Focus On The NFC East: Washington Redskins Edition

The New York Giants may be on vacation for a few days, but Big Blue View never takes a day off. Well, maybe not a complete one, anyway. I thought the bye week would be a good time to look at the other three teams in the NFC East, and I reached out to bloggers from each of the SB Nation sites for those teams to get a little help.

We will do these one team at a time, and today we will look at the Washington Redskins.

Fast Facts

Record: 3-2
Victories: Giants, Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams
Losses: Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles
Record of Remaining Opponents: 29-34, .460 winning percentage [Full Schedule]

Hogs Haven Says

I asked Kevin Ewoldt of Hogs Haven for an assessment of where the Redskins are and where they are going. Here is what he said:

"I predicted the Redskins would go 7-9 before the season started and based on last week's injuries and the current QB situation, that prediction is looking about right. The Redskins defense last year ranked in the bottom five last year, but key additions across the board have proven huge and now the Skins D is top 10. So, we have that to stay optimistic about. Barry Cofield is playing at a Pro-Bowl level at Nose Tackle, which no one seemed to think would work given his prior career solely in a 4-3 D. First round pick Ryan Kerrigan is proving to be a solid compliment to Orakpo. The offense, however, is struggling (what else is new?). The Redskins' overhaul of the RB situation worked out well, but the Skins lost their starting LG, Kory Lichtensteiger, for the season. Trent Williams is out for 2-3 weeks with a high ankle sprain and Chris Cooley is out for a month and maybe more. The majority of the Redskins' offensive plays go to the left side, so the fan base is in full gloom and doom mode right now with our OLine in shambles. The rest of the season will be a painful road trip with two flat tire QBs. John Beck added a spark vs Philly and our defense can keep us in games, but it's clear we lack any play-making WRs, so, it'll be a tough two months. The majority of Hogs Haven's fan posts the last three months have been college QB scouting reports."

My view: The Redskins started off better than anticipated, but things have quickly deteriorated in D.C. Sort of how some presidencies go inside the Beltway. The Redskins have switched quarterbacks from Rex Grossman to John Beck and this feels like a train that is running right back to where it has been the past few seasons -- the bottom of the NFC East rockpile.

Hogs Haven's View Of The Giants

I asked bloggers from each team site for their thoughts on the division-leading Giants. Here is what Kevin had to say:

"I have to give credit to Coughlin. Like 99% of the country, I bought into the pre-season media hype that the Giants were doomed for their lack of personnel moves when Big Blue took on that ridiculous slew of injuries. I guess it's good no one in the NYG front office listens to fans. I've always respected Eli and Coughlin. They're not especially exciting to watch except for Nicks, but they win games, which is what matters most."

And The Winner Is ...

I asked each blogger to pick the eventual division winner. Kevin said:

"I think it's going to be a dog fight with PHI and NYG. Eagles face the Cowgirls without Felix Jones after the BYE which would put them back in good shape in the rankings. I just can't see Vick staying healthy through December though, which gives NYG the division. Just like previous years, anyone but Dallas."