In the blink of an eye, a season could have changed. Hopes could have been dashed and promises could have gone out the window.
Fortunately, "hope and promise" just limped to the sideline with a deep knee bruise.
A startling revelation occurred three Saturday nights ago at Fed Ex Field when Washington quarterback Jason Campbell writhed in pain. We realized how much stock the Redskins have invested in their young signal caller.
When Jason Campbell was sidelined with a deep knee bruise this preseason, Redskins fans realized that a lot of hopes are riding on him.
|
It’s hard to believe after only seven games and 110 completions in his short pro career, but Campbell, the former 25th overall draft selection, is the primary growth fund in the Skins stock market. The alternatives for an offense in its second year under coordinator Al Saunders, aren’t pretty. Sure, back-up Todd Collins knows the Al Saunders offensive experiment, but that’s not saying a whole lot. And in those seconds when Campbell lay crushed on the field, the idea of another year with Mark Brunnel under center seemed like a worse concept than four more under George W. Bush.
The Redskins, who give out draft picks like Halloween candy, have made some smart moves lately. They traded an undisclosed pick to the New York Jets for disgruntled guard Pete Kendall to shore up an unsteady hole at left guard left after the departure of Derrick Dockery in the spring. The acquisition of linebacker London Fletcher is a nice piece of the puzzle. Adam Archuleta was jettisoned from a nauseating secondary and the team ushered in sixth overall pick LaRon Landry. Rather than overpaying for a hot shot free agent, Washington welcomed back Fred Smoot, who knows the Gregg Williams defensive system, having played for the Redskins in 2004 before leaving for Minnesota.
So the season opens this Sunday against Miami with the sense that the Redskins have clotted last year’s wounds. But what the Redskins will be in ’07 is still a mystery. When was the last time this team or anything in the organization made sense? When was the last time the Skins came off an off-season more balanced than flashy?
Still, in a division where Philadelphia is one more Donovan McNabb injury away from the end of a great run in the division, Dallas is just as unproven with Tony Romo, and the wheels are beginning to fall off the New York Giants car before it leaves the garage, is it that hard to comprehend the Redskins making a run at their first division crown in eight years? (Trust me, no mind-altering substances were digested while writing this.) After all, who’d have thought two years ago that respectable football publications would be picking the New Orleans Saints as their preseason 2007 NFC Champions?
Reality check: How different, really, are the ’07 Burgundy and Gold from a year ago? Another preseason has gone by with no reason to believe in Saunders’ 700-page book of offensive thrills. Campbell’s hopeful preseason of progression was incomplete and Clinton Portis has taken as many snaps as you.
The Redskins could be good.
They could be bad.
It couldn’t get any uglier than last year.
So as the season kicks off this Sunday, the Redskins can be best summed up in those faithful Shakespeare words, "To be or not to be: that is the question."
Stone Cold C-VILLE NFL Predictions:
NFL MVP: Drew Brees, New Orleans
AFC Championship: New England over Baltimore
NFC Championship: New Orleans over Philadelphia
Super Bowl: New England over New Orleans
Wes McElroy hosts "The Final Round" on ESPN AM840. Monday-Friday, 4pm-6pm.