It's easy to pick on Daniel Snyder and the Washington Redskins owner makes himself a pretty convenient human pin cushion for all the needlers around the league. But give Snyder, often criticized for meddling too much into football affairs, his due for knowing what he wants and sparing no expense to get it.

He jettisoned coach Marty Schottenheimer after only one season of a four-year contract, and despite a late surge in which the Redskins won eight of their last 11 games, and then blew all the competitors away in the Steve Spurrier Derby by awarding the University of Florida coach a record $5 million-a-year contract.

Then he pirated defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis right out from under the noses of the Baltimore Ravens by making him the highest paid assistant in league history. He even tried to get respected team leader Marco Coleman to renege on a contract agreement after the defensive end had struck an accord with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Coleman rejected the more handsome offer from the Redskins owner, but Snyder will take two out of three in most contests.

Now if the Redskins can win two out of every three in 2002, they'll be in the playoffs, but the task remains a daunting one. The presence of Spurrier aside, the Redskins remain mostly unsettled at quarterback, and the "ol' ball coach" seems to be the only guy in the NFL who thinks he can win with either Danny Wuerffel or Shane Matthews as a starter. The defense is talented, most notably at linebacker and cornerback, but Spurrier better find a way to score some points.

Where will this bring the Redskins?

	CAMP AT A GLANCE
	Stephen Davis has rushed for over 1,000 yards in three straight seasons.
	Location: Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa. Rookies report: July 22 Veterans report: July 22 Preseason schedule:    Aug. 10: at Carolina    Aug. 18: Pittsburgh    Aug. 24: at Tampa Bay    Aug. 29: New England

One high-ranking Eagles official suggested recently that, if the Redskins didn't have $12 million in "dead money" (that portion of the salary cap expended on players who are no longer with the team) and had been able to make a few key offseason acquisitions, they definitely would challenge for a playoff spot.

It's hard to completely buy into that assessment of the Redskins, but this is a team that is capable of doing some damage, especially if Spurrier is as brilliant an offensive schemer at the highest level of the game as he was when facing SEC defenses. The smart money says that if will take Spurrier, and even more so several of the assistants he brought with him from Gatorland, a full season to become acclimated to the NFL game.

But even if Spurrier struggles at the outset, he figures to be entertaining, and so does his first NFL team. Washington officials won't agree but an 8-8 season would be a step in the right direction and a solid year upon which to build for the future.

Man in the spotlight
His huge ego and self-confidence dictated that Spurrier at some point make the leap to the NFL, so that he could challenge himself at the game's highest level, and prove to all of the doubters that he could be successful outside the friendly confines of The Swamp. A man who speaks his mind and is candid to a fault, Spurrier will be a hoot to cover in his NFL maiden voyage, but Snyder is paying him $25 million to win a Super Bowl and not an open-mike night at some Beltway comedy club.

Like the man who signs his paychecks, Spurrier might as well paint a bull's eye on his chest for this season, because every move he makes will be scrutinized and dissected. What the critics will soon enough discover, even if the Redskins don't immediately win, is that Spurrier is perhaps the most fertile and inventive offensive mind to come into the league in a long time.

Key position battle
Despite having two tremendous young offensive tackles in Chris Samuels and Jon Jansen, the Redskins might be miserably deficient at guard, and that could hurt the running game led by piledriving tailback Stephen Davis. Veteran free agent Kipp Vickers could oust the untested David Loverne, picked up from the New York Jets in a throwaway trade, from the left guard spot. In fact, if Vickers doesn't win the battle, Washington could be in a heap of trouble. Loverne has been working with the No. 1 unit all spring, but he is short-armed, slow afoot and yet to start a regular-season game.

The right guard, former Bengals starter and Rams backup Rod Jones, is moving inside from tackle to guard for the first time in his career. Jones is perennially overweight, has some problems with depression, and is too often off his feet. Still he is a better fit than what the Redskins have on the left side.

Injury update
Most of the players who concluded the 2001 season on injured reserve - like cornerback Donovan Greer, center Mark Fischer, linebacker Shawn Barber and tight end Stephen Alexander - were either released or departed in free agency. Outside of aging right end Bruce Smith, who has some shoulder problems at age 39 and figures to be pampered in the early stages of training camp, there isn't a lot of rehabilitation going on.

Rookie report
Snyder actually demonstrated himself to be a fairly shrewd manipulator in the first round of the draft, twice dealing backwards, picking up extra selections, and still landing the man he wanted in quarterback Patrick Ramsey. The former Tulane star didn't get many snaps in the early spring camps, but progressed nicely, and eventually win the starting job, perhaps by as early as midseason.

Washington scouts liked tailback Ladell Betts (No. 2) better than most teams around the league, but he could develop into a third-down back as a rookie. Don't be surprised if third-round cornerback Rashad Bauman plays in "nickel" and "dime" schemes, even with the plethora of good cover people on the roster. Another middle-round pick to watch is wide receiver Cliff Russell, who could be a long ball threat once he learns the offense.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.