Not many teams have been able to overcome what the Redskins overcame in 2007. The untimely death of defensive leader and impact player Sean Taylor exhausted the club emotionally, yet they still found a way to rally late in the year and become an unlikely playoff team.
Offensively, the Redskins started and ended with Clinton Portis. Initially expected to share rushing duties with Ladell Betts, he had just over 250 more touches than his running mate en route to a masterful 1,262 rush yard year with 389 receiving yards. Not only was this Portis' fourth 1,500-total-yard season in six years, but he had one fewer total touchdown that Redskins QB Jason Campbell in 2007. Only once did Portis top 100 yards in a loss.
With Portis carrying the offense, we rarely saw gems from Jason Campbell. It seemed like for the first two-thirds of the season, the club wanted to limit his plays and not let him get too involved in the offense. Campbell had two 300-yard games, and they came when he attempted at least 49 passes, so they were more a result of the playcalling than anything else. Campbell proved to be a competent passer with some nice ability to run when a play broke down. His season ended early when he tore the patella tendon in his left knee in Week 14, and he was replaced by career backup Todd Collins, who did very well in his stead.
Because Campbell and then Collins were limited, we didn't see any eye-popping stats from Washington's receivers. For the third time in four seasons, the team failed to host a 1,000-yard receiver as Santana Moss (808 yards) fell short. Beyond him and consistent TE Chris Cooley (786 yards, eight touchdowns), the only real surprise was Antwaan Randle El, who posted career highs in receptions and receiving yards but only scored once -- in Week 16. No one else on Washington's offense helped Fantasy owners.
Washington's defense didn't give anyone anything to write home about after the team lost CB Carlos Rogers to torn knee ligaments and Taylor. They didn't allow an opponent to rack up more than 21 points in a game late in the year when they rallied around the loss of Taylor (until the postseason). They were solid against the run, as is any team with London Fletcher at middle linebacker, but susceptible against the pass (20 TDs allowed). If the Redskins had a huge weakness, it was that their defense couldn't hold their opponents back enough because the offense couldn't score a ton of points (something that changed at the end of the season with Collins at quarterback -- Campbell-led Redskins topped 21 points five times in 12 games).
Looking to 2008
Aside from the fact that the Redskins' salary cap is as muddled as usual, the team is in great shape personnel-wise. Every starter on both sides of the ball from 2007 is under contract to be back. They have some depth issues to address at quarterback, offensive line and safety, but how many clubs can say that they can bring back their starting 22 intact?
Problem is, they'll be under new coaches, especially on offense. The Redskins took forever to hire their replacement for Joe Gibbs, and after passing on Gregg Williams and striking out on Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, they promoted newly hired Jim Zorn to run the ship with Greg Blache to continue their defensive scheme. That will help their defensive unit, which is a mostly veteran crew to begin with.
The offense is an entirely different story. Zorn will import the West Coast offense with him from Seattle and have the Redskins play under that guise. That means well-timed passes to anyone with good hands with lots of running. In other words, it's a perfect offense for Clinton Portis and more of the same for everyone else. Chris Cooley might be in line to snap into the 800-to-900 yard range, but Santana Moss shouldn't be expected to haul in over 1,000 yards. Moreover, Campbell would need a lot of time in the system before playing like Matt Hasselbeck -- Zorn's prior pupil.
Washington's offseason got off to a strange start with its head-coaching search, but they'll have a shot to add some talent once they manage their salary cap and make some room for a few free agents. They've already been rumored to have interest in LB Lance Briggs a year after trying to pry him from Chicago, and even Chad Johnson's name has been linked to the 'Skins. With the NFC East as competitive as ever with the Cowboys winning the division and the Giants winning the Super Bowl, Washington won't be shy about making splashes to compete.
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