The Philadelphia Eagles have nothing at stake against the Washington Redskins on Jan. 1. Eagles fans like myself can only root for a .500 record that is completely misleading to how 2011 really went – and a loss doesn’t seem likely to get Andy Reid fired anyway. The Redskins have nothing to play for either, since they are 5-10 and stuck in last place yet again.

This makes the Eagles-Redskins battle completely meaningless as a whole. What’s more, it is even more embarrassing since it is one of the few Week 17 games that have absolutely no stakes at all.

There are only two other games that will not make any impact on the playoff picture or on the top of the NFL draft order. The 7-8 Chicago Bears visit the 3-12 Minnesota Vikings, after the Bears got knocked out of the playoff race and the Vikings knocked themselves out of the race for Andrew Luck. Meanwhile, the 7-8 Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals do battle with only an 8-8 record on the line for the winner.

Every other game means something in some way for some team – and even the Indianapolis Colts-Jacksonville Jaguars battle is huge since it will settle the No. 1 draft pick one way or the other. The other finales will determine postseason berths and playoff seeding for one or both teams in action. But the Eagles and Redskins are completely free of such worries, however.

Washington is used to just playing out the last game of the season with nothing to shoot for, but it is a different story for Philadelphia. It is either resting for the postseason, trying to secure a better seed or seeking to clinch a spot in the playoffs by now. Instead, the Eagles are only attempting to reach .500 and not have any injuries that will impact the start of 2012.

Considering the rest of the high impact action in Week 17, there is no reason to tune into the Eagles-Redskins game over all the others, unless one is a fan of these teams. Unfortunately, myself and others are stuck with the Eagles and will have to yawn through the finale. In between, we will either be infuriated that Philadelphia couldn’t win four straight earlier in the season, or be mad at only the third losing season in the Reid era.

There is a slim chance that this finale could be historic as the last game in Philadelphia for Reid and DeSean Jackson, but we won’t know that for sure for weeks or months. For the moment, this is the most boring and meaningless Week 17 Eagles game in a long time, and perhaps the most boring Week 17 battle in the NFL as a whole.

Robert Dougherty is a life-long Philadelphia resident who has followed the Eagles since he was eight years old.

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On Thursday, NFL.com reported that Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson is confident of remaining with the AFC East outfit for 2012.

But the Washington Redskins should give the pending free agent something else to think about. The 25-year-old pass-catcher has proved himself to be one of the most dynamic young wideouts in the game.

Johnson has broken the 2,000-yard mark in receiving in the past two seasons combined and is clearly a player on the rise. He has the kind of playmaking skills that would make him the focal point of the Redskins pass offense.

The 6’2″, 210-pounder possesses the kind of physical intangibles Mike Shanahan likes in a receiver. He is also an intelligent route runner with a knack for getting open.

Drops have blighted Johnson’s game at times. These struggles have hurt the Bills at critical moments in more than one game during the last two seasons.

He has also courted controversy thanks to his elaborate and flamboyant end zone celebrations. But at 25, Johnson is young enough to eradicate such bad habits from his game.

Johnson’s costly drops and the backlash to some of his on the field antics could make the Bills shy away from offering him premium terms. This would open the door for Bruce Allen to tempt Johnson to D.C.

The Redskins desperately need a legitimate big-play weapon at wide receiver. Given the number of pass plays Kyle Shanahan likes to call, his offense must have a clear, No. 1 flanker to target.

Johnson has the skill set to be that player. He is a younger alternative to the likes of Vincent Jackson and would benefit from the influence of veterans Santana Moss and Jabar Gaffney.

If the Redskins do opt to select a quarterback with their first pick in the draft, giving him a target like Johnson to throw to, would only make the rookie’s job easier.

Pairing a more accurate passer with a weapon as prolific as Johnson, could see the Redskins offense light up some scoreboards in 2012.

Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan acknowledged Friday he began watching game film of college quarterbacks at midseason.

It’s no secret that the Redskins need improved quarterback play — Rex Grossman is tied for the NFL lead with 24 turnovers in only 12 starts — so Shanahan’s admission is not necessarily major. And Shanahan also implied this is not an unusual practice.

But Shanahan long ago turned some of his attention toward possible replacements for Grossman and John Beck.

“I’ve probably already looked at 10 or 15 of them,” Shanahan said. “I’ll take a half hour a day early in the morning — the tapes are made up. I’ll take a look at maybe 75, 80 plays of just a guy throwing the football in game situations, and so that’s most of the passes — or at least the good passes — during the season just so I get a feel for the guy.

“You’ve got names; sometimes you can’t relate to how a guy is playing because you hear a lot about it on TV, but a lot of it’s hype and not evaluation. So you like to go back and kind of put the play with the name.”

Washington already has secured a last-place finish in the NFC East prior to Sunday’s season finale at Philadelphia, so interview topics with the head coach this week drifted forward to the Redskins‘ offseason plan.

There’s only 118 days until the Redskins go on the clock, and in little more than 48 hours from now, their spot in the draft order will be finalized.

Beck sees a brighter future

Backup quarterback John Beck’s season did not go as planned, but he’s still encouraged about his future with the Redskins.

“Oh heck yes, I definitely want to be back,” he said Friday. “That thought hasn’t even crossed my mind.”

Beck is under contract for 2012, so he’d be denied that opportunity only if the team releases him. He wants to earn that chance, though, by making the most of the upcoming offseason.

Last spring — his first offseason in the Redskins‘ offense — he missed out on the offseason program because of the lockout. He already has reached out to offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan about scheduling offseason work for the upcoming months.

He wants to build on the positives and negatives of his ill-fated three-start midseason stint.

“I’m excited for this offseason,” Beck said. “I just want to get better. That’s the number one thing for me. There’s no rearview mirror. I’m just ready to work my tail off.”

Jenkins‘ rehab progressing well

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The NFL has fined Washington Redskins safety Reed Doughty $15,000 for a hit on Minnesota Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder in last Sunday’s game.

On the play late in the first quarter, Ponder took off scrambling and started sliding to avoid being tackled. Doughty laid a hit on the quarterback and was flagged for unnecessary roughness.

After the game, Doughty contended that he already was in the act of tackling and didn’t have time to avoid coming in contact with Ponder.

Later in the game, linebacker London Fletcher knocked Ponder out of the game with a legal hit that left the passer with a concussion.

Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said that although the season has yet to come to an end, he already has begun evaluating the top college quarterbacks.

Shanahan said he makes a habit of evaluating college quarterback play at the start of each day, watching tapes given to him by the team’s pro and college scouts.

“I’ve already looked at 10 or 15 of them,” Shanahan said Friday afternoon. “I’ll take half-hour a day, early in the morning. The tapes are made up. I’ll look at maybe 75, 80 plays of just a guy throwing the football in game situations and so that’s most of the passes, or at least the good passes during the season, just so I get a feel for the guy.”

Shanahan said he “usually” starts breaking down quarterback midway through the season. Midway through the season was the same time that the coach benched John Beck after three games and went back to Rex Grossman.

“You’ve got names, but some times you can’t relate to how a guy’s playing because you hear a lot about it on TV, but a lot of it’s hype and not evaluation,” Shanahan said. “So, you like to go back and kind of put the play with the name.”

Shanahan didn’t share any insight on what he thinks of the upcoming quarterback draft class.