Chalk talk: Randy Thomas

1. Stunts and twists. Thomas was excellent at not only picking up stunts, but in getting an excellent punch and knocking his man off stride enough so that Stephon Heyer’s job was made easier. For example, against the Giants, New York tried to run a stunt but Thomas’ punch caused the tackle, Barry Cofield, to go a bit wider than desired, which led him to bump Justin Tuck enough off stride and ruin the stunt. In essence, Thomas blocked both men. Thomas helped out center Casey Rabach as well in this area. This will bear watching as the season continues, though Detroit does not do a lot of this.

2. Blitzes. The Lions will not run a lot of stunts, or, at least, they haven’t so far this season. But they will send their linebackers and this is another area the Redskins will miss Thomas. We don’t want to make him out to be the greatest guard ever, but this just illustrates his effectiveness and the problems Washington will face in this area. But one thing Thomas was good at was keeping his head up while blocking, allowing him to get off blocks and pick up blitzers. Some linemen ”catch and absorb” which means their heads are too much on the guy they’re blocking. They become blinded to the blitz. But Thomas’ strength was evident in this area as well as others. In the game and a half he played this season, he was knocked backwards once and still recovered. Again, he wasn’t en route to the Pro Bowl, but it does suggest that he’ll be difficult to replace.

3. Athleticism. The Redskins did not ask Thomas to do a lot of pulling thus far in 2008. He pulled to his right just once against the Rams and none against the Giants. However, Thomas also was asked to occasionally slide from his spot to block the right end. Not many guards will be asked to cross the face of the QB to do something like this. But Thomas does it on occasion. They’d do this on deeper drops, where they’ll keep a tight end in on the right side, leaving Thomas as an extra guy. It gives the defense a different look. Another time against the Giants, the Redskins used an empty backfield with only five blockers. The Giants rushed three defenders to the Redskins’ left and one to their right. That left Thomas with no one to block. But he was quick enough sliding to his right to pick up a blitzing corner coming off the edge. It’s a misdirection pass play that might not be used much anymore. The Redskins will still use some of these plays. Will Montgomery did a good job getting out in space on the Ladell Betts screen last week, diving at the feet of a corner to help open a hole. And Chad Rinehart is considered to have better feet than Montgomery. The coaches say Rinehart is athletic enough to play in space. Teammates we’ve talked to aren’t as confident.