Espn: first take Skip Bayless put redskins 2nd in most likely to win Super Bowl in 2013

[Henry]

It's not earth-shattering insight but it's nice to get a mention. It's been a long time since we've gotten even that.

[TheGreek1973]

I'll consider us fortunate if we get back to the playoffs.

Robert's knee in question, a brutal schedule, we're now on everyone's radar, teams have a full offseason to study our offense. The Giants and Saints are sure to bounce back.

Winning the NFC East/a wild card is not a foregone conclusion just cause we pulled it together this year.

all true but here is something we haven't considered. with all the injuries our backups did a great job stepping in. Thus next year they have experience so at the very least we will have a more well rounded team that many of our rivals. Hell some of us are even comfortable with Cousins starting a few games in order for RGIII to get to 100% healthy. Question is how many other teams can say that? Can the Giants lose Manning and still be viable? or Seattle? Can they lose their best pass rusher, both safeties, and starting TE?

don't doubt our team people, this is not the Redskins of old. They have tasted victory and are battle harden.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

How can you realisticly pick the Skins to go to the SB without knowing how Griffin will return from the injury?

Because I think our offense will be fine with Cousins at QB. Think about Shanahan's offenses once things are established. They work and they produce. If we improve our defense to a top-15 unit, I think we are a legitimate contender.

[Momma There Goes That Man]

all true but here is something we haven't considered. with all the injuries our backups did a great job stepping in. Thus next year they have experience so at the very least we will have a more well rounded team that many of our rivals. Hell some of us are even comfortable with Cousins starting a few games in order for RGIII to get to 100% healthy. Question is how many other teams can say that? Can the Giants lose Manning and still be viable? or Seattle? Can they lose their best pass rusher, both safeties, and starting TE?

don't doubt our team people, this is not the Redskins of old. They have tasted victory and are battle harden.

Well said. The experience a lot of the guys earned this year will only make us better. We aren't very far away which is staggering to me since the only Redskins I have ever known were always a parting-of-the-red-sea away from a SB.

[NewEraofSkins08]

With our offense, we have as good as shot as anyone in the NFC to get to the Superbowl.

[deejaydana]

Hey, Walterfootball.com has us winning it all next year (by way of his NFL Draft where we're slated to select at the #32 slot with the Rams picking of course). Since they're going there I'm banking it!

[Henry]

Robert's knee in question, a brutal schedule, we're now on everyone's radar, teams have a full offseason to study our offense. The Giants and Saints are sure to bounce back.

The Giants are sure to bounce back? From what? Finishing 9-7? From getting beat by us?

They've done that two years in a row. The only difference between this year and last year is that another team in the division (namely, us) was capable of winning 10 games.

When's the bounce going to happen, exactly?

[MLSKINS]

Because I think our offense will be fine with Cousins at QB. Think about Shanahan's offenses once things are established. They work and they produce. If we improve our defense to a top-15 unit, I think we are a legitimate contender.

This is how I feel. I think with Cousins as QB, our offense would still produce. I t might not be as powerful, but effective nonetheless...

With that being said, I don't know how we will fare this year. At this point I don't even know who will be on the team. I am not going to use stuff that happened last year to predict next year.

Hey, Walterfootball.com has us winning it all next year (by way of his NFL Draft where we're slated to select at the #32 slot with the Rams picking of course). Since they're going there I'm banking it!

I saw that. It kind of caught me off guard.

[deejaydana]

I saw that. It kind of caught me off guard.

The guy really is hit or miss on his gambling picks but he LOVES him some RG3. Pre-Draft last year he rightly said us getting RG3 would be a move we would never regret.

[Warhead36]

If RG3 is healthy, I'd put us 4th in the NFC behind San Fran, Seattle, and Green Bay.

[Rypien1191]

The Giants are sure to bounce back? From what? Finishing 9-7? From getting beat by us?

They've done that two years in a row. The only difference between this year and last year is that another team in the division (namely, us) was capable of winning 10 games.

When's the bounce going to happen, exactly?

I expect them to play better next year. Same with the Saints. I can't see both of those teams performing worse than they did in 2012. And you know the Packers, Falcons, 49ers, and Hawks are all going to be there come playoff time. It's not going to be easy at all.

[pjfootballer]

Where in the hell is this "Brutal" schedule? I thought we had a pretty tough schedule this year and we finished 10-6 with half a team.

Let's look at next year:

NYG, Dallass, Philly- We went 5-1 this past season and no reason we can't go (4-2).

Green Bay, Minnesota, Detroit and Chicago- Lambeau will be tough, but their D stinks. We beat Minny this year, but they'll be a test on the road. Do Detroit and Chicago scare you? Could we lose to them? Sure, but I think for once, teams are starting to fear us. (3-1)

SF and Atlanta- We get the Niners at home and Atlanta on the road. Who knows what Atlanta will do. They can be up and down. SF will be tough, but not impossible (1-1)

Denver, Oakland, SD and KC- Only game that is tough is at Denver. (3-1)

So, even befor I weigh in Free Agency and the draft and going solely just on this past season, my preliminary prediction is 11-5.

I just don't think the schedule is any worse than what we've faced the last couple of years.

[JamesMadisonSkins]

We could, realistically, enter 2013 with our defense as following:
DE: Carriker, Stephen Bowen, Jarvis Jenkins
NT: Barry Cofield
ILB: Perry Riley, London Fletcher, Keenan Robinson, Lorenzo Alexander
OLB: Ryan Kerrigan, Brian Orakpo, Rob Jackson
CB: DeAngelo Hall, Josh Wilson, Jamar Taylor (4th round), Richard Crawford, Chase Minnefield
FS: Bacarri Rambo (3rd round), Corey Lynch (FA)
SS: Brandon Merriweather, DeJon Gomes

I would like that defense, a lot, compared to this year ... assuming everyone is healthy ...
BTW that is under the assumption that we use our 2nd rounder on a RT, TE or WR. You could easily turn Jamar Taylor into David Amerson or Desmond Trufant or Bacarri Rambo into Matt Elam, etc. etc. if you choose to address the secondary with both the 2 and 3 ... You get the point, though.

[Rdskn4Lyf21]

Question for you. Both Seattle and SF went into the playoffs with virtually all their stars healthy. So here is the question. Where would we be if entering the playoffs we had RGIII, Orakpo, Carriker, Merriweather, Jackson, Davis, Helu 100% healthy.

We all would be at a parade right now...

[bcl05]

Health makes the biggest difference by far. We had bad injuries this year, but had an unusually healthy year from our OL. Our OL depth is so unproven, one or two bad injuries there could be devastating. Or, maybe Ribby, Compton and Gettis are ready to go. Every team has injuries - winning teams have injuries where they have depth. There's a lot of luck involved...