Football season is finally
here. Before the
season begins fans of all 32 teams have high expectations of their respective
teams season. It is no different
in the DMV for Washington Redskins fans. Last season’s 3-13 season was very disappointing coming
off a division title and the excitement of Offensive Rookie of the Year Robert
Griffin III's rookie campaign.
The drama with Head Coach Mike Shanahan and Griffin recovering from his
knee injury casted a shadow over the season.
Shanahan is gone, Jay Gruden comes in, and Griffin is healthy.
2014 Redskins Season
 |
| Robert Griffin III |
Much of the talk this preseason has
been about Griffin’s struggles and backup Kirk Cousins performing well. This is a critical season for
Griffin. The coach that he did not
connect with is gone. It appears
Cousins has improved since last season.
Other quarterbacks such as Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers and Matt
Ryan of the Atlanta Falcons struggled in their second seasons after successful
rookie campaigns and broke out with very good performances in their third
season. That is what ‘Skins fans
are hoping for Griffin. Newton and
Ryan did not have another highly touted quarterback in their same draft class
serving as a backup. As confident
as Griffin comes off he knows Kirk Cousins is a young developing quarterback
like himself who still has intrigue around the league on how he would perform
as a full time starter.
I
am hoping that the ‘Skins let the season play out with Griffin at the helm and
Gruden not get tempted to go to Cousins too early if things do not go
well. By the end of the season we
should have an idea of what kind of quarterback Griffin will be. Was 2012 an anomaly with Washington’s
read option and a rookie running back Alfred Morris because opposing teams did
not have film on them? After two
seasons there will not be any surprises.
Griffin has to evolve and make all the progressions and throws from the
pocket. I do not think he
has slowed down from his knee injury.
It appears even in preseason games teams have schemed knowing his
tendencies and in position if he runs.
He’ll have to beat teams with his arm and Morris continuing to gain
yards in the running game.
I was never a fan of Shanahan, but it does not mean his assessment of Griffin and Donovan
McNabb was incorrect. He just
handled the situations poorly.
McNabb was washed up and it showed when he went to Minnesota the
following season. On what Griffin
and Shanahan clashed over on what Griffin needed to do to become a better
quarterback might be accurate as well.
Griffin’s comments to the media and on social media have impacted the
perception of him that he just doesn’t “get it”. Especially when quarterbacks in his draft class such as
Russell Wilson of Seattle Seahawks and Andrew Luck of the Indianapolis Colts do
not have the same issues and in just two seasons have more playoff
success. Is Griffin a know it
all? Is he coachable? Is he relying too much on his success
in the past and rookie season?
When I listen to him he appears to say the right things without coming
off as to understanding why he needs to.
The quarterback is judged differently and we are all watching. I don’t anticipate the team making the
playoffs, but an improvement from 2013 with 7-9 wins.
New Stadium
Owner Dan Snyder recently announced
plans for a new stadium. This was
exciting news to me. I have never
been a fan of FedEx Field. It was
built in a bad location with terrible traffic concerns to and from games. The stadium does not have any character
and didn’t have the same atmosphere as RFK Stadium, something was must
missing. Snyder was coy
about the new stadium’s location.
My feeling is for two reasons; one I think he would like to have the new
stadium constructed in the District.
Washington, DC is about to elect a new mayor and this would not be the appropriate
time to discuss a move back into the city until after the election.
The site at RFK would be
ideal. The soccer team, DC United
has plans for a new stadium on the waterfront near Nationals Park. The RFK site has direct Metro access
and easier access in and out of the stadium by car. It just makes sense.
Secondly, there are 13 years remaining on the lease of FedEx field. I am sure by the time a new stadium is
constructed a buyout of the lease could be negotiated. Teams in all major sports have or are
planning to move into their respective cities and not build stadiums in the
suburbs. Virginia
could come into play because many of the ‘Skins fans travel from Virginia and
Montgomery County, MD to games and a stadium there would be more accessible to the
majority of season ticket holders.
The Atlanta Braves plans to move outside of Atlanta are for similar
reasons. Again, we’ll have to wait
and see.
Playoff Predictions
NFC
Division Champions
Philadelphia Eagles-East
Green Bay Packers-North
New Orleans Saints-South
Seattle Seahawks-West
Wild Cards
Arizona Cardinals
Chicago Bears
AFC
Division Champions
New England Patriots-East
Cincinnati Bengals-North
Indianapolis Colts-South
Denver Broncos-West
Wild Cards
Pittsburgh Steelers
San Diego Chargers
I need to see games before I start talking Super Bowl, let
the games begin!
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