Bill Callahan's New-Look Washington Redskins Offensive Line Is a Mess

Kirk Cousins and Robert Griffin III finally have something in common. They both know how hazardous playing behind the Washington Redskins' woeful offensive line can be.

Perhaps they can compare scars from the many hits they've taken thanks to crumbling or nonexistent pass protection. If they do, Cousins must include Bill Callahan in the gruesome show and tell. That way, Washington's offensive line coach will have a vivid image of how his failing unit is hurting this team.

Callahan has tried hard this season. He's dealt with position switches and key injuries. But the fact remains the marquee recruit to Washington's coaching staff this offseason just isn't getting it done.

Pablo Martinez Monsivais/Associated Press

Callahan has been given a first-round pick and a free hand to fortify what's been a problem position for years. Yet his new-look O-line is a mess.

All of the deficiencies of Callahan's group were laid bare in brutal fashion during Week 11's 44-16 beatdown from the Carolina Panthers on the road.

It was a game in which the Burgundy and Gold committed five turnovers. Two of them were directly attributable to breakdowns along the line. Cousins was sacked five times and hit seven more, according to ESPN.com. A pair of those sacks produced fumbles on either side of halftime.

The first saw right tackle Morgan Moses whipped on the edge. What was galling was how Moses couldn't keep his quarterback clean by fair means or even foul, as Mike Jones of the Washington Post noted:

That takeaway was forced by Kony Ealy and led to a Carolina field goal before the break. Cousins wasn't even safe running play action on the first play of the third quarter. The Panthers sent cornerback Bene' Benwikere on the blitz. His hit forced another Cousins turnover and led to a Carolina touchdown.

Two sacks, two forced fumbles and 10 points surrendered—10 points that go firmly on Callahan's line.

Ealy's big play showed how Washington's blockers are losing too many one-on-one matchups in protection. But it's the Benwikere sack that's concerning.

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Callahan has a reputation as maybe the best lineman whisperer in the NFL. Yet take a closer look, and you'll see his lines consistently struggle in picking up the blitz.

The Redskins capitalized on the weakness in Week 8 last season, when Callahan coached the Dallas Cowboys O-line. They wrecked Callahan's star-studded line for five sacks to key a Monday night upset on the road.

Those problems have followed Callahan to D.C. Even during last week's 47-14 demolition of the New Orleans Saints, Washington's blockers weren't seeing the blitz.

Late in the second quarter of that game, the Burgundy and Gold found themselves caught cold by an overload pressure. The play owed everything to Washington's inability to correctly diagnose and adjust to pressure looks.

In a sub-package front, the Saints moved free safety Jairus Byrd down onto the edge next to linebacker Stephone Anthony. This gave New Orleans an obvious numbers advantage against left tackle Trent Williams:

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The Saints planned to add confusion by having strong safety Kenny Vaccaro, playing middle linebacker in this look, blitz the middle. But even with that extra wrinkle, Washington should've seen off this pressure:

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It demanded either Cousins reading the overload and instructing running back Chris Thompson (already on that side of the formation) to help Williams. Alternatively, stand-in center Josh LeRibeus had to call for his line to slide protection that way, meaning each blocker takes the next man over, exchanging responsibilities in the process.

Sadly, the Redskins did neither. Instead, they fell for the Saints' ruse. Thompson went inside to block Vaccaro, while LeRibeus and the left side of the line simply put a hat on a hat:

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This left Byrd free off the edge. He tripped Cousins for an 11-yard loss:

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When watching a breakdown like this it's easy to ask: What are the in-built adjustments Callahan has for blitz looks? What are the Redskins seeing when they study opponents' pressure packages on tape, and how do they respond?

Judging by Callahan's struggles in this area this season, as well as last, the answers to those questions would make for grim reading.

To put Washington's pass protection issues against Carolina into depressing perspective, consider the names of some of the Panthers who got to Cousins. Ryan Delaire got in on a sack. He spent parts of last season on the Redskins practice squad. Kyle Love also notched a takedown. He's playing for his fourth different team.

You get the point. Washington's O-line isn't being overwhelmed by J.J. Watt. It's becoming a revolving door for every retread who can adopt a three-point stance.

Unfortunately, the problems aren't limited to protection. Callahan's group is just as bad at trying to knock open holes for the run.

Washington rushed for 14 yards on 12 attempts in Charlotte. Citing the Panthers' standing as an excellent defense is a feeble excuse. So are the injuries the Redskins have faced up front, according to Michael Phillips of the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

Losing center Kory Lichtensteiger and left guard Shawn Lauvao for the season doesn't fully explain or excuse a pitiful stat like this one provided by ESPN's Jason Reid:

That number isn't the result of injuries. It's due to blockers not picking up stunts or reacting to slants quickly enough. Just like in the passing game, too many individual battles are also being lost.

The Panthers ruthlessly exploited every one of those weaknesses on a day when they logged six tackles for loss, per ESPN.com. 

Building a dominant running game behind expert blocking is supposed to be Callahan's calling card. It was last season when his Cowboys line inspired the top ground attack in football.

After Washington amassed 209 rushing yards against the Saints a week ago, Callahan seemed well on his way to building another formidable offensive front. Now-deposed New Orleans defensive coordinator Rob Ryan certainly thought so, according to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football:

Ryan's words now read like mere damage control. They certainly don't reflect the inconsistent play Callahan's new-look Washington line has been guilty of all season.

He enhanced his reputation in Dallas last year. But that was with first-rounders Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Zack Martin. Even with two former top-five picks in Washington, Williams and rookie guard Brandon Scherff, Callahan is failing to have the same impact.

The overall talent level may not be as high as in Dallas. But surely the real hallmark of a top coach is still producing top results even with average players.

There have been great moments from Callahan's line in 2015. Wins over the St. Louis Rams and the Saints qualify. But the collapse in Carolina tipped the scales of progress.

Those five sacks mean 17 have been surrendered this season, eight in the last two games. Another dire running day takes Washington's tally of games with less than 90 yards on the ground to six.

A Callahan-coached line no longer looks like an improvement on last season's feeble bunch. It just looks like a mess.

Statistics and player information via NFL.com, unless otherwise stated.

Screen shots via Fox Sports and NFL.com Game Pass.

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