(Photo by: Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
Call a priest.
It’s confirmed: The 2009 Washington Redskins have a “holey” offensive line.
It’s not that they’ve been blessed. The Redskins have as many holes on their offensive line as a good piece of Swiss cheese.
Looking left to right, the starters look pretty good. Anchoring the line for the entire decade is the always steady LT Chris Samuels. In nine season, he has been to the Pro Bowl nearly as many times (six) as he has missed a regular season game (eight), and has more than lived up to his status as a number three overall pick.
Samuels’ has been reunited with his former left-side running-mate Derrick Dockery after the latter was brought back from the Buffalo Bills this offseason. While Dockery has yet to make a Pro Bowl, he also has yet to miss a regular season game or even a start since being named Washington’s starter early in the 2003 season.
Casey Rabach mans the center position for the fifth consecutive season. Rabach, who signed with the team after becoming Baltimore’s starter during the 2004 season. Like Dockery and Samuels to his left, he has been another incredibly steady force on the offensive line, missing only one game in his entire Redskins tenure.
In a recurring theme, RG Randy Thomas enters his seventh season with the team and, aside from a stint on injured reserve in 2007, has only missed three starts in six seasons.
The fearsome foursome of Samuels, Dockery, Rabach and Thomas have paved the way for a 1,000 yard rusher each and every season they have taken the field together. In fact, the team has had a 1,000 yard rusher every season since 2004, with Pete Kendall holding Dockery’s spot during his two year absence.
If only the NFL had four offensive line spots.
The right tackle spot has been a constant source of trouble for the team since 2004, when stalwart Jon Jansen tore his Achilles tendon in a preseason game. Since then, the tackle spot has been a revolving door of journeymen and the off-injured Jansen himself, who was released earlier this offseason after failing to regain his former Pro Bowl form during the last five seasons.
The coaching staff loves presumed starter Stephon Heyer. Heyer signed with the team as a rookie free agent from Maryland three seasons ago and immediately made an impression, starting a couple of preseason games along the way.
Despite the feel-good, rags-to-riches story, Heyer has been mediocre at best. He is slow off the line, stiff out of his stance and has a hard time holding his own one on one against even the NFL’s average pass rushers. He’s been given many chances to hold the starting spot, but has lost it each time, most recently to Jansen last year.
Challenging Heyer for the spot is former fourth overall draft choice Mike Williams. Williams spent the last two seasons out of football after battling weight problems during his first professional stint.
He was signed after being recommended to the team by former college teammate Dockery, with whom Williams has been working out this offseason. Williams had the talent, but let his weight balloon and was rumored to be well over 400 pounds at times, significantly limiting his athleticism.
It’s been reported that he now weighs closer to 350, and on his 6-6 frame, that’s probably where he ought to be.
Depth on the offensive line is also a problem. While the team has a number of contenders for significant time in the rotation, most are retreads and other team’s throwaways. (In point of fact, four of these eight challengers are castaways from the Carolina Panthers).
With an aging starting core (only Dockery is under 30) and little depth, it’s surprising that Vinny Cerato and company have failed to address this position in the draft. In fact, the team has only spent two picks in five seasons addressing the offensive line, and only 2008 3rd round pick Chad Rinehart remains with the team, and he has yet to take a regular season snap.
The team is counting on Jason Campbell to lead the team back to the playoffs, and as we all know, everything starts up front. Four of the five spots are solid and, while they’ve been steady, injuries do happen. With no fifth starter and no legitimate depth, the team is truly living on a wing and a prayer.
Maybe we should ask a priest to bless this line after all.
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