2008 Washington Redskins
Written July 30, 2008 by Jason Lowry
With another NFL season ready to get underway in just a short time, Jason Lowry has his 2008 Washington Redskins season predictions. Last year the Redskins really put together a magical season after the tragic loss of star safety Sean Taylor. The Redskins went on to win their final 4 games of the season, and finished up 9-7, which was good enough for 3rd in the NFC East. Even though the Redskins finished 3rd it was still good enough for a wild card spot in the playoffs, but that was short lived, as the Seahawks handed them a beating in the first round. The Redskins have recently upgraded the defense with the addition of Pro Bowl defensive end Jason Taylor. The Redskins also had a great draft that landed them wide receivers Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly, along with tight end Fred Davis. So the Redskins looks like they are heading in the right direction, and now its time to take a look at just what they will be sending to the field in 2008.
Offense:
A lot will ride on the arm of Jason Campbell who the team believes is the quarterback of the future for this franchise. With the addition of all the help in the draft to the receiving group that already consisted of Santana Moss and Chris Cooley, the Redskins passing game could get a lot better in a hurry in 2008. The team still has a great duo in running back in Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts. The key to everything is the offensive line, as its their job to create the holes for Portis and make sure Campbell has the time to find the open receiver. The team needs guys like right guard Randy Thomas and right tackle Jon Jansen to come back healthy and ready to go in 2008, while guys like left tackle Chris Samuels and center Casey Rabach are the glue that gets this unit going. Don’t expect this team to start throwing it all over the field, but they do have that option if needed.
Redskins Over/Under 7.5 wins in 2008 at Sportsbook.com
Defense:
The addition of Jason Taylor from Miami is just what the defensive line needed, Taylor could be a great force opposite of Andre Carter, who had 10.5 sacks last season. The Redskins still lack some talent in the middle, but your starters will likely still be Anthony Montgomery and Cornelius Griffin. Helping the line out is a great group of linebackers, that includes the leader of this group in middle linebacker London Fletcher. The team would love to see Marcus Washington and Rocky McIntosh come back healthy for the whole season in 2008. The secondary remains strong even with the loss of Sean Taylor, as they still have a solid duo at corner in Fred Smoot and Shawn Springs, and the young and very talented LaRon Landry who had a great rookie season in 2007.
Redskins +1800 odds to win NFC Conference at Sportsbook.com
Special Teams:
The Redskins have quite the talent for kick returns as the duo of Rock Cartwright and Jerome Mathis, both have Pro Bowl talent. The Redskins might need to find a new guy for punt returns as Antwan Randle El really struggled last year, after doing a solid job while with the Steelers. The kicking game will be held down by the accurate foot of Shaun Suisham, while the team hopes punter Derrick Frost can regain his form from 2006.
Redskins +4000 odds to win Super Bowl at Sportsbook.com
Prediction: 3rd in NFC East
We really like this Redskins team as they should be able to put together another solid season in the tough NFC East. We feel like they are a notch below the Cowboys and Eagles, but they should hold off the Giants to stay out of the bottom. With many teams in the NFC improving it might be tough for these guys to find their way in the playoffs in 2008.
If you want to know if we think the Redskins have what it takes to get out of the NFC be sure to check out our complete NFC Predictions, along with our 2009 Super Bowl predictions. Want to see what others are saying about the upcoming season, check out these Washington Redskin Predictions.