Through July, I will be running positional breakdowns for the Washington Redskins. Each assessment will be broken down into four areas: Past Statistics, Experience/Potential, Positional Competition, and Intangibles.

It’s time to take a look at the offensive line for your 2009 Washington Redskins. Offensive line was considered to be one of the weakest links on the team last season, and was most likely the biggest reason that the redskins finished the season 2-6 in the last eight weeks. Many fans and pundits have criticized Vinny Cerrato for largely ignoring offensive linemen in the draft, and last year’s breakdown showed the lack of depth and young, big bodies to throw into a game. How have they improved in the offseason? Let’s check ‘em out.

Past Statistics

It’s hard to pinpoint statistics for an offensive line, but the few key areas to examine their performance are QB hurries and sacks against, as well as rushing yards. As far as rushing offense, as we’ve mentioned, the Redskins were a mainstay in the top five for the first half of the season, but as injuries mounted (namely to Chris Samuels and Stephon Heyer), the rushing game struggled. There were points where guys like Jason Fabini filled in and were miserably outmatched by superior defensive fronts, and that was a big indication of poor depth. The line surrendered 38 sacks on the season, good for 10^th worst in the league, and only the Steelers and Vikings surrendered more and made the playoffs. They managed to come in 8^th in total rushing offense, but this was largely buoyed by inferior opponents in the first half of the season. Passing offense finished 23^rd, and I believe this is indicative of the amount of time that the line often provided Campbell.

Experience/Potential

One might say that the Redskins offensive line is “experienced,” but others just call them old. As far as the projected starters this season, three are on the wrong side of thirty, and only Derrick Dockery (almost 29) and Stephon Heyer (25) could be considered either in their prime or heading into it. Dockery should mesh well with Chris Samuels, as they performed well together for four seasons, but the big starting question lies with durability and with Heyer’s development. As far as durability, age will become an issue. Randy Thomas has the worst injury history of the group, but he managed to start all sixteen games last year. If he can repeat that performance, the line will be helped out a great deal. Heyer seems to have some upside, but he’s been known to lose his mean streak and competitiveness, neither of which you like to see toward the end of a game. If he can’t pull his weight, Mike Williams might have to be called upon, which is something NONE of us really wants. Williams is a former no. 1 pick, but his work ethic cannot be relied upon week-in and week-out. As far as the other top reserves, the Redskins expect Chad Rinehart to continue to develop, although he didn’t look good last season to most people that watched him. They are also counting on former Carolina starter and guard/tackle Jeremy Bridges to fill in whenever needed. The interesting player to watch will be Edwin Williams, a…take a guess…undrafted rookie out of Maryland. Williams is expected to compete for a roster spot and learn the ropes under Rabach.

Derrick Dockery must step up if the Redskins O-Line is going to have a successful season.

Positional Competition

As stated before, the starters should be (from left to right) Samuels, Dockery, Rabach, Thomas, and Heyer. If Dockery or Heyer struggles in camp, Bridges might be a possibility to replace either one of them in the starting lineup. Again, the most intriguing possibility here is that Williams earns a roster spot and can be groomed to take over the center position in the next season or two. That would be ideal because of the lack of draft picks over the last several seasons.

Intangibles

The big benefit of having an older offensive line is the extra leadership that they provide. Randy Thomas is one of the biggest voices in the locker room, and Samuels is the longest tenured Redskin with the departure of Jon Jansen. They need to step up in the development of guys like Williams, Heyer and Rinehart to benefit the team not only for the future, but in the event of an injury. Dockery is a good fit in the locker room and on his side of the line, so his addition could be a big unforeseen bonus. He’s anxious to prove that we shouldn’t have let him walk to Buffalo, but he is also very happy to be back with his old linemates. However, there is a big loss to consider within this group. While Jon Jansen was on the tail end of his effectiveness (mostly due to injuries if you ask me), he was a big “team” guy and a locker room leader. Offensive lines thrive on their relationships with one another, and Jansen was one of the most well-liked players on the team. It did surprise me a little bit when he complained so much about his benching, but I attribute that more to his competitiveness and less to being whiney. He battled through multiple injuries, and even played with two broken thumbs for an entire season. Jansen was a big contributor and will be missed more than people realize and it will be very difficult to replace that kind of heart.

Final Assessment

The offensive line will be very touch-and-go for the Redskins this season. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see another fast start out of them with a tail-off in November and December like last season, but as I’ve stated, that will be entirely due to age and depth. Vinny really needs to take the next draft to concentrate on the offensive line exclusively, or he won’t have any guys around to develop new picks in a couple years. I expect that Jason Campbell will find himself under duress for a good part of the season, but I also think that one of the unsung guys will step up and show a lot of improvement this year. Dockery will be a big boost, and I think the depth is a little better than last year, so they should be ok. If they have a good season, the Redskins could have a top 10 offense, but if they struggle, they’ll find themselves at the back of the pack.

"Is Czaban really a 'D'?"-Dave Feldman

This week marks a new era for the now sports-centric 106.7 FM “The Fan”, formerly known as plain old WJFK. Many people have come out against the WJFK’s move to sports-only coverage, claiming that the D.C. sports market isn’t large enough to host two different sports stations. The other side of the coin argues that Dan Snyder’s ESPN 980 gives poor coverage of the entire District sports landscape and needs a little friendly competition. Personally, I don’t believe that the market can handle the extra coverage for too long, but Danny seems to be feeling the heat a little bit from WJFK already, so who which station will outlast the other and why?

ESPN 980 has the backing from “The Worldwide Leader” and an established listener base, so they find themselves in a more comfortable situation from the outset. They carry popular national programs like “Mike and Mike in the Morning” and “The Herd” with Colin Cowherd as well as a local mainstays with “The Sports Reporters” in the evenings. I’ve listened to 980 regularly since moving back to the area fifteen months ago, and I often find myself tired of the same old shtick fed to me every day. Mike and Mike only regurgitate the same garbage that ESPN covers on television about the same old teams: Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Cowboys, Patriots, Steelers, Lakers, Cavaliers, and Knicks (and Brett Favre/Terrell Owens too). Personally, if I want to listen to crap about how good a citizen Tony Romo is or how Pittsburgh has such a supportive, loyal fan base (another issue for another day, since EVERYONE seems to have some ties to Pittsburgh or New England nowadays), I’ll turn on ESPN at home. There’s a reason why I’ve stopped watching SportsCenter altogether.

Don’t get me wrong…I spent almost every morning for almost fifteen years of my life watching the popular highlight show, but last February was the last straw. After Mike Green broke a 25 year old record (consecutive goals scored by a defensemen), and ESPN didn’t even MENTION it in their 90 minute Saturday show, I felt like it was time to watch something else. We all know that “no one” cares about hockey (except for Barry Melrose) according to the suits in Bristol, but that was a gross oversight their production team that day. Not to go on an ESPN rant, but this attitude is passed down to guys like Czaban and Pollin on a day-to-day basis. They give an EXTREMELY unbalanced amount of coverage to football and baseball while ignoring the best teams in the area. They regularly take 90% of their time to either badmouth management and ownership of any given DC franchise (including their boss Mr. Snyder and his live-in boyfriend Vinny Cerrato), or to discuss why people don’t care about certain sports like NASCAR or hockey. Even when the Caps were the only competitive team in the area (all the way up through December), they didn’t come around to coverage until about February because Czaban regularly stated on the air that he didn’t know or care about hockey whatsoever. Even considering the national disrespect that hockey gets, the hometown market demanded the coverage and 980 provided a POOR effort at best. Their best show, “The John Thompson Show” was scaled back to the point where Al Koken, who might have been the most intelligent person there, was laid off along with hometown favorite Brian Mitchell. Thompson now runs the show with Doc Walker (or by himself), and it’s a shell of its former self. There’s little left for 980 to offer the average DC fan other than the exclusive Redskins coverage that Danny provides for them, which leaves quite a lot to be desired).

I’ve taken this week to try and learn a little more about “The Fan” and I like what I see. Not only do the Junkies provide a better voice to the fans, and have always been loved for it, but the station has done a nice job of lining up Mike Wise to cover the lunchtime slot against Colin Cowherd. Wise grew on me through the course of the hockey season with some solid supplemental Caps coverage. He offered enough interesting stories to keep me looking for more every day. He does a great job of understanding the personalities of the athletes/coaches/management in the market (he’s proven that with solid interviews with Chris Cooley, Stan Kasten and Joe Gibbs already) and will continue to offer a non-Dan Snyder perspective overall. The most interesting (and possibly combustible) element to the new coverage has to be the new Lavar Arrington show, where the host continues to be a fan-favorite, but is very outspoken about his disapproval for elements of the Redskins organization. The closest that ESPN came to this type of show was with John Riggins, and they tossed him in favor of “The Sports Reporters” at the end of last summer. I’d love to see them bring in Koken around hockey season just to get a little better coverage on the sport, but I think that they’ve got a legitimate chance to put up a strong fight against 980. I believe that they carry a little less “industry standard” coverage and a little more fan voice, which is something that this town could use.

How do you all think this slugfest will turn out? Let me know what you think!

…oh even though ESPN wouldn't cover it, I will...is Ben Roethlisberger is a rapist? You make the call...

Through July, I will be running positional breakdowns for the Washington Redskins. Each assessment will be broken down into four areas: Past Statistics, Experience/Potential, Positional Competition, and Intangibles.

Today I’ll be taking a look at the Tight Ends and Fullbacks on the Redskins’ roster for the 2009 Season. 2008 was a Pro Bowl campaign for Chris Cooley as well as Mike Sellers, so many believe that it was a successful year. However, depth at both of these positions has been called into question, and filling the gaps behind the two pro bowlers will be a big priority in the preseason.

Past Statistics

Cooley was arguably one of the top three or four tight ends in the game last season, as he finished towards the top of the league in receptions (2^nd with 83), yards (4^th with 849), yards per game (5^th with 53.1) and first downs (4^th with 43). Although Cooley set career highs in catches and yards, he has publicly acknowledged that he feels he could do much better, and was extremely disappointed with only catching one touchdown on the entire season. He could use a little improvement in yards per catch (49^th), as well as fumbles (tied 1^st), but it’s hard to argue with the kind of consistency that Captain Chaos brings to the table. Fred Davis’s season was extremely disappointing (as documented here), and I won’t go through the specifics again, but he must pick up his numbers from his rookie season if he plans on avoiding ‘bust’ status. Todd Yoder only finished the season with eight catches and one touchdown, but he’s one of the most consistent blockers on the roster and a great locker room guy.

Mike Sellers was the only true fullback used on the roster in 2008, and he came out with reasonably pedestrian statistics, considering he only had six carries for 24 yards and one touchdown (as well as 12 catches for 98 yards and another TD). However, Sellers’ value was in his blocking for Clinton Portis, who had one of his best seasons as a Redskin running behind Sellers.

Experience/Potential

Cooley is now entering his sixth season as a pro, and seems to be improving (albeit slightly) each season. His route running has been strong and he continues to take his job seriously, even though he doesn’t always take life seriously. Now one of the longest tenured Redskins, Cooley must begin to take on a leadership role and try to help out guys like Fred Davis in order to give Jason Campbell more weapons. Davis has spectacular athleticism and all the tools to be a dominant tight end in the NFL, but his reps will be limited as long as Cooley is in front of him on the depth chart. I don’t see Cooley relinquishing his spot to Sleepy Fred anytime soon, but Davis could improve enough to scare defenses when the Redskins run a two-tight end set. Yoder is now in his tenth season, so don’t expect his role or production to change too much unless it’s diminished due to Davis’s play, and Robert Agnone (Rookie UFA out of Delaware) frankly has an extremely small chance of making the team at all.

At fullback, Sellers is only entering his tenth season (not counting his CFL career), but he just turned 34 on Tuesday and doesn’t look to be bringing anything new to the table anytime soon. He is a bruiser, so you have to think his body isn’t far from showing some wear and tear (although I still wouldn’t want to hit him). Vinny drafted rookie Eddie Williams for the purpose of learning the ropes from Sellers, and seems to have a bit of potential. Williams played tight end, fullback and h-back at Idaho and was relatively effective both running and catching the ball out of the backfield. He has good size (6’1” 245lbs) and should be a nice fit for the offense in the next couple of seasons if he can impress the coaching staff.

Positional Competition

The most intrigue here lies between Davis and Yoder. They serve two very different purposes in the offense for Jim Zorn, but if Davis improves a great deal before the season, we’ll see Yoder lose some reps to the second year player. As much as the Redskins like Yoder for his character, it would be ideal to see Davis flourish and see the field more in 2009. At fullback, Sellers shouldn’t have to worry about losing his job this season, but he should work hard to try and develop Williams into a guy that deserves a practice squad spot.

Intangibles

As mentioned before, Cooley is now entering his sixth year, and is one of the longest tenured Redskins. At this point, he should start to see himself in a leadership role. I don’t expect that Cooley is one of the ‘rah-rah’ types in the locker room, but his work ethic on the field and close relationships with his teammates should pay dividends for the offense this season. He remains Jason Campbell’s safety blanket, and his calming presence will continue to help his quarterback’s development. He’s easily the most popular player on the team, and as long as he has a good year, he will continue to put butts in the seats and keep the fans pacified. Sellers is also a leader in the locker room, albeit a little louder than Cooley, and will need to be a mentor to Williams this season. This is one of the best character positions on the entire Redskins roster.

Final Assessment

Tight End is a position with a lot of potential within Jim Zorn’s offense, and they should continue to excel this season. Cooley will have a more difficult time making the Pro Bowl this season with guys like Kellen Winslow and Tony Gonzalez switching over to the NFC, but he should still make a strong case for himself. Look for him to play with a bit of a chip on his shoulder this season, especially in the red zone. I have a feeling that he’s very anxious to prove that he’s still one of the top tight ends in the conference. Fred Davis will have a better campaign, but he must improve his overall work ethic to expect to see the field a lot more. Sellers should have another good season, but it may go unnoticed if the offensive line in front of him does not hold up. These should be two quality positions week-in and week-out for Jim Zorn’s offense.

Through July, I will be running positional breakdowns for the Washington Redskins. Each assessment will be broken down into four areas: Past Statistics, Experience/Potential, Positional Competition, and Intangibles.

Today we’ll be looking at the Running Backs on the Redskins’ roster for 2009. Washington’s rushing attack was one of the most effective in the entire NFL, even record-breaking at points. However, the rushing game, along with the entire offense seemed to fall apart after October and there was quite a bit of strain between Clinton Portis and Coach Jim Zorn. How will they fare in 2009?

Statistics

The focal point of the Redskin offense is Clinton Portis, who has been the team’s leading rusher four out of the last five seasons. Portis has rushed for 6,101 yards over the past five years and has averaged about 4.1 yards per carry since joining the Skins after the now infamous Champ Bailey trade. Portis finished fourth in the entire league in 2008 in total rushing yards, tenth in rushing touchdowns, and third among running backs in first downs (75). However, Portis had of five games early in the season where he rushed for over 700 yards and failed to break 300 for the final five games (four losses) of the season. Which Portis will show up in ’09? He was plagued with injuries after his early season workload, and that has to be a concern for the coaching staff.

Experience/Potential

Portis is now entering his eighth season in the NFL, and has racked up over 9200 yards rushing in his first seven years. While many people say that the shelf life of an NFL running back goes until age 30, Portis has the mileage of a 30 year old rather than a 28 year old. That being said, Portis has a huge competitive streak; probably a more tenacious personality than the Redskins have had at running back in a long time. Time will tell how long he can keep up his consistency. That will determine his legacy in Washington. Ladell Betts spent the 2006 season spelling Portis as the starter, and flourished with over 1000 yards rushing. He managed to put up those numbers without an entire season’s workload. Betts continues to have fresh legs because that season was his last major contribution to the team, and has only been used in spot duty over the past two seasons (after earning a fat contract too). He does have the experience to step in when needed. Rock Cartwright has been known to stand in well when needed, but he’s entering his 8^th season and hasn’t made a huge impact on offense to date, so his impact will largely remain on special teams. Third-year player Marcus Mason was re-signed after spending 2008 with the Baltimore Ravens, and he seems to have the biggest upside of any back on the Redskins roster. He was a training camp/preseason wonder in 2008 and many people were sad to see him be released. It will be interesting to see where he fits in this year.

Positional Competition

Clinton Portis is the unquestioned starter in this spot, and I don’t expect anyone to challenge that (as much as Betts feels he should be the no. 1). Betts seems to have the backup spot solidified, at least with his contract, but the interesting question falls with Cartwright and Mason. Cartwright has been a fan favorite for many years, and seems to be one of the big character guys in the locker room. After losing a guy like Jon Jansen this past offseason, it’s hard for the coaching staff to justify dumping another vocal leader after camp, but Mason has an opportunity to make Cartwright expendable. Mason is explosive and strong, albeit diminutive. He showed some evasiveness last season and was only cut due to a numbers game. I expect him to come into camp with a chip on his shoulder, and I would not be surprised to see him unseat Rock in the depth chart, if not on the roster altogether.

Intangibles

The big question at running back this season will be how Clinton Portis and Jim Zorn manage to coexist. Portis is a huge competitor, but has been known to quit for coaches that don’t seem to understand him. Zorn, entering his second year, does not have the hall of fame resume to lean on like Joe Gibbs, and therefore does not have as much room to give Clinton Portis all the freedoms he wishes (like taking himself out of the game when he feels like it). How Zorn manages Portis’s ego will go a long way to determining how this season will turn out. If Portis remains happy, he will play hard and perform. If things go even a little awry, Portis might be lost for the year and the offense could go in the tank. If Portis agrees to it, I believe that spelling him a little more often will go a long way to keeping everyone happy and fresh. Betts and the other two (or one depending on how it shakes out) are perfectly capable of sharing the load, so it would be prudent for Zorn to try and utilize them.

Final Assessment

Running Back SHOULD be one of the strong suits for the Redskins going into 2009, but there are a lot of factors that could derail the rushing offense before it gets off the ground. I believe that Portis’s durability might become a bigger issue than his attitude, but if Zorn can manage his carries while still managing to keep him happy, it could be one of the biggest strengths for the team. I believe that Mason will beat Cartwright out on the depth chart, but Rock will stick around for his special teams value (at least for this year). I think that the Redskins should, and will have a top 10 rushing offense that could jump to top 5 if it’s utilized properly.

What do you think? Can Zorn manage Portis’s ego all season or will there be a blow-up? Who will carry the load this season and beyond? Let me know what you think in the comments section!

Image Courtesy of theHogs.net

Through July, I will be running positional breakdowns for the Washington Redskins. Each assessment will be broken down into four areas: Past Statistics, Experience/Potential, Positional Competition, and Intangibles.

Today we begin with the quarterbacks. The Redskins enter the 2009 season in virtually the same position as the prior season, but with a little more pressure on Jason Campbell. There are many reasons to believe that Campbell is not the answer at quarterback for the organization moving forward, but many argue that he deserves at least one more season to prove himself. A great deal of this preview will talk about Campbell, as we have little knowledge of how Todd Collins (haven’t seen him since ’07) and Colt Brennan would perform in a game situation right now.

Statistics

Campbell seems to be the fourth-flashiest starter in the NFC East. While he managed to survive the first-half of last year without an interception, he only managed to 13 touchdowns on the ENTIRE season. Only two quarterbacks from playoff teams (Kerry Collins/Gus Frerotte with 12 each) threw less touchdowns (13) during the regular season, and each of those teams bowed out in their first playoff game. Campbell was middle-of-the-pack in yards (16^th), completion percentage (14^th), and 1^st downs (13^th). Some concerns were found in his big play ability (27^th in plays over 40 yards) and sacks (4^th most with 38). Overall Campbell’s statistics say that he is a middle of the road quarterback that had trouble with pass rush last season. Can we chalk that up to a patchwork line? Probably. Can we put some of the blame on a two-man receiving corps (referring to Cooley and Moss)? Definitely. However, Campbell’s play seems to have AVERAGE written all over it.

Potential/Experience

At 27, many people believe that it’s time to put up or shut up for Campbell. He is now entering his fifth NFL season, having played in three of the first four(with 36 games started). While many people believe the third year is the most important developmental year for a quarterback, Campbell has had to learn a new system three times since graduating college. His potential is hard to judge because he has been in a constant state of fluxthroughout the last several years of his career. I believe that this year is his biggest opportunity to prove that he is a viable NFL passer. If he fails to impress, we may see #5 hit the field in mop-up duty in November/December. Campbell has a relatively big arm, but he seems to overshoot his receivers quite often. He’s got a great chemistry with TE Chris Cooley, and he will have to ride Captain Chaos to the top if he plans on improving his stat line this year. Jim Zorn’s system will somewhat skew Campbell’s statistics, but they must see some big play ability out of him, and see it soon.

Positional Competition

As stated before, Campbell has started 36 games, and about 2 ½ seasons. Colt Brennan and Todd Collins will be competing for the no. 2 quarterback spot this offseason. Collins has the edge in experience, having led the Skins to the playoffs in the 2007 season. Brennan has an awkward throwing motion, and too many pineapples to count, but many fans were impressed by his confidence and moxie during last season’s training camp and preseason. I believe that Collins has seen the last of his playing days, and Brennan will beat him out for the backup spot. The only problem with this will be that fans will be calling for him as soon as Campbell falters. How JC handles that will determine a lot of his success this season, which leads us to…

Intangibles

Campbell has the full confidence of his teammates, even after several botched attempts to trade him by Vinny Cerrato in the offseason. As mentioned before, Campbell really hasn’t had a fair shake during his time in the District, including coordinator carousel as well as the relatively poor choice of weapons he’s had around him. I believe that people have been a little hard on him over the past 3 years. He's a great role model and member of the DMV community, and he's shown a genuine love for the city, even if its fans haven't always reciprocated the love. I really liked the poise he showed through all the controversy this spring, and I expect him to come out with a bit of a fire in his belly next year. He has the exceptional work ethic and character that could potentially take a team to the Super Bowl (note: I’m not predicting that)...eventually.

Final Assessment

I believe that the Redskins have a capable backup in Colt Brennan, who they will continue to develop, and will eventually contribute on the field or in a trade. Jason Campbell has all the physical tools to be a top-10 NFL quarterback, but I don’t believe he did a lot to disprove his detractors last season. I do believe that he does have the ability to come out and have a great season, especially playing a 4^th place schedule. He should play with a chip on his shoulder and a much better knowledge of Jim Zorn’s offense, and based upon that, I believe he’ll do just enough to keep the heat off himself in 2009.

What do you think? Should the Redskins have pulled the trigger on a Campbell trade or do you think he still has a shot to be something special for the organization. Let us know in the comments section!

Image Courtesy of TrueBlueKentucky

It looks like Vinny Cerrato has found a new method for tossing out draft picks before a season even begins. This afternoon, the Redskins selected Jeremy Jarmon out of the University of Kentucky in the NFL’s supplemental draft. I don’t think anyone even realized that the supplemental draft was today, and a lot of people don’t understand the process. By selecting a player in the supplemental draft, which is typically reserved for players that have lost eligibility due to criminal or academic reasons, a team forfeits its corresponding pick (by round) in the following regular draft. In layman’s terms, Vinny Cerrato has now shipped our 3^rd and 6^th round picks in the 2010 Draft for gambles at defensive end. The latter was unnecessarily thrown into the Jason Taylor deal, and we all know how that worked out.

The pick was justified by management because Reynaldo Wynn and Phillip Daniels (the expected “starters” at left DE) are in the twilight of their respective careers, and were hoping to develop Jarmon as a replacement. Jarmon is 3^rd on Kentucky’s all-time sack list, and was suspended due to testing positive for a banned substance. Jarmon admitted that the substance was a diuretic that he purchased at his friendly neighborhood GNC. A lot of people believe Jarmon was shafted by the NCAA, but we’ll see how upstanding of a guy he turns out to be. Here’s hoping that he can put it all together and turn into a steal. He has good size (6’3” 277) and decent athleticism, and Redskins officials believe he can rotate between tackle and end depending on the down. This is the only footage he had on YouTube:

I believe that Cerrato has pulled his high-risk moderate-reward model with this move, as Jarmon could eventually turn into a reliable starter. Teams didn’t expect for him to be taken before the fourth round today, and he was projected as a fifth-rounder in the April draft. If Jarmon falters, Redskins fans will point to this as another failed personnel move by an inept GM Executive Vice President of Football Operations. On the upside, at least he’s not over thirty live most of Vinny’s other gambles.

Image Courtesy of Daylife

I've decided to add a new poll of the week section to the blog, so this week we'll try and get our holiday weekend kicked off right. It's now July, so it's almost time for training camp buzz to begin. How do you all think the second-year receivers will fare with a little better knowledge of Jim Zorn's offense? Will they mesh and all have a large impact this season or will one step up as a viable weapon opposite Santana Moss? Will they be all bust just like last season? Please vote and comment on how you think their seasons will go! Happy 4th of July (and sorry for the funhouse mirror fonts, but we're housesitting and I'm not on my computer)!

• Portis- How long will he play? I suspect if we get an early lead, Clinton will get his standard 120, and we'll see a lot of Rock Cartwright. You heard me. I said Rock. I'll put Shaun Alexander's carries at
• D-Line Pressure- Can we generate a pass-rush today without bringing the house? This team needs to learn how to get to the quarterback against a terrible line (see: failures against STL), and get into an opposing quarterback's head. Today provides a great opportunity for this. This game will be about building more confidence in the defensive line, and we'll need that down the stretch. While the defense is playing lights-out ball (6th overall in the league), we won't stay that way without generating some pressure on the QB.
• Turnovers- Can we avoid any stupid turnovers, and can we create some easy points against a team that is known for boneheaded plays and poor coaching? If we can create 2-3 turnovers today, expect a blowout of epic proportions.