1. It’s hard not to like it. Very hard. The Redskins gave up mid-round picks to get a two-time Pro Bowler? They’ve now upgraded what still was a question mark entering camp. And in one trade, they’ve helped themselves at right tackle, right guard and the bench, assuming Artis Hicks slides inside and Mike Williams becomes a reserve.
2. The Redskins have emphasized the deep ball this spring, with more double moves from receivers and a lot of play-action passes. This gives quarterback Donovan McNabb much more security to hang in the pocket and make those long throws, as he did in Philadelphia. This move gives the wideouts more time to make those moves and get free deep.
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3. The Redskins will use a slide protection scheme when pass blocking. Think of it as the equivalent of zone blocking, as they will do in the running game. Because of that, the more athleticism they have, the better off they are. And the combination of Hicks/Brown on the right side is much more athletic than the combo of Williams/Hicks.
4. The other guy who should be thrilled is Clinton Portis. Though Brown is not considered a mauler, he doesn’t need to be in this system. It’s not what is called for by the linemen. Rather, Brown excels at getting to linebackers and creating cutback lanes, something former right tackle Stephon Heyer could not do. It would cost Washington cutback lanes, turning three-yard runs into … three-yard runs. A guy like Brown could turn them into six or seven yard gains – or more.
5. Artis Hicks is a breath of fresh air. Mike Williams is, too, for that matter as he praised the move to Chris Russell on 106.7 The Fan. But Hicks worked all spring at right tackle and figured this would be his home all season. Then, six weeks before camp, he gets bumped to right guard. No complaints; in fact, he was very happy and it seemed sincere. He raved about the move.
