Starters: The starter at center will be Casey Rabach. He has become one of the most consistent players along the line, often blocking opposing defensive tackles one on one with considerable success. He still has decent mobility, but his greatest asset is the ability to make the proper protection changes before the snap. Though Jason Campbell took over some of those responsibilities last year, Rabach is still savvy enough to realise mistakes and point teammates in the right direction. If he goes down with an injury, the 'Skins could find themselves in a heap of trouble.
At left guard, newly signed Derrick Dockery will be starting. Dockery, who was originally drafted by the Redskins but spent the last two years with the Buffalo Bills, is hitting the prime of his career as he enters his eighth year in the league. He's a durable player, starting every game for the past 5 years, and staying healthy on this line is very important. He is great while run blocking, and should help sustain a running attack that tailed off as the season wore on last season.
Randy Thomas enters his seventh season as the starting right guard. He has noticeably started to deteriorate over the past few years, especially after a 2006 season where he was injured nearly the entire season. He has lost burst off the snap, but can still get the job done. He's only got a year or two left in his system, so the 'Skins better being looking for a youngster to groom behind him.
Reserves: The Redskins list all their reserves on the offensive line as "offensive lineman" since each could fill several different roles. A priority this off season should be grooming last years third round pick Chad Rinehart into a capable backup at the guard position. When he was drafted, he was projected to play either guard or tackle, but the coaching staff never had enough faith in him to give him a shot during a regular season game. With the left guard spot locked up for years to come, Rinehart's best option is probably to be groomed as the eventual replacement to Thomas on the right side.
Behind Rinehart are a bunch of no-name youngsters with limited NFL experience. This leads me to believe that the 'Skins are still looking to sign a veteran lineman. Joe Bugel, the offensive line coach, places great value on veteran players who can play several positions along the line, so securing a veteran for him could be key.
Last years starter at left guard, Pete Kendall, is still a free agent and the team has expressed interest in him. He has performed well at the left guard spot over the last couple seasons, but has started at center during his career, and the 'Skins currently don't have a player on the roster with experience at center. The solution currently would be to move right tackle Jon Jansen to center, which would make pretty nervous since he hasn't played there during his NFL career. This just puts more weight on the importance of Rabach staying healthy for all 16 games, or disaster could ensue.
No comments:
Post a Comment