Changing the Redskins Offensive Line

An enormous weakness last year, the beginning of the Mike Shanahan era will depend heavily upon the offensive line. I think the Donovan McNabb trade, the hiring of head coach Shanahan, and the switch to the 3-4 defense have taken away attention from the offensive line. However, much of the offensive success will depend on how well the line is coached up by Chris Foerster, the offensive line coach.

At the marquee left tackle position, Trent Williams was drafted fourth overall this year to protect McNabb's blindside. Williams has incredible athletic upside and should fit the primarily zone blocking scheme of the Shanahan offense. The knock on Williams coming out of Oklahoma was that he may need some motivational fire to go with his tremendous upside. I expect Williams to be a offensive cornerstone for the next decade, barring injuries.

Derrick Dockery will start at left guard in his second stay with the Redskins. A short flirtation with the Buffalo Bills ended up with Dockery being cut and returning to the Redskins. Dockery offers a great deal of natural power, but his range leaves something to be desired. At the very least, I think Dockery can be steady, although he may not be an ideal fit for the zone blocking scheme.

Center Casey Rabach started all sixteen games last year (as did Dockery), but is 32 years old. The Redskins do not have an adequate replacement for him. Rabach is experienced and tough, but like Dockery, does not fit the zone blocking scheme perfectly. I can see Rabach producing steady, but unspectacular play this year.

At right guard, Artis Hicks will have the first chance at a starting job. He comes over from the Minnesota Vikings, where he was a versatile backup. Hicks has not been a regular starter for a couple seasons. I'm sure Hicks will likely provide solid snaps this year, now that Mike Williams has been lost for the year with blood clots.

Finally, Jammal Brown is a two time Pro Bowler from the Saints, who came over in a trade. He was out with an injury for the previous year, so he may have to shake off some rust. I think he can return to his Pro Bowl form, but injuries and the full conversion from left tackle to right tackle may take a few games.

While I see a great deal of improvement over last year, regardless of what any fans think, the Redskins have a ways to go. Ideally, I would like to see some better backups in place. Dockery, Hicks, and Rabach need to improve their athleticism or face being replaced with quicker and faster linemen who can pull and reach the second level more easily. While with the Denver Broncos, Shanahan's offensive linemen typically were about 285 to 305 pounds. I see the offensive line as a work in progress at this time, but we have our bookend tackles in place. Depth and the interior line will need to be worked on next year.

Boss Shanahan Gets the Last Laugh on Haynesworth

When Albert Haynesworth signed a record contract with more than $41 million in guarantees, the Washington Redskins and owner Dan Snyder looked to him to be the most disruptive defensive tackle in all of football. After all, Haynesworth had just finished a season with the Tennessee Titans where he single-handedly turned that front seven into an elite unit. More than a year after signing that deal, Haynesworth has succeeded in being disruptive, albeit not in the way the Redskins were looking for.

The volatile Haynesworth has been a disruptive force in the locker room, crying over a shift in defensive philosophy and claiming that he'd take his 41-million dollar ball and head home. Signed to dominate offenses and control the line of scrimmage, the only thing he's dominated has been national headlines. Though Haynesworth has never been an overly popular player going back to his days at Tennessee, the South Carolina native is now taking bullets from all angles. He's a national punchline of sorts, after new coach Mike Shanahan laid down the law.

Complaints of a phantom knee injury have been common and missed workouts were the summer norm for the tackle. Though he claimed to be getting in shape on his own, results from the early part of camp haven't reflected that. Haynesworth has yet to pass his required conditioning test. Though national pundits have admitted that the test is hard and probably unnecessary for a player like Haynesworth, Shanahan has been unrelenting. Looking to take control of the situation, he's denied Haynesworth access to more than a dozen practices after the big man has come up short.

National outlets have had a lot of fun with this story, with some taking it to different levels than others. ESPN radio show host Mike Golic actually took to the field to see if he could complete the same conditioning test. A former lineman who has been out of action for almost 20 years, Golic's successful test was filmed and run on ESPN.com. Without training, one half of ESPN's "Mike and Mike" was able to beat the test and offer a winded interview a few seconds later.

The bigger story seems to be the hammer that Shanahan is bringing down in Washington. Well aware of the fact that Haynesworth has run unchecked on all of his previous teams, Shanahan set strict standards and stuck to his guns. As big Albert continues to fail the relatively simple conditioning test, the joke grows larger. Shanahan has indicated that he might finally give in and allow Haynesworth to practice without passing the test, but more than a week into camp, that has not happened. Regardless of his large contract and his checkered past, Haynesworth isn't bullying around a multiple Super Bowl champion like Shanahan.

Will the national joke grow larger or will Haynesworth finally step up to the plate and complete the 600 yards worth of sprints? Only time will tell, but for now, Shanahan is getting the last laugh.