Washington Redskins Lacking Experience On an Experienced Roster

It is no secret that the Washington Redskins have the oldest roster in the NFL. It has been mentioned numerous times during this season and will likely be harped on more as the season continues. Despite the influx of experienced players this offseason, the Redskins are not playing like the veteran unit it looks like on paper.

The cost of bringing in a number of seasoned veterans is team chemistry that cannot be fabricated overnight.

Joey Galloway has played at a high level for a long time in the league. That has not been the case since 2007 when he defied his age to produce 1,000 yards and six touchdowns on an overachieving Tampa Bay team. He missed most of 2008 with a foot injury and was released after the season. He was picked up by New England, released a month into the season, then picked up by Pittsburgh for depth.

When Pittsburgh and New England, who have accounted for five Super Bowls out of the last 10, passed on Galloway, the Redskins should have steered clear.

There is no question that Galloway is still physically able to perform at a high level, but the Redskins filled their experienced wide receiver role when they hired Keenan McCardell as the position coach this offseason.

McCardell is just two years older than Galloway, and was not one of the Redskins primary targets when he suited up for the team in 2007. Galloway is the third receiver behind Santana Moss and Anthony Armstrong, which goes to show how desperate the Redskins are for talent at that position.

The issue here is a lack of viable options. But just because he's been around longer than anyone at the position doesn't make him the best option. A team looking for a veteran presence would have signed him as a fourth or fifth receiver to mentor their younger players.

Galloway has not been able to get open like he used to and it has limited him to just nine catches this season.

The trade for Donovan McNabb meant the Redskins would have an experienced veteran under center. But McNabb's experience was under one offense for his entire career in Philadelphia. He has the leadership traits teams look for, but expecting him to pick up a new offense, new timing with new receivers, new expectations under a new coach in an offseason is absurd.

The offensive line hasn't helped much in their early struggles to adopt the zone-blocking scheme in the run, and more recently, failed to adequately protect the quarterback.

The defense is the real issue for the Redskins, as they underwent a change from a 4-3 scheme to the 3-4 under Jim Haslett. The change was made without much thought about personnel, and it has caused some problems.

Brian Orakpo and LaRon Landry are the only two players the Redskins had last season that are ideal for the 3-4 defense. Orakpo was transitioned from a defensive end to a stand-up outside linebacker last season and had success rushing the passer. Under Haslett, he has been allowed more freedom to rush the quarterback than last year where he was forced into more coverage than he was used to.

Landry gets to play close to the line of scrimmage for run support, which suits his aggressive style of play and physical strength.

As great as he is, London Fletcher is not a 3-4 inside linebacker. He was undersized to begin with, but the 3-4 calls for a larger front seven that can fight off blocks in the run game and attack the ball. Fletcher can fly to the ball and make tackles at will in whatever scheme you put him in, but he isn't the ideal candidate for the position.

The Redskins brought in Vonnie Holliday, Ma'ake Kemoeatu, Anthony Bryant and Adam Carriker to beef up the front line to suit the 3-4 scheme to mixed results.

Kemoeatu and Holliday had played in 3-4 defenses before, Holliday with Miami and Kansas City, and Kemoeatu with Baltimore, but at this stage in their careers they aren't going to matter by the end of the season. The Redskins brought in free agents to fill the holes created in the switch to the 3-4 and didn't have the opportunity to draft accordingly.

The veterans brought in don't offer much in the longevity department, and the Redskins will be hurting when the experience factor isn't enough to carry the defense.

The Redskins have some young talent on the roster, but it is sparse in comparison to teams that have valued the draft and built their teams on that foundation. The Redskins have been a fantasy team under owner Dan Snyder, and it made the changes made in the offseason more difficult to take in stride. The 3-4 defense is a great scheme with the right players, but the Redskins don't have all the right players.

The offense is adjusting a poorly built offensive line and players that haven't found the rhythm necessary to succeed week and week out.

Having experience just to say the team is experienced is not the same as having a team that has experience in the schemes being used and with fellow players. For all the veterans on the roster, the Redskins have made themselves into a project of a team. If they intend to draft according to the schemes, it is still a few years before that talent will be properly integrated and ready to succeed.

Even though Mike Shanahan and Bruce Allen assured fans they intended to compete this season, it may come to pass that Washington is indeed rebuilding. McNabb's future is in doubt and who knows which of the numerous veterans will return or retire. It is only the halfway point of the season, but the Redskins are in for a lot of growing pains this year and the next couple of years.

So much for building a team overnight.