Redskins Reboot... Strasberg the Savior... Traffic Trauma...

The baby steps toward the regular season continue with Pittsburgh stopping by Fed Ex Field this evening...believe it or not, the last time the Steelers dropped by Landover they were the team with question marks (having gotten manhandled by the Giants in their previous game) while the Skins were the squad flying high at 6-2. Sixty minutes later (and after backup QB Byron Leftwich shined against his hometown team) the Steelers had resolve and the Redskins were beginning to dissolve. I'm not one to put too much on laundry-- but the Redskins "Burgundy jerseys and pants" began a 2-6 stretch. I'm not saying it was the offensive line or Portis getting banged up...but sometimes ugly uniform combinations can carry karmic consequences.

Questions to be answered--
How long will we see the starters? Coach Jim Zorn said it's not fixed on a certain amount of plays or time--but a certain amount of progress he wants to see on the field. It'll be nice to see Haynesworth in legitimate action.

Who's number two? Santana Moss is the team's alpha receiver-- and Antwan Randle-El, Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas all have claims, legitimate or not, to the other side...even though conventional wisdome says Randle-El is probably most effective as a #3 out of the slot.

In order for a kicking competition... the offense has to get into position to score for the legs of Shaun Suisham and Dave Rayner to be tested... and the team needs to score for their kickoff legs to be evaluated more than once.

This week's offensive line challenge...will be the Steelers vaunted zone-blitz. Althoug it's technically a 3-4 formation... all four linebackers rush while both defensive ends drop back in pass coverage from time to time. The only fixed position in the front seven is the nose-- I guess making this a 1-6 (or 1-7 if you count the safety creeping up for pass rush possibilities). The way the Steelers have gone about getting the right personnel for this specialized base defense over the years has been pretty incredible...it seems as though they always have depth ready to be plugged in whenever they lose a high-priced free agent that somehow isn't as effective with his new team. There's been talk over the years of an assistant coaches wing in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (Joe Bugel and Richie Pettibon among those names bandied about)--if there is then the zone blitz archictect Dick LeBeau definitely needs to be in Canton.

While the Nationals present is shall we say, less than ideal... the future was front and center this week. The team may be destined to reach the century mark in losses...but at least there appears to be a trail to contention.

Monday the team signed first round pick Stephen Strasburg to a $15.1 contract... a little over a minute before the deadline. This gives the club credibility as a franchise committed to winning and not just the balance sheet-- a residual effect will be prospective free agents will view the Nationals that much more seriously.

Thursday the team promoted interim general manager Mike Rizzo to VP and General Manager... to move in a different direction would push whatever rebuilding plan the team has back at least a season-- and Rizzo's made several solid moves since taking over on an interim basis during Spring Training. My favorite remains the trade for Nyjer Morgan that solidified centerfield defensively while providing a sparkplug to the top of the lineup.

Friday the Nats held a midday press conference to introduce Strasburg to the media and fans--arming the pitcher with a #37 jersey as well as his immediate itinerary: Instructional ball in Florida before the Arizona Fall League. His potential timetable obviously rests on more than a few variables: how effective is he in spring training...where he winds up in April (smart money has Strasburg starting in AA)... plus how he adjusts and fares to competition. The final variable in Strasburg's journey to DC is how thin the Nats starting pitching is... if it's anything like this year's bullpen we could be seeing #37 by the All-Star break next year. A safe bet is he shines at several stops before getting the September callup-and is on the 2011 opening day roster.

Thank goodness they weren't introducing Strasberg to the media Saturday... There's a confluence of events in the evening-- with the Nats hosting Milwaukee at Nationals Park (7:05), Redskins-Steelers (7:30) at Fed Ex Field and the DC United playing the Los Angeles Galaxy at RFK (7:30) there will be plenty of congestion. In order to get to any of the three locations on time you should have left yesterday afternoon...happy commuting.