"This Is Scary Right Now ...."

That was Joe Theeesman on Saturday’s Redskins exhibition home opener against the Bills. Up 7-3 at the time, with mostly #2’s on the field, Todd Collins and Ladell Betts were moving the football at will.

Whoa, Joey. There’s nothing “scary” about how good the Redskins look, it’s only scary how far carried away you can get about things.

Scary. His word.

Like we were up 42-3 after three possessions apiece. Scary. Really? Is Belichick scared right now? Will word filter up to New England about how awesome we look right now, and will Bill start looking at tape of us, just in case?

Okay, I’ll admit. I was diggin’ what I was seeing too out there. The offense looks like it knows how to play, the defense will be able to create some real pressure this year, and thank God we don’t have to flow-chart just exactly who-calls-what on offense once the ball is inside the 35 yard line.

A part of me wants to really believe that THIS could be a special year. But then again, a part of Charlie Brown wanted to really believe he was going to kick that football really hard one time.

On paper, the Skins don’t have too much to worry about. I think strong safety is a hole right now. Everything else is covered right now. Let’s go down the list.

QB – Solid. Campbell looks as healthy as an ox. And he’s got weapons.
RB – Not only has Portis actually worked out this off-season, but I positively LOVE how quick Betts hits the hole.
TE – Cooley. Pro Bowler. Done and done.
WR – Moss and Randle El are tiny little Ferrari’s, but I think they can produce now that scaredy-Gibbs is gone.
OL – A very robust unit. On paper. Problem? All 5 are over 30. Four of them are coming off surgery. Depth just isn’t there. This is where the entire year will hinge, for better or worse.

DL – How much better will Jayson Taylor make that unit? Gobs better. Forget benefits to Andre Carter on the other side, I think the guy who has a monster year because of the trade is Cornelius Griffin. Stay tuned.
LB – Best unit overall, and in terms of depth on the team. No worries.
CB – Concern. Rodgers was still a work in progress when healthy. Who knows now? Springs is great. Will he hold up. I also think Smoot is getting it done with smoke, mirrors, and fantastic soundbites.
S – Thank God for LaRon Landry. Whomever is next to him, will just have to try to keep from hurting us.
K – Suisham is like that hot new putter you bought in the pro shop. Eventually he’ll “run out of putts.” So what? We’ll get a new putter when that happens.
P – I’m So Done With ™ Derrick Frost. Hopefully, he gets beat out by Durrant Brooks.
PR/KR – Plenty of options here. Randle El needs to make something happen this year. Cartwright, Thrash et al can be solid.

Coaching – Here is where I think this team has made the biggest upgrade. And mind you, I have no idea if Jim Zorn knows what he’s doing. But I do know this.

With every week that goes by this season, the shortcomings of Gibbs 2.0 will become more and more glaring. By week 6, you’ll think about how Gibbs did things, and it’ll seem pathetic.

Already, I see a much more dynamic, modern, aggressive style of play-calling from Zorn. And I think he’s holding back a lot. I think this will translate into a more aggressive approach to CLOSING out games, instead of trying to cling to a 10 point lead.

Plus, you’ll never hear Zorn cover for a player who isn’t producing by saying he’s “Super Smart.” ™. You’ll never hear Zorn act indignant that some key penalty didn’t fall the Redskins way. You’ll never wonder if Zorn is just doing this to feather the garage nest for his race team.

On defense, same thing. Greg Blache is an old school hard ass. Just like his former boss Gregg Williams. But you know what Blache is not? Full of himself. As Gregggggg was. How f’in refreshing will THAT be! No more counter-productive fueds with players like LaVar or Springs, just to show them WHO’S THE BOSS!

Okay, I know you guys are laughing at me right now. “Hey, Czabe! You started this by ripping Theismann for being too optimistic, now look at YOU!”

I know, I know. This happens all over the NFL, every August. But I’m having a hard time actually constructing a worst case scenario for this team. I can see 7-9 as a bad year. But I can also 11 wins off in the distance.

Beer goggles? Maybe. Clip and save.