He didn’t have one of those cheesehead helmets; those, he said, were for tourists. And Casey Rabach was anything but at Green Bay games. He was a constant presence, having grown up in Sturgeon Bay, about 40 minutes from Lambeau Field.
He remembers seeing seemingly half his church show up in Packer garb, passing it off as their Sunday best, before heading to games.
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“We tried to make every game,” he said, “if we didn’t have tickets we’d tailgate and be idiots.”
But all that means this week is that he’s had a lot of ticket requests. At last count, his wife was trying to procure at least 30 tickets; and then some.
However, the only place Rabach is a constant presence is on the Redskins’ line. For which the team is eternally grateful. Considering how much change has taken place along the offensive line — two injuries and one trade — the Redskins have not suffered a dramatic dropoff, if any.
It helps that left guard Pete Kendall was a proven left guard when acquired in August. And it helps that left tackle Chris Samuels is a Pro Bowler. However, he missed all of camp.
Rabach has been the lone constant since camp opened, guiding the new right side of guard Jason Fabini and tackle Todd Wade through their first games together.
“For me it’s been a big boost to have a guy who is sure of what he’s doing,” Kendall said. “It makes it easier. You know he’s going to be right. We’ve had a lot of transition, but when you think about it, the center and left tackle are probably the two most important positions and we have good players at both spots.”
The stability at center helps quarterback Jason Campbell; Rabach often talks with Campbell about coverages in the huddle and walking to the line of scrimmage. That’s an area Rabach said he’s improved at in his three seasons here. Before arriving in Washington, his first three seasons were spent in Baltimore playing guard and center.
He now pays more attention to coverages and the rotation of the safeties; it helps him with protection calls.
“I’m a different player,” Rabach said, “in the way I approach the game and the technique I use and the way I look at defenses.”
Said coach Joe Gibbs, “He’s better than a coach. He knows exactly what’s going on.”
