Fred Bowen's "The Score" column,
September 1, 2000, Washington Post

Seems like everyone is talking about the Redskins' upcoming football season.

And why not? The Skins spent millions of dollars on star free agents Deion Sanders, Jeff George and Bruce Smith. They also picked up hotshot rookies LaVar Arrington and Chris Samuels.

People are already talking Super Bowl.

But all this preseason talk is just that: talk.

Hey, half the fun of being a fan is talking about the games before they happen. When you follow a team, it's fun to predict--and even argue about--the upcoming season's best players and toughest competition.

Our team's the Redskins, so let's talk.

* The Schedule. The Redskins have got to win some monster matchups in October. They will be playing three of the National Football League's best teams: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans. This season they also play the Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams. Now for the good news: Not one of the other teams they play had a winning record in 1999.

* The Offense. The offense scored bunches of points in the first half of last season, then struggled. This year, the Skins still have lots of ways to score:

Running back Stephen Davis will eat up the yards behind a younger, improved line. Quarterback Brad Johnson can go deep to receivers Michael Westbrook and Albert Connell. And if things bog down, you may see sweet-throwing Jeff George at quarterback.

Don't worry. The Redskins should put plenty of points on the board.

* The Defense. For the past two seasons, the Skins have paid big money for a sorry defense. Only one team (the first-year Cleveland Browns) had a worse-rated defense than the 1999 Skins.

Legends Deion Sanders and Bruce Smith will help, but they have to stay healthy. Sanders has suffered toe, knee and ankle injuries the past few seasons. And Smith . . . well, he's 37. That is ancient for a football player.

So returning Skins such as tackles Dan Wilkinson and Dana Stubblefield and cornerback Champ Bailey need to play smarter and tougher or the Skins defense will be in trouble again this year.

* The Prediction. The Redskins will be good enough to get into the playoffs. But I don't think their defense is improved enough, especially against the run, to make it all the way to the Super Bowl.

But that's just me talking.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Can the Redskins go all the way? Will they win the Super Bowl? Send us your opinion. If we print your letter you'll receive a KidsPost T-shirt. Write KidsPost, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, DC 20071. Or e-mail: kidspost@washpost.com.

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