Tracking the Trenches

Offensive linemen often peek where they’re going to block, something Knighton sees right away.

When you catch them doing it, they try to act like they didn’t and sometimes I tell them, 'Before you get in your stance, know where you’re going and get a poker face,'" Knighton said. “A lot of times I’ll tell them about their eyes and stance and things I see pre-snap, anything that tips me off. Sometimes they’re like, 'Did you know the play?’ I’ll tell them why I knew what was going on.”

Lichtensteiger, entering his seventh season, said he usually knows what he’s done wrong -- it’s just a matter of knowing how to make sure it doesn’t happen again. But there are times when he and Knighton will talk about what they want to work on in practice, blocking or rushing a certain way.

“Terrance knows he’s a big guy, but in practice he wants to work on other stuff, too, to refine his game more,” Lichtensteiger said. “It’s nice to have someone who is a true professional. He’s a big boy and he has a good bull rush, but he won’t hit me with a bull rush every day. That won’t accomplish anything.”

With Long, it’s a little different. He’s played 16 snaps in the NFL, according to ESPN Stats & Information so he has plenty to learn. Every day provides a new lesson, one Knighton is happy to share.

“[Knighton] will take me aside and say, 'This is what you can do differently. This is why I was able to beat you and what I was able to see,'" Long said. “He’ll say what signals you’re giving me and say change it in this manner and that way I can’t beat you. He’s helping me beat him, giving me tips. You always take that knowledge and work with them.”

Knighton has preached a certain message to Long.

“It’s just controlling his leverage,” he said. “He’s a strong and quick guy. He doesn’t have to be in such a rush. He has good enough feet to recover if beat and he’s strong enough to take on big guys. I tell him to be patient.”

There’s a reason Knighton does this.

“Just trying to help him out as much as possible because on Sundays,” he said, “when he’s on the field, I’m rooting in his favor.”

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RICHMOND, Va. – The Washington Redskins drafted Brandon Scherff fifth overall to play right tackle, but that doesn’t mean they won’t switch him to another position if that makes the line better.

Before Wednesday, Scherff had worked exclusively with the first line at right tackle during full-team work. On Wednesday, he took snaps at right guard with Morgan Moses at right tackle (the Redskins were in shells, not shoulder pads). Moses handled all the first-team work at tackle and Scherff took all the snaps at right guard. Spencer Long, who has been working with the first offense at right guard, handled that position with the second group.

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Moses is off to a good start in camp, coming off a Lisfranc injury last season. The Redskins still don’t consider him 100 percent, but they do want to see how he looks with the first offense. They have tried almost all the players at another spot along the line, preparing for emergency contingencies and in some cases to see what spot suits a player best. Tom Compton has taken snaps in full-team work at both right guard (with the second offense) and right tackle (with the third). Long has taken reps at left guard, though not in full-team drills.

“We’re still sorting things out,” Redskins line coach Bill Callahan said. “Nothing’s settled.”

That’s a theme throughout the organization. The Redskins say they just want the best five on the field and won’t keep Scherff at right tackle if the line is better with him at guard and Moses at tackle. But they do like Long. Both Long and Scherff have had a tougher time adjusting to pass protection.

“I like his work ethic,” Callahan said of Long, “and I like the way he plays with power. He’s strong and really stout at the point of attack.”

Moses has done a better job this summer of staying low and playing with more balance and power. Scherff has struggled in one-on-one pass protection drills, particularly vs. linebacker Ryan Kerrigan.

It’ll be interesting to see how this unfolds and if it was just an experimentation -- that’s one thing I was told -- or if this continues throughout camp

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RICHMOND, Va. -- The Washington Redskins aren't worried about where they drafted Brandon Scherff. They remain more focused on where he fits along the offensive line. And if that means it's at guard, that's where he'll play.

Scherff spent the first five practices at right tackle but the last two, including Thursday morning against Houston, at right guard with Morgan Moses at right tackle. The Redskins have not settled on a starting offensive line so they'll continue to experiment with different lineups to see what works best.

The Redskins drafted Scherff fifth overall with the assumption he'd start at tackle. But Moses, a third-round pick in 2014, could alter those plans.

“That's a definite possibility,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said.

Traditionally, guards do not get taken in the top 10 (only one has been drafted there in the past six drafts; the Dallas Cowboys' selected Zach Martin with the 16th overall choice).

Gruden said he would not be bothered if ultimately Scherff started at right guard.

“Not if he's really, really good,” Gruden said. “All you're looking for with the fifth pick or any pick is someone who will help your team be successful. We think Brandon can do that.”

If he ultimately becomes a top guard, then it won't matter. If he's just average then it will, perhaps like any other player they might have drafted. Numerous NFL people said they felt he'd be best suited at guard than tackle -- one coach for another team said Scherff could be a good tackle but a great guard.

The Redskins would take that, as long as they build a strong offensive line. Moses' improvement would go a long way toward this; he's more comfortable on the right side than a year ago -- he played on the left side his last two years at Virginia.

“We'll cross train them and let the exhibition games take care of themselves and we'll make our decision for Miami,” Gruden said.

That's when the Redskins open the season. Before camp it appeared clear who would start at right tackle. Now we'll have to see who wins the jobs up front.

“Players have to earn that right,” Gruden said.

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ntotoro said:

I must be the only person in all of Redskinsverse who really couldn't care less where Scherff played during the very first week of TC.

Nick

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But perhaps the play that got the most “Oohs” out of the crowd came from first-year offensive lineman Ty Nsekhe. Nsekhe put all of his 6-foot-8, 325-pound frame into his defender and drove him into the ground, and gave him another little jolt before the play was whistled dead.

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The young duo have been tasked with forming the right side of the Redskins’ starting offensive line, and although it’s certainly still a work in progress, Callahan likes what he sees so far with about a week of training camp practices under their belts.

“The daily exposure they get obviously counts towards the evaluation, so we’re continuing to look at them and see where we’re at,” Callahan told reporters on Monday at the Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center in Richmond, Va. “They can start young and they can build their communication and build their repertoires of moves together and they can learn how to play with one another.”

Though Callahan said “there’s nothing etched in stone” when it comes to the depth chart, he said both Long, at right guard, and Scherff, at right tackle, are putting in the work necessary to succeed on the practice field and in the meeting room.

“I think that communication is important, not only on the field but off the field as well,” Callahan said. “They’re in the meeting room and they’re learning together, they’re seated together and there’s a lot of benefit to that.”

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tr1 said:

That's a reasonable question. The answer is improvement. Moses hasn't recovered from his injury, but he's ahead of Scherff at tackle. Yesterday's practice shows that Moses still needs to improve, but that Long is moved out tells me we aren't going to be better on the right side.

I'd like to see everything improve. I'd like to be a winner again. I'd settle for competitive.

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