Last season the Redskins finished 30th in total offense, and the trade that brought disappointing wide receiver Santana Moss a change of scenery and the free-agent signing of receiver David Patten don't look like the answers to a problem of that magnitude, at least not as long as Patrick Ramsey is the starting quarterback.

But how long will that be?

What those deals looked like was coach Joe Gibbs trying to roll back to the past, signing small receivers who remind him of the Smurfs, the undersized group he used to win Super Bowls during his first tenure in the nation's capitol.

That's fine, but Patten never was able to be a No. 1 receiver in New England, although he has great speed and is willing to do anything you ask. Moss also was a disappointment, never reaching the potential the Jets felt he had so New York traded him for Laveranues Coles, himself an ex-Jet who was unhappy in Washington.

Their arrivals give Ramsey new targets but not necessarily more dangerous ones. If he can't do more with them than he did with Coles and Company, Gibbs might go back to veteran Mark Brunell. If that fails, Gibbs drafted Auburn quarterback Jason Campbell with the 25th pick for a reason, and it wasn't that he couldn't think of any other problem areas on his roster.

Washington finished 30th in total offense last year and 29th in passing, averaging only 164.5 yards a game. Ramsey was 3-4 as a starter and has a rocket for an arm, but he's erratic and lacks the kind of soft touch Gibbs favors. Can he change his style before Gibbs changes quarterbacks again?

The best off-season move Gibbs made probably was drafting cornerback Carlos Rogers with their first selection because they lost Fred Smoot from a defense that finished among the league's elite a year ago.

Rogers won't start immediately, but he'll start eventually.

The defense’s productive play a year ago is a credit to coordinator Gregg Williams, who may have struggled as head coach in Buffalo but did a remarkable job with suspect talent last season.

The Redskins finished third in total defense, second in rushing defense, fifth in points allowed and seventh in pass defense. Now they have to overcome the losses of Smoot and middle linebacker Antonio Pierce. Williams will closely monitor the play of Lemar Marshall, who did a good job a year ago subbing for injured LaVar Arrington on the weakside but must step in for Pierce at middle linebacker full time. Marshall started 14 games last season, but he's a converted college defensive back who barely weighs 230.

Can he hold up to the pounding you take at middle linebacker?

This bears watching because if Marshall can't handle the position, Williams probably will ask Michael Barrow, out all last season with a knee injury, to step in. He has the experience, but this is his 13th season and he's slowing down.

HOT SEAT: Patrick Ramsey. Ramsey is a young quarterback who could soon end up in the midst of another controversy. He's been erratic at best, but for the second year in a row he has to look over his shoulder and that doesn't help. In 2004 it was veteran Mark Brunell, who everyone but Gibbs seemed to know no longer had the arm necessary to win in the NFL. That being the case, Gibbs turned first to Ramsey, then used a first-round pick on Auburn rookie Jason Campbell in April even though there were more pressing needs at other positions — unless, of course, Gibbs has as little faith in young Ramsey as it appears he does.

Gibbs claimed the drafting of Campbell had "very little to do with Ramsey.”

Sure, Pinocchio.

OVERHEARD: Despite his many skills, running back Clinton Portis was not a fit for Gibbs' offense because of his style.

Portis averaged only 3.8 yards a carry last season on 343 carries. He gained 1,315 tough yards, mostly between the tackles, when his real forte is running the stretch plays outside he
used to produce so many yards for the Broncos before being traded for Champ Bailey a year ago.

Gibbs has promised to adjust how he uses Portis to accent his positives, and Portis came in packing 20 pounds of extra muscle to help carry the load the way Gibbs wants. Gibbs would love to get him more involved in the passing game where he can get him in space and let him use his speed and elusiveness, but Gibbs has been doing it his way for a long time and change is never easy.

OUTLOOK: Not much better than a year ago unless Ramsey blossoms because they can't play much better on defense and could play worse with the loss of Smoot and Pierce.

PREDICTION: Fourth.

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