Washington Redskins look better, but they may not get to the NFL playoffs

The Washington Redskins open their season Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys. Washington has made a lot of changes since last year's disastrous National Football League season, when the team had a record of four wins and 12 losses. Let's take a look at how the Redskins football jersey
have changed.
First, Washington has a new head coach. Mike Shanahan is a proven winner who led the Denver Broncos to Super Bowl championships in 1998 and 1999. He should be a big improvement over former coach Jim Zorn.
The Redskins also have a new quarterback, Donovan McNabb. McNabb is another winner. He led the Philadelphia Eagles to the National Football Conference (NFC) championship game five times, and to the Super Bowl in 2005. But Washington fans will have to get used to rooting for, instead of against, the former Eagles star.
I like Jason Campbell, the Redskins quarterback last season, and I hope he does well with the Oakland Raiders. But McNabb is probably better than Campbell.
The Redskins also added some much-needed power to the offensive line, which is the quarterback's main protection. First-round draft pick Trent Williams, as well as veterans Jammal Brown and Artis Hicks, should do a pretty good job of keeping the defense away from McNabb.
With all these changes, do the Redskins have a chance for a winning season -- and maybe even the playoffs? I don't think so, and here's why.
First, the Redskins would have to win five more games to Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
have a winning record. That's a big assignment for any team. Still, four teams -- the Cincinnati Bengals, San Diego Chargers, Green Bay Packers and Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints -- all improved by five or more wins last season. So maybe the Redskins will pull it off this year.
The second reason I don't think the Redskins will have a winning season is that they have a rough schedule. As they do every year, they have to play their always-tough NFC East division rivals, the Cowboys, Eagles and New York Giants, twice. Washington didn't win a game against any of those teams last season. In addition, the Redskins go up against such Super Bowl contenders as the Indianapolis Colts (14-2 last season), Minnesota Vikings (12-4) and Green Bay PackersDallas Cowboys jersey
(11-5).
Finally, the team doesn't have many solid substitutes in case of injuries, which always happen during a long, hard-hitting NFL season. That could hurt the Redskins' chances. If McNabb goes down (as he did in the preseason with an injured ankle), watch out: Rex Grossman, who was never a star during his six years with the Chicago Bears, would be the starting quarterback. Or if some of the new offensive linemen get hurt, the 34-year-old McNabb will have to run for his life.