Line more comfortable second year in system
ASHBURN — The optimistic take is the one they prefer. So here it goes. The Redskins’ offensive line will be better because the players are a little younger, have more quickness and are more experienced in this system.
Others may have their doubts. The Redskins’ linemen don’t.
Besides, as Trent Williams said, “I don’t see us getting worse. There’s only one way to go.”
Yes, there is: up. The line was a chief culprit in the Redskins’ 6-10 season, allowing 46 sacks and posting mediocre rushing numbers (16th in yards per carry). There were also numerous hurried passes because of pressure or running plays that went nowhere because of poor execution.
| Skins notes |
| » Quarterback John Beck was kept out of full-team work Monday because of his groin, and his availability for Friday’s game vs. Pittsburgh is now in question. However, Beck told reporters afterward that he’s expecting to play. “That’s my plan,” he said. “Hopefully each day it gets better and better so that I can.” Beck was able to throw during individual and some group drills. But the Redskins did not want to put him in a situation in which he had to execute bootlegs or rollouts. Coach Mike Shanahan said he wouldn’t determine anything about playing time until Wednesday. But he said of Beck, “If he can’t roll out, chances are he won’t play.” |
| » Tight end Chris Cooley and receiver Brandon Banks both returned to practice. Banks had missed four days with a sore left knee; Cooley missed three after having his knee drained of fluid. Safety O.J. Atogwe (hamstring) did not practice. Banks said his knee is still sore and that his speed has not yet fully returned. He’s also motivated by doubts about his future in Washington. “I like it when they doubt me,” he said. “When you make a difference, there’s always haters.” |
| POSITION REVIEW |
| Linebackers |
| Horatio Blades |
| Blades caused people to think he had been cut with this tweet on Monday: “Right is right wrong is wrong. Don’t ask people to be loyal when ur not. It’s been real dc appreciate ya.” Turns out Blades wasn’t cut but is clearly upset the team signed Keyaron Fox, who like Blades is a backup inside linebacker and special teams ace. “It’s all right,” Blades said. “It’s a business. I understand that everything is a competition around here, which is good. But I ain’t gonna lie and sit here and say I ain’t feel a little hurt by how things went down.” |
| Rob Jackson |
| Jackson had a strong day in practice, working against newly acquired guard Sean Locklear in particular. Jackson, in his second season playing outside linebacker, sped past Locklear on several occasions in both one-on-one work and full-team drills. Jackson had worked with the starting defense while first-round pick Ryan Kerrigan was sidelined. But with Kerrigan back, Jackson returned to the second unit. |
| Markus White |
| The seventh-round pick from Florida State, making the transition from college end to NFL linebacker, has shown he can speed past young linemen who likely will be backups at best. But he’s still learning how to beat a starting caliber tackle. And for now, White appears to be a player destined for the practice squad. White has enough speed to get around the corner, but he lacks moves and a lot of explosion to beat a veteran. Left tackle Trent Williams, for one, is patient against him and lets White reveal his plan and then reacts with ease. |
At times last year the linemen wouldn’t hit the right defender or perhaps not block them the right way.
“We could run the plays,” right tackle Jammal Brown said. “We just wouldn’t be as effective as they are now.”
“I think back to last year and slap myself in the head and think, ‘Why didn’t you do that last year,’?” left guard Kory Lichtensteiger said. “But now we’ve got running backs that can execute and offensive linemen that can move.”
And a better idea of what they’re doing. August is a time for dreaming big, and that’s what the Redskins want to do, ignoring the critics. Eventually, the tape will confirm or deny their optimism. Until then, others may have questions; the Redskins have hope.
“It’s not even close,” coach Mike Shanahan said. “The second year is always better than the first. You get to know which players fit into your system, and you can go out and get people who fit into what you’re doing.”
Take Williams, for example.
“The big thing is that sometimes I didn’t even know I was blocking the wrong guy,” he said. “If there wasn’t a coach in the room, I couldn’t correct myself. Now I know if I do mess up I can fix it before the coach can even say anything. I can finish his sentence before the words come out of his mouth.”
It’s not as if the Redskins made a lot of changes. They shifted right guard Will Montgomery to center and signed free agent guard Chris Chester, a backup in Baltimore but whose mobility has turned him into a starter in Washington. Brown is healthy, having battled a hip injury most of last season. Yes, he’s optimistic, too.
“I’m getting to guys without feeling any pain. That’s the big thing,” he said. “I can open my hip up more, which causes me to take better angles and causes me to get from point A to B faster.”
Brown said he’s noticed subtle improvements such as better coordination on blocks involving the tight ends and tackles or the guards and tackles. They’ve focused heavily on running their stretch zone plays in practice, more so than in 2010.
“This may sound odd, but it’s just how we’re getting off the ball,” Brown said. “We’re all coming off at the same time. That’s how it starts when you’re a zone team. You have to be in one rhythm.”
