Just a quick note to let readers know that I'm moving to a new home here at SportsBlog.com. The new site is BroomOnTheWarpath.sportsblog.com.

I'm excited about the move. The new site will be heavily focused on the Redskins, naturally, but will also offer the opportunity to write about other DC sports teams.

I invite you to join me at my new web home to talk Redskins football...and other stuff.

The talk in DC this week has been about how the Redskins "should win" this weekend's game against the St. Louis Rams. Such talk makes me nervous -- for the past several seasons, the pre-game talk in most cities has been about how their team "should win" against the Redskins. Coming off 3 consecutive sub-.500 seasons (4 straight years with a negative scoring differential -- a more meaningful measure of team strength than record), the Skins (and their fans) have no business talking about any game as a "should win" proposition.

That's not to say that Washington shouldn't be favored. They appear to be the better team, and they'll kickoff as 3.5-point favorites Sunday afternoon. But, anyone can beat anyone in the NFL, especially a team like the Redskins, which hasn't shown the ability in the past few seasons to follow up a strong performance one week with a strong performance the next.

So, here are five keys to Washington beating the St. Louis Rams and running their record to 2-0:

1. Control Chris Long -- Long took a couple years to hit his stride after being picked 2nd overall in the 2008 draft, but the defensive end has emerged as a pass-rushing force. He has increased his sack total each year of his career -- last season he had 13. The job of stopping him from crushing rookie QB Robert Griffin III falls primarily to Tyler Polumbus, the street free agent Washington picked up in mid-season last year. Polumbus struggled in both run and pass protection last week, so I'd anticipate seeing the coaching staff giving him some help -- at minimum with some chip blocks from tight ends and/or running backs.
2. Find the Tight Ends Early and Often -- Last season, the Rams allowed just 33 receiving yards per game to opposing tight ends. In week one, the Lions torched them for 126. The Redskins tight ends were fairly quiet against the Saints, but Fred Davis and Niles Paul are potentially dangerous weapons. Paul, in particular, has a unique combination of size and speed that makes him a tough matchup for opposing linebackers and safeties. I anticipate seeing the Skins finding ways to target him Sunday against the Rams.
3. Shut Down the St. Louis Receivers -- On defense, Washington has a good line and first-rate linebackers. Their secondary: sucks. The Rams lack playmakers in their receiving corps, but the Redskins lackluster defensive backs still must play well to shut them down. A good pass rush will help, but they're still going to need to cover better than they did in the preseason and against the Saints.
4. Beat Up Sam Bradford -- A good way to limit the Rams' passing attack will be to knock the quarterback down with regularity. The St. Louis offensive line was iffy even before injuries to a couple starters. Outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan was virtually unstoppable against New Orleans, and Brian Orakpo was nearly as good. If the Redskins can get to Bradford consistently, the St. Louis passing game will grind to a halt.
5. Solid Play from RG3 -- Griffin was terrific against the Saints -- arguably the best rookie debut performance in league history. He probably won't be that good against St. Louis, but then he really doesn't need to be. If he can make good decisions, throw the ball with accuracy and use his feet to stay out of trouble, there's enough on film to make this offense score regularly.

There are a few things I'd like to see this week from the Skins. Chief among them, a better ground attack. Last week, they ground out yardage, but it took a TON of carries. Rookie Alfred Morris carried much of the load, but admitted in post-game interviews that he didn't gain as many yards as he could have because he too often took the wrong path when carrying the ball. Morris is a sturdy physical runner, but if he can't correct that issue, the Skins will need to turn back to Evan Royster and Roy Helu.

On the defensive side, I'm hoping to see better play from Jarvis Jenkins. Jenkins showed great promise in the team's 2011 training camp before wrecking his knee in a preseason game. He's working his way back, but hasn't returned to that "immovable force" style of play yet.

Perhaps my biggest worry for Sunday is returner Brandon Banks. He's an exciting player, but fumbles way too much for my taste. Last week, he laid the ball on the ground twice, which has to be cause for concern. If he can't hang on to the ball, Washington will need to find someone else to return kicks.

Prediction

Washington Redskins 27
St. Louis Rams 18

The Redskins opened the season by going to New Orleans and defying nearly everyone's expectations, including mine. They thumped the Saints -- a team that was supposed to be fired up after being put through the Bounty Gate wringer -- with an artificially narrow margin of victory. Even as the Saints rallied to make the score closer, the Skins' remained firmly in control of the game.

The post-game chatter was mainly about rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III, who merely had the best rookie opener in league history. Helped by an imaginative gameplan from offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, Griffin looked every bit a superstar in the making. There were three specific things I particularly liked about his performance last Sunday:

1. Quick Release: The last first round QB in Washington was Jason Campbell, whose throws went something like this: That guy's open...I should throw...windup...and...there it goes. And by the time all that happens, the receiver is covered or Campbell got hit, or something. With Griffin, it goes like this: Open? FIRE! When he decides to throw, the ball is gone -- with velocity.
2. Quick Reads: Traditionally, the problem with rookie quarterbacks has not been physical. That is to say, youngsters were more than capable to play in the NFL. The trouble was between the ears. The game happens fast, and young QBs often have trouble reading coverages and recognizing which receiver is likely to be open. Griffin seemed to know before the snap where he wanted to go with the ball, and -- even better -- didn't lock in on his primary receiver. On the long touchdown throw, Pierre Garcon was not the primary target. The play was designed to go to tight end Niles Paul.
3. Quick Feet: One of Griffin's major selling points coming out of college was his world class speed. The Skins offensive staff made good use of that mobility with designed runs, boot legs and read options. Griffin also used his legs to stretch plays out when receivers were initially covered -- usually not to run, but rather to wait for a receiver to break free downfield. 

It'll be interesting to see what happens from here. The Skins showed little of their offense in the preseason, which meant the Saints couldn't study any film and prepare. They were constantly adapting, and by the time they'd figured out a way to stop one offensive concept, the Skins were on to the next.

In theory, life should get tougher for the offense going forward as defensive coordinators are able to study film. However, the Skins still have other concepts planned that they haven't used yet. Plus, with an array of strategies available, defenses have to prepare for all of them. Yes, the Redskins might curtail designed runs for Griffin, but defenses still have to be ready for those plays. And, Washington can always go "conventional" because a) the Shanahan offensive system has proven successful in the NFL, and b) Griffin is an excellent passer.

All that said, there will be hiccups along the way. He's not going to be great every week. The test for Griffin is the same as it is for every player who has a great game: to do it again. Not necessarily to be "great" every game, but to play with consistent excellence. Pro sports is littered with players who had one great game. Great players are the guys who perform well repeatedly.

My feeling is that Griffin is going to end up in that latter group -- the great players who sustain excellence for years. It's gonna be fun to watch.

After a disappointing 2011 campaign, the Redskins consoled themselves with dreams of a dramatically retooled roster. They traded a king's ransom for the second pick in the draft, which they used on Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III. They prepped for a targeted free agent spending binge using the cap space they'd carved out in the previous two seasons.

And then, just 12 hours before free agency was to commence, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell yanked the rug from under the Skins, penalizing the team $36 million in cap space ($18 million this season and $18 million next season) for moves the Skins made in the league's uncapped 2010 season. The league office told the Redskins brass that the team had broken no rules and had done nothing wrong, but that they would be penalized anyway for violating the league's illegal agreement to limit player salaries during that uncapped year, and for gaining an "unfair" competitive advantage in future years. Yeah, I'm still bitter.

Abruptly left with far fewer free agent dollars, Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen turned to plan B, which basically involved not signing the guys they'd hoped to sign, and signing "bargains" instead. We'll see.

Here's a quick rundown of the team, unit by unit:

• Quarterback: The change from one RGIII (Rex Grossman) to another (umm...Robert Griffin III) is the move that grabbed the most attention all offseason. Now it's time to see if Griffin actually is an improvement over Grossman. While hopes and expectations are astronomical for Griffin, keep in mind that rookie QBs aren't usually winners. Griffin is likely to struggle at times this season -- Skins fans need to keep that in mind. The other rookie, Kirk Cousins, looked good in preseason and showed the makings of a solid NFL backup. Unit: IMPROVED
  
• Running Back: Washington went into last season intending to lean heavily on Tim Hightower, whom they acquired in an offseason trade. Backing him up were a couple rookies: Evan Royster and Roy Helu Jr. Then Hightower wrecked his knee, and Helu and Royster each were productive runners when given the opportunity to play. This season, Hightower's knee still isn't right, so they cut him. That leaves Royster, Helu and rookie Alfred Morris to share the position. The coaching staff released a depth chart, but pay no attention to that -- they plan to play whoever they think is doing the best work. They won't even say who's going to start Sunday (my guess is Morris). Despite the lack of a household name, there's no reason to worry: Shanahan has a long history of finding productive runners for his offensive system. Unit: ABOUT THE SAME.
• Offensive Line: I went into the offseason thinking this was actually the team's biggest need -- even ahead of QB. Perhaps because of the salary cap penalty, perhaps because the line actually performed decently in the last few weeks of the season, the Skins added some depth, but didn't bring in the 2-3 new starters I thought they needed. The line that ended last season is basically the one that will start this one. Washington even brought back Jammal Brown, who's been struggling with a bad hip for the past 3 years. I'm going to call the line slightly improved because they added some depth, but the line is still past-due for a major overhaul. Unit: SLIGHT IMPROVEMENT.
• Wide Receiver: The team added two new starters in Pierre Garcon and Josh Morgan, and they're getting back Leonard Hankerson, who had been showing signs of production before hurting his hip last season. Santana Moss, long miscast as the team's #1 receiver, is going to be playing in the slot more often -- a perfect role for his size and physical abilities. Dezmon Briscoe -- a guy who caught 6 TD passes as a rookie -- is on the roster as a 5th receiver. Unit: IMPROVED.
• Tight End: A week before final cutdowns, Washington released TE stalwart and fan favorite Chris Cooley. It was a sad moment, but unsurprising given Cooley's injury problems the past few seasons and his high salary. Fred Davis is back from his substance abuse suspension on a one-year "show me" deal. Niles Paul converted from WR, and is exciting coaches with his speed, agility and pass-catching ability from the TE spot. Logan Paulsen is an earth-moving blocker. Unit: IMPROVED.
• Defensive Line: This is basically the same group as last year with one big exception -- last year's 2nd round pick, Jarvis Jenkins. Jenkins hurt his knee in the 2011 preseason and missed the entire season. He's a load at DE in the 3-4 and will be pushing starter Adam Carriker for playing time. Chris Baker replaces the Chris Neild as the reserve nose tackle. This is a position Washington addressed last year, and the free agents (Barry Cofield and Stephen Bowen) still look terrific along the line. Unit: SAME.
• Linebackers: Like the defensive line, the linebacking corps is largely unchanged. Like the d-line, that's a good thing. The front 7 was a strength, and the Skins didn't try to fix what wasn't broken. Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan are back on the edges. They re-signed the ageless London Fletcher in the middle. Rising star Perry Riley is back as well. Improvement will come from the individual players getting better: Orakpo working on his pass rushing skills; Kerrigan building on an outstanding rookie year; Riley returning as a full-time starter. Unit: IMPROVED.
• Cornerback: The starters are the same -- DeAngelo Hall and Josh Wilson. The backups have changed, and maybe Cedric Griffin is a slight upgrade over what they had last year. Richard Crawford is a rookie who showed promise in camp, but...like all rookies...hasn't seen real NFL action yet. CB remains a relatively weak part of the Washington roster. Unit: SAME.
• Safety: In many ways, the Skins have never really recovered from the murder of Sean Taylor. Last year, Washington hoped to pair Laron Landry with Oshiomogho Atogwe, but neither guy could stay healthy. The team parted ways with both during the offseason. They likely hoped to use some free agency money to address the position, but ended up pulling Brandon Merriweather and Madieu Williams off the scrap heap. Merriweather hurt a knee in preseason and the team is likely back to Reed Doughty. Second year man DeJon Gomes is pushing Williams for that free safety job. Unit: SIGNIFICANTLY WORSE.
• Special Teams: The only change from last year's group is kicker Billy Cundiff replacing Graham Gano. I didn't see the point in that change (Cundiff is basically an older version of Gano), but it can't be viewed as a step back. Sav Rocca is a solid punter. Brandon Banks is back as the punt and kickoff returner, which makes lots of fans happy...but not me. I thought Banks made more bad plays in the return game than good, and that he frequently cost the team field position with poor decision making and his lack of size and strength. I'd have rather seen them go a different direction in the return game. Unit: SAME.

Overall, the Redskins should be better this season than they were last year. They're better on offense, and their defense should be solid again -- if the secondary can hold up. They're not as far along as they could have been if they hadn't been hammered with that preposterous salary cap penalty. I seriously doubt they'd have gone into the season with such a gaping hole at safety and without adding a starter or two on the offensive line.

Still, let's keep in mind that Washington is starting a rookie QB. I expect the Skins to make progress this year, although it may not show fully in the team's record. This season is primarily about one thing: the development of Robert Griffin III. If Griffin is on the path to NFL greatness, Washington is likely to be a relevant team for the next 10-15 years. If not...they're in serious trouble.

Predictions

1. @ New Orleans: L 0-1
   
2. @ St. Louis: W 1-1
3. Cincinnati: W 2-1
4. @ Tampa Bay: W 3-1
5. Atlanta: L 3-2
6. Minnesota: W 4-2
7. @ New York Giants: L 4-3
8. @ Pittsburgh: L 4-4
9. Carolina: W 5-4
10. Philadelphia: L 5-5
11. @ Dallas: L 5-6
12. New York Giants: W 6-6
13. Baltimore: L 6-7
14. @ Cleveland: W 7-7
15. @ Philadelphia: L 7-8
16. Dallas: L 7-9
    

I went into writing this post thinking the Skins might have screwed up when they abruptly changed kickers -- going from a Graham Gano vs. Neil Rackers competition (which Gano apparently won) to cutting Gano and replacing him with Billy Cundiff, who'd been cut by the Ravens.

When I dug a bit deeper, the evidence suggests to me that there really wasn't much point in making the move, except for one thing (which I'll get to in a moment).

Since 2000, 30 NFL kickers have at least 50 field goal attempts in their first three seasons. Gano ranks 26th in accuracy -- in a virtual tie with guess who...Billy Cundiff. In his first 3 seasons, Cundiff converted on 55-74 FGA -- 74.3%. Gano was 59-80, 73.8%. In effect, the Redskins swapped Gano for an older version of himself.

And, just worth mentioning, Cundiff really hasn't gotten more accurate: his career average after 8 seasons is 76.7%.

Weirdly, the guy who ranks 30th among those 30 kickers? Neil Rackers, who's been more accurate throughout his career than either Gano or Cundiff.

There's just no "big difference" between Gano and Cundiff, however. One small difference is that Cundiff has generated more touchbacks on kickoffs than Gano -- although it's difficult to say whether that's because of a stronger leg or because of strategic decisions (directional kickoffs, intentionally short kickoffs to force a return).

Back in 2011, Brian Burke at Advanced NFL Stats analyzed the value of Cundiff's kickoffs and found that his 40 touchbacks were worth 20 quarterback sacks in terms of the field position advantage they gave his team. Burke hasn't updated his analysis, so there's no information on whether that same relationship held true when kickoffs were moved from the 30 to the 35 yard line last season.

For the sake of discussion, I'm going to assume that 2 touchbacks equals 1 sack -- the ratio Burke found in 2011. Last season, Cundiff posted 43 touchbacks -- equivalent to 21.5 QB sacks. Gano had 32 touchbacks -- equivalent to 16.0 sacks.

Given the leg strength Gano exhibited in Washington, it's hard to believe the touchback difference is a result of Cundiff having a significantly more powerful foot.

In effect, Washington has replaced the 25-year old Gano with a 32-year old version of...Gano. Albeit one who has a stronger history of generating touchbacks.

Honestly, it's hard to see the point of making the move. My feeling was that the Skins had gone through growing pains with Gano and that given his age and power, it made sense to keep him until they could find someone demonstrably better. 

It's Sunday, which means it's time for another edition of Rushmore Sunday -- a look at the greatest players in NFC East history, position by position. So far, we've delved into quarterbacks, cornerbacks, talent evaluators, running backs, wide receivers, safeties, offensive linemen, linebackers, coaches, tight ends, returners and kickers. We'll stay with special teams for one more week, this time looking at the guys who can help a team win the field position battle: the punters.

The Rushmore Rules are simple: pick the four who most deserve being part of the division pantheon. No more than four, no fewer than four.

Here's my Rushmore of NFC East punters:

• Sammy Baugh, Washington Redskins -- There was a time when punters weren't specialists, and here's something crazy to consider: while Baugh was the league's best QB and one of the best safeties, he may also have been the greatest punter in league history. Baugh went to 6 Pro Bowls and was All-Pro 1st team 4 times. True, those honors weren't strictly for punting, but he stopped playing in 1952 and he still ranks 6th all-time in yards per punt (minimum 250 career punts).
  
• Mat McBriar, Dallas Cowboys -- McBriar is one of the more underrated specialists around. He led the league in yards per punt in 2006 and 2010, went to two Pro Bowls and is a two-timer on the AP All-NFL team. He stands 5th all-time in yards per punt yet, Dallas sent him packing after last season, and Philly cut him in the preseason. Still, McBriar makes the punting pantheon.
  
• Don Chandler, New York Giants (also Green Bay Packers) -- A punter/kicker, Chandler played in the first two overtime games in NFL history. His game-winner for the Packers against the Colts was controversial (many thought it was wide right), but the guys who mattered (the refs) thought it was good. He was the league's all-decade punter for the 60s, and he went to the Pro Bowl in 1967. He's currently 22nd all-time in yards per punt.
  
• Sean Landeta, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles (also St. Louis, Green Bay  and Tampa Bay) -- No list of great NFC East punters would be complete without Landeta, who stayed in the NFL for 21 years. He was first team All-Pro 3 times and a two-time Pro Bowler.
  

Commemorative Plaques

These are the guys who were close to the pantheon, but not quite in it. While they don't get their likeness dynamited into the side of a cliff, they at least rate a high-quality commemorative plaque hung at a popular viewing area. The plaques go to:

• Matt Turk, Washington Redskins (also Houston, Miami, Jacksonville, New York Jets, St. Louis)
• Sam Baker, Philadelphia Eagles (also Washington, Cleveland and Dallas)
• Dave Jennings, New York Giants (also New York Jets
  
• Adrian Burk, Philadelphia Eagles (also Baltimore Colts)
• Jeff Feagles, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles (also Seattle, Arizona and New England)
• Danny White, Dallas Cowboys
  

So, that's the Rushmore List of NFC East punters. Who should move from the "commemorative plaques" section and who should come down from the cliff? Who's not on the list that should be there? Post your list in the comments. Just remember, you get only four selections, so if you want to add someone, one of the guys I chose needs to come down. There's only room for four.