McNabb to Redskins … interesting

The trade that sends Donovan McNabb to Washington will certainly be an interesting addition to the transactions sections of newspapers Monday morning. But does the move make Washington substantially better?

McNabb is probably a top 10 or so quarterback in the NFL, sure. But Washington went 4-12 last year not because Jason Campbell played poorly … well, maybe in part because Campbell played poorly.

But there was much more to it. First, Clinton Portis got hurt and missed half the season – and when he was healthy he appeared to be showing his age anyway.

Second, the Redskins offensive line was terrible – and that was before decade-long mainstay Chris Samuels suffered a career-ending neck injury.

Finally, the defense was no top-notch unit for the most part and head coach Jim Zorn was a lame duck from day two or three.

The Redskins did address the coaching situation by bringing in Mike Shanahan. The Portis situation … well, the Redskins have brought in Larry Johnson and Willie Parker, two veterans older than Portis who also looked to be declining in skills over the last season or two. So to say it has been addressed could be arguably accurate but to say it’s been addressed well is a question that won’t be answered for several months.

And to date the Redskins have done nothing of note to address the offensive line situation. So whether the Redskins roll with McNabb, Campbell, Joe Theismann or Sonny Jurgensen, the quarterback at this point will most likely be running for his life. And they’ve traded their second round pick this year in the deal to get McNabb.

I do think Washington will be better in 2010 just due to the better coaching staff. And McNabb likely is an upgrade over Campbell.

But I think it’s going to take more than what has gone on so far during this offseason to put the Redskins in a position to challenge for a playoff spot anytime in the near future.