Can The Redskins Make A Jump Forward?

The Washington Redskins are entering an interesting year, not because it's Kirk Cousins's contract year, but because this team will have to contend in a tough division with teams like the Cowboys and the ever-improved Giants and Eagles. But can they finally make a jump forward and maybe make some noise this season?

Let's recap what happened to the Washington Redskins in this offseason. There was a lot of drama and a lot of players that let this team. Two seasons ago, they actually won the NFC East. Since then, it's been a mess. This offseason, they fired GM SCot McCloughan and many have viewed it as clumsy and as the lowest point in the organization for the Redskins, because he actually admitted to having a drinking problem and it seemed like they didn't do anything about it. It made the biggest problem in what may be seem as a quiet offseason, but to me, it wasn't all that quiet.

Then there was the Cousins drama. Cousins did not want to take a big contract with this team and instead they franchised him again. Now, Cousins will have to play another year and he'll have to prove he's worth a long-term contract and the money they'll be paying him not only for this season but perhaps for another season as well.

The Redskins will also have to deal with a new offensive coordinator, after Sean McVay left to take the head coaching job in Los Angeles. McVay was critical for Cousins's success last season, and now it looks like Cousins will have to work with a new offense in a new situation sort-of.

The Redskins also lost two wide receiver stars in both Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson. Terrelle Pryor could replace some of that offensive output, but we don't even know how he might fit into this scheme. Plus, Jackson is one of the best receivers in the NFL. The Redskins might've looked stupid not to bring him back.

Losing defense is not a great sign for this team either in losing defensive end Chris Baker and defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois. They did bring in guys like linebacker Zach Brown and tackles Stacy McGee and Terrell McClain, though we're left to wonder how they'll mix in with this Washington defense.

So what does this all mean for the Redskins? Are we going to see a jump forward and put them in contention? Or are we looking at another season of being outside the playoff picture? I believe that the NFC East is going to be one of the tougher divisions to compete in. Let's face it: The Cowboys, the Giants, and the Eagles all improved this offseason, with the Giants having been a significant team that jumped forward. I'm not buying enough into Kirk Cousins to believe that he can make siginificant progress, especially under a new offensive coordinator with perhaps a new scheme. The defense last season wasn't really great and I don't really expect them to change all that much, and I believe DeSean Jackson's absence is going to hurt them tremendously. Terrelle Pryor doesn't bring the same skill and power that Jackson had, as well as Pierre Garcon, so it's worrisome.

To me, the Washington Redskins just look like a bunch of idiots. Kirk Cousins looks like he's not going to stay there after this season. He could end up in San Francisco or Los Angeles this season and he's betting on himself against a division that's very tough. And I believe the Redskins are going to end up on the outside of that division because of that.

So while they seemed to have maybe an okay offseason, I don't think it's enough to make any noise or make any significant progress in this division. Therefore, I believe it's going to be another season of disappointment in Washington and I believe it's going to be the season where Kirk Cousins is going to do well but not enough. So I see the Redskins finishing maybe 5-11 or so and missing the playoffs. The division is tough, no doubt about that, but the drama surrounding this team and how they handled their offseason might sink this team sometime this season.

News To Josh Rosen: College Is Hard Work

Josh Rosen's recent comments about school and football seemed to have turned many former and current college football players against him, and it's certainly gotten the attention of his head coach.

UCLA head coach Dan Mora appeared on an episode of The Dan Patrick Show and was asked about his quarterback's recent comments on football not being in college, and he said, "We...know he's an incredibly intelligent young man that does have opinions. Oftentimes, those opinions are conveyed to others because he is trying to bring attention to some who are less fortunate or have less than he does, and at times he feels are being taken advantage of." Mora also told Patrick that his words will have consequences and it certainly already has, such as people like head coach David Shaw of Stanford and former Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones, who at one time actually said that college was a waste of time, before backtracking on those comments.

Now, as I had said yesterday about Josh Rosen, he has comments that are fine to express. He's not afraid to share them and he's also not afraid to go after the big guns at the universities. Sure, he might put them on edge, but he's not afraid to share them.

But my message to Josh Rosen and to football players suffering the same fate have always been clear: There is never an easy road through this. He talks about college and football being two full-time jobs. Well, let me give you an earful, buddy: My mom went to college and you know what. She had to have a full-time job in order to pay for it. It was all out of her own money. She worked hard at her place of employment just so she could put herself through college and get a degree, and you know what, she tells me that she wouldn't be successful if it weren't for that. She didn't have any help and she managed to get through it.

So you know what, Rosen? You don't have anything to say about this. I know you've had an opinion and you expressed it, but college is not a place of flowers and happy time. It's very, very hard work and I've been to college and I know what the college side is like. Not saying you know it too, but you should've damn well knew that both college and football were going to be tough days. Nothing ever comes easy, and certainly not college and football.

Josh Rosen, although I love the kid, his words are going to fall to Earth like nothing ever happened. He probably put some colleges on the edge of their seats on this issue but you know what, they shouldn't. Rosen is bringing up an issue we already knew about and one we are not going to address, because we don't need to. You know what he needs: A better schedule and a better way to handle time management, because that's what this kid doesn't have, it seems.

So schools and colleges should just go about their business. They should turn a blind eye to this and tell kids to suck it up and deal with it, because college is not meant to be easy. It's mean to help kids grow in life and sometimes working two full-time jobs is necessary. It's not fun, it's not great, but at times it's necessary. And that's how we become successful. Hopefully, Josh Rosen can hear my message and understand that. I've been to college, I know what it's like, and I got my degree. Maybe Josh Rosen can learn a thing or two about that.

Good for Jim Mora to come out and say what he said. His words have consequences and they will with many players, coaches, and athletes around the NCAA. Many realize this and they understand the sacrifices they make to do this kind of work: Both in football and in college. Hopefully, this kid will learn that as well, and deal with it, because the end result of doing two full-time jobs can actually be a successful career.

A College Football Change?

College football and school can be tough and hard to manage at times and for one current college quarterback, he believe it's time to change the way college football impacts them as students.

UCLA QB Josh Rosen told Bleacher Report on Tuesday that football and academics "don't go together."

Rosen is now a junior at UCLA and says that his demands as a student-athlete have led him to the realization that "human beings don't belong in school with our schedules."

Rosen believes that not only being an economics major is hard, but that also being a college football player is "like trying to do two full-time jobs," and says that many students are not well-equipped enough to balance both school and football commitments.

He believes that there's one way to fix it, however, and that is to raise the academic requirements and he believe it will hinder most programs, so that players can automatically jump to the NFL without having to go to college.

Rosen said about it, "There are guys who have no business being in school, but they're here because this is the path to the NFL...There's no other way. Then there's the other side that says raise the SAT eligibility requirements. OK, raise the SAT requirement at Alabama and see what kind of team they have. You lose athletes, and then the product on the field suffers."

Wow, seemed like a shot at Alabama.

Anyway, that being said, does Rosen have a point and is it time for college football to either change the way it affects student-athletes or is it time to start getting rid of it altogether? I think change is probably necessary, just because I hear a lot of stories about student-athletes having to be both a student and an athlete at the same time, and we usually hear it with big-name colleges who put a lot of emphasis on academics like Stanford, like UCLA, and many others.

I'm only going to speak from experience in this case: Being a student is definitely hard-work, and it does feel like a full-time work because you have so much to balance, and I would imagine being an athlete as well puts a lot more pressure on you not only to succeed but to be the best athlete ever at the college you're at. Now I've never been an athlete, but I do understand the hard rigors of college and what they expect out for you, so I get Josh Rosen and why he feels this way.

I do say change is necessary, but I wouldn't necessarily say it's about the program or about the student himself. He did say something about time management and that student-athletes haven't been great at it. I would like to see them get more help from people like counselors or professors or academic help, just because I'm not exactly sure that they fully utilize what they have in front of them in that regard, when they need it. I believe that is a crucial element in trying to fix time management. I also believe in things like study groups and all that, just because I think it's also important to get help from homework and other things with each other. So there's a couple of things that can be done to effectively use time management and be able to succeed in two things.

But Rosen needs to understand one thing: It's definitely a grind. College is not always meant to be pretty and fun and all that. It's definitely something where you do have to grind it out and every day and work the best you can to succeed. I understand why he feels stressed out and all that to meet expectations in two different, but similar things, but I think the NCAA and the schools should come together and figure out how best to help athletes succeed on the field and on the classroom. Let's face it: If Rosen is saying what he is saying, then I don't believe schools are doing enough yet to fully help these kids succeed in school and on the field. Hopefully, there'll come a time when they can do it.