NFL schedule released

by | Apr 20, 2010 | NFL Random Thoughts

The day the NFL schedule is released isn’t quite as exciting as opening Sunday or as important as the NFL draft.

But for some reason I still get a kick out of finally getting a chance to see when the Vikings are going to be playing division rivals or who we get to watch at Thanksgiving.

Speaking of which, I think the NFL put together some really decent Turkey Day matchups this year.

The Lions still aren’t very good yet but they should be better. They’ll be the underdog to New England without any question, but they should be in better shape to at least give the Patriots a game this year.

I love the rematch between the Super Bowl Champ Saints and the team that knocked them from the ranks of the unbeatens after 13 straight victories, too. And closing the evening with a playoff rematch of the Bengals and Jets is good too.

One of the most anticipated games of the season will take place October 3 when Donovan McNabb goes back to Philadelphia as a member of the Redskins. Yet it’s the rematch in D.C. that gets Monday Night Football billing on November 15 … that one seems like a bit of a missed opportunity, though it will probably keep Philadelphia fans from throwing up on Redskins fans on national television.

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McNabb to Redskins … interesting

by | Apr 4, 2010 | 2010 Trades, NFL Random Thoughts

The trade that sends Donovan McNabb to Washington will certainly be an interesting addition to the transactions sections of newspapers Monday morning. But does the move make Washington substantially better?

McNabb is probably a top 10 or so quarterback in the NFL, sure. But Washington went 4-12 last year not because Jason Campbell played poorly … well, maybe in part because Campbell played poorly.

But there was much more to it. First, Clinton Portis got hurt and missed half the season – and when he was healthy he appeared to be showing his age anyway.

Second, the Redskins offensive line was terrible – and that was before decade-long mainstay Chris Samuels suffered a career-ending neck injury.

Finally, the defense was no top-notch unit for the most part and head coach Jim Zorn was a lame duck from day two or three.

The Redskins did address the coaching situation by bringing in Mike Shanahan. The Portis situation … well, the Redskins have brought in Larry Johnson and Willie Parker, two veterans older than Portis who also looked to be declining in skills over the last season or two. So to say it has been addressed could be arguably accurate but to say it’s been addressed well is a question that won’t be answered for several months.

And to date the Redskins have done nothing of note to address the offensive line situation. So whether the Redskins roll with McNabb, Campbell, Joe Theismann or Sonny Jurgensen, the quarterback at this point will most likely be running for his life. And they’ve traded their second round pick this year in the deal to get McNabb.

I do think Washington will be better in 2010 just due to the better coaching staff. And McNabb likely is an upgrade over Campbell.

But I think it’s going to take more than what has gone on so far during this offseason to put the Redskins in a position to challenge for a playoff spot anytime in the near future.