"..it looks like we don't know what we're doing."

One hell of an admission

The Washington Post's Jason La Canfora, about the most knowledgeable Redskins writer right now, had a great piece in the Saturday edition on the emerging contours of a likely and frequent topic of the Redskins 2009 season and that is the state of the offensive line and how the early numbers are really against the kind of unit performance Washington will need to get back into the playoffs.

Bottom line: it's bad kids and it appears that everyone inside and outside Redskins Park knows it. A sample from the Post piece includes Clinton Portis:

I'm not the GM, I'm not the owner. I'm not the head coach. I talk to 'em, but my opinion... you voice your opinion.

I can read his opinion through those ellipses. Head coach Jim Zorn himself:

That position [right tackle], right now, you hate to say it's up for grabs, because it looks like we don't know what we're doing.

The coach just said they do not know what they are doing at right tackle. Well they say the first step to getting better is realizing you have a problem. A quote from an anonymous NFL executive:

If signing a guy like [410 pound Mike Williams who has been out of football for three seasons] isn't a sign of desperation, I don't know what is. I'm not sure what they're doing on the offensive line.

Another year of neglect, let us walk down the line:

Left tackle
Incumbent: Chris Samuels
Age: 32 on opening day 2009

2008 performance: generally solid through twelve games; nursed a lingering knee injury that caused him to miss one game; tore right triceps in game thirteen and was lost for the season; Pro Bowl selection.

2009 outlook: Chris will be 32 and recovering from surgery, did not participate in minicamp while recovering. Backup scenario unclear, there is third year middling tackle Stephon Heyer and one of several possibilities in free agency, rookie or otherwise.

What's wrong with this picture: team officials, starting with owner Dan Snyder, do not believe that 32 is quote old unquote for a left tackle, perhaps this is why they went with defensive end slash linebacker Brian Orakpo and not blue chip left tackle prospect Michael Oher out of the University of Mississippi, who if he were to work out could protect Redskin quarterback blindsides for years to come.

This is not an editorial comment on whether Brian will be a good player but rather an illustration of the opportunity cost involved, Washington already had a top five defense and the team went with more defense and not quarterback protection.

So into 2009 Chris comes, 32 and with knee and arm injuries from last year, and no established backup in place.


Left guard
Incumbent: Derrick Dockery
Age: turns 29 in September

2008 performance: Pete Kendall started every game the last two seasons at left guard for Washington, at 36, a free agent and in search of a starting job and starting money Washington went in another direction and re signed 28 year old Derrick Dockery. Derrick is a boomerang Redskin, returning to Washington after two years in Buffalo, no one can really explain why they let him go, he had a good year and was not all that expensive.

2009 outlook: the position should be in good shape with Derrick, Pete had a great two year run and I still hold out hope that he will come back and re sign as a depth player, that would make this position about the most solid on the team.

What's wrong with this picture: although the position is in good shape now, decisions have consequences. If Washington had moved to re sign Derrick after 2006, or secure a better option than Todd Wade they could have saved this year's fourth round pick, the price for Pete's services, meaning they either a) would still have a legitimate left guard incumbent, b) would have had a fourth round pick to use on a lineman or c) may not have had to pay 27 million dollars over five years to Derrick bolster the position.


Center
Incumbent: Casey Rabach
Age: turns 32 in September

2008 performance: Casey is a reliable starter, having only missed one game in two seasons and precious few snaps during the rest. Casey does have a tendency every now and again to commit penalties and or miss blocks in clusters.

2009 outlook: despite Casey's age I think this position is generally in good shape, the key here is depth, there has been no consistent backup with Mike Pucillo in 2007 and Justin Geisinger in 2008, Mike is no longer with the team and Justin is not a natural center. There is some hope, one of the better rookie free agent signings be the Redskins might be Edwin Williams out of the University of Maryland, he was a top ten rated center and managed to slip out of the draft, there could be some depth on the horizon.

What's wrong with this picture: Casey has been consistent, like most other positions along the line the team has been reacting rather than proacting. A 32 year old center with no backup in the wings? How is that smart no matter whether your quarterback is Jason Campbell, Mark Sanchez or Jay Cutler.


Right guard
Incumbent: Randy Thomas
Age: 33 at season opener

2008 performance: Randy played every game in 2008 after missing all or most of fifteen games in 2007 due to a torn triceps suffered in game two of that season.

2009 outlook: Although many have decided Randy is in decline I tend to think the problem is with the right side as a whole, Randy can still be serviceable to good, optimistically, lack of legitimate backup is disconcerting.

What's wrong with this picture: the past two seasons Jason Fabini was the backup right guard, Jason started 13 games in Randy's absence with the triceps injury in 2007, 34 years old himself Jason was not re signed by the Redskins and is currently a free agent, like Pete Kendall he may be a good investment as a backup, he acquitted himself quite nicely two years ago and without much game wear and tear might still be able to play.


Right tackle
Incumbent: Stephon Heyer started 3 games and Jon Jansen started 11 games at right tackle (Jon missed game fourteen against the Bengals and game fifteen against the Eagles with a knee sprain and would have started those games had he been available)
Age: Stephon will be 25 and Jon will be 33 when the season starts

2008 performance: this was the real weak spot last season, Jon was demoted to backup in camp, with Stephon getting the job in a decision I still think was suspect, the caricature for both players was that Jon could no longer pass block effectively and Stephon was still learning to get nasty in run blocking. After three games Jon got the job back when Stephon hurt his shoulder and never gave it back, the whole right side of the line was a problem all year.

2009 outlook: the team does not consider Jon a starter any longer (op. cit.) though Jon seems to think otherwise. Stephon is a rising third year player and is a Joe Bugel favorite, Joe may see potential or Joe just may not want to quit on his guy, it is not uncommon for offensive linemen to take three to five years to mature. The team appears to be telegraphing their opinion on the matter, bringing in a 400 pound guy out of the league since 2005 and a 29 year old journeyman with legal troubles.

What's wrong with this picture: neither of the tackle positions is well served with the scattergun approach; that is to say going into camp with ten year veteran second round pick and longest tenured Redskin Jon Jansen, rising third year undrafted Stephon Heyer, 400 pound Mike Williams and well traveled Jeremy Bridges is not a plan, that is desperation, that is throwing as much shit at the wall as you can and hoping something sticks.


The Redskins have spent a lot of time and money recently on receivers, tight ends and defensive ends and have done little to give the quarterback the protection he needs. I lay the bulk of last year's 2-8 decline to the end squarely at the feet of the offensive line.

If nothing really changes in the offseason then expect that nothing will really change in the regular season.



Redskins offensive line on the first day of May 2009 minicamp: Joel Richardson / Washington Post photo from here.