This has been a BAD free agency period

[Burgundy Burner]

How good is our OL? Do we need major upgrades? Do we need minor tweaks?

Just taking a look at who we have on the OL...

LT - Trent Williams is going to look like all-world with RG3 at the helm. We're set there. Willie Smith provides solid depth.

LG - Don't laugh, but Maurice Hurt could be one of the biggest steals of our 2011 draft. He looked great during the last half of the season and if Hurt continues to progess, then we are set. If Kory Lichtensteiger is sufficiently healed, then we are good to go with depth - bringing in a solid option (Chilo Richal?) could be a good idea though.

C - Will Montgomery is very underrated, but he will look even better with RG3. Drafting for depth would be a good option here, but we look to be set at center.

RG - Chris Chester continued to improve during the latter half of the season and became much more comfortable in the ZBS. We are set here, but some depth is needed in FA and/or the draft.

RT - This will be addressed in the draft and there are some great chances to grab a right tackle in the third and fourth rounds. Schwartz (Cal), Potter (Boise St.), or Massie (Miss.) could be chosen in the draft. Tyler Polumbus provides good depth.

A few tweaks are needed, but the Redskins must address the situation at right tackle. If these issues are settled by training camp, then all concerns about the OL will be moot.

 

[fansince62]

How good is our OL? Do we need major upgrades? Do we need minor tweaks?

Just taking a look at who we have on the OL...

LT - Trent Williams is going to look like all-world with RG3 at the helm. We're set there. Willie Smith provides solid depth.

LG - Don't laugh, but Maurice Hurt could be one of the biggest steals of our 2011 draft. He looked great during the last half of the season and if Hurt continues to progess, then we are set. If Kory Lichtensteiger is sufficiently healed, then we are good to go with depth - bringing in a solid option (Chilo Richal?) could be a good idea though.

C - Will Montgomery is very underrated, but he will look even better with RG3. Drafting for depth would be a good option here, but we look to be set at center.

RG - Chris Chester continued to improve during the latter half of the season and became much more comfortable in the ZBS. We are set here, but some depth is needed in FA and/or the draft.

RT - This will be addressed in the draft and there are some great chances to grab a right tackle in the third and fourth rounds. Schwartz (Cal), Potter (Boise St.), or Massie (Miss.) could be chosen in the draft. Tyler Polumbus provides good depth.

A few tweaks are needed, but the Redskins must address the situation at right tackle. If these issues are settled by training camp, then all concerns about the OL will be moot.

encouraged by your optimism BB!!....however ... ... while Rex generated many of his own troubles...his performance and the performance of the o-line are not totally divorced. that line as been an injury prone swivel for years now that has had periodic issues with pass protection. It still strikes me as an iffy proposition down by the goal line and in short yardage situations when staright on power is needed. I'm not clear yet on how much success last season was physical talent and how much was scheme. we all watched Williams have issues, we know RT is a problem area....and it's way to early to make declarations on the interior line....new as the piece parts are.

 

[Neophyte]

fan,

When have Shanahan teams ever exhibited power on the offensive line? The ZBS has never been about that and if that is what you are looking for, maybe you should look at the Ravens or the Jets. This line will not be built to drive block anyone off the ball.

Hey, I miss the play of the Hogs of old too. I liked it when the Skins lined up and every single guy on defense, fan in the stands or person watching on TV knew who was getting the ball and where the person was going to go. And I loved that all those same people knew there wasn't a damn thing anyone could do about it.

But that isn't this team and as long as Shanahan is here it won't be this team.

 

[stevenaa]

I must agree with Neo. A ZBS line is not goiing to out brute teams. But implemented well, it shouldn't have too. Brute force isn't the only way to get a yard, as much as I'd like to see it.

 

[Bulldog]

Chester is not strong at the point of attack and in the red zone our man on man weakness with him and Monty show up in our inability to convert these chances into points.

I agree that Trent Williams was just starting to come on as we hoped when he got hit with the suspension and that was very unfortunate for him and the team.

But he is the only 'gem' I see on this line right now, the only player whose upside is really worth getting excited about.

True, Hurt stepped in as a #7 pick and didn't get his doors blown off playing in the NFL. But he was out of shape and looks to be the kind of player that got by in the past (in college) on size and power alone.

 

[Rymanofthenorth]

How good is our OL? Do we need major upgrades? Do we need minor tweaks?

Just taking a look at who we have on the OL...

LT - Trent Williams is going to look like all-world with RG3 at the helm. We're set there. Willie Smith provides solid depth.

LG - Don't laugh, but Maurice Hurt could be one of the biggest steals of our 2011 draft. He looked great during the last half of the season and if Hurt continues to progess, then we are set. If Kory Lichtensteiger is sufficiently healed, then we are good to go with depth - bringing in a solid option (Chilo Richal?) could be a good idea though.

C - Will Montgomery is very underrated, but he will look even better with RG3. Drafting for depth would be a good option here, but we look to be set at center.

RG - Chris Chester continued to improve during the latter half of the season and became much more comfortable in the ZBS. We are set here, but some depth is needed in FA and/or the draft.

RT - This will be addressed in the draft and there are some great chances to grab a right tackle in the third and fourth rounds. Schwartz (Cal), Potter (Boise St.), or Massie (Miss.) could be chosen in the draft. Tyler Polumbus provides good depth.

A few tweaks are needed, but the Redskins must address the situation at right tackle. If these issues are settled by training camp, then all concerns about the OL will be moot.

LT- TW is overrated, he gets beaten off the edge far too often and gives up the inside way too much, I honestly think he would be better off as a RT. add to that, he doesnt look like he will make it through a season without geting a weed suspension. not a guy you hang your hat on. Smith was ok but seemed to fit better at RT too. We need a real LT, we cant keep holding backs and TE's in to help.

LG- Hurt wasnt a steal, hurt was a guy who started because there wasnt any other better option, he improved towards the end of the season but on a better team wouldnt have seen the field. He didnt look great, he looked ADEQUATE, you can get by with 1 or two ADEQUATE guys on an Oline, but ours is almost entirely adequate guys lol. Lick is another ADEQUATE guy, both of them flash solid play but neither one is anything more than a stopgap both would be considered great backups, but neither should be a starter unless the other starter is a prowbowler.

C-I agree , monty isnt a great guard, but he is the only legit starter on our Oline who didnt just start because there were no options. We could use some depth.

RG-Chester was the worst player on this line last year, he simply cannot anchor in the run game and rarely sets the edge, I couldnt believe how many times he was simply blown up, and lots of times by LINEBACKERS. We are not even remotely set here. I would actually have this as a priority along with RT, because a lot of the success we had running the ball, came on running back effort.

RT- polumbus is nothing more than a body, Smith looked solid at the end of the year but Brown is done, he gave it a go but he simply doesnt have the jam anymore, very few 3rd rounders will start right out of the gate, but hopefully we find one. bottom line, we NEED RT, Smith is also our back up LT and frankly when TW gets suspended he will be our LT.

Evan Mathis is a clear upgrade over every guard currently on the roster we plug him in at LG and move the best of the other 3 to RG to fight it out thus improving 2 spots at the cost of one guy, and he wont break the bank, Winston is a clear immediate starter who would also upgrade depth at lt because smith could become a swing tackle who is solid at both. they both should have been priorities. it also gives us more flxibility in the draft to use our third rounder on BPA as this team has holes.

 

[Neophyte]

Ryman,

I think you are grading on a different set of skillz than Shanahan is. I'm not saying your observations are wrong, just that you are looking for different priorities then our coaching staff is.

 

[Rymanofthenorth]

Neo, that could possibly be it, my worry is that Shanny always had gibbs to look after his Olines, chester was a huge miss, we all saw his 40 time and some people were swayed by that, but Oline can have nifty feet without being straightline fast BMW showed that. Shanny needs to understand that agility is great, quickness is great but at the end of the day, you still need to be able to block. the ZBS uses a lot of movement, so you can cover weakness pretty well but you still need to be able to get to the spot and then get in the way lol.

Shanny is making a mistake in thinking that smaller Olinemen are the only ones who can play in a zbs , the truth is that we have some possible serious upgrades on Oline available, I keep Harping on mathis because he is agile, slightly undersized but is a perfect fit for ZBS. I think Shanny just doesnt want to put resources into the Oline other than late round picks, with so many teams running ZBS now, thats simply not going to work.

 

[Burgundy Burner]

Chester did extremely well over the last half of the season. The player one position over at RT was the one who struggled. Chester has not been waived. He is still penciled in as the starter for a reason - he is good and is the ideal fit at RG in the ZBS.

 

[skinzfan44]

I have to agree on the moving of TW to RT. I don't have a lot of trust in him at that position, you can't have your starting left tackle with a one year suspension hanging over his head. I don't like those odds.....

 

[Rymanofthenorth]

our left guard isnt even in the top 32 left guards in the NFL according to this ranking, and Evan Mathis is ranked #3 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1075548-br-nfl-1000-top-32-left-guards/page/33

Chester is ranked 29th among right guards, so at least we have one on the least, its just too bad that he is so close to the bottom.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1071349-br-nfl-1000-top-32-right-guards/page/5

this is what they have to say about Chester
Agility4
A limited athlete, Chester can be effective at times but often struggles against elite pass-rushers and when asked to play in space. Would benefit from a move to a backup position.

Pass Block, Speed5
Showed decent recovery and average awareness, but poor quickness out of his stance. Can be beaten easily when helping down block on the center if an end or linebacker crashes his outside shoulder.

Pass Block, Power5
Handled 5-technique defensive ends—those lining up on his outside shoulder—better than players inside, closer to the ball, in a 0-technique.

Run Blocking0.5
A perfect display of how to not run block was on display in Week 3 against Dallas in 2011. Few current blockers have been worse at pushing the pile than Chester was in this game. Does not work well to double-down on nose tackles.

Move in Space2.5
An average player in space. Doesn't have the agility to move laterally with elite balance, quickness or control.

Pull/Trap3.5
Doesn't work well getting out in front of the play due to limited mobility from the right guard spot. Would be better in a scheme that doesn’t live and die with the stretch run play.

Strength7
Good strength and bulk provide a strong base. Fails to impress at the point of attack.

Strength5
Only penalized once all season, but did not look good in the run game. Failed to drive off the ball and played too high and too wide all season. Lacked fire and burst.

Size10
Very good size, at 6’3” and 305 lbs.

Health10
Started all 16 games during 2011 season.

Overall52.5
Chester was a very solid player in Baltimore, but since coming over to Washington he has struggled. He is not a good fit in Mike Shanahan’s mobile-pocket passing game, nor is he agile enough to get down the line in the run game


and thats about the most complimentary thing I could find about him.

 

[Rymanofthenorth]

btw on the RG chart, go look at who is #13 lol arrrrgh

 

[burgold]

LG- Hurt wasnt a steal, hurt was a guy who started because there wasnt any other better option, he improved towards the end of the season but on a better team wouldnt have seen the field. He didnt look great, he looked ADEQUATE...

But you need to add this into your calculations. He looked adequate with no minicamps, no offseason, an incredibly barebones training camp, no offseaon weights and conditioning program etc. etc.

Add that in and a player who was adequate who had every reason to fail may become much much better. How many rookies become stronger? How many rookies benefit from an offseason of filmwork and coaching. The fact that a 7th rounder came in and performed as well as he did in a season where the coaches really didn't have time to work with the rookies... the evaluation and training time was minimal if you remember training camp. It was get up and go and get ready for the season, full sprint, which means the afterthought guys really were on their own... is a really great sign.

I expect that you haven't seen this kid's ceiling. I think we've seen his floor.

 

[CounterTrey]

Yea Ryman....par for the course with this team...let talent go to other team where it flourishes. Started with Frank Wychek, the Titans and the Music City Miracle and it's been a regular phenomenon ever since. Arrrrggghh indeed.

 

[bird_1972]

But you need to add this into your calculations. He looked adequate with no minicamps, no offseason, an incredibly barebones training camp, no offseaon weights and conditioning program etc. etc.

Add that in and a player who was adequate who had every reason to fail may become much much better. How many rookies become stronger? How many rookies benefit from an offseason of filmwork and coaching. The fact that a 7th rounder came in and performed as well as he did in a season where the coaches really didn't have time to work with the rookies... the evaluation and training time was minimal if you remember training camp. It was get up and go and get ready for the season, full sprint, which means the afterthought guys really were on their own... is a really great sign.

I expect that you haven't seen this kid's ceiling. I think we've seen his floor.

Great point.

In addition to that, those that get hung up on the fact that he's a 7th rounder (and Ryman, I'm not saying that's the crux of your arguement) - bear in mind that many good OL contain multiple players that were drafted after the 3rd round. There is no reason to think that Hurt couldn't improve with a more structured offseason under his belt in addition to last season's experience.

 

[Rymanofthenorth]

But you need to add this into your calculations. He looked adequate with no minicamps, no offseason, an incredibly barebones training camp, no offseaon weights and conditioning program etc. etc.

Add that in and a player who was adequate who had every reason to fail may become much much better. How many rookies become stronger? How many rookies benefit from an offseason of filmwork and coaching. The fact that a 7th rounder came in and performed as well as he did in a season where the coaches really didn't have time to work with the rookies... the evaluation and training time was minimal if you remember training camp. It was get up and go and get ready for the season, full sprint, which means the afterthought guys really were on their own... is a really great sign.

I expect that you haven't seen this kid's ceiling. I think we've seen his floor.

thats a solid point actually but again, still a spot I would add talent, if he competes, then its all good.

 

[fansince62]

fan,

When have Shanahan teams ever exhibited power on the offensive line? The ZBS has never been about that and if that is what you are looking for, maybe you should look at the Ravens or the Jets. This line will not be built to drive block anyone off the ball.

Hey, I miss the play of the Hogs of old too. I liked it when the Skins lined up and every single guy on defense, fan in the stands or person watching on TV knew who was getting the ball and where the person was going to go. And I loved that all those same people knew there wasn't a damn thing anyone could do about it.

But that isn't this team and as long as Shanahan is here it won't be this team.

well...Neo...that's sad. We're in the NFE now where it matters.

 

[Rymanofthenorth]

Eric Winston 4 years 22 million for the chiefs, that was not a back breaking contract.

 

[Rymanofthenorth]

evan mathis 5 years 25 million. epic fail on our part

 

[Neophyte]

You are assuming we were even an option for him, Ry. It isn't a failure on the teams part if the player didn't want to come here.