Most Improved

[Skaggsboy]

espn.com has a top ten most improved teams this offseason...the skins sit at #4

[Skaggsboy]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=1794386

[joethefan]

Good read...thanx

[Agrawog]

What? How did we lose our annual "Best Team in May" title? I demand a recount! :devil1:

If you look at the teams at the top my thinking would be:

Detroit - too much dependence on rookies and second year players (especially at WR).
Oakland - some guys they added are really old. I think it all depends on Gannon and they have no one behind him.
Atlanta - could be interesting, especially if they can run the ball with Gibbs coaching oline.
Washington - made all the moves necessary to win the SB! (Oh, come on what was I supposed to say). No seriously let's look at a stud rb, young veteran WRs, two excellent QBs and Oline with depth and coaching. If we can hold teams under 20 we should win. (you have to love May don't you?)

The rest..aw they suck anyway especially the Eagles. I hope they go down in flames just to watch TO have another fit.

[LadyNRedskinsfan]

does anyone know where i can find a link to a list of potential june 1st cuts?? thanks in advance....

[Spence]

That's a sobering article. I was reminded how much other teams have improved, at least on paper, during the offseason. Adding Portis and Brunell are nice upgrades, but we simply didn't do enough on defense. Hopefully, I am correct in thinking that the addition of Joe Gibbs and his staff will be a big help since I think awful coaching led the Redskins to underachieve last season. If our talent is much better than it showed last year, the Skins have a decent shot at the playoffs.

I wish all this Super Bowl talk would end, though. I think it is absurd, unless you're joking. I don't think the Redskins look close to being a true contender at all. Playoffs, yes. That could happen. Super Bowl? Well, that'd take a run of good luck no team is likely to enjoy.

[GolfFreak]

I can't believe we are only 4th after we signed a probowl RB and got the best defensive prospect in the draft. Plus we have good QB and WR depth.

[natgbz]

It makes sense to me, the lions were simply put one of the worst, and it's hard to not drastically improve when you add good players in placce of awful ones. I agrre with the analysis of oakland, yet I disagree with Atlanta being so improved (much of they're problem was the injury to Vick).

[Patrick]

That's a sobering article. I was reminded how much other teams have improved, at least on paper, during the offseason. Adding Portis and Brunell are nice upgrades, but we simply didn't do enough on defense. Hopefully, I am correct in thinking that the addition of Joe Gibbs and his staff will be a big help since I think awful coaching led the Redskins to underachieve last season. If our talent is much better than it showed last year, the Skins have a decent shot at the playoffs.

I wish all this Super Bowl talk would end, though. I think it is absurd, unless you're joking. I don't think the Redskins look close to being a true contender at all. Playoffs, yes. That could happen. Super Bowl? Well, that'd take a run of good luck no team is likely to enjoy.


AGREE 100% ............. and SuperBowl and playoff talk - too many people get hooked on "ANY" media positives and it's off to the playoff we're going.
I'm excited about the coaching staff and the players that have been assembled (to date) and looking forward to them getting into training camp to come together as a team. BUT that's as far as I can really take it for now. Too many years of being on the losing side I guess.

[BandWagon]

That's a sobering article. I was reminded how much other teams have improved, at least on paper, during the offseason. Adding Portis and Brunell are nice upgrades, but we simply didn't do enough on defense. Hopefully, I am correct in thinking that the addition of Joe Gibbs and his staff will be a big help since I think awful coaching led the Redskins to underachieve last season. If our talent is much better than it showed last year, the Skins have a decent shot at the playoffs.

I wish all this Super Bowl talk would end, though. I think it is absurd, unless you're joking. I don't think the Redskins look close to being a true contender at all. Playoffs, yes. That could happen. Super Bowl? Well, that'd take a run of good luck no team is likely to enjoy.

If you reach the playoffs healthy...ANYTHING can happen. We've got maybe the best coaching staff in the league...I would never say they won't make it to the Super Bowl....

[SkinsKY]

Our acquistions have made us a competitive team, not a dominant one although I am very grateful for at least being competitive this year.

[suppitty]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=1794386

The redskins are rated as the 4th most improved behind behind th elions, raiders, and falcons. eagles are rated 10th, and the other two nfc east teams arent on the list, so THE REDSKINS ARE THE MOST IMPROVED TEAM IN THE NFC EAST FOR THE 5TH STRAIGHT SEASON!!!!!!!!!

[¤Smooooot¤]

Some already started a thread on this.....look around 1st before you start one. Thanks though.

[SonnyandSam]

Heck, with the talent we had last year, we had playoff potential. The Skins were considered reasonable shot at the wildcard berths.

We found out just how important coaching really is in this game.

We certainly have playoff potential this year with even better skill players on offense and a much improved coaching staff. The defense has been improved some but not a lot.

I do not expect a Super Bowl visit but I do think we have the studs and the coaching to go deep into the playoffs. If you look at our roster, we are only really missing a stud pass rusher, some additional depth on the DL and LB.

We'll find out just how good this team does after playing the eaglets and cowgirls during the season. There is not a lot of strength in the NFC. The Panthers were a one year wonder....just watch. They'll be lucky to make the playoffs this year.

[TexSkin]

We underachieved big time last year....This is a playoff team imo. As long as these guys can jell and get going from the start I dont see any reason why we cant go to the playoffs this year. Once your in anything can happen. Look at the past few year superbowl teams for a lesson on that.

[Spence]

THE REDSKINS ARE THE MOST IMPROVED TEAM IN THE NFC EAST FOR THE 5TH STRAIGHT SEASON!!!!!!!!!Exactly. And if that doesn't throw cold water on the "Super Bowl or bust" bandwagon, then nothing will.

[Keino]

I just want to see us consistantly play good football. If we do that the wins will come. I have faith in our Coaching staff to get the most out of the final 53 players that make this team. So while I agree with the notion that the words "super bowl" shouldn't be uttered as freely as they have been around here, I believe that anything is possible, so I am not quite ready to dismiss the thought outright either. It's what being a fan is all about. Why go to the games if you don't believe it can be done? Why watch every Sunday if you don't believe it can be done? Why dedicate hours and hours on this very board talking about it if it can't be done?......I believe, BUT we need to just take it a day at a time, play good football and hope we get a little bit lucky. Is it Sept 12 yet?

[redwolf1218]

I just want to see us consistantly play good football. If we do that the wins will come. I have faith in our Coaching staff to get the most out of the final 53 players that make this team. So while I agree with the notion that the words "super bowl" shouldn't be uttered as freely as they have been around here, I believe that anything is possible, so I am not quite ready to dismiss the thought outright either. It's what being a fan is all about. Why go to the games if you don't believe it can be done? Why watch every Sunday if you don't believe it can be done? Why dedicate hours and hours on this very board talking about it if it can't be done?......I believe, BUT we need to just take it a day at a time, play good football and hope we get a little bit lucky. Is it Sept 12 yet?
i agree, one day at a time, one game at a time, with the ultimate goal in sight.

[suppitty]

Some already started a thread on this.....look around 1st before you start one. Thanks though.

sorry i tried to look around for 1 but couldnt find one. but anyway i dont understand the raiders being 2nd. they didnt do too much before the draft and even in the draft they took to many lineman.

[redwolf1218]

What? How did we lose our annual "Best Team in May" title? I demand a recount! :devil1:

If you look at the teams at the top my thinking would be:

Detroit - too much dependence on rookies and second year players (especially at WR).
Oakland - some guys they added are really old. I think it all depends on Gannon and they have no one behind him.
Atlanta - could be interesting, especially if they can run the ball with Gibbs coaching oline.
Washington - made all the moves necessary to win the SB! (Oh, come on what was I supposed to say). No seriously let's look at a stud rb, young veteran WRs, two excellent QBs and Oline with depth and coaching. If we can hold teams under 20 we should win. (you have to love May don't you?)

The rest..aw they suck anyway especially the Eagles. I hope they go down in flames just to watch TO have another fit.
pretty good analysis...detroit's success will depend on harrington. i think ramsey has put up better numbers than him. gannon was cut by norv turner when he was in washington. i have been wondering how that relationship will evolve. plus he had surgery in the offseason on top of being old to begin with. idont know about you, but my shoulder hurts when i throw stuff and i've never had any surgeries on it. atlanta is fun to watch when the play breaks down and vick takes off running, but that's not the design. the skins are poised to be one of those surprise teams coming off a subpar year with a decent schedule to get some wins.

[IowaSkinsFan]

espn.com has a top ten most improved teams this offseason...the skins sit at #4

We are pretty high on that list the past 3-4 seasons. It only matters what happens in the last half of the year.

[garedskin]

Coaching is the biggest and best off season moves that Snyder has ever made.

[Spence]

Coaching is the biggest and best off season moves that Snyder has ever made.I agree. That's what I'm pinning my hopes on.

[ConradCountry]

That's a sobering article. I was reminded how much other teams have improved, at least on paper, during the offseason. Adding Portis and Brunell are nice upgrades, but we simply didn't do enough on defense. Hopefully, I am correct in thinking that the addition of Joe Gibbs and his staff will be a big help since I think awful coaching led the Redskins to underachieve last season. If our talent is much better than it showed last year, the Skins have a decent shot at the playoffs.

I wish all this Super Bowl talk would end, though. I think it is absurd, unless you're joking. I don't think the Redskins look close to being a true contender at all. Playoffs, yes. That could happen. Super Bowl? Well, that'd take a run of good luck no team is likely to enjoy.

I agree that the SB talk is very early and while we have moved towards it we are not yet considered at that level. I think next season if we have another strong offseason we may be knocking on the door. All I want this year is improvement.

[redwolf1218]

I agree. That's what I'm pinning my hopes on.
i agree too. i bet if the article was about most improved coaching staff the skins would be number 1. it's a backhanded compliment though, because any time you are "most improved" you must have been pretty bad to begin with.

[VTSkins897]

good shot at the playoffs... it's way too unpredictable to tell who's going to win it all these days anyhow, so who knows?

[openallnight]

I don't think the Redskins look close to being a true contender at all.
I don't see why the Redskins don't have just as much chance as any other team out there. Look at last year's SB. We didn't win many games. We played awful most of the season and we beat both SB teams. I'm still awaiting the official reversal of the panther game in which we were robbed ;)
There is no one dominant team out there that scares me. It will boil down to how well our players gell together as a team and how healthy we stay. If we make it to the playoffs without key injuries I give us as good a chance as anybody.
Obviously, we have a disadvantage over teams such as the Eagles for example that aren't introducing an entirely new system. We're gonna have weeks where we struggle. But, if we are able to make it into the playoffs, we should be well adapted to the new system by that point in time and have a good chance to make a championship run.

[LavarBabyDaddy]

I dont understand how they had us at 4th...I agree with Detroit at 1, cuase they had a sick draft. But Oak? Cmon, they added Ted Washington who did have a good year last year, but is old and may have been a part of belechicks system. Secondly, the added Sapp, who thank god went to Oak (bc that means he didnt sign here), sucks a fat one. Wasnt he supposed to set a sack record? Good one. I think the skins should be right up there with Detroit, everyone hated on spurrier, so we went out and got a hall of fame coach, everyone hated on Ramsey, so we got Brunell everyone hated on Trung, so we got Portis, so we lost champ, but we got ST and Springs...not to mention upgrades at DL, notice how i said upgrades (from the retards before)...if this team isnt more improved than Oak and ATL, so help me god

[whistleandthumb]

It's getting quite depressing reading all these posts about how no one thinks we have any chance of being a contender any time soon, much less a legitimate shot at the Super Bowl.

There is currently a thread where people are analyzing and debating who is the greatest NFL coach ever. A lot of people are arguing for Gibbs (I'm not one of them, but understand their argument) by saying that Gibbs took a bunch of non-HOF players and made them great. He consistently took a team with few "stars" on the roster to the Super Bowl, and won 3 times... quite an impressive feat.

Many analysts feel that we had WAY too much talent last year to finish 5-11. And that, with some better coaching, we could have, and SHOULD have made the playoffs.

So we've done nothing but IMPROVE our talent this year, and we hired, arguably, the GREATEST NFL COACH EVER. Not to mention, probably the greatest assistant coaches working today.

How do you figure that we have made improvements to a team with playoff-caliber talent, VASTLY improved our coaching staff, and we're not going to be a contender this year?!?

I'm not saying it's Super Bowl or nothing. But I think it's a slap in the face to Joe Gibbs, his coaching staff, and the endless talent on our team to say, "No... I don't think you guys can contend with anyone this year. Maybe next year."

[redwolf1218]

It's getting quite depressing reading all these posts about how no one thinks we have any chance of being a contender any time soon, much less a legitimate shot at the Super Bowl.

There is currently a thread where people are analyzing and debating who is the greatest NFL coach ever. A lot of people are arguing for Gibbs (I'm not one of them, but understand their argument) by saying that Gibbs took a bunch of non-HOF players and made them great. He consistently took a team with few "stars" on the roster to the Super Bowl, and won 3 times... quite an impressive feat.

Many analysts feel that we had WAY too much talent last year to finish 5-11. And that, with some better coaching, we could have, and SHOULD have made the playoffs.

So we've done nothing but IMPROVE our talent this year, and we hired, arguably, the GREATEST NFL COACH EVER. Not to mention, probably the greatest assistant coaches working today.

How do you figure that we have made improvements to a team with playoff-caliber talent, VASTLY improved our coaching staff, and we're not going to be a contender this year?!?

I'm not saying it's Super Bowl or nothing. But I think it's a slap in the face to Joe Gibbs, his coaching staff, and the endless talent on our team to say, "No... I don't think you guys can contend with anyone this year. Maybe next year."
i agree. i think they have a chance to make it to the playoffs, and once you're in, anything can happen. the panthers just as many close games as we lost last year, and they made it all the way. also, if we split with the eagles and the cowboys and beat the giants twice, we win the division. that's a lot of if's but not an insurmountable problem.

[hockeygoalie29]

Man, are some of you even Redskin fans? We have no chance at the superbowl? Look at the last 5 years and the teams that made it to the big game, how many of them looked like super bowl quality teams at the beggining of the year? This team has underachieved the last 3 or 4 years and with the right coaching staff could have at least made the playoffs in all of those years. I am not predicting a super bowl appearance this year, hell I'd even be happy with a winning season for once, but I wouldn't for a second say they have a 0% chance of making it. I'd say the 'Skins make the playoffs this year, and make a super bowl run the next 2, once we've had the same coaching staff and the same systems in place for more than one season. That said, I would not be suprised at all if they made a run for it in the playoffs this year if we enter healthy.