Old foe boosts Redskins offense

On April 4, the Philadelphia Eagles traded 10-year veteran Donovan McNabb

to NFC East rival Washington for a second-round draft pick. The Eagles are confident the dynamic quarterback duo of Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick can successfully replace Philadelphia’s all-time leading passer in both yards and touchdowns. 

Meanwhile, Washington fans hope the arrival of Donovan McNabb will bring about a new era of stability and a return to winning ways.

In the past 10 years, the Redskins have started 10 different quarterbacks and have struggled to find a player capable of consistent performance and reliability. New head coach Mike Shanahan is confident McNabb will take over and assert these principles in Washington’s new West Coast offensive system.

Shanahan, a coach not known to sugar coat the truth, made surprisingly encouraging comments about McNabb’s performance in early preseason practices. At a post-practice press conference, Shanahan described how McNabb’s presence on the field left many Redskins impressed. He praised McNabb’s versatility and power, saying, “He's got the legs to run, he can throw on the run, he can throw deep, he can throw short.” 

The Redskins are counting on McNabb’s leadership, experience, and talent to help turn around a team that ranked 22nd in total offense and 16th in passing yards last year. Even teammates like Pro Bowl tight end Chris Cooley have been commenting on how much they enjoy playing with a quarterback of McNabb’s caliber. 

In a radio interview on Sports Talk 980, Cooley talked about McNabb’s ability to weave balls into impossible situations whereas “in the previous couple of years I would have never gotten a ball thrown at me and before I look the ball is thrown into the air. It is just a surprise.” He went on to say that McNabb’s power and precision “gives me a chance to make a play. It is great that McNabb will do that and I just had to adjust to things like that. He throws a hard ball.”

Aside from turning around the passing game, McNabb will play another important role for the Redskins. 

When former 'Skins QB Jason Campbell struggled to find a rhythm in the offense, the running game took the brunt of opposing defense’s attention. Opposing teams focused on the run game, shutting it down until Campbell could make them pay in the air. 

The Redskins also had a fairly weak offensive line that was plagued with injuries. Early in the season they lost veteran guard John Jansen and Pro Bowl offensive tackle Chris Samuel was forced to retire with a career-ending neck injury midseason. 

The combination proved fatal to D.C.’s run game, in which 10 players rushed for a mere 1508 yards combined. Even star running back Clinton Portis rushed for a career-low 494 yards on 124 attempts.  

Hopefully, the introduction of first-round pick left tackle Trent Williams, a healthy offensive line, and a West Coast passing game firing on all cylinders will open up the powerful running game Shanahan’s teams usually bring to the table. 

The combination of an improved rushing attack and the addition of McNabb to the offense could be the boost the Redskins offense needs to perform at its full potential. McNabb will bring the experience and leadership necessary to push the offense over the top. If the offense reaches its full potential, the focus could be more on the defense rather than the offense for the first time in years.

An improved offense will allow the Redskins to compete in NFC for the first time since the late 1990s, and they could be competitive in the race for not only the NFC East divisional crown, but the conference title, as well.