[editor's note, by Dave the Falconer] Because I forgot to add this earlier, be sure to welcome Skin Patrol to the site...this is his take on the Redskins, which should helps us to all understand them a little better. It's like therapy, or something. Also, be sure to check out my thoughts on the Falcons over at Hogs Haven, and say hello.

Hello Falcoholics. There is no better way to know thy enemy then directly from their mouths. With that in mind, here are a few of my thoughts on your opponent this weekend, the Washington Redskins. You can also catch the sage words of Dave regarding your own beloved birds over at my website Hogs Haven later. He knows your Falcons, so make sure and stop by when he gets that up. And here we go:

Offense -- Our 2nd year player and man-crush worthy QB Jason Campbell took over the reigns of this offense 2 weeks ago and is 1-1 in those starts. He's proven himself worthy in my eyes (and that's all that matters) and is currently in development mode. JC's development is still better than Mark Brunell's decline mode, which is fine by me! Keep an eye on the kid as he can beat you with his legs and arm. He's about the coolest, no panic young QB I've ever seen play the game and throws a pretty deep ball. Last week against Carolina his head set went out in the middle of a play. No biggie; he called a play in the huddle and scored a 66 yard touchdown pass to Chris Cooley.

Speaking of Cooley, he leads the team in receiving yards and touchdowns and is a force to be reckoned with. If you manage to cover Chris Cooley we have Santana Moss who just hasn't been the same since our game against Indy. He injured his hamstring and has missed two games since and produced little in the two games he has played in. But he's been taken off the team's Injury Report for the first time in (it feels like) forever and should be 100%. I'll be looking forward to seeing him develop a rapport with Jason Campbell.

Brandon Lloyd has underproduced this season but has a good relationship with JC and Antwaan Randle-El has been used more as a possession receiver. Neither has had an impact game and the two combined have only 2 TD, both by Randle-El. I'd like them to get more involved in the passing game, though that has yet to happen.

Our stud RB Clinton Portis is on Injury Reserve, so you won't have to worry about him. You will have to worry about Ladell Betts who is coming off an admirable 100 yard performance against a tough Panthers defense. We also have the infrequently used TJ Duckett waiting in the wings to punish you on short down yardage, should we ever see it (we don't). You never know what you'll get with this unit so I can't tell you much about what to expect. Betts is also a capable receiver out of the backfield. Oh yea, and we have this super awesome amazing Fullback Mike Sellers who has a nose for the endzone. You'll know his name on Monday.

The line is talented but sometimes inconsistent. They've allowed the 3rd fewest sacks of any team in the league at 14 and held Carolina to 1 sack (Julius Peppers had zero). With JC's strength and speed combined with this line, sacks won't come cheap. The line has often times been criticized for not getting enough push in the running game.

Defense -- The defense has been woeful all year but finally put together a complete game in a win against Carolina last week. Safety Sean Taylor had 6 tackles and an interception, which was good enough for NFC East defensive player of the year award. So goes this secondary, so goes this defense. We spent much of the year without our starting CB in Shawn Springs, but he's back and put the quietus on Steve Smith last week. Our other CB, Carlos Rogers, is better suited to the backup roll and has struggled as a number 1. He's comfortable where he's at now and I'm comfortable with him there. Our other starting safety Troy Vincent is questionable, but was backed up adequately by last week by Vernon Fox, who recorded an interception. The highest paid safety in NFL History, Adam Archuleta, is pretty much relegated to our practice squad now. What a flipping waste.

A linebacking unit is only as good as its worse player, and ours is Warrick Holdman on the weak side. Strong side linebacker Marcus Washington is a monster and, despite being undersized, middle linebacker Lemar Marshall can fill gaps well. Warrick Holdman isn't good for much but falling down, which is why teams have typically favored attacking that side of our defense with runs. As Atlanta is one of the best rushing teams in the league, I predict them to attack his side early and often. This is the game changing matchup for the Falcons, and how quickly they can generate consistent yardage on the ground will likely determine the outcome of this game. I think Atlanta wins this matchup.

On the line is a slew of aging talent thrown in with some young guns. The defensive tackles are Cornelius Griffin and Joe Salave'a, though I think the latter lost his starting job to rookie Kedric Golston who has been playing incredibly well. Gregg Williams runs a rotating line defense, so you'll see both regardless this sunday. Phillip Daniels and Andre Carter are on the ends, the former being good the latter... maybe. We paid him more than he's produced though I'm holding out hope. He is spelled by Demetric Evans, who has played admirably when given the chance. Again, you'll see a good amount of names on our defensive line including Renaldo Wynn and (rookie) Anthony Montgomery. We like to keep them rested and at 100%.

Special Teams -- Our punter isn't making anymore noise which is what you want a punter to do. Our kicker is 50% and now we've (possibly) brought in Shawn Suisham to compete with him. He's Cowboy's garbage, so we'll see if that means anything. We have had a pair of blocked FGs in the past 4 games, so watch out for that.

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All in all if I had to predict this outcome it would be the Atlanta Running Game vs. the Redskins Running Defense which has been dumpy at times. If the Falcons can get after the line early and often then I think they'll win the game. If the Redskins break character and shut down the run then I don't know if Vick can win the game with his arm (you guys must be sick of hearing this same platitude repeated week-in week-out). Containing Vick on the run is a must, but that's always easier said than done.

Best of luck this weekend, though not really! Cheers Falcon's fans.

HTTR.