What are your opinions.

It’s difficult to spin a 5-11 season as anything but a failure, and in our winner-takes-all sports culture, where regular season games—even those against hated rivals—are analyzed only in the context of playoff seedings and potential championship runs, abject failure may be the most appropriate descriptor.

Revival was the theme of NFL 2011. The Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers made the playoffs for the first time since God-knows-when-or-cares-to-remember. The city of Houston earned its first playoff game since the beloved Oilers relocated to the Bible Belt. Even the Miami Dolphins showed signs of life after briefly threatening to lay a goose egg in the wins column.

In Denver, a God-fearing quarterback and serious young man teamed up with a resourceful coaching staff to revive the read option offensive scheme, which hasn’t seen this much NFL action since before the NFL-AFL merger.

But in the feel-good culture of reinvigorated franchises and continued TV ratings dominance, not every team received an auspice of better things to come. The Washington Redskins and the Cleveland Browns, two of the most hapless franchises in all of professional sports, remain relegated to history, confined to NFL Films highlight reels that recall a time when meaningful games regularly took place off the banks of the Potomac and Cuyahoga Rivers.

Browns fans take the cake for most pained NFL fanbase since they have never experienced a Super Bowl win, and their current team can only be described as the pseudo-Browns, the original franchise having left almost two decades ago to take up residence in Baltimore. That doesn’t mean the men, women and children who commute an unfathomable distance to FedEx Field every Sunday to sing Hail to the Redskins are any less frustrated.

Washington and Cleveland are actually connected in more ways than one: Since Art Modell took his team and their talents to the city where everyone’s favorite meditation on the decay of urban America was set, the Ravens, not the Redskins, have been the class of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan area.

Twenty years ago, no one could have predicted that the beloved and uber-successful Redskins would one day be usurped as the best professional football team south of the Mason-Dixon Line, but such a transformation has happened, and now, no one can say with certainty if the Burgundy and Gold will ever regain their status as one of league’s elite franchises.

Bruce Allen hired Mike Shanahan to restore the glory, but the latter has since admitted that turning the Redskins around has been harder than he initially anticipated. Shanahan clearly did not understand all the baggage he was taking on when he signed Dan Snyder’s offer letter.

But even in a rain-cloud filled season, there are a few silver linings to be gleaned and more than a few lessons to be learned.

Professional football today is all about the audacity of hope, the illogical impulse to believe that your team will be the one out of the 32 (a three percent chance for the mathematically disinclined) to host a trophy at season’s end.

The Washington Redskins won’t be that team this year, but with a few tweaks, they may one day get back to where they once belonged. In the mean time, fans can take solace that the Redskins are still 100 times more competent than the no-account Washington Wizards.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

The Washington Redskins rushed for more than 100 yards in each of their final six games – something they hadn’t done even once in their previous six games. During that span, rookie Roy Helu ran for 100 yards three times, and fellow rookie Evan Royster did so twice.

Watching all this on television? Veteran Tim Hightower, who began the season as the starter but was lost for the season after he tore ligaments in his knee in a Week 7 loss at Carolina.

“They’ve done great with what they’ve been given, and with the talents that they have,” Hightower said of Helu and Royster. “But in the same sentence, I know who I am. And I know my capabilities and what I can do, and I know what I bring to a football team.”

Hightower said this as he is in the throes of rehabilitation, a process that won’t truly be over until he plays in a preseason game next fall. He also said it knowing he is a free agent. He is uncertain as to whether the Redskins want him back, but the native of Prince George’s County and graduate of Alexandria’s Episcopal High is absolutely positive that he wants to return to his hometown team. He was acquired in a preseason trade with Arizona for veteran defensive lineman Vonnie Holliday.

“Very important,” he said. “I love this organization, and coming back here, I didn’t realize exactly how much it would mean to me coming back here, and getting the chance to play here, and just kind of being around your family, go places around the fans and this city, it was special for me. This is something where I would like to play here for a long time. It would mean a lot to be back here.”

In five games, Hightower ran 84 times for 321 yards, a 3.8-yard average. Helu led the team with 640 yards on 151 carries (a 4.2-average), and Royster gained the most yards per carry – 5.9 yards – of any back on the team, though he ran the ball just 56 times.

Hightower said he wanted to talk to Coach Mike Shanahan about his prospects here, but he also has work to do before he can justify a new contract.

“Right now, my focus is on rehab, and that’s what it’s got to be,” Hightower said. “It wouldn’t be right for me to start talking contracts right now when my knee’s not nowhere near where it needs to be. I think when all that rehab stuff is done, and all the rest and all the food is in my body, I think the contract is going to take care of itself.”

Hightower is infamous for not believing in the timetables set for him by doctors following injuries. His focus: training camp.

“I don’t believe in the timelines,” he said. “I didn’t ask any target dates. I know I’ll be ready to play by the season starts. I know I’ll be 100-percent full speed.”

Leave any suggestions in the comment box.

The Washington Redskins should target ferocious inside linebacker Bart Scott this offseason. Yesterday, NFL.com reported that Scott is unlikely to be back with the New York Jets in 2012.

It seems that the veteran is set to become one of the high-profile casualties of the Jets’ inevitable house cleaning, following their limp finish to the season.

Mike Shanahan should seriously consider adding Scott to the Redskins 3-4 defense. The 6’2″, 242-pounder is a vicious hitter and a highly aggressive presence in the middle of a 3-4 front.

Scott’s tough tackling and physicality would help improve the Redskins’ soft run defense. Jim Haslett’s unit could use an infusion of tenacity after ending 2011 by surrendering 67 points in two games.

The defense was outmuscled by the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16 and appeared unable to cope with the brute force of bruising back Toby Gerhart.

Scott would add a nasty streak to the defense and make the group more intimidating at the point of attack.

Scott is also an excellent blitzer, having played in Rex Ryan’s multiple fire zone schemes for most of his career.

This skill would make the 10-year pro a valuable weapon in the heavy blitz packages favoured by the Redskins defense.

With London Fletcher now 36, Perry Riley still growing into the position and Rocky McIntosh’s future in the 3-4 in doubt, the Redskins need to add another capable inside linebacker to the mix.

There won’t be many as qualified as Scott available. His abundance of 3-4 experience and fiery demeanour would provide the spark to elevate the Redskins defense from a solid unit to an elite one.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

Washington Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan said last week that he had no doubt he would return to the team next season, and on Monday, the coach expressed appreciation for the support he has received from owner Daniel Snyder throughout the 5-11 season.

Mike Shanahan, head coach of the Washington Redskins speaks to the media at Redskins Park in Ashburn, Va. Monday. (Photo by Matt McClain For The Washington Post)Shanahan spent much of Monday beginning the review process for the 5-11 season that ended Sunday. He said he has spoken to Snyder and that he and the owner are on the same page regarding the Redskins plans going forward.

“The owner of the football team, you constantly keep him updated on the direction you plan on going with free agency and the draft,” said Shanahan, whom Snyder signed to a five-year, $35 million contract in December of 2010. “He’s been very, very supportive. He wants to do it the right way. He understands it’s not going to happen overnight if you do it the right way, and I appreciate his support.”

The 5-11 Redskins just posted the worst record of Shanahan’s 17 full seasons as a head coach. And Shanahan acknowledged that the losing has had a draining affect on him. But, he said the failures motivate him.

“It always takes a toll on you, all the time you put in. Any time you have a loss, with all the time and effort you put in, it’s like somebody stuck a knife in you,” Shanahan said. “It’s tough to go through a season like that. Thank God I haven’t been through a season like that before. I might not still be in this profession very long. But it’s something that really drives you and motivates you.

Shanahan added, “I enjoy what I do. I enjoy the challenge of putting a great football together here with the Washington Redskins. I know we’re not there yet, but I’m excited with what I do, I’m excited with the players that we’ve got, and I’m excited for the future.”

More Redskins news:

Reid: Give Shanahan the right parts.

Season of woe packed into one game

Grossman says he can cut down on picks

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ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — The Washington Redskins’ record is a matter of perspective.

Steve Spurrier infamously proclaimed 5-11 was “not very good” after his 2003 season with Washington. He quit the next day, done with the NFL after two years and a 12-20 record.

Mike Shanahan’s spin couldn’t be more different.

“Even though the record may not show it,” Shanahan said Monday, “we’re a much better football team than we were a year ago.”

The Redskins regressed from 6-10 to 5-11 this year, so Shanahan’s mark in two seasons in Washington stands at 11-21. He’s never had a worse full-season record as a head coach, and Washington has now finished in last place in the NFC East for four years running.

“Thank God I haven’t been through any like this before — I might not be in this profession very long,” Shanahan said. “But it’s something that really drives you and motivates you. It’s something that I look forward to doing, putting a great football team together and doing it the right way, and sometimes it takes a little bit longer than sometimes expected.”

Shanahan cited the team’s improved depth as evidence that he has the Redskins pointed in the right direction. Even so, there are significant upgrades needed at receiver, in the secondary, along the offensive line and in a special teams unit that had five blocked field goals this year — the most allowed by a team in the NFL in eight years.

But it all starts and ends with the quarterback, and Shanahan needs to find one.

After failing to make it work with Donovan McNabb last year, Shanahan made the bold statement that he was staking his reputation this season on Rex Grossman and John Beck. Grossman ended up committing 25 turnovers in 13 games, and Beck lasted for all of three winless starts.

“I don’t care what anybody says, I know what I can do and I know what I’m capable of — and I know that I will achieve it,” Beck said Monday before stuffing his belongings into a large clear plastic bag at his locker. “I thought it was going to happen this year. It didn’t. But it’s going to happen. I’m not going to let it not happen.”

Grossman’s self-confidence was just as strong. While Beck is under contract for next season, Grossman is a free agent — but it’s possible he could be brought back to mentor a quarterback taken in the first round of the draft.

“There’s a lot of things that I can do to improve,” Grossman said. “But definitely there was a lot of good, and we’ll see how they evaluate it.”

Shanahan has already starting looking for someone else. For weeks now, he has been spending about a half-hour in the mornings looking at video of the top college prospects. The Redskins hold the No. 6 overall pick in the April draft.

“Everybody’s looking for a franchise quarterback,” offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan said. “You want one of those guys that there’s no question about. There’s probably only about five or six of them in the league. Then there’s a lot of guys who can play and there’s some guys who need to be replaced. You’re always trying to find that one and (we’re) still working to do it.”

The Redskins’ noteworthy free agents include linebacker London Fletcher, safety LaRon Landry, tight end Fred Davis, defensive end Adam Carriker and running back Tim Hightower. Shanahan said Fletcher is a priority to re-sign, while Landry’s value is subject to his return from a left Achilles injury and Davis has just completed a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s drugs policy. Davis was one of three Redskins players suspended this season, the latest black eye for the franchise.

But the Redskins, being the Redskins, couldn’t wrap up the season without one final bit of consternation. Shanahan, as is his usual routine, gave his parting words to the players in the locker room Sunday after the final game. On Monday, with the coach not even in the room, the players heard from Navy SEALs and a marine as part of a program mandated by the NFL.

While many players said they found the presentation inspiring and that it helped them put football in perspective, backup offensive lineman Sean Locklear tweeted that it was the “Worst exit meeting ever!” because no coaches or front office people spoke. He later went back on Twitter to apologize.

“I talked to Sean after the game and, obviously, he must not have liked my speech,” Shanahan said with more than a touch of sarcasm. “Obviously he must have been disappointed in it. I’ve only been doing it that way for a number of years, and he must be used to a different way. So I apologize, Sean, it’ll never happen again — at least not with me.”

——

Joseph White can be reached at http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP

That’s all for today.

Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan issued a public challenge Monday to left tackle Trent Williams, saying the 2010 first-round draft pick needs to continue his on-field development and demonstrate improved commitment and maturity following his drug-related suspension. The coach also said he sees a change in tight end and /free-agent-to-be Fred Davis, who also ended the season on a four-game suspension for failing multiple drug tests.

A dejected Trent Williams after the Redskins lost to to the Dallas Cowboys 18-16 on Sept. 26 in Arlington. (Toni L. Sandys/Washington Post)Williams was the first draft pick of Shanahan’s tenure as head coach of the Redskins. Washington selected him fourth overall out of Oklahoma, and Williams this season was picked as one of the team’s offensive captains.

Shanahan said that Williams showed improvement both in his play and his work ethic this season. But the failed drug tests put a dark cloud over any positives Williams produced this year.

“He’s got to be smart enough to understand that if you disappoint your football team like you did, you’d better come back with a passion and the drive to do what we need him to do, especially being the fourth pick of the draft,” Shanahan said. “We know the talent he has, we know he’s a likeable guy. I was pleased with his work ethic coming into his second year, how he was playing, but he’s got to prove that he can do it on a day-to-day basis and set the standard for our football team and our organization.”

Davis, meanwhile, is eligible for free agency after playing the final season of the contract he signed as a second-round draft pick in 2008. Davis had a breakout year this season, recording 59 receptions for 796 yards in 12 starts – all career highs. He also had three touchdown catches.

He and Williams were among 11 NFL players who failed drug tests for recreational marijuana use following the end of the league’s lockout. Only Williams and Davis continued to fail drug tests over the course of the season.

Davis likely has hurt his chances of earning a lucrative, long-term deal. One more failed drug test would result in a one-year suspension for him. (The same goes for Williams, but he is under contract for next year).

But Shanahan said that he isn’t judging Davis more harshly because of the suspension.

“Fred made a mistake. We sat down and talked about his mistake. I do feel very good about Fred as a person,” the coach said. “I like the way he worked, I like his attitude. I like his development over the last year-and-a-half since I’ve been here. I think he’s had a complete change in the way he handles himself off the field, to preparing himself to be a consummate pro, to working out, and hopefully the mistake won’t happen that he made this year.”

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Washington Redskins‘ miserable National Football League season has hardened the resolve of head coach Mike Shanahan to return the once-proud franchise to its winning ways.

The three-time Super Bowl-winning Redskins finished in last place in the NFC East with a 5-11 record, losing 10 of their last 12 games after opening the year with a 3-1 mark.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge of putting a great football team together here with the Washington Redskins. I know we’re not there yet,” Shanahan told reporters on Monday.

“But I’m excited with what I do. I’m excited about this football team and the players that we’ve got. And I’m excited for the future.”

Washington was 6-10 a year ago in Shanahan’s first season with the club and the coach admitted he did not expect to see an immediate turnaround for a franchise that has not made the NFL playoffs since the 2007 campaign.

“We’ve got the people that I feel give you the chance to make up something special. And that’s where it starts. It’s not going to happen all in one year or two years,” he said.

“I’m still disappointed we didn’t win 10 or 11 games. I really believe if we would have stayed healthy – that’s not using it as an excuse because we didn’t have a lot of depth – I think we could have gotten there.”

The Redskins lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 34-10 in their season finale on Sunday, sealing the team’s fourth-consecutive finish in the NFC East basement.

Shanahan, who won two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos, conceded losing was agonizing.

“With all the time that you put in, every time you have a loss, especially with the effort that you put in, it’s like somebody sticks a knife in you. It’s tough to go through a season like that,” he said.

“Thank God I haven’t gone through any like this before. I might not have been in this profession very long. But it’s something that really drives you, motivates you.

“It’s something that I look forward to doing – putting a great football team together and doing it the right way. And sometimes it takes a little bit longer than sometimes expected.”

(Reporting By Steve Ginsburg; Editing by Frank Pingue)

What do you guys think about this.

The Washington Redskins’
miserable National Football League season has hardened the
resolve of head coach Mike Shanahan to return , you better be
motivated, because if you’re not motivated, you’re not going to
be in this business for a long time,” Shanahan the once-proud
franchise to its winning ways.

The three-time Super Bowl-winning Redskins finished in last
place in the NFC East with a 5-11 record, losing 10 of their
last 12 games after opening the year with a 3-1 mark.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge of putting a great
football team together here with the Washington Redskins. I know
we’re not there yet.

“But I’m excited with what I do. I’m excited about this
football team and the players that we’ve got. And I’m excited
for the future.”

Washington was 6-10 a year ago in Shanahan’s first season
with the club and the coach admitted he did not expect to see an
immediate turnaround for a franchise that has not made the NFL
playoffs since the 2007 campaign.

“We’ve got the people that I feel give you the chance to
make up something special. And that’s where it starts. It’s not
going to happen all in one year or two years,” he said.

“I’m still disappointed we didn’t win 10 or 11 games. I
really believe if we would have stayed healthy – that’s not
using it as an excuse because we didn’t have a lot of depth – I
think we could have gotten there.”

The Redskins lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 34-10 in their
season finale on Sunday, sealing the team’s fourth-consecutive
finish in the NFC East basement.

Shanahan, who won two Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos,
conceded losing was agonizing.

“With all the time that you put in, every time you have a
loss, especially with the effort that you put in, it’s like
somebody sticks a knife in you. It’s tough to go through a
season like that,” he said.

“Thank God I haven’t gone through any like this before. I
might not have been in this profession very long. But it’s
something that really drives you, motivates you.

“It’s something that I look forward to doing – putting a
great football team together and doing it the right way. And
sometimes it takes a little bit longer than sometimes expected.”

Comment Below!.

Comment Below!.

ASHBURN, Va. (AP)—The Washington Redskins’ record is a matter of
perspective.

Steve Spurrier infamously proclaimed 5-11 was “not very good” after his
2003 season with Washington. He quit the next day, done with the NFL after two
years and a 12-20 record.

Mike Shanahan’s spin couldn’t be more different.

“Even though the record may not show it,” Shanahan said Monday, “we’re a
much better football team than we were a year ago.”

The Redskins regressed from 6-10 to 5-11 this year, so Shanahan’s mark in
two seasons in Washington stands at 11-21. He’s never had a worse full-season
record as a head coach, and Washington has now finished in last place in the NFC
East for four years running.

“Thank God I haven’t been through any like this before—I might not be in
this profession very long,” Shanahan said. “But it’s something that really
drives you and motivates you. It’s something that I look forward to doing,
putting a great football team together and doing it the right way, and sometimes
it takes a little bit longer than sometimes expected.”

Shanahan cited the team’s improved depth as evidence that he has the
Redskins pointed in the right direction. Even so, there are significant upgrades
needed at receiver, in the secondary, along the offensive line and in a special
teams unit that had five blocked field goals this year—the most allowed by a
team in the NFL in eight years.

But it all starts and ends with the quarterback, and Shanahan needs to find
one.

After failing to make it work with Donovan McNabb last year, Shanahan made
the bold statement that he was staking his reputation this season on Rex
Grossman and John Beck. Grossman ended up committing 25 turnovers in 13 games,
and Beck lasted for all of three winless starts.

“I don’t care what anybody says, I know what I can do and I know what I’m
capable of—and I know that I will achieve it,” Beck said Monday before
stuffing his belongings into a large clear plastic bag at his locker. “I
thought it was going to happen this year. It didn’t. But it’s going to happen.
I’m not going to let it not happen.”

Grossman’s self-confidence was just as strong. While Beck is under contract
for next season, Grossman is a free agent—but it’s possible he could be
brought back to mentor a quarterback taken in the first round of the draft.

“There’s a lot of things that I can do to improve,” Grossman said. “But
definitely there was a lot of good, and we’ll see how they evaluate it.”

Shanahan has already starting looking for someone else. For weeks now, he
has been spending about a half-hour in the mornings looking at video of the top
college prospects. The Redskins hold the No. 6 overall pick in the April draft.

“Everybody’s looking for a franchise quarterback,” offensive coordinator
Kyle Shanahan said. “You want one of those guys that there’s no question about.
There’s probably only about five or six of them in the league. Then there’s a
lot of guys who can play and there’s some guys who need to be replaced. You’re
always trying to find that one and (we’re) still working to do it.”

The Redskins’ noteworthy free agents include linebacker London Fletcher,
safety LaRon Landry, tight end Fred Davis, defensive end Adam Carriker and
running back Tim Hightower. Shanahan said Fletcher is a priority to re-sign,
while Landry’s value is subject to his return from a left Achilles injury and
Davis has just completed a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s drugs
policy. Davis was one of three Redskins players suspended this season, the
latest black eye for the franchise.

But the Redskins, being the Redskins, couldn’t wrap up the season without
one final bit of consternation. Shanahan, as is his usual routine, gave his
parting words to the players in the locker room Sunday after the final game. On
Monday, with the coach not even in the room, the players heard from Navy SEALs
and a marine as part of a program mandated by the NFL.

While many players said they found the presentation inspiring and that it
helped them put football in perspective, backup offensive lineman Sean Locklear
tweeted that it was the “Worst exit meeting ever!” because no coaches or front
office people spoke. He later went back on Twitter to apologize.

“I talked to Sean after the game and, obviously, he must not have liked my
speech,” Shanahan said with more than a touch of sarcasm. “Obviously he must
have been disappointed in it. I’ve only been doing it that way for a number of
years, and he must be used to a different way. So I apologize, Sean, it’ll never
happen again—at least not with me.”

———

Joseph White can be reached at http://twitter.com/JGWhiteAP

Gotta run!.

ASHBURN, Va. — Mike Shanahan says he thinks the Washington Redskins are “a much better football team” than a year ago — even though the record isn’t as good.

Shanahan gave his final thoughts Monday after his worst full season as an NFL head coach. The Redskins went 5-11, finishing last in the NFC East for the fourth straight year. It was a step back, at least record-wise, from last year’s 6-10 mark.

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Washington Redskins quarterback and free-agent-to-be Rex Grossman said Monday morning that he doesn’t know what his future holds, but he is confident that he can cure his ever-present interception bug.

Grossman and his teammates reported to Redskins Park for a season-ending meeting Monday morning. Then the Redskins quarterback sat down with quarterbacks coach Matt Lafleur and went over some game film for a couple of hours.

Grossman completed 57.9 percent of his passes this season for 3,151 yards and 16 touchdowns. But he also threw 20 interceptions and lost five fumbles in 13 games.

Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has said that for Grossman to succeed in the future, he needs to cut down on his turnovers. In his nine seasons, Grossman has appeared in 54 games. He has thrown 56 touchdowns and 60 interceptions.

When asked if he thought that was possible, Grossman answered confidently.

“Definitely,” he said. He said he views interceptions in two categories: those that are his fault and avoidable, and those that are not his fault and can’t be avoided.

“There’s times when interceptions are acceptable in a situation where it wasn’t your fault or something happened that you weren’t expecting, or tipped ball or things like that that happen to you that are just completely not your fault. Those are acceptable,” Grossman said. “Those are things you can’t control and as a coaching staff, as you evaluate the whole season, they’ll definitely take those into account, and you can’t prevent those as a quarterback.

“But the ones you can control,” Grossman continued, “there are definite coaching points and definite thought process as you go into the offseason of, ‘Why were you thinking? Why did you throw that? Why were you so aggressive on that?’ Other than that, you might have to be willing to know that you might miss on a big play. Not to play hesitant, but there are situations where you don’t have to be 100 percent on making those big plays that are there to be made. If you’re willing to live with a couple of those in a season, then I think you’ll cut down on your interception percentage a lot.”

Grossman said he is headed back to his home in Florida where he will throw passes to NFL draft hopefuls at a facility three times a week. He also will spend his offseason reviewing his performances in all 13 games in which he appeared.

“At this point, I try to identify some things that physically I can get better at, and your approach and decision-making,” Grossman said. “Whether I’m here or not, that’s the process and what everybody does. You try to work on some things that you know you can do better and build on the things that you do well.”

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The latter half of the first round will still change depending on the results of the Playoffs, but the first 20 picks in the upcoming 2012 NFL Draft are just about set. There are still four picks (8/9, 11/12) that will be decided based on the results of a couple coin flips, but 16 of the first 20 picks are set, and the Washington Redskins will be picking sixth. Here is the Draft order for the first round as it stands now, according to SB Nation.

1. Indianapolis Colts, 2-14
2. St. Louis Rams, 2-14
3. Minnesota Vikings, 3-13
4. Cleveland Browns, 4-12
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 4-12
6. Washington Redskins, 5-11
7. Jacksonville Jaguars, 5-11
8. Carolina Panthers, 6-10*
9. Miami Dolphins, 6-10*
10. Buffalo Bills, 6-10
T-11. Seattle Seahawks, 7-9*
T-11. Kansas City Chiefs, 7-9*
13. Arizona Cardinals, 8-8
14. Dallas Cowboys, 8-8
15. Philadelphia Eagles, 8-8
16. New York Jets, 8-8
17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland Raiders, 8-8)
18. San Diego Chargers, 8-8
19. Chicago Bears, 8-8
20. Tennessee Titans, 9-7

*Coin flip will be used at a later date

For more on the Redskins, visit Hogs Haven.

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

Washington Redskins linebacker London Fletcher officially made four tackles in Sunday’s loss to the Eagles, giving him 166 on the season, which remains a league high.

The second-most prolific tackler this season, Minnesota’s Chad Greenway, finished the year with 152 tackles.

Fletcher’s critics say part of the reason why he has such a high tackle total is because Washington’s offense is so poor, and thus, he is on the field more.

Fletcher disagreed with that notion saying he would still find a way to make plenty of tackles even if Washington’s defense was on the field less.

“I’m going to make plays regardless of whether I’m on the field a lot or not,” the 36-year-old Fletcher said. “If you look back, we were the fourth-ranked defense, up there leading the league in tackles or close to it. I’ve been on defenses ranked second in the league, making lots of tackles then. Playmakers make plays, regardless of how much they’re on the field.”

Fletcher let out a smile following his response.

As the 14th-year veteran enters the offseason, his contract with the Redskins is set to expire. He has previously maintained, however, that he wants to return to Washington, and Redskins Coach Mike Shanahan and defensive coordinator Jim Haslett have both said re-signing Fletcher ranks as the highest priority for the defense.

Fletcher on Sunday said his future was the furthest thing from his mind, however.

“I’m still frustrated, thinking about losing 11 ballgames. When you don’t win, it frustrates you. That’s the only thing you can think about. Losing. You replay the game over and over in your head at night. I ask myself what could I have done more to help this team win games. That’s really where I’m at.”

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