The Redskins 2012 regular season schedule created by yours truly...  Click to enlarge.

Washington Redskins 2012 Regular Season Schedule

Part 2

Let us look at the second half of the schedule for the Washington Redskins in 2012.  If you missed part 1, you can scroll down or click here to see that post.  I believe the team's record will be 6-3 after the bye week.  This portion of their schedule is arguably the hardest part, since most of the games will be played against NFC East opponents, which can and will most likely have playoff ramifications.  Also, the teams in NFC East play each other at a different level than they do the rest of the league, and usually season records do not matter in these games.

Will the Redskins be able to make it to the playoffs in RG3's first year?  Let us find out.

WEEK 11 - Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles comes to town for the first game after a bye week for the Redskins.  In recent years, the Redskins have not performed well after a bye week.  The last time the Redskins won after a bye week was in 2007, when they beat The Lions 34-3.  Overall the Redskins are below .500 in games played after a bye week.  This year does not look too well either.  The Eagles had a disappointing year last year, after being the self-proclaimed "Dream Team", thanks to Vince Young.  The closest they came to being the "Dream Team", was dreaming about winning the NFC East.  But the nickname is not far off, since they do have a ton of talent on their roster, specially on offense.  With Mike Vick at the helm, and the likes of DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin as WR's, and the dangerous LeSean McCoy in the backfield, this is a powerful offense that can score quickly.  DeSean Jackson is also very dangerous on punt returns, and can easily take one all the way to the endzone.  The one weakness the Eagles had last year, other than the offense not meshing fast enough, was their defense.  But another year together, with some additions, their defense looks to be stronger.  In the NFC East, most believe the Eagles to be the team to win the division.  Even with the prospect of RG3 on the team, I do not think the Redskins can beat the Eagles, coming off a bye week.

Record : 6-4

WEEK 12 - @ Dallas Cowboys

Thanksgiving day football!  It looks like the rivalry between the Cowboys and Redskins has been renewed, since they have been given the 4pm EST slot for one of the most nationally televised football gamedays in the year.  The last time the Redskins played on Thanksgiving day was in 2002, and they lost to the Cowboys 27-20.  In fact, the Redskins have played on Thanksgiving day 7 times in their history, and 6 of them have been against the Dallas Cowboys, in Dallas.  The interesting part is that the Redskins have a record of 1-6 on Thanksgiving day, the one win being against the only other team they have played on this day, the Detroit Lions, back in 1973.  Not much of a rivalry when it comes to Turkeyday between the Redskins and the Cowboys.  Nevertheless, this should be an interesting game, possibly the first time RG3 will face the Cowboys, and experience the rivalry between the two teams.

Having said that, I unfortunately think history will prevail.  Not only have the Cowboys had their way with the Redskins on Thanksgiving day football, but the Redskins have performed poorly in nationally televised games.  They have two strikes going against them this week, so I do not see them winning in Dallas.

Record : 6-5

WEEK 13 - New York Giants

Not only do the Redskins follow up a nationally televised game with another one, on Monday Night Football, but they do it against their NFC East rival, AND the defending Super Bowl Champions, the Giants.  Although the Redskins were able to sweep the Giants last year, and I believe would have won the first meeting between the two team this year, I do not think the extra rest between the Thursday night game and this Monday Night game will be enough.  As mentioned, the Redskins have a poor performance history on nationally televised games, specially Monday Night games.  Even though they are playing at home, I think they will struggle and extend their losing streak to 3 games, causing all sorts of panic for the fans, and slumping down to a .500 record, and possibly start to lose their grasp on a potential playoff appearance.

Record : 6-6

WEEK 14 - Baltimore Ravens

The Battle of the Beltway, regular season edition.  Since the Ravens were established in Baltimore in 2000, the two teams have played against each other a number of times, but mostly in preseason.  The close proximity of the two teams adds to the appeal of the game, and to the rivalry.  Granted, the rivalry is not so much between the players, but more the fans.  Most football fans from MD had been Redskins fans by default, since there were no other options close by.  But since the Ravens moved into town, the majority of the fans, specially those closer to Baltimore and the Eastern portion of MD, quickly changed sides and went with the Ravens.  These games seem to mean more to the fans than the players.  For the players, this is just another game, since some of them have been on both teams at one point or another, and they don't play each other in the regular season enough to have a rivalry.  There is also the fact that they are in different conferences, so there isn't much of a competition in positioning for a playoff spot.

As for the game itself, the Ravens were very close to making it to the Super Bowl last year.  Their defense has been their strong point for all of their existence, and this year is no different.  With aging key players like Ray Lewis and Ed Reed, they know that they do not have too much time in getting to and winning another Championship.  So the defense is going to be very hungry.  The offense can only improve, with another year together, and bringing in new pieces.  Joe Flacco needs to stop worrying about what people think of him, and play the game, as he has some great weapons around him.  This game is not going to be easy, it will most likely be a defensive and low scoring game.  The advantage has to go to the Ravens, since their defense knows how to score when they create a turnover.

Record : 6-7

WEEK 16 - @ Cleveland Browns

The Redskins need to put an end to their losing streak, if they even hope to have a chance at a playoff spot.  Based on their schedule, this is their shot at it, since the next two games will be with NFC East opponents, and the Browns, although are on the rise, are still in the rebuilding process, and have an unproven QB with Colt McCoy.  They do have a pretty good offense, and a rising defense, but they are still a few years away from being a strong team.  With the Redskins reeling from their loses, I think they will pull it together in Cleveland, and no matter what the Browns throw at them, the Redskins should leave the dog-pound with a win, and return to .500

Record : 7-7

WEEK 17 - @ Philadelphia Eagles

The last time the two team met, a few weeks ago, it left a bad taste in the mouth of the Redskins players, so they are looking to avenge the lose at home to the Eagles.  However, at this point in time, the Eagles are more than likely trying to make it to the playoffs, and are going to playing very hard to win the game.  With a record of 7-7, I do not think the Redskins will be able to make to the playoffs, since most NFC teams would have improved, so a wild-card spot is unlikely, and although the Giants won the NFC East last year with a 9-7 record, I do not think the same will happen this year.  It looks like the Eagles are going to, once again, sweep the Redskins in the regular season, and close out any hopes of making it to the playoffs in RG3's first year.

Record : 7-8

WEEK 18 - Dallas Cowboys

The Redskins will close the 2012 season, and RG3's first year as the potential franchise QB, at home against their rival.  The only thing that would have made this game better would have been if it was for a playoff spot, or the NFC East title.  But, seeing as how both teams have a lot of work to do to become the great teams they were in the past, I think both will be out of the playoff picture and not much to play for.  Except for the fact that Redskins will be looking to make amends to having lost to the Cowboys on national TV, on Thanksgiving day nonetheless.  The Redskins are going to close out their season on a positive note, beating their long time rival, avenging their Thanksgiving day lose, and finishing the season with a non-losing record for the first time since 2008, and quite possibly not at the bottom of the NFC East.

2012 Regular Season Record : 8-8

As a big time Redskins fan, I sure hope that I am wrong about this, and the Redskins do a whole lot better, make the playoffs, and win the Super Bowl..... but I have to be realistic.  I have learned from so many years of bad performance, to not let the off season moves and hype raise my expectations of the team, and then bring me down week after week of losing.  I don't think I'm being too optimistic with these predictions, since you should be able to build upon what you did, specially when you bring in some talented players, top of which is at the helm of your team with Robert Griffin III.  But only time will tell, and as the old, and overly stated saying goes, "That is why we play the game".

Washington Redskins 2012 Regular Season Schedule

So the regular season schedules for all NFL teams has been released, and even though we already knew who plays who next year, we have learned when the games are being played.  Even though it is mid-April, and a few days before the draft, which means teams can and will change in the next few months, almost everyone that does anything with sports has come up with team records for 2012.  It is way too early to know how a team does, and everything is based on how they did last year, but it can be fun.  With that said, I will not do the same for the Washington Redskins.

WEEK 1 - @ New Orleans Saints

There is no way to know what the Saints look like week 1.  They will be without Sean Payton for sure, and their interim head coach, Joe Vitt.  As it stands now, Drew Brees is not under contract either.  They are going to have him under center come pre-season, but at this point in time, he isn't on the team.  Then there is the fact that the NFL might hand out suspensions to some defensive players on the Saints roster, due to the whole "bounty gate" situation.  With all of those things going on, the Saints are going to be going through a lot of turmoil.  Normally this would bode well for the Redskins, but recent years have shown that the Saints are a team that will rally together when faced with great opposition, be it man-made or natural.  The game is also being played in New Orleans, in a dome, with a crowd that is 100% behind their team and support them tremendously.  This also being, potentially, Robert Griffin III's first NFL regular season start, does not look too promising for the Redskins.  Granted, they have played well against the Saints in the past, but I do not see them doing so this time.  They will probably be in the game, but will not being able to pull out a win.

Record : 0-1

WEEK 2 - @ St. Louis Rams

The Redskins and the Rams have played a number of games in the past few years, and all of them have been horrible to watch and endure.  They are some of the ugliest games I've ever seen, and the scores reflect that.  Although the Rams are a team on the rise, and have made some great moves lately in getting better as a club, they are not there yet.  One can even say that the two teams are very close in where they are, and where they are trying to get to.  The Rams had been hoping to greatly improve their defense, by bringing in Gregg Williams as their defensive coach, but due to the previously mentioned "bounty gate", Gregg Williams has been suspended indefinitely.  This should not be a huge hit to the Rams, since Williams wasn't on the staff long enough to even start creating a defensive playbook, but it still sets them back some.  Their offense looks to be improved, with another year under Sam Bradford's belt, giving him more experience playing in the NFL, and coming together with his teammates.  The Rams are currently sitting at number 3 on the draft list, and some think they will pick up the stud RB Trent Richardson, specially if Cleveland picks up a QB at number 4.  If Richardson is not on the list, then the Rams will more than likely give Bradford another weapon in WR Justin Blackmon.

Regardless of what the Rams do on draft day, the game is going to be an ugly one once again, but I think the Redskins will be able to move the ball on the Rams poor defense, and being in their 3rd year in the 3-4 defense, the Redskins should be able to stop the Rams running attack, be it behind Richardson, or their veteran RB Steven Jackson.

Record : 1-1

WEEK 3 - Cincinnati Bengals

The home opener for the Redskins comes against the Bengals, who were able to get to the playoffs last year.  This is one of those teams that you never know how they are going to play.  They can be one of the better teams in the NFL, or they can play very sloppy and lose to almost any team.  This being the home opener for the Redskins, and the debut of RG3 in FedEx Field, I do not see how the Bengals are going to be able to pull out a victory.  I think the Redskins are going to be playing with a lot of emotion, rallying around their young QB, and the stadium will be rocking with all the fans wanting to see if the hype behind RG3 was legitimate or not.  It won't be a blow-out, I don't see too many chances for that this year, but it should not be a nail-biter either.

Record : 2-1

WEEK 4 - @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Bucs came down to earth last year, finishing with a 4-12 record, after having a great year in 2010.  This was partly because the rest of the teams had figured out the Bucs, and also because of their success in 2010, giving them more difficult opponents in 2011.  They now have changed head coaches, and the former TB head man, Raheem Morris, is now a DB coach for the Redskins.  This most likely will not give any advantage to the Redskins, since the new coaching staff in TB will have changed almost everything about the team and their playbook and play calling.  Still, with Morris, and TB's safety, Tanard Jackson, joining the Redskins, it will give them an insight into the mindset of the Bucs.  The Bucs are also one of those teams that are in the process of rebuilding, but having changed head coaches will set them back a bit, what with the new regime bringing in their own program.  Even though the game is in Tampa Bay, and the Bucs do play better at home, the Redskins should be able to win this game without too much trouble.

Record : 3-1

WEEK 5 - Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons come to DC, and bring along a very potent offense, with Roddy White and Julio Jones catching darts from Matt Ryan.  Ryan has one nasty cannon for an arm, and not too many DB's can stay with Roddy White.  They also happen to have one hell of a RB in Michael Turner, and an elite TE in Tony Gonzalez.  Although their defense is not their greatest side, they are very good at stopping offenses, specially when the Falcons score quickly, and the other teams have to play catch-up.  In those situations, this defensive unit can be very dangerous.  The Falcons are a very good team, and they are only improving.  With the Saints going through the troubles they are dealing with, the Falcons know this is the right time for them to be aggressive and take the division.  The Redskins' defense will not be able to stop the onslaught of the Falcon's offense, and I do not think the Redskins offensive unit will be able to match the scoring drivers Matt Ryan will be putting together.  This will be the first home loss for the Redskins.

Record : 3-2

WEEK 6 - Minnesota Vikings

After having to deal with the Falcons offense, the Redskins are going to be able to breath a little once the Vikings come to town.  After having his season end last year in a game against the Redskins, Vikings star RB Adrian Peterson is set to return this year.  Even with Peterson on the roster, the offensive unit of the Vikings needs major improvement.  2nd year QB Christian Ponder will have his hands full, since the Redskins are going to do all they can to stop Peterson and force Ponder to beat them.  This will be a hard task for Ponder, since he does not have a top-level WR to throw the ball to.  The Vikings defensive unit has been known for many years as a great unit, but recently they have failed to stop teams from scoring.  This year will not be any different for them, as they continue to rebuild their team.  Look for the Redskins to win this one rather easily.

Record : 4-2

WEEK 7 - @ New York Giants

The Redskins have to wait until week 7 to play their first NFC East game, and it just happens to be against the Super Bowl champs.  Granted, the Redskins had the Giants' number last year, sweeping the eventual champs, but these things are normal when talking about NFC East opponents.  For some reason, regardless of records or standings, NFC East teams play each other differently, and the outcomes can cause one to take a moment and ponder what just happened.  Having said that, this is one that the Redskins can steal.  The Giants usualy start out strong, then fizzle mid-season, and then finish the year strong, and the Redskins just happen to catch the Giants towards the middle of the season.  The Giants are also without their bruising RB, Brandon Jacobs, whom they released, much to the happiness of Redskins fans since he had given Redskins fits in years prior.  Although the game is being played in NY, weather should not be a factor, and so the Redskins, if playing well, should be able to beat the SB champs.  It will most likely come down to the last play of the game, either the Redskins stopping Eli Manning and company, or the Redskins kicking a FG to win the game.



Record : 5-2

WEEK 8 - @ Pittsburgh Steelers

This game against the Steelers is a very tough one to predict.  For some reason, the Redskins have played very well against good teams in the past few years, so there is a good chance they will play well this week.  That, combined with the fact that the Steelers are now without their now retired star WR Hines Ward, who was very vital in bailing out Ben Roethlisberger last year, does seem to favor the Redskins.  However, the game is being played in Pittsburgh, which is a very difficult place to play what with the fans and their yellow towels.  The Redskins are coming off a tough win against an NFC East opponent, and coming into Heinz Field after a game like that will not end well for them.  I do not see the Redskins pulling out a win this week.

Record : 5-3

WEEK 9 - Carolina Panthers

This is one of the games that many people would be looking forward to.  A game between now 2nd year QB Cam Newton, and rookie QB RG3.  Many analysts have said that the two play a common style of football, both have a great and accurate arm, and both are very agile and athletic.  It is just too bad they are not going head-to-head in a one-on-one match up.  Instead, Newton will be facing the Redskins defense, who was, for the part of the game last year, able to keep him in check, until the 2nd half.  Newton is going to have his trusted, and very dangerous weapon, Steve Smith, on hand as well, so it will be a very tough test for the London Fletcher and the rest of the LB crew, and the DB's.  On the other side, RG3 will be facing a Panthers defense who can be very stingy and tough, but has been known to give up yards in the air.  This should be a good game, as the two defenses should be ready for the opposing QB's, since they practice against the same style on a weekly basis.  I think the Redskins will avenge their loss last year, and beat the Panthers in a very close game.

Record : 6-3

WEEK 10 - BYE

The bye week comes rather late this year, but that can be a good thing, giving the team to heal up from any injuries before they start the grueling part of their schedule.

Record : 6-3

I will do the 2nd half of the schedule in a few days.  Please check back next week for that.

The NFL and the "Bounty" scandal

The recent news regarding the NFL has been almost nothing but the whole "bounty" system/problems with the Saints. The other day a recording of the team meeting before the 49ers game in this year's playoffs was released, which apparently has caused a lot of outrage and shock among fans, and some former players. I had been telling those close to me my thoughts on all of this, but now it has gotten to a point that I need to vent, regardless if anyone reads this or not. So here we go.....

There are a number of issues here, and I will try and go through all of them in a manner that is fluid, but I apologize up-front if I jump around from topic to topic.

First thing to look at is the whole "bounty" system. People, which supposedly includes NFL officials, are shocked that Gregg Williams had a bounty system in place, rewarding defensive players for certain hits and tasks done in games. Right off the bat I can assure everyone, and I am willing to bet on this, the NFL has known about this ever since there has been an NFL. This is nothing new. This has been going on, and will continue to go on. It is part of the game. The problem people seem to have with it is the term "bounty". I hate to break it to you, but these "bounties" are nothing more than incentive to do something. All of us are involved in a bounty system, we just don't call it that, and call it "performance rewards" or "bonuses". All NFL players are involved in a bounty system, but they call it "incentives" and "performance goals". If a QB throws for a certain number of yards, or a certain number of TD's, he gets more money. If a RB runs for more than a number of yards, he gets more money. The only difference here is that these "bounties" the Saints had were for each game, for individual instance results. So we need to stop harping on the term "bounty" and thinking of it in regards to whole movie aspect of placing a bounty on someone's head.

Next let us look at what the Saints players, and most likely Redskins, Bills, and Titans players, were doing under Gregg Williams. They were told they would get rewarded for "taking out" certain players, for making sure they get rattled, banged up, bruised, so they would not continue to play in that game. This is not exclusive to Gregg Williams, and not only that, it isn't just in the NFL. I played High School football, and we had things like this in place even at that level. For example: Our coach told us that, during kickoff returns, if you hit someone hard enough to knock them off their feet, you will be treated to a steak dinner. This was an on-going thing, and we all knew it, and some people actually were able to "cash-in" on it. It is a huge part of the game. If you hit someone hard enough, they will be wary of you next time, and will not perform as well. If you hit someone enough times, they will be bruised and hurt enough that they will leave the game, which increases your odds of winning. You aren't trying to kill someone, just take them out of the game. And it isn't just on defense. Offensive players do the same thing, they want the best defensive players out of the game, so they increase their odds of winning.

Now onto the recording that was released, and how Gregg Williams is telling the Saints players to go after the injuries of certain players on the 49ers. Seriously? That is shocking and appauling? If I told you that this guy that you are about to fight has a bad left knee, wouldn't you exploit that to win the fight? Of course you would. Same thing here. You try to exploit the weakness of your opponent to best him. This is not just part of football, but part of competition, part of life! If you are injured, it will be exploited if you make it known that you are injured. The NFL requires all teams to give an injury report prior to the games. This accomplishes two things. One is for gambling purposes, so that people know who is and who isn't playing, so they can bet accordingly. The other is that your opponent know who is hurt, and will be going after them. For example, if a WR knows that the CB covering him is having hip problems, and can't turn as well as he normally would, then the WR would juke a lot, so the CB wouldn't be able to keep up with the turns. Same is true for defensive players. If a LB knows that the RB coming at him has a bad right elbow, as he is tackling him, he is going to make sure to either put pressure on the elbow, or hit the elbow, to pop the ball lose. So there is absolutely nothing new or shocking there. And all these former players and coaches coming out and saying that Gregg Williams targetting injuries is appauling, give me a freaking break! You all were doing the same thing, and were able to achieve what you did because of things like this. Just because you are now an analyst working for the NFL, doesn't mean you can become a hypocrit.

This is Football. It is a VERY rough sport, played by men who get paid crazy amounts of money to put their bodies on the line. Every single NFL player has signed the contract, knowing full well the physicality and risk involved with this game. Not a single one of them had a gun put to their head to sign and play the game. Every person who has played knows full well the things that go on in the game, and to think otherwise is ignorant. The NFL is trying to change their image, and the image of the game. They are trying to move away from the tough-guy, bruising, smashing game. They are trying to make the game more "family friendly", to bring in new audiences. But by doing this, they are taking away exactly what has made this game what it is today. People watch it for the big hits, for the jarring tackles. That is Football! So please, PLEASE, stop acting as though these things that have come to light are somehow immoral and not part of the game. These things have been happening, they are just now made public, and people are seeing the underbelly of the beast they love to watch.