Jones will start; Heyer returns to right tackle
ASHBURN – The problems began before the shuffling started, with Washington’s offensive line struggling to help the Redskins. And now the line is being shuffled around. And the problems are getting worse.
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After starting a tackle the past three games who had been out of the NFL for three seasons, they’ll now use a left tackle who other line-starved teams thought was finished. Right tackle Mike Williams (the former) will miss two to four weeks with a torn ligament in his ankle. Meanwhile, Levi Jones (the latter) will start at left tackle as Stephon Heyer returns to the right side.
On the replay, Hall could be seen jawing with Atlanta linebacker Tony Gilbert as Landry was leaving the sidelines. Hall was quickly surrounded by Falcons, as well as their coach, Mike Smith, and strength and conditioning coach Jeff Fish. Both coaches at one point had a hold of Hall’s jersey. At one time, nine Falcons surrounded Hall.
Smith clearly was yelling at Hall and appeared to swing his elbow at him. However, further replays showed that Hall, in an attempt to get Smith’s hands off him, pushed his elbows making it appear from another angle that the coach had tried to elbow him. In reality, he did not.
Still, the NFL has said it will review the situation.
Hall, traded by Atlanta after the 2007 season, was not made available for comment Monday, though he said Sunday that Smith had put his hands on him in a “harmful” way.
Smith said, “All I was trying to do was restore order.”
“What DeAngelo said, it looked to me on video is exactly what happened,” Zorn said. “What he was trying to do was get LaRon off the sidelines. LaRon was going and then [Hall] got grabbed. The emotion rose and he was the only guy in there and he didn’t know what was going to happen.”» It does not appear the Redskins have any interest in recently released running back Larry Johnson, according to team sources. Zorn said Monday the team discussed the possibility, but by late in the day any interest had waned.
“The groups that stay together, they get that cohesiveness,” Redskins coach Jim Zorn said. “We’re trying to patch together and we’re looking at it from a realistic standpoint. … It’s hard.”
It’s not just the line, however.
Safety Chris Horton will miss at least four weeks — and possibly the season — with a toe injury suffered in Sunday’s 31-17 loss at Atlanta. Horton will see a specialist Tuesday to determine if he needs surgery. If he does, Horton likely would miss four to six months, obviously ending his season.
Regardless, the Redskins (2-6) will sign another safety. Horton’s absence could result in LaRon Landry playing more strong safety — his more natural position. But that would mean Kareem Moore would play more free safety. Reed Doughty, who rotated as the starter with Horton, also would continue to play.
Also, running back Clinton Portis suffered a concussion Sunday and Zorn called him doubtful for Sunday’s game vs. Denver.
But the real issues lie along the offensive line. In only half a season, the Redskins already have used four players at left tackle and will use their fifth different starting combination this week. Jones wasn’t signed until last month.
Zorn, in his 24th NFL season as a player and coach, said he’s never seen a situation like this.
“Not like the continuing back and forth,” he said. “Our linemen are doing a good job staying together.”
But the Redskins also have surrendered 11 sacks in the past two games; some of them not just the fault of the front five. And five of those sacks occurred in the first half of Sunday’s defeat. The pressure led to quarterback Jason Campbell suffering first a chest contusion after one hit and a sprained ankle on another.
“We understand the criticism,” Redskins center Casey Rabach said. “That’s not how you win football. … It starts up front with the line in the run game, in the pass game, the whole offense. Until we fix it and get it right, it’s not going to get better.”
The Redskins had a bad offense with all its starters healthy. Now they’ll have four players who opened the season as starters sidelined Sunday because of injuries.
About the only positive for Washington in a 14-point loss is that it rushed for a season-high 136 yards Sunday, including 104 in the second half. It’s why the Redskins rallied.
But the continuing injuries and the inconsistent play have left the 2-6 Redskins reeling.
“You don’t worry about what’s going on,” Redskins receiver Santana Moss said. “You’re just trying to win. That’s the hope.”
