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Om Field: What if the Offensive Line Doesn't Suck?

Neophyte said:
I remember a couple of times specifically against Dallas where Rabach was asked to take Ratliff straight up. Not a favorable matchup at all for nearly every center in the league.
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Indeed. Ratliff is one of the few guys at NT/DT who still get pressure from the interior D-line. In this day and age, especially in a 3-4, your NT is usually asked to just tie up blockers for the LBs to make plays. There aren't many John Randle's left, who can wreak havoc on a QB from the inside, but Ratliff is one of those guys. Anyone who doesn't help out on him does so to their own detriment.

I wonder why Haynesworth doesn't see that, and accept as a personal challenge, instead of pouting. I realize that he draws a lot of double-teams too, but if he's the player he believes he is, there's no reason he can't get pressure up the gut.
 
Neophyte said:
I remember a couple of times specifically against Dallas where Rabach was asked to take Ratliff straight up. Not a favorable matchup at all for nearly every center in the league.
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The problem is, I've noticed Rabach get blown up at least once by almost every DLineman he's faced one-on-one, not just the Ratliff's. I mean, its not unreasonable to ask your center to be able to occasionally block even the top-notch guys one-on-one I don't think.
 
Henry said:
Om, you can use that one every year about every position, can't ya? :)

No, my glass-is-half-full outlook on the OL is this:

The last time we had a supposedly crappy OL and brought in a pro-bowl calibre QB was 1999. I remember that year everyone, experts and fans alike, thinking we'd be leaning on our defense we'd have to win our games 6-3 all year. Turns out the line didn't suck. It was the QB. Who knew? :D

This could be another 1999. Maybe our line actually never did suck that bad but we just needed a QB. If we don't crash and burn on the line this year I think that's going to be the reason.
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Not really. :)

One of the main points of this piece was that Shanahan/Allen have been mostly silent on addressing the OL---the supposed weak link in many Redskins obsevers' eyes---while addressing all kinds of OTHER areas (WR, RB, QB, DL ...) aggressively as hell. I would have thought that the OL would have been their prime area of aggressive focus. That it hasn't been, even while they have been uber-aggressive at other positions, might suggest something. That's all I'm sayin' about that.

Now, that they managed to bring in a real QB for the first time in a generation is kind of a big deal too. No group will benefit more from that than the OL, we agree on that 100%. Where my thinking got a little happy/crazy is thinking about what might happen if the OL, as a unit, actually turns out to be ... good. Now THAT could get interesting.
 
I guess another factor in all of this, beyond the confidence the coaches may gain evaluating players during practice, would be the potential deals that they're aware of, but haven't been finalized.

Welcome to DC new starting right tackle and two time Pro Bowl left tackle Jammal Brown! Which then possibly shifts Hicks to competition with Mike Williams for the right guard spot.
 
Exactly right, SNF. One thing I think just about everyone would agree on is that Shanahan and Allen aren't stupid. They knew the OL was a disaster before they ever inked their deals ... they've simply gone about rebuilding it slowly and methodically.

This Brown move, assuming the guy is healthy, is exactly the "late FA" move I have been suggesting (along with many others) was likely ... and they may not be done. I can see them bringing in another guard between now and cut downs at the end of training camp, as well as at least one more move late in camp as teams release vets who can still play, but are too expensive to keep.

The OL could really NOT suck. Wouldn't that be something? :cool:
 
I'm obviously a lot more optimistic about the chances of it not being a liability than I was pre-draft. But I think, regardless of who is in B&G on our O-line this season, it would be wise to keep in mind that it will be a major work in progress. Not only do you have a rook you'll be heavily dependent on and who's going to get thrown into the fray quickly, but you also have a total overhaul and chemistry issues galore as a result. So I'm tempering my optimism, knowing it could be mid-to-late 2010 season before these guys learn to play together.
 
Absolutely. I should probably qualify any comments I make about the 2010 OL perhaps not sucking with a caveat along the lines of "it won't be a finished product on opening day obviously ... figure at least a third to a half of 2010 for the starting unit to gel, and the offense as a whole to find a rhythm."

I always assume that stuff's implied ... but of course it is not. :)
 
Om said:
Absolutely. I should probably qualify any comments I make about the 2010 OL perhaps not sucking with a caveat along the lines of "it won't be a finished product on opening day obviously ... figure at least a third to a half of 2010 for the starting unit to gel, and the offense as a whole to find a rhythm."

I always assume that stuff's implied ... but of course it is not. :)
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These guys are doing their collective damnedest to keep me from tempering my enthusiasm the way we've all had to learn to; for the sake of our fragile sports psyches.

I understand there are questions with Brown's health. (Though that's what physicals are for.) And I understand that Trent Williams will get thrown into the fire. (But so did Chris Samuels.)

I'm sure I'll end up allowing myself to be set up for failure once again. But I'm beginning to see failure as a lot less likely everyday.

'Tis both a blessing and a curse to love this team so desperately.
 
This move is just another of many that clearly show, those emails we all got from Bruce Allen informing us they intend to try and win immediately, weren't just hype. I think Shanahan/Allen mean it. It's going to be a fascinating season to watch what happens with so much change, both on the roster, and coaching staff/front office :)
 
Boone said:
... It's going to be a fascinating season to watch what happens with so much change, both on the roster, and coaching staff/front office :)
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I remain guarded. I am still stinging from the last 10 years of seeing so much hope only to have those hopes dashed. I gotta admit, that **** hurts!

I am going to try to contain my excitement for the upcoming season until we beat the Girls on opening day! Of course, once I go to Training Camp with my camera and get a bunch of photos, I will likely begin the excited/full of hope euphoria that always takes over "knowing" we have become a paloff team!

But these moves are making it increasingly difficult to not be hopeful now.

Ahhhh! I wish the season started tomorrow!!!!!
 
With the Brown trade, I've gone from cautious optimism to doing everything within my limited power to stop prediciting a 10 or 11 win season. Really.

Even with the new scheme and no Fat Albert, our defense will probably continue to be a force. Now with a QB, OC and yes, an NFL caliber OL to work with there's no reason we shouldn't be able to consistently score 22-24 ppg. With our defense and a last place schedule, that should translate to something good. (pinches self hard) Perhaps very good. ;)
 
I hear ya, Yusuf.......hard to NOT think in those terms. On paper, we certainly have the look of a top, contending club again.

On paper.......

Ugh.
 
Suddenly I'm feeling nervous. You guys are starting to scare me. When Yusuf starts bubbling I get worried-am I being overly cautious? I'm feeling pretty good about the upcoming season but the part of me that's a hard-nosed realist is kicking into gear and whispering in my ear "Whoa, boy...don't get carried away now...enthusiasm is contagious but watch it."

Of course, my nature is that the better something looks, the more I start looking for potential speed-bumps. I'm open to being convinced otherwise, however.
 
Wellll, I wouldn't exactly call it "bubbling" per se, but given my usual vibe I can understand how one could see it that way. Even so, when added up it's awful hard not to see it my way...

NFCE games-.500

Likely Wins
Texans
Lambs
Bears
Lions
Bucs
Jags

Toss Ups
Pack
Titans

Likely Losses
Dolts
Vikes

So under this relatively conservative scenario if we win one of our toss up games, we'd have a 10 win season. With a tougher schedule and/or no trade for Brown I'd expect about .500. Obviously there are a lot of variables, health at key spots, Williams' development, new schemes, etc. However, if most of those issues go our way, I think 10 wins is reasonable.
 
Just way too logical and well thought out for me. This kind of stuff is what suckered me in the past. All sounds great and none of it would surprise me at all but the homer in me has gotten me burned so many times in the past that I'll just keep the enthusiasm dialed back until we beat a few teams, like a win on opening night. THAT would unleash the unbridled enthusiasm I haven't felt since before Spurrier.

One things cool, I'm not going into the season slightly bummed because for once in what seems like a lot longer than a decade we've actually addressed the lines. It's what makes the whole A.H. thing so maddening to me, we FINALLY get a good plan being instituted and some jerkoff is too spoiled to play ball. Christ on a crutch Al, why NOW??????
 
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