Mike Williams, what do you think?

[brandies]

What are the odds of him being a decent RT, a good RT, or an all pro RT. If he comes through and Rhinehart or other Williams steps up we should be solid on the O line. His current weight 354 pounds.

 

[HOF44]

I think he'll have a really hard time being a full time player this season. Losing all that weight has had to have been hard on his body in the short term. If they are not careful and push him back to fast I'd fear an injury.

If on the other hand he is brought back slowly, keeps the weight off, and is allowed to build up stamina and strength gradually, by next season we could have a real find.

 

[beamish]

3-5-4 still sounds like too much bulk to me, especially if it's soft and jiggling all over the place. lets see how he holds up in the heat of training camp. hope he turns out to be comeback player of the yr...

 

[Hog Fever]

It would be a great story for sure and it would be nice for the team to have some good luck for a change. He simply fell into our lap. Of course he needs to make the team first, but even if he's on the team for depth, I'll take it.

As you guys mentioned 354 is probably too big to stand up to a whole season worth of play without some kind of injury issues. He's what, 6'7"? I don't think we can have him play guard at that height, but what do I know. On the plus side having not played in several years he doesn't have the same NFL wear and tear as a guy his age should have. If he finishes up training camp at say...320 or so we may be in business. A full off season in a weight and nutrition program and he's right where he needs to be again, but I'm getting ahead of myself here.

I'm not counting on him making the team but I'll definitely be paying attention when he hits the field this pre-season. I think just about everyone is pulling for the guy.

 

[Neophyte]

He apparently played at 360 right out of college so maybe 354 isn't too much for him. Guess we will see, huh?

 

[LegionOfDoom]

Being at 350 is perfect for Williams...from the reports I heard we have goten ourselves a steal with him. He has been determined to show the naysayers and has a giant chip on his shoulder. He will be the guard that portis will follow into the endzone!

 

[Chris]

I'm not worried about the weight if he's 350ish @ 6'6. Samuels is 6'5 and 315?

Williams is 29 with three less years of NFL wear and tear than his contemporaries. Training camp will tell if he's ready and able to pick it up again. His weight won't be the determining factor, his conditioning and mental toughness will.

This is a no lose situation for the Skins and that's a nice spot to be in.

 

[The Burgundy Ghost]

He's 354 right now according to Redskins.com.

Is it just me or does it look like the Redskins actually have a decent amount of depth on the the O-line this year?

Starters (as of today): Samuels, Dockery, Rabach, Thomas, Heyer

Look at their possible back-ups: Heyer/Clark, Bridges/Rinehart, Montgomery, Bridges/Rinehart, Mike Williams

and that doesn't take in consideration some of the other players fighting for a roster spot.

 

[beamish]

you're on the same page with coach buges, deadman! he said this is as deep as they've been since his second stint here.

 

[The Burgundy Ghost]

What's also good is that the Skins have a few players that can play multiple spots.

Heyer has played both RT and LT
Will Montgomery has started at center and guard
Jeremy Bridges has started at guard and tackle
Rinehart can play both guard positions and tackle.

 

[Jimbo]

I'm rooting for the guy because it IS a great story and who doesn't want a steal? I still think he has a long way to go to prove himself in Training Camp and Preseason. If he doesn't make it, we don't really lose anything but we'll all still be disappointed because there was no "fairy-tale" ending.

 

[Bulldog]

Let's be realistic about Williams.

He never showed in 4 NFL seasons when he was a younger man that he had the focus and consistency to become more than a mediocre player in the league.

He basically hung around until the Bills were ready to admit they had 'blown' the pick.

If Williams now is a more focused man who wants to return and make a mark on the NFL, you would have to think that being out of the game for 3 years and having to lose 100 pounds in under a year are factors that work against him.

It would be great if Williams comes in and makes the team and contributes as a veteran working for a near minimum deal, but the realist in me doubts we are going to see him playing meaningful minutes for this team in crunch time in November and December against the NFC East.

 

[Pravda]

To some degree it's a sad state of affairs that we may need to rely on a bust, formerly obese lineman to be the catalyst in taking our offensive line to the next level--

If anything, I'd say the fact that we're having this conversation is confirmation enough that the Redskins' casual approach to lineman drafting and hoping to find a diamond in the rough may not be the best approach in building a strong offensive line (or team, for that matter).

Loved to be proven wrong on this and have to agree with Chris (it's been too long, my friend !) that we're in a no lose situation with him--but I'm checking my optimism a bit.

Our offensive line is still pretty old and Stephen Heyer is not the second coming of a member of the Hogs IMO.

We shall see...

 

[Bulldog]

well, it was obvious after 2008 that BOTH lines needed an overhaul.

the Redskins were successful in bringing in one pro bowl DL in Haynesworth and 2 future starters in Orakpo and Jarmon at DE.

not enough draft picks and cap room for a re-do on the other side of the ball.

Dockery makes the OL better. Thomas if healthy makes the OL better. Bridges as a backup at OG makes the OL better.

But there was no sigature move.

That will have to wait until 2010.

 

[Neophyte]

It would be great if Williams comes in and makes the team and contributes as a veteran working for a near minimum deal, but the realist in me doubts we are going to see him playing meaningful minutes for this team in crunch time in November and December against the NFC East.

Not that I am saying Williams is the answer but if not him, then who? I don't see Heyer as anything more now than a great feel good story who will make a decent backup off the bench. And after Heyer, I don't see anyone on this squad capable of delivering anything serious.

In short, I see more depth than in years past but, at least at RT, I don't see even Jansen's recent ability at the starter spot unless Williams really does step up (something I am hardly counting on but really hoping for).

 

[Bulldog]

The truth is we haven't seen enough of Heyer strictly at RT to know for sure what the team has.

Heyer played there in the playoff run in 2007. He entered the season as the starter and then somehow through a zen process that was never clearly explained to me lost his job after ONE week and was replaced for the rest of the season by a 33 year old player the Head Coach had dinged in the preseason for being slow off the ball in pass protection.

Then we saw Heyer later in the season playing out of position at LEFT tackle when Chris Samuels was hurt, and the returns there were not very good.

But let's consider for a moment what Jon Jansen would have looked like at LT after playing his career at RT. Even if this move had been made 3-4 years ago when Jansen was still an effective player at RT he would have faced an uphill battle playing the left side.

For a raw player like Heyer that was just becoming comfortable at his natural position on the other side, the move to LT set him back.

 

[Neophyte]

I thought Heyer was a LT in college that the Skins were using as a switch hitting backup. Am I wrong in that and he was a RT in college?

 

[Chris]

During his final three seasons at Maryland he started every game at left tackle.

 

[Pravda]

well, it was obvious after 2008 that BOTH lines needed an overhaul.

the Redskins were successful in bringing in one pro bowl DL in Haynesworth and 2 future starters in Orakpo and Jarmon at DE.

not enough draft picks and cap room for a re-do on the other side of the ball.

Dockery makes the OL better. Thomas if healthy makes the OL better. Bridges as a backup at OG makes the OL better.

But there was no sigature move.

That will have to wait until 2010.

Was it just as obvious in 2008, or has it been pretty obvious for at least four to five years--the addition of Casey Rabach to replace Cory Raymer was not exactly the definitive move to fundamentally overhaul an aging line.

Nor was keeping Thomas, Samuels and Jansen as the core of the line--the selection of wide receivers (unproductive wide receivers at that in Thomas and Kelly, with a bum knee to boot) instead of additions at the OL was a bit of a head scratcher for our 2008 draft.

And sure, Thomas and Kelly may break out in 2009, but won't that depend on the success of the OL giving Campbell, a QB that's not known for making super-quick decisions, enough time to make good throws?

We aren't facing new problems here as the OL is something that has dogged us for years--

But are Samuels, Thomas, Rabach and Dockery--all guys that are over thirty or very close to it, really a long term answer?

I'm not questioning the Haynesworth/Orakpo moves per se, but the OL needs more help than Heyer and a (formerly?) obese potential bust can give, I think.

Again, hope I'm wrong on this...

 

[Redskins14to13]

He's 354 right now according to Redskins.com.

Is it just me or does it look like the Redskins actually have a decent amount of depth on the the O-line this year?

Starters (as of today): Samuels, Dockery, Rabach, Thomas, Heyer

Look at their possible back-ups: Heyer/Clark, Bridges/Rinehart, Montgomery, Bridges/Rinehart, Mike Williams

and that doesn't take in consideration some of the other players fighting for a roster spot.

I wouldn't say those guys are decent. Samuels is arguably the best lineman we have and hes coming off an injury and over 30. Thomas gets hurt too much and Heyer has shown some good flashes but has yet to prove he is consistent starting material. And those are all the starters! Mike Williams is still a huge question mark but I'm praying he will be the diamond in the rough we so badly need. And hopefully Dock can step it up for us this year.