Swengali: Question Marks Abound at Redskins Camp

| Print Post This | Like (0) | Comments (1)

THIS IS A SUMMER of hope at Redskins Park.

Washington is banking on Jason Campbell's living up to his billing as the quarterback of the future, just as the team is relying on three second-round picks who excelled as college receivers to hit the ground running in the NFL.

And most of all, the Redskins are trusting that Jim Zorn is up to the task as head coach — even though he already muffed the team's color scheme once.

Optimism shouldn't be unfounded. The team made the playoffs last year, after all. You'd think Greg Blatche should fill in nicely for Gregg Williams as defensive coordinator. Plus, Zorn's enthusiasm is infectious.

But here's the reality check.

Washington's success last year was a by-product of an outstanding coaching job by Joe Gibbs, who rallied the team after the death of Sean Taylor.

The quarterback who won all those games in December was Todd Collins, whose main value came from memorizing Al Saunders' offense. That offense has since been replaced by a modified West Coast attack.

And the defensive line, which struggled to pressure quarterbacks all season, wasn't significantly upgraded either.

Oh, and by the way, the Super Bowl champion Giants, the star-studded Cowboys and the always tough Eagles play in the Redskins' division.

You aren't crazy to think the Redskins can return to the playoffs. Then again, a 6-10 record is certainly not out of the realm of possibility.

Think positively for now. The alternative would quickly turn into pining for Bill Cowher in 2009.

Photo by John McDonnell/The Washington Post