With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.
The Redskins made the biggest early splash this offseason, luring beastly defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth from Tennessee to anchor their defensive line. Their work, however, is not done. Unfortunately for Washington, it plays in arguably the best division in the NFL. Fortunately, the few holes the Redskins still have on their roster should be perfectly fixable. In fact, many could be done in-house, with younger players developing further.
Devin Thomas, a second-round pick of the Redskins in last year's draft, can make a significant impact on the Washington offense this season. If he shows some of the talent we saw at Michigan State, he gives Jason Campbell another weapon -- a much more explosive one than Antwaan Randle-El -- through the air.
Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.
The Redskins stormed out of the gate in Jim Zorn's first season as head coach, running their record to 6-2 at the halfway point. The second half of the season, unfortunately, was perfectly symmetrical -- they went 2-6 to finish 8-8.
They could have won three of those games in best-case scenarios, but the best teams come through instead of talking about what could have been. The reality is that the Redskins only played a half-season in '08.
Much was made about Ben Roethlisberger's first half touchdown and Darrell Jackson's offensive pass interference -- which negated a touchdown -- in the aftermath of the Steelers victory over the Seahawks in Super Bowl XL. Those who follow the Zebra Report know that I refuse to ever claim the officials cost any team a game, however, there was one call in this game that cost the Seahawks a lot more than the above well-publicized calls.
We here are at Fantasy FanHouse are deeply committed to helping the desperate. And you may be among them. If that's the case, we have some lovely last-minute gambles for you to try out in fantasy this week. Fourth and 26 isn't an "ideal" situation, but sometimes it works out.
Quarterback JaMarcus Russell, OAK -- No way he's owned in your league. Seriously. No way (unless it's a keeper league I suppose). And you may remember from that Monday night snooze fest that Russell ended up going 17 of 26 for 180 yards and two touchdowns; respectable numbers, even in a blowout. And the Broncos are slightly better than the Chiefs. And by "slightly" I mean "the rough equivalent of "USC over OSU". (Warning: Comparison could backfire.)
Kerry Collins, TEN -- He doesn't have any receivers, and the Titans will probably lean on the running game and defense to win. But if you're considering him, you're pretty desperate. And the Bengals are pretty bad. So you could do worse.
Running Back Tim Hightower, ARI -- Hightower might actually be a pretty good start this week; Edgerrin James had 100 yards last week, but it took him 26 carries, and Hightower saw some goal line action. Also, Miami is not good.
Everyone needs sleep. Including fantasy football teams and one-armed men. We will now discuss some ways for you to get rest throughout Week 1. Notice what annoying word I'm avoiding. One from each major position in order of league depth; I will most certainly remind you when these people have big games on Sunday.
To recap from last week: 5/9, and two of my misses were of the deep variety. You're welcome.
Power Naps Matt Cassel, QB, NE Chad Pennington looked good against the Jets and he doesn't have Randy Moss or Wes Welker. I'm not overly optimistic that Cassel is going to pull a Brady on Brady, but I think he's a pretty nice start here this week. Also, he quarterbacks the Patriots, which means he can only be so bad. He's probably about saturated, ownership wise, though, in your league.
Chris Johnson, RB, TEN Speaking of saturated ... oh no, that's LenDale White, the guy losing his job to Johnson. But you might be debating whether to go with Johnson this week, and you should stop debating. Start him.
Dwayne Bowe, WR, KC Sure, Damon Huard-Croyle is scary. But did you see Eddie Royal on Monday?
NFL Offseason Roadmap is a series focused on the needs of NFL teams as they begin the offseason.
The Washington Redskins just completed one of the most emotional seasons in their 75-year history. 2007 will always be remembered. Life, as they say, does go on ... so looking to 2008 is imperative.
1.Head Coach – Duh. Once Joe Gibbs retired, it has thrown up in the air what this team will look like in 2008. Gibbs wanted things one way -- his replacement may want them totally different. If Gregg Williams gets the gig, you'd expect the team to stay on the same track that Gibbs put them on. If they go outside the organization, who knows?
Also, if it is Williams then the Redskins need to find out a new defensive coordinator. Oh, and Al Saunders (if he sticks) won't have Gibbs to deal with when calling the game.
2. Salary Cap -- As we all know, the Redskins mess with the cap as much as any team. That being said, it is rumored that Washington is waaaay over the salary cap and will need to shave off the payroll. That means (a) cutting players and (b) reworking deals. Good thing Daniel Snyder is wealthy and likes to rework the deals. Guys like Clinton Portis, Chris Samuels, Jon Jansen and Marcus Washington may be willing to do this. Guys like Brandon Lloyd and Mark Brunell may be cut. Obviously, where these cuts come from will help determine what holes need to be addressed.
What a wild game in Seattle. If you are just looking at the 35-14 win for the Seahawks and assume it was a blowout ... you'd kinda be right. The stats won't prove it (Washington outgained and held a huge margin of time of possession), but it was evident on the field.
For about 54 minutes of this game, Seattle was dominating. In the first half, Seattle's defensive line teed off on the Redskins'Todd Collins and devoured any kind of run game Washington wanted to get going. The same sorts of things happened in the second half. In the Redskins first 10 drives, they punted nine times and turned the ball over on downs the other time (with only one of those drives being over six plays).
The Redskins came alive for a period ending the third quarter and at the start of the fourth: a beautiful 12-play, 84-yd drive that ended with a Antwaan Randle-El touchdown. After a quick takeaway and an ensuing Santana Moss TD, Washington actually took a 14-13 lead. A lead they nearly extended after a wickedly odd kickoff recovery that led to a missed field goal.
That's when Seattle's strengths showed back up. Matt Hasselbeck and the (quietly) lethal passing game whipped a quick five play drive into a TD. Then Collins, who hadn't been picked off since 1997, threw two picks that ended up being returned for TDs and took the Redskins out of reach.
"Just in terms of certain reads, of course, I had to refresh my memory," Randle El said. "I run the routes [as a wide receiver], so I know where you're supposed to be taking it over to the quarterback spot.
"But in terms of the read part, knowing the coverage and where to throw it to everything, that's what I had to get down."
Randle-El was a QB in college at Indiana and finished 6th in the Heisman Trophy voting back in 2001. He also threw a TD pass in Super Bowl XL, becoming only the third non-QB (and first receiver) to toss a touchdown in Super Bowl history.
Randle-El's NFL career passing stats are amazing when looking at them. He has attempted 21 passes, completing 17 of them for 235 yards, 3 TDs and no interceptions. He has a QB rating of 152.9 (a perfect passer rating is 158.3). Of course, those were all done on trick or gadget plays and not in a typical setting.
With the draft approaching, we ignore projections and identify the dream scenario for each team in a series we call The Perfect Draft.
Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 
In anticipation of Cardinals-Steelers, FanHouse takes a look back at some forgotten 
We here are at 
NFL Offseason Roadmap is a series focused on the needs of NFL teams as they begin the offseason. 
What a wild game in Seattle. If you are just looking at the 35-14 win for the Seahawks and assume it was a blowout ... you'd kinda be right. The stats won't prove it (Washington outgained and held a huge margin of time of possession), but it was evident on the field.
Redskins WR 
