NFL Season Preview: Washington Redskins

Over the past couple seasons or so, the Washington Redskins have gone from a promising young team in the NFC East division to arguably one of the worst teams in the league as they just haven’t been able to compete with the best of the best in the NFC Conference.

It is no secret that the Washington Redskins owner Daniel Snyder has no problem throwing bags of money at big-name athletes, but during his reign in the nation’s capital, he hasn’t been able to turn the team into a winner.

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Fortunately, that might change this season as the Redskins have brought in six-time Pro Bowler quarterback Donovan McNabb to run the offense and two-time Super Bowl champion head coach Mike Shanahan to call the shots on the sidelines.

With the combination of these two football giants, the Washington Redskins might be a force to be reckoned with in the NFC Conference once again, but there are still many questions surrounding the receiving corps and the running game.

The one thing that the Redskins offense has had over the past couple of seasons that has been any kind of threat to opposing defenses has been a solid ground attack with running back Clinton Portis coming out of the backfield, but these days Portis just can’t seem to stay healthy and Washington was forced to upgrade their running game with the likes of veteran running backs Larry Johnson and Willie Parker.

Even though the addition of Johnson and Parker behind Portis might result in the Redskins being one of the best running teams in the NFL this season, as of right now things aren’t looking so promising as the injury bug has bitten the team once again as Portis and McNabb are battling bump ankles.

The Washington Redskins could be good to go when they face off against the NFC East division rival Dallas Cowboys in the season opener on September 12th on their home field, but as of right now things aren’t looking too promising as Clinton Portis is listed as probable and Donovan McNabb is listed as questionable.

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Ultimately, I believe the Washington Redskins will be a much better team with the addition of these veteran running backs and perennial Pro Bowl quarterback Donovan McNabb, but this season could be a brutal transition period as Mike Shanahan tries to mold this team around his new franchise quarterback.

In the near future, the Redskins will almost certainly be a legitimate threat to make it back to the playoffs, but with the competition in the NFC Conference being as tough as it is this season with the likes of the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings and the Dallas Cowboys being Super Bowl title contenders, I believe Washington is in for a long and disappointing year.

The only thing positive that might happen for Donovan McNabb and company is that they might be able to finish in 2nd place in the NFC East division ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles and behind the Dallas Cowboys, but they good enough to compete with the best of the best in the conference and will be watching the playoffs from home once again.