1999 record: 10-6, first place in the NFC East.

Last five years: 39-40-1.

Coach: Norv Turner (43-54-1 in six years with Washington).

Playoff past: The Redskins are 19-11 in postseason play since the NFL/AFL merger and have won three of five Super Bowl appearances, all under Hall of Fame head coach Joe Gibbs. This year, owner Dan Snyder expects nothing less than another Vince Lombardi Trophy for the lobby of the team's complex. The NFC East title last season was the Redskins' first since 1991, Gibbs' penultimate season, and Washington has been to the playoffs only twice since then. Turner is one of the few coaches to have lasted so long with only one trip to the playoffs. He might not last much longer if the team doesn't approximate the lofty expectations in 2000.

Outlook

Death. Taxes. A victory in Super Bowl XXXV for the Washington Redskins.

At least two of the three are givens. And if the third doesn't come to fruition, then pencil this in as another one of life's unavoidable inevitabilities: A new head coach for the Redskins in '01 and an even more ambitious spending spree by Snyder next spring.

They certainly paid for excellence this year in Washington, becoming the first NFL team to crack the $100 million payroll barrier, and Snyder and those close to him expect nothing less. Despite his critics, and the naysayers include many of his new NFL fraternity brothers, Snyder deserves a lot of credit for not just settling, a trait common among league owners. And if he wants to spend the fortune he amassed at age 35, and to which he added earlier this year by selling off his highly successful communications firm to a French buyer for a cool $2.1 billion, so what?

With Deion Sanders lingering in the secondary, the 'Skins D-line will have an easier time pressuring QBs.(Allsport)

Snyder, who recently described himself during a one-on-one interview with SportsLine.com as "an easy target because I've been successful," has a surprising passion for and knowledge of the game. The antithesis of the laissez-faire owner, he has his fingerprints all over this team and his areas of influence know no boundaries.

Then again, he shelled out a record franchise fee to purchase the Redskins and their stadium from the estate of the late Jack Kent Cooke, and has the right to call the shots. While he often feels that he is misunderstood, there has been no confusing the signals he has sent to coaches and players.

"His belief, which I share, is that why would you just want to be 8-8 all the time?" said director of personnel Vinny Cerrato. "I grew up with people telling me the name of the game is to win. So it doesn't make sense to me to settle for mediocrity. This is a man who has won at everything that he's done in his life. So why should he feel any differently about football? Our goal every year is going to be winning the Super Bowl."

No one made a bigger splash this offseason than Snyder and Cerrato and the Redskins. Given the degree of difficulty they will face in 2000, compliments of a seemingly devious schedule maker, that splash could be anywhere from a perfect, vertical entry that wows the judges or a belly flop that provides a lot of noise and nothing of aesthetic value. Or something in between. What it had better not be is a half-gainer, because Snyder does nothing halfway.

The key for the Redskins, who should win the NFC East for a second consecutive season, is the defense. Turner is an offensive guru, a guy whose plotting will put points on the board and who certainly has the weapons to improve even on the Redskins' gaudy 1999 numbers. How many NFL coaches, after all, have a backup quarterback who has thrown for 25,000 yards, as Turner does with Jeff George?

But the 'Skins could stop no one last season, and Snyder and Cerrato clearly took the lead in refurbishing the defensive coaching staff.

Former NFL head coach Ray Rhodes, who Cerrato knew from their days together with the 49ers, was brought in to lead the turnaround. The staff also includes Foge Fazio, who has been an NFL coordinator, and Ron Meeks, who probably will be someday. But the bigger moves were made in the area of personnel, and Washington will bank (an apt term given the money expended) that a trio of aging defenders still has enough left in the collective tank to make a difference.

Cornerback Deion Sanders and end Bruce Smith both are headed to the Hall of Fame someday, and free safety Mark Carrier is a solid player, albeit a headhunter whose penchant for helmet-on-helmet contact will be closely watched by league officials. If the three can turn back the clock for one more season, Snyder just might get the Super Bowl he covets.

If they can't, and the Redskins fall short of the goal, someone is going to pay the price. And this time, it won't be Dan Snyder.

Schedule preview: If the Redskins are to present Snyder with a Super Bowl victory, they will have to navigate a difficult course in the regular season. The Redskins face at least four other legitimate Super Bowl contenders in Tampa Bay (Oct. 1), Jacksonville (Oct. 22), Tennessee (Oct. 30) and St. Louis (Nov. 20). Even the opener, against high-scoring Carolina, doesn't figure to be an easy matchup. One of the many marquee matchups, a game that will draw much national attention, is a Monday night contest against Dallas on Sept. 18. Watching all that Dallas speed at wide receiver going against Washington's great depth at cornerback should be a real treat.

1999 offensive ranking: No. 2 overall, No. 9 rushing, No. 6 passing.

1999 defensive ranking: No. 30 overall, No. 27 vs. the rush, No. 26 vs. the pass.

Key players lost from 1999: RB/RS Brian Mitchell (released), FB Larry Bowie (released), P Matt Turk (Miami), FS Leomont Evans (unsigned), QB Rodney Peete (to Oakland), OG Brad Badger (to Minnesota), CB Darryl Pounds (to Denver), OG Kipp Vickers (to Baltimore), QB Casey Weldon (released), C Dan Turk (unsigned).

Key additions for 2000: CB Deion Sanders (Cowboys), DE Bruce Smith (Bills), FS Mark Carrier (Lions), QB Jeff George (Vikings), RB Adrian Murrell (Cardinals), OG Jay Leeuwenburg (Bengals), CB Tyronne Drakeford (Saints), LB Kevin Mitchell (Saints), P Tommy Barnhardt (Saints).

Rookies to watch: No team made a bigger splash in the draft than Washington, which pulled off a February trade with San Francisco to land two of the top three overall choices. The Skins used the picks on linebacker LaVar Arrington and offensive tackle Chris Samuels, and for the second year in a row, they expect to glean two immediate starters from the lottery. Samuels is one of the best left side pass blockers to come out of the college game in the last decade and looked strong early in camp, particularly when he took on veteran defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield in a tussle on the opening day of workouts. The former Alabama star has superb feet and balance and does not get beat on the pass rush. The loquacious Arrington missed an entire week of mini-camp, and then further angered coaches by reporting five days late to camp. Washington coaches, who had planned to utilize Arrington in a variety of alignments, including playing him at end in passing situations, conceded they have may to scale back those designs. The only other draft choice likely to make a notable contribution in 2000 is third-round cornerback Lloyd Harrison.

Offensive line: Unless first-round left tackle Samuels is an absolute bomb, and the odds of that are long since this is a guy scouts felt was the best college player at his position in the past six or seven years, the unit will be one of the league's finest. Samuels and second-year right tackle Jon Jansen could become as notable a tandem in time as the Jacksonville duo of Tony Boselli and Leon Searcy. The blue-collar Jansen wasn't just the best rookie right tackle SportsLine.com saw in 1999. He was among the three best right tackles, period, that we personally evaluated. He is a tenacious blocker in the run game and handled some of the best pass rushing left ends in the league. Right guard Tre Johnson, a human road-grader who can drive defensive tackles several yards off the line of scrimmage, is the perfect partner for Jansen. Left guard Keith Sims has had some injury problem in the past few years and Washington insiders feel he had only about one or two more seasons left. Center Cory Raymer isn't special, but he's solid enough.

Wide receivers/tight ends: Last year was finally the season in which Michael Westbrook's talents caught up to his runaway mouth. No small feat there, given Westbrook's oversized ego and penchant for always finding trouble. Westbrook and partner Albert Connell both went over the 1,000-yard mark and complement each other well. Westbrook is a big, physical receiver who is learning how to gain separation with the well-paced shove to the hip of the cornerback. He is best at the sideline patterns and is developing as a double-move receiver. Connell shares some of his teammate's immaturity and moodiness but, when he blocks out the distractions, he is a very good deep threat with soft hands and second-gear speed. The third wideout is venerable Irving Fryar, who didn't make much of an impact in 1999 but who reported to camp in great shape this summer. Tight end Stephen Alexander was an exceptional talent until knee surgery two years ago. He definitely has lost a step, but still knows how to find creases in a zone. It is telling, though, that the Redskins threw far more to fullback Larry Centers last year, essentially taking catches away from Alexander.

Running backs: Tailback Stephen Davis went into training camp a year ago in a competition with Skip Hicks for the starting job. He not only slam-dunked his competition, but went on to have an exceptional season before a high ankle sprain sidelined him late in the year. Davis ran for an NFC-high 1,405 yards and scored a league-best 17 touchdowns. Somehow, just when it seemed his career was going nowhere, Davis began to run tougher, got his pads low and beneath him, and took advantage of a drive-blocking offensive line. He is a key for the Redskins, because it is a common misconception that Turner wants to throw the ball 40 times a game. To the contrary, he likes to set up the pass with a brutish running game, and Davis provides the muscle. Fullback Larry Centers will never win any blocking contests, but he remains one of the league's top third-down receivers out of the backfield. The team has great depth at tailback with Hicks and Adrian Murrell. The former isn't a particularly instinctive runner but Murrell had three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons in the middle of his career and is more than just a journeyman-type back.

Quarterbacks: With the acquisition of laser-armed Jeff George, this is an area that bears close scrutiny early in the season. Snyder and Cerrato are obviously enamored of George's incredible physical skills. One has to wonder if incumbent Brad Johnson falters early, or allows the pressure of having George over his shoulder to get to him, how quickly Washington might turn to its No. 2 guy. It has the makings of quite a story in a city that loves nothing more than a good quarterback controversy; in fact, not even a spicy sex scandal plays so well in the capital. Johnson managed to stay healthy in '99 and started every game, completing 61 percent of his passes and throwing for more than 4,000 yards. He is a sensitive guy and Turner is especially sensitive to his sensitivity. For now at least, there is no competition for the No. 1 job, but stay tuned. The Redskins made a savvy choice in the sixth round, picking Stanford quarterback Todd Husak, who likely will move up to the No. 2 spot next year, when either Johnson or George departs.

Defensive line: The revamped line now shows Marco Coleman, the former right end, moving to the left side, and Bruce Smith the nominal starter at right end. It remains to be seen how many snaps per game Smith can handle at age 35. Washington has worked hard to add depth at the position, and it appears the team will try to roll in a lot of fresh bodies every Sunday. For this to really be a dominating front four the new staff must find a way to motivate the overpaid and underachieving tackle tandem of Dana Stubblefield and Dan Wilkinson. There's no denying the talent the two possess, but if they don't start earning their paychecks this year, they could find themselves elsewhere in 2001. Stubblefield in particular should benefit from the new one-gap schemes coordinator Ray Rhodes has installed. They should permit him more penetration and the ability to get into the backfield and be a disruptive force. He also will be used on the "nickel" pass rush package. One young player to watch is end N.D. Kalu, who will line up on the left side in passing situations. In the early days of camp, the three-year veteran was virtually unblockable. He could be a double-digit sack guy. The depth is very good with role players like Kenard Lang and Nolan Harrison around.

Linebackers: This is a young, athletic and aggressive bunch which flat-out didn't make many big plays in 1999. That should change with the addition of first-rounder LaVar Arrington, a big play waiting to happen. Assuming he gets himself into shape over the next few weeks, and puts his prima donna persona aside for a while, Arrington should start on the strong side. His tardy arrival at camp, and absence from a weeklong minicamp in the spring, could means the Redskins scale back their ambitious plans for him. But if they don't, look for Arrington to line up all over the field, including middle linebacker at times and defensive end in the pass rush package. Middle linebacker Derek Smith and weak-side guy Shawn Barber are both light in the backsides and don't stuff the run very well. They are players who tend to run around blocks rather than take them on, and that could be a problem. Former starter Greg Jones will battle for playing time. The staff would like to add another veteran for depth.

Secondary: No team is as deep as the Redskins at cornerback. When we visited camp, Tyronne Drakeford, a former starter in San Francisco and New Orleans, was running no better than No. 5 at the position. Late in preseason, look for the Skins to deal one of their fringe veterans, perhaps Drakeford or Tim Denton. In Deion Sanders and Darrell Green, the team has two future Hall of Fame players and second-year pro Champ Bailey might someday reach that level as well. Bailey will learn some much-needed technique just watching Sanders, and will learn you can't play this game with just speed alone. Sanders has vowed revenge on those who felt his last two injury-filled seasons meant he was at the end of the line. A harder worker than most people realize, he is in very good shape. Green has surrendered his starting spot but will play 50-60 percent of the snaps anyway. Strong safety Sam Shade was a revelation in '99, hitting like a linebacker and also displaying surprising range. Mark Carrier will direct things from his free safety spot. He doesn't have as much deep range as he did a few years ago but is still a heavy hitter.

Special teams: The Redskins cut all-time return man Brian Mitchell, elected not to re-sign deep snapper Dan Turk and traded punter Matt Turk, a former Pro Bowl performer. So this is a fairly revamped area, with placement specialist Brett Conway the lone holdover of note. Conway is not that consistent, especially from around 40 yards, and needs to improve his nerves. The punter could be old-timer Tommy Barnhardt, but if there is someone better on the waiver wire, the Skins might make a move. Sanders will handle most of the punt returns chores, although Bailey also will get a shot there. Wide receiver James Thrash can be explosive at times on kickoff returns. One problem spot is at deep snapper, and the personnel department is keeping its eyes open.