Hard as it might be to believe, just four months from today the Redskins will be preparing for their preseason home opener under rookie coach Jim Zorn.

Here are some quick thoughts on Washington's preseason now that the summer schedule has been finalized:

Am I the only one who has noticed that this is the third straight August in which the Redskins meet the dethroned champion (New England, 2006; Pittsburgh, 2007 and Indianapolis, 2008)? That string will end this year because division rivals never meet in preseason, so there won't be an August 2009 game against the Giants.

Last year's preseason schedule included three teams that would make the AFC playoffs (Tennessee, Pittsburgh and Jacksonville) plus one that collapsed after winning a division title and losing its playoff opener at home in 2006 (Baltimore). Does that bode well for Buffalo, Jacksonville and the New York Jets this year but not for the defending AFC South champion Colts, who lost their playoff opener at home in 2007?

Want to bet that former coach Joe Gibbs will be in Dan Snyder's box when Washington visits Carolina, not far from the Hall of Famer's NASCAR operation? And it's weird that Zorn's first home game will be against the Bills, the team that gave Gibbs his last regular-season loss in the first game after the shooting death of star safety Sean Taylor.

And how much tension will there be when the Redskins finish preseason against deposed assistant head coach Gregg Williams and the Jaguars? Do you think the Genius and the owner will shake hands or glare at each other? I'm going with the glare.