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2009 Offensive Line Analysis - Washington Redskins

2009 Projected Starters:
Left Tackle: Chris Samuels
Left Guard: Derrick Dockery          
Center: Casey Rabach
Right Guard: Randy Thomas
Right Tackle: Stephon Heyer

2008 Injuries:
T Chris Samuels: Weeks 8, 14-17
T Jon Jansen: Weeks 15-16

2008 Statistics:

ALY (Adjusted Line Yards): It is an alternate measure for yards per carry developed by Football Outsiders that takes into account various factors including down, distance, situation and opponent.
Source: www.footballoutsiders.com

Overview:
The Washington Redskins entered the 2008 season with the oldest starters amongst the offensive line with an average age of 32 years old. They had to deal with a number of injuries in 2007 so the running game improved from 3.8 to 4.4 yards per carry last season but they allowed 38 sacks as opposed to 29 the year before. It became obvious that these linemen had lost a step since only one of the five ranked in the top half of the league in sacks allowed at his position.

That player is the starting left tackle Chris Samuels who is still one of the best in the NFL even though he will be 32 years old when the season begins. Samuels was the third overall pick in the 2000 NFL Draft and has only missed eight starts with the Redskins since being drafted. At 6’5” and 310 lbs, he is a punishing blocker in the running game and has vastly improved his lateral mobility. Samuels is one of the best run blocking left tackles in the NFL and is still above average in pass protection. He suffered a triceps injury last season and missed four games but will be fully healthy when the season begins. Samuels has been named to a total of six Pro Bowl teams including the last four years and should continue to perform at a high level for a few more years if he can stay as healthy as he did for most of his career. On the right side, the Redskins will likely start Stephon Heyer after releasing Jon Jansen earlier this summer. Heyer was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2007 and started 12 games in his first two NFL seasons after Jansen went down. He has very nice size for a tackle at 6’6” and 320 lbs but the Redskins averaged only 3.4 yards per carry in the five games he started in 2007 and 4.0 in the seven games he started in 2008. He still has to improve his technique and find a way to make up for his slower feet in pass protection but overall he showed some promise in his first two NFL seasons and should continue to improve as he gains experience. Mike Williams adds depth at the tackle position.

At left guard the Redskins brought in Derrick Dockery from the Bills to replace the 35-year old Pete Kendall. Dockery spent the first four seasons of his career with the Redskins followed by two in Buffalo without missing a single game. Dockery was known as a very good pass protector but ranked last in the NFL amongst left guards with 8.25 sacks allowed in 2008. Dockery is a big lineman at 6’6” and 330 lbs whose strength allows him to avoid being pushed into the backfield. He however struggles when asked to pull to the outside because of his lack of athleticism and also seems to lack aggressiveness in run blocking. Starting on the right side will be the 33-year old Randy Thomas who suffered a triceps injury in 2007 which kept him out for most of the year but returned in 2008 and started all 16 games. Thomas is a very good run blocker at 6’5” and 320 lbs and can do a pretty good job in pass protection as well. He is definitely an asset for this line and his absence was one of the reasons why the running game took a big hit in 2007. In the second half of the 2008 season, Thomas showed a tremendous amount of courage by playing with a herniated disk in his neck and played knowing that any hit could have left him paralyzed. He also had his knee scoped this off-season and even though he should be ready for training camp, he remains a major health concern. The Redskins added a little youth to the line by selecting Chad Rinehart in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Rinehart is strong and smart but has taken some time to adjust to the NFL game coming from a small school. His footwork and athleticism needs to be improved to pull to the outside but he is very effective when run blocking inside. Many are hoping that Rinehart can replace Randy Thomas this year but he has not shown much yet and may need one or two more years before he is ready to be a starter in the NFL. Jeremy Bridges who started four games with the Panthers last season is also a backup at guard.

Starting at center for the fifth consecutive season will be the 31-year old Casey Rabach. Rabach was signed as an unrestricted free agent from the Ravens in 2005 and has only missed one start in the last five seasons. He has adequate size for a center at 295 lbs and he has excellent awareness. He will never be a great center but he is a fine run blocker and would be much better if he was surrounded by stronger guards.

2009 Outlook:
The Redskins still have one of the oldest offensive lines in the NFL despite their off-season moves and surprisingly did not draft a single offensive lineman in the 2009 draft. If we compare this line to last year’s line, Heyer is a small downgrade at right tackle and Dockery might be a small upgrade over Kendall but he could be much better. The Redskins entire season basically comes down to the health of 32-year old Chris Samuels and 33-year old Randy Thomas. If both of these guys are healthy for all 16 games, the Redskins line should be similar to last year’s. However, if either of these guys gets hurt (especially Samuels) the line will have to rely on career backups or an unproven second year player and the offense is likely to struggle.

See all of our 2009 Offensive Line Analysis Articles