All About the Offensive Line
 

Share your thoughts here on how to improve it for next season

Re: All About the Offensive Line
 

The first thing to do is to add youthful depth in emergency areas along the OL where it's needed. LG and maybe C and of course RT. I would assume LT and RG is solid for now.

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I wouldn't mind an upgrade at RT, or at least some depth if J.Brown has injury issues again. And then of course depth can always use an upgrade on the interior of the line.

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I may be in the minority, but I don't feel as if our OL is in terrible shape. Not to say there aren't improvements to be made, but I feel we have a middle of the pack line in the league. Last year we started strong with our starters. Once we sustained some injuries we definitely saw a decline in production from the line; however, those backups responded, grew together as as unit, and played some damn good football in our final few games.

Lets not forget they were opening some big holes to get both Helu and Royster some big games. I don't think OL is as much of a priority as DB and ILB on this team. I would have liked us look for some help at the RT position in FA, besides that -- I mostly like what we have.

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I'm with Daseal. I don't think we're terrible...

My main concern is depth. Sure, we had some backups come in and play admirably, but how often is that going to happen? I think we need to grab some older vets and draft some line help early. I'd feel a lot more comfortable with that scenario.

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O-Line is a C+ when fully healthy. We have no depth and depth is crucial to his unit in particular. Taking that into consideration, by mid year, odds are they are a D+/C- just like last year.

At this point(Bell's gone), the only way to address it is draft Shanahan type guys in mid-late rounds. They typically slide anyway because they are typically smaller more athletic guys. These 1-2 players will see playing time this year when Jammal and whomever else get's hurt.

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Agree with Dasel and Malcolm, I don't think we're that bad. Rex's horrible decision making and lack of playmakers at WR exacerbated our offensive lines woes. The only must have is probably right tackle because Jamal Brown likely can't last 16 games.

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I agree with most of the posts, the offensive line is average. Depth is the biggest problem. When injuries occur, the quality goes down significantly. Need to go after offensive line and middle linebacker in the draft.

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I disagree, we need better protection at the RT position. We need a stronger starter and get JB the f*ck outta town. McNeil would be an upgrade in FA, he has always been a better player at Tackle than JB. I would also draft a young tackle as well to groom. Willie Smith is a decent backup, but we need another.

Im seriously worried about Kory L and the horrible injury he needs to come off of. I feel more comfortable with Hurt coming in at Guard than a guy like Smith at tackle though. A a new young C/G face would be nice as well.

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We've seen how the Shanahan's like competition at RB and WR. Why not more competition at OL? They can't be satisfied with what they currently have, can they?

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[quote=chickensalad;907526]We've seen how the Shanahan's like competition at RB and WR. Why not more competition at OL? They can't be satisfied with what they currently have, can they?[/quote]

We've had a few free agent OL in for visits, if we didn't have the cap issue we probably would have signed one or two. Now the focus will have to be in the draft.

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I am thinking they draft Adam Gettis from Iowa late. He is someone who appears to be a good fit for the Shanahan scheme, undersized but quick and fundamentally sound. And it fills my annual homer pick wish list.

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[quote=Daseal;907508]I may be in the minority, but I don't feel as if our OL is in terrible shape. Not to say there aren't improvements to be made, but I feel we have a middle of the pack line in the league. Last year we started strong with our starters. Once we sustained some injuries we definitely saw a decline in production from the line; however, those backups responded, grew together as as unit, and played some damn good football in our final few games.

Lets not forget they were opening some big holes to get both Helu and Royster some big games. I don't think OL is as much of a priority as DB and ILB on this team. I would have liked us look for some help at the RT position in FA, besides that -- I mostly like what we have.[/quote]


I agree the O line is ok (not great or very good) it should be ok if TW is smoke free and there are no long term injuries. The larger concerns are ILB and secondary.

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RG3 will turn our line from a C minus line into an A minus line, just with his physical attributes and decision making. Thats about where I see the receivers as well, without RG3, maybe a solid C or B minus, with RG3, B plus or A minus.

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[quote=Mechanix544;907569][B]RG3 will turn our line from a C minus line into an A minus line, just with his physical attributes and decision making[/B]. Thats about where I see the receivers as well, without RG3, maybe a solid C or B minus, with RG3, B plus or A minus.[/quote]

So we will depend on a rookie QB to improve our Oline? What a grand strategy

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There's a lot the Redskins can do to improve their offensive line, but there's nothing they have to do in order to save their season. This isn't quite the Red Alert we're dealing with in the secondary.

If they want to save their financial resources and start the same five guys they went with in 2011, they'd probably be okay. They don't give postseason awards for building the most "blah" offensive line that periodically will not actively hurt the offensive effort, but you can't just spend your problems away.

The best the Redskins can do at right tackle in the draft is a 50/50 shot at drafting a long term solution at RT. And that pick (in either the 3rd or 4th round) would come with a significant opportunity cost of a potential starter if they drafted BPA.

Marcus McNeill or Vernon Carey are probably the best they can do at this point, but like Jammal Brown, you're making an unlikely gamble on good health.

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i really think we're alright as far as starters go, i think the rt spot will be fine between brown/smith. we just need to get deep at every spot, positions battles to raise the proverbial bar

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The biggest OL issue IMO isn't Brown. Brown is weak, sure, but what can you really do about that: pay a right tackle left tackle money?

The biggest OL issue comes if you lose either Trent Williams or Kory Lichtenstieger (or even Montgomery) to injury. Right now, if that happens, you're hoping for either some sort of unnatural step forward for Willie Smith or Maurice Hurt, or you just get RG3 hit on any passing play beyond a three step drop. So if you're going to sort out that issue, I'd start there in bolstering the left side with depth, and accepting that the right side is a known weakness, and will be all year.

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I'm in the camp of our line being OK, not great but an improvement over the days of Dockery, Rabach, Mike Williams and Heyer.. I'm interested to see how Brown will be with a full offseason of supervised and regulated rehab/training as well as the development of Mo Hurt and Wilie Smith. They are key to our depth on the left side. They both got game experience and while they didn't stand out, they also didn't completely embarrass themselves either.

What do you guys think of Zebrie Sanders, the tackle from FSU in the 3rd as a backup and/or potential replacement for Brown on the right side?

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[quote=Paintrain;907578]I'm in the camp of our line being OK, not great but an improvement over the days of Dockery, Rabach, Mike Williams and Heyer.. I'm interested to see how Brown will be with a full offseason of supervised and regulated rehab/training as well as the development of Mo Hurt and Wilie Smith. They are key to our depth on the left side. They both got game experience and while they didn't stand out, they also didn't completely embarrass themselves either.

What do you guys think of [B]Zebrie Sanders[/B], the tackle from FSU in the 3rd as a backup and/or potential replacement for Brown on the right side?[/quote]

I think he's in the discussion, but better options.

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[quote=Chico23231;907571]So we will depend on a rookie QB to improve our Oline? What a grand strategy[/quote]

A quick release and a guy that can scramble away from pressure can go a long way.

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I think you have to hope you see guys in rds 3-5 that you like and fit the system . I would like to draft 2 before rd 6 . As GTripp noted , without an improved secondary , we might struggle to win more than 8 games ( we did surrender 30 pts 3 of last 4 ) . It is possible that Trent , Kory and J Brown are all better this year , and some of the young guys are better than we think . I have to guess with both Davis and CC and a better QB should make us less predictable and more explosive .

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At this point, we can only hope that depth and/or a late round gem is acquired in the draft & Willie Smith reaches his potential & takes the RT job at some point. Any FAs brought in will likely be competing for a backup spot. Good o linemen are often found in the mid rounds & this draft has decent o line.

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[quote=Mattyk;907592]A quick release and a guy that can scramble away from pressure can go a long way.[/quote]

What? How can any quarterback do better than what Grossman showed us last season? He's like the Ferrarri of quarterbacking.

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[quote=Mattyk;907592]A quick release and a guy that can scramble away from pressure can go a long way.[/quote]

True, I just think the smart play is getting the guy as much help as upfront so its not another thing he has to worry about while making the transition.

While I agree its not as important as getting the secondary together or even resigning Fletcher at this point, i still think its a primary concern. Going into camp with injury concerns with Kory L and JB (again) with a new QB and a rookie at that I think is dangerous. Im seriously thinking JB could be done.

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[url=http://www.realredskins.com/rich-tandlers-real-redsk/2012/04/redskins-sign-ufa-ot-james-lee.html]Redskins sign UFA OT James Lee - Rich Tandler's Real Redskins[/url]

Sorry to post twice wasn't sure where to post.

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[quote=NYCskinfan82;907642][url=http://www.realredskins.com/rich-tandlers-real-redsk/2012/04/redskins-sign-ufa-ot-james-lee.html]Redskins sign UFA OT James Lee - Rich Tandler's Real Redskins[/url]

Sorry to post twice wasn't sure where to post.[/quote]

This now means we have arguable the best oline in the entire conference. Championship!

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[quote=NYCskinfan82;907642][url=http://www.realredskins.com/rich-tandlers-real-redsk/2012/04/redskins-sign-ufa-ot-james-lee.html]Redskins sign UFA OT James Lee - Rich Tandler's Real Redskins[/url]

Sorry to post twice wasn't sure where to post.[/quote]

"Lee has been with the Bucs since they signed him as an undrafted free agent out of South Carolina State in 2008. He has played in 19 games, starting 10, with nine of those starts coming at right tackle in 2011."

An experienced young guy to provide depth and competition, that's positive progress imo.

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[quote=SmootSmack;907496]Share your thoughts here on how to improve it for next season[/quote]Draft the best OT and OG we can get.
Search the June cuts for the best available FA OL that is an upgrade from our returning RT/RG.

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[quote=30gut;907647]Draft the best OT and OG we can get.
Search the June cuts for the best available FA OL that is an upgrade from our returning RT/RG.[/quote]

Maybe I need to look at the numbers but Chester at RG was not bad at all & if I'm right he was the only OL man to start all 16 games.

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[quote=NYCskinfan82;907648]Maybe I need to look at the numbers but Chester at RG was not bad at all & if I'm right he was the only OL man to start all 16 games.[/quote]I think he did start all 16 games but I would not describe his level of play as not bad.

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[quote=GTripp0012;907573]There's a lot the Redskins can do to improve their offensive line, but there's nothing they have to do in order to save their season. This isn't quite the Red Alert we're dealing with in the secondary.
[/quote]I would put the OL concerns up there with secondary.
Rookie QBs usually hold the ball longer, miss more hot reads and sight adjusts and are generally more dependent on quality pass protection for success then veteran QBs that know the scheme.
Unless they're counting on continuity based improvements I think the OL we had last year isn't good enough to support the kind of offensive success I think they're looking for.

Re: All About the Offensive Line
 

[quote=NYCskinfan82;907642][URL="http://www.realredskins.com/rich-tandlers-real-redsk/2012/04/redskins-sign-ufa-ot-james-lee.html"]Redskins sign UFA OT James Lee - Rich Tandler's Real Redskins[/URL]

Sorry to post twice wasn't sure where to post.[/quote]
Maybe he provides some good depth , Allen signed him while in Tampa .

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problem solved, no need to continue screaming myself to sleep. james lee for governor

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[quote=GTripp0012;907573].... This isn't quite the Red Alert we're dealing with in the secondary.
[/quote]

Wow... no offense, but this is like a broken record. I'm not happy with the secondary either, and I was on record saying that we should find a way to keep Carlos on the team instead of letting him go. Losing Landry sucks, but he has basically been gone for 1.5 years already. Still, we were 12th in pass defense last year. These posts make it sound like we were 30th in the league or worse.

We need a quality depth player at CB and another at Guard/Center. If we get the QB position right, our problems at CB can be overcome. The Giants stand out as a prime example. They were worse in yards/game and completion percentage and still managed to do okay.

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When I assess our team's needs, I think we are actually weaker in secondary right now than OL. However our OL needs are more URGENT due to the fact that we are bringing in a rookie QB. Our priority should be OL.

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[quote=imaskin4life;907674][B]When I assess our team's needs, I think we are actually weaker in secondary right now than OL.[/B] However our OL needs are more URGENT due to the fact that we are bringing in a rookie QB. Our priority should be OL.[/quote]i concur

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This new James Lee guy looks pretty crappy, maybe he just needs some more coaching, talent and technique....
"James Lee, who started nine games for Trueblood at right tackle in 2010. Lee was supposed to challenge Trueblood for the starting job in 2011, but played terribly in the preseason and was relegated to the bench. In his lone start in last year’s season finale at Atlanta, Lee gave up two sacks in the first half before being replaced by backup Demar Dotson in the second quarter. "

[url=http://www.pewterreport.com/index.php?option=com_k2&Itemid=20&view=item&layout=item&id=7854]Bucs Sign OT Meredith-Pewter Report: Your source for inside and breaking news on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers[/url]

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I just want our cap money back -- and then they should allow us to make an offer to any FA RT who was signed already this year. Would never happen but would repair the wrongs..

Regardless - I agree our O-line is not as bad as we keep saying. It was a strength through the first couple of games last year.
However,
1) Injuries to key line positions WILL happen again. They happen EVERY year.
2) J.Brown is using yoga for therapy. Seriously? Yoga?
3) Our division has some of the best pass rushers in the NFL, hard to play with a rookie QB on his back the whole game. I saw RG3's college games, and he didn't do much magical when the pass rush was getting to him. Brady didn't do much when he kept getting sacked by the NY Giants. Both games.
4) TW and FD are still one puff away from killing our season.


I say bring M. Williams back from obesity, run him on a treadmill to lose 150lbs and start for us in September. It worked for Zorn and Cerrato...

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Don't hate on yoga, ever try it?