Optimism Wanes

As the NFL season draws to a close(yes I know there are 5 games left for most teams), I have to turn my early optimism for the Washington Redskins into simple gratitude that they have a better than .500 record. A few weeks ago, the Redskins scaled to the top 5 power ranking by beating both the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles to go 4 and 1. Everyone then decided that this team was a force to reckon with and apologized to the Redskins for pre season remarks about what was surely to be a poor season. Now, 6 games later, the skins have gone 3 and 3 and have not beatin a team with a winning record. Tonight they continued the trend of squeaking by a lesser team, while being in jeopardy of losing the entire time. With 20 points this week, a total some would call an offensive explosion, the team endured. However, as many of the leagues best teams are scoring 30, 40, or even 50 points in some games, the skins continue to struggle in the red zone. They have failed to score in the 30's once this year and have rarely made it into the 20's. Not so impressive for a team with a one time top 5 power ranking. Clinton Portis continues to lay it out each week, regardless of the injuries that he seems to collect thru out a game. He is proving his toughness with every carry. I must admit, I have underestimated him as a back. Now, for the ones I take aim at as far as being most to blame for the offensive ineptitude. Jason Campbell- I realize he has had to endure 7+ offensive schemes and coordinators in the last 8 years, but lets face it, he is not a franchise QB. At best, he is a quarterback that can make some plays, but not the big plays. As a fan, you can only hope that he does not lose the game for you. That should be his goal each game, to keep the Skins in the game and lesson his mistakes. Cause God only knows, he does not do much in the way of on field heroics.
Next, Antwan Randel El. What a waste of space. Not only has he dropped numerous balls at the most inopportune times, he absolutely sucks as a punt returner. He either does one of two things these days. He fair catches most opportunities regardless of where he is on the field or how many yards he has between him and the closest defender. Or, he gains a maximum of 2 yards per return. For the amount he cost this team to acquire, he has been a true let down. Even if he has the ability(though we have rarely seen it) to throw a TD pass, he doesnt get the job done. Brandon Lloyd would be a welcome site these days.
Enough of that. I love this team, but I am tired of getting my hopes up for a team that has not been able to score more than 20pts in the past 4 to 5 years. Here's hoping to a good draft/free agent off-season to shore up those areas that affect this team most. And by the way, could we possibly get a few receivers that are taller than 5'8? Wow, at the least the Fun Bunch of the 80's had 1 receiver over 6 feet tall.