2008 Projected Starters:
Left Tackle: Chris Samuels Left Guard:PeteKendall Center: Casey Rabach Right Guard: Randy Thomas Right Tackle: Jon Jansen
2007 Injuries:
T Jon Jansen: Weeks 2 to 17
T Stephon Heyer: Weeks 7 to 10
C Casey Rabach: Week 7
G Randy Thomas: Weeks 3 to 13 and 15 to 17
T Todd Wade: Weeks 1, 12 and 14 to 17
2007 Statistics:
LEFT END
LEFT TACKLE
MID/GUARD
RIGHT TACKLE
RIGHT END
Passing
ALY
Rank
ALY
Rank
ALY
Rank
ALY
Rank
ALY
Rank
Sacks
Rank
4.12
14
4.83
7
4.11
16
4.11
20
3.76
22
29
13
ALY (Adjusted Line
Yards): It is an alternate measure for yards per carry developed by Football Outsiders
that takes into account various factors including down, distance, situation and opponent. Source: www.footballoutsiders.com
Overview: The Washington Redskins bounced back in 2007 with nine wins after a difficult 2006
season. The improvement was mainly due to the defense that was one of the worst in 2006
but was one of the ten best in the NFL in 2007. The offense had to deal with a lot of
injuries on the line and allowed 29 sacks, ten more than the previous year while the
rushing offense went from one of the best in the league to below average.
At left tackle the Redskins can
count on one of the best in the NFL in Chris Samuels. Samuels was the third overall pick
in the 2000 NFL Draft and has only missed four starts with the Redskins since being
drafted. At 6’5” and 310 lbs, he is a punishing blocker in the running game and
has vastly improved his lateral mobility. Samuels is one of the best run blocking left
tackles in the NFL and is still above average in pass protection. He has not shown any
signs of slowing down even though he will be 31 years old at the start of the season and
is the main reason why this offensive line did not totally collapse last season. Samuels
has been named to a total of five Pro Bowl teams including the last three years and should
continue to perform at a high level for a few more years. On the right side, the Redskins
hope to have Jon Jansen return as the starter after he suffered a season-ending leg injury
in the first week of the 2007 season. When healthy, Jansen is very dangerous as a run
blocker because of his strength and good technique. The problem with Jansen is that he has
never been very athletic and now at 32 years old and coming off a leg injury his feet are
likely to slow down even more. It remains to be seen if Jansen can still offer adequate
protection in the passing game but he is still a very good run blocker. Competing with
Jansen for the right tackle job will be Stephon Heyer. Heyer was signed as an undrafted
free agent last season and became the starter on the right side when both Jansen and Wade
went down with injuries. He has very nice size for a tackle at 6’6” and 320 lbs
but the Redskins averaged only 3.4 yards per carry in the five games he started. He still
has to improve his technique and find a way to make up for his slower feet in pass
protection but overall he showed some promise as a rookie. He should continue to improve
as he gains experience and will look much better with a better guard on his left. The 31
year old Todd Wade will also provide depth at tackle. Wade has had injury problems for the
past four seasons and cannot be relied upon for an extended period of time. He is still a
decent backup with pretty good run blocking skills but he is limited to the right tackle
position.
Pete Kendall will return as the
starting left guard for the second consecutive season with the Redskins. Kendall was a
Seahawks first round pick in 1996 and has since started with four different teams. Kendall
will be 35 years old when the season begins so he is starting to slow down but his
excellent technique and awareness are allowing him to extend his career. Kendall was
brought in a few weeks before the season began in a trade with the New York Jets and did a
good job considering the circumstances. He is an effective run blocker but lacks strength
at only 280 lbs. If he can stay healthy, Kendall should improve this season with a full
off-season to learn the offense. Starting on the right side will be the 32 year old Randy
Thomas who suffered a triceps injury last season which kept him out for most of the year.
Thomas is a very good run blocker at 6’5” and 320 lbs and can do a pretty good
job in pass protection as well. His health is a concern but he is definitely an asset for
this line if he stays healthy and his absence is the main reason why the running game took
a big hit last season. The 33 year old Jason Fabini provides depth at guard and is a
pretty good backup because of his versatility to play most positions on the line. Fabini
played in 13 games last season in replacement of Randy Thomas at right guard but he is
starting to slow down and struggled in both pass and run blocking last season. He could
still be a decent backup for a few games a year but does not have the physical abilities
to play 13 games like he did last season. The Redskins added a little youth to the line by
selecting Chad Rinehart in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Rinehart is strong and
smart but may take some time to adjust to the NFL game coming from a small school. His
footwork and athleticism needs to be improved to pull to the outside but he is very
effective when run blocking inside. Rinehart will probably not be ready to come in this
year but could be Kendall’s replacement at left guard next season.
Starting at center for the
fourth consecutive season will be the 30 year old Casey Rabach. Rabach was signed as an
unrestricted free agent from the Ravens and has only missed one start in the last four
seasons. He has adequate size for a center at 295 lbs and he has excellent awareness. His
importance on the line was shown when he missed the week 7 game last season against the
Cardinals and the Redskins averaged only 2.6 yards per carry. The absence of Thomas last
year made Rabach much more vulnerable but he should look better this year.
2008 Outlook:
The Redskins line had to deal with injuries to its two starters on the right side of the
line for most of the season and yet did a pretty good job. The problem with this line is
that all five starters and two of the backups are over 30 years old and the average age of
the starters will be 32 years old when the season begins. For the past few seasons,
injuries have been a concern for this line and unfortunately will likely continue to be
one this season. The good news is that things could not be much worse than last year
because the two best run blockers on this line in Thomas and Jansen missed almost the
entire season. The Redskins have pretty good depth with Heyer, Wade, Rinehart and Fabini
and will be fine as long as Samuels stays healthy. Overall the line should improve in run
blocking, especially if Jansen is the starter at right tackle but could take a small hit
in pass protection with the veterans starting to lose some mobility.
Updates:
August 4, 2008 - Everyone on the line is healthy for now and if it remains like that the
running game will be much improved.
