackle Jason Taylor to the Redskins from Miami. The Redskins were third in the league against the run last season. Washington only gave up 5.8 yards per attempt last year as their secondary did a good job of limiting big plays in 2007.

And now to my Selection:

Joe Gibbs brought stability to an unstable franchise. With his departure brought questionable decisions by owner Dan Snyder who fired offensive coordinator Al Saunders and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. And if they were really high on Jim Zorn why didn’t the Redskins appoint him head coach in the first place instead of signing him initially as their offensive coordinator? Dallas, the NY Giants and Philadelphia are all breathing a sigh of relief. Jason Campbell is now in his third offensive system in 4 years in the league. And if you go back to his college days he has had to learn now 7 different offenses in 8 years when you add up his days at Auburn to the mix. Campbell led the team to 4 straight losses before getting injured in their 16-10 win against the struggling Bears. 4 of his 5 victories as the Skins quarterback last season came against Arizona, NY Jets, Detroit and Miami.