Mike Shanahan built his reputation on offense. Before he can turn the Redskins’ offense around, he’ll have to take a hard look at four areas:
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The offensive line » Shanahan’s past lines have mostly been filled with smaller linemen because he likes to use zone blocking and calls a lot of stretch plays. The Redskins lack the sort of linemen he prefers; no guards on the current roster are adept at pulling, which Shanahan likes. Keep an eye on two Denver linemen – left guard Ben Hamilton and right guard Chris Kuper. Hamilton, entering his 11th season, is a free agent while Kuper is restricted (if the CBA is not extended). Hamilton is only 6-foot-4 and 290 pounds and is considered to have excellent technique. But he is small for that position. Kuper is not considered a strong player, but is athletic (and weighs 300 pounds) and adept at pulling to the outside. One Denver insider said Hamilton was “done.” But he and Kuper played well for Shanahan two years ago.
Shanahan has drafted offensive linemen, taking tackle Ryan Clady two years ago – he’s now a Pro Bowl player. Clady fits what others say Shanahan wants in a left tackle – big and athletic. Shanahan drafted a right tackle in 2007 in the third round, so he did place an emphasis on always re-stocking the line. Denver also used to send a lot of linemen to NFL Europe, helping them develop lower-round guys. But that’s not an option now. It’s hard to imagine the Redskins returning more than two players off this line; center Casey Rabach could be resigned for his experience. LG Derrick Dockery is under contract, but is inconsistent.
Quarterback » In some ways Jason Campbell would fit the description of what Shanahan wants: strong-armed and athletic. However, a Broncos source said that Shanahan did not like Campbell coming out of college. Whether or not he’s changed his mind remains to be seen. Shanahan has tweaked his offenses in the past – one year he used a lot of bootlegs and rollouts for Jake Plummer only to have the offense use more drop-back throws the next (the former worked; the latter did not). So he could certainly find a way to make it work with Campbell. Sam Bradford is considered a good West Coast offense QB, but is coming off an injury. Tony Pike is strong-armed and athletic and likely would be a second-round pick. But is he capable of picking up Shanahan’s offense? That could be an issue.
Running back » The same Broncos source said he doubted Shanahan would want Clinton Portis back. It’s clear many of his teammates hope he’s elsewhere, too. Or, at the least, changes his approach. Denver always had a good running game under Shanahan, and Portis had his two best seasons with him. And then Shanahan traded him. But he lacks the explosiveness anymore to take full advantage of the cutback lanes created in the run game. Denver’s line used a lot of cut blocks under Shanahan. The threat of those sometimes caused defensive linemen to get upfield faster as they pursued the ball, opening up lanes on the backside. Portis’ future likely depends on if there’s an uncapped year or not. If not, he might be too expensive to unload.
Tight end » With Fred Davis and Chris Cooley both pass-catching tight ends, it’s uncertain if Shanahan would want to keep both. However, the Broncos source said Shanahan would definitely want to have two such tight ends – and then use a third as a blocker, which is what the Redskins did this year. If that’s the case, the Redskins are in good position here.
