Should the Skins' FO pick up the phone...

I would love to see Jansen take the center position. Rabach as a backup would make for less worries at center. Heyer should step-up this year and if not, maybe Williams takes the RT spot. Hopefully Rinehart can back Thomas up in case of injury. Plus we have Bridges. Clark backing up Samuels is a little scary but it sounds like Buges is pleased with his progress. All in all I think we see an improvement over last year.

I think that we have the Homer goggles on again. We did not bring in any significant players to upgrade the Oline. At most all we did was bring in a bunch of depth. Nothing that we have done is going to impact how well the first team pass protects. Unless Sameuls got 3 years younger and Heyer became a "stud" overnight our oline is still suspect in the passing game. I seriously doubt that Jansen can beat out Rabach for the starting Center position as well.

I think that we have the Homer goggles on again. We did not bring in any significant players to upgrade the Oline. At most all we did was bring in a bunch of depth. Nothing that we have done is going to impact how well the first team pass protects. Unless Sameuls got 3 years younger and Heyer became a "stud" overnight our oline is still suspect in the passing game. I seriously doubt that Jansen can beat out Rabach for the starting Center position as well.

Maybe the homer goggles are on, however, the first line did step up for the first 8 games. the major issue came once injuries occurred, and in particular once Samuels went down. That is why I would like to see a solid backup for Samuels brought in. Having said that, if we are able to do some simple shuffling and make the backups effective, then I think we should see major improvements.

I think that we have the Homer goggles on again. We did not bring in any significant players to upgrade the Oline. At most all we did was bring in a bunch of depth. Nothing that we have done is going to impact how well the first team pass protects. Unless Sameuls got 3 years younger and Heyer became a "stud" overnight our oline is still suspect in the passing game. I seriously doubt that Jansen can beat out Rabach for the starting Center position as well.

we got younger & bigger at LG w/Dock. Maybe not as athletic though. But otherwise, I'll agree w/you about the homer goggles. That's what I was thinking when I read the Wash Times story. At this point any positive spin on a practice squad guy can be parleyed into a perrennial pro-bowler.

It's nice that Buges had good things to say about Clark & Rinehart, but it was just mini-camp. Williams & Bridges both have a resume, but some baggage (a lot in Williams case) comes w/it. All we can say right now is, good job of assembling bodies w/only 1 draft pick on the o line the last few years.

The reason I posed the question is that I think the Skins OL could be worse this year than last. It doesn't have to be that way, but it might.

Chris Samuels is getting long in the tooth. He is still a good tackle but the chances that he will get significantly better year over year at this stage of his career are slim. And he is the best offensive lineman on the roster.

Dockery is good - not great. Is he an upgrade over Pete Kendall from last year? Yes. But is he the lynchpin around whom a great offensive line can be built? Probably not since he has been in the league about 5 years now and that never happened.

Rabach is a journeyman. It would be a huge surprise if he suddenly got a lot better than he has shown for the past two seasons - - and that hasn't been anything near outstanding.

Randy Thomas had neck surgery in the off-season. I cannot remember any time when that was considered a career-enhancing move for an offensive lineman. Can Thomas play this year? Can he play well? Can he play 16 games?

Everyone who is "in the mix" to play RT is flawed.

Jansen is aging and has been hurt a lot in the last 2-3 years.

Heyer is underwhelming.

Williams is so out of shape it might be November before he could possibly make the line-up - - assuming he returns to something like his old form in the first place.

Reinhart and Clark are merely the latest rookies that Bugel has gushed over - - turn back the clock 12-18 months and listen to him rave about Heyer.

For 2009, Bridges is the best player of the bunch here by a good margin but he is a gamble as a starter because of his "self-control problems".

Notice, I didn't even hint at the possibility that there could be a couple of injuries across the line that resulted in season-ending situations.

Yes, things can fall into place and work out for the best, but this is the part of the 2009 team that looks to be a weak link. Therefore, I thought the FO might at least find out what the price would be to make a trade with a team that seems to have plenty of players at a position where the Skins might need a solid player. No need to inquire within the NFC East; no one there will trade to help out the Skins just as the Skins would not trade to help any of the other teams in that division out.

Since the Skins play the NFC South this year, I would think a trade with a team there might be problematic too. So, looking around at other teams in other divisions, the Jags seemed like a place where a phone call might make sense. The Ravens also might have a surplus across the line and perhaps a phone call there would be in order too. Sure, these teams might cut one of those offensive linemen next month - - but then there would be 31 other teams who had an equal shot at signing the player. If the cost were reasonable, a trade would assure that a desirable player came to Washington.

I am not advocating making a trade that costs next year's first round pick or something of that magnitude. But you can't know what the cost is unless you ask...

You might want to post the link from the Michael Lombardi article.

As for Pashos id just roll with the guys we got now. If we traded for him I wouldnt mind but I say just let Williams, Bridges, Heyer, and Jansen battle it out.

Still waiting...

Man, that's just wrong... and kinda funny.

Still waiting...

Man, that's just wrong... and kinda funny.

Yeah, the Lombardi article from Friday is the first thing I thought of when I saw this thread as well.

Here it is

The National Football Post | Diner Morning News: Trade Bait (http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/2009/05/diner-morning-news-trade-bait/)


If I were working for the ‘Skins, I would call Jacksonville about the availability of right offensive tackle Tony Pashos.

The Redskins’ offensive line is a mess. It’s old and injury prone, making the prospect of a successful 2009 season seem unlikely. Worse, there are no signs of finding reinforcements during the preseason. Jacksonville signed former Eagle Tra Thomas this offseason to be the starter at left tackle, then drafted two more tackles in the first two rounds — Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton. They now have three tackles besides Pashos who are locks to make the team.

Even though Pashos has been a starter, he does have limitations in his athletic ability and the type of protection schemes the offense must run. Had this been the ‘Skins’ offense of old (Joe Gibbs’ offense) featuring mostly slide protection, Pashos would fit perfectly. Pashos is the kind of player that ‘Skins offensive line guru Joe Bugel would love — tough, gritty, hard working and willing to do whatever he needs to be successful. The ‘Skins can’t feel that current right tackle Jon Jansen can perform in all 16 games from an injury and performance standpoint. They must find an alternative, and I doubt it will be former Buffalo Bills first rounder Mike Williams of Texas.

I think our OT situation is looking a lot worse than it was at this time last year. I think it has the potential to be a worse situation. But the one thing we have going for us is that we're at least prepared to deal with the worst possible outcome. We have a lot of bodies, and likely won't get married to a single solution should the first choice fail to satisfy.

But I'm thinking this might get worse before it gets better (which it should).

Keep da picks!!!!

I think our OT situation is looking a lot worse than it was at this time last year. I think it has the potential to be a worse situation. But the one thing we have going for us is that we're at least prepared to deal with the worst possible outcome. We have a lot of bodies, and likely won't get married to a single solution should the first choice fail to satisfy.

But I'm thinking this might get worse before it gets better (which it should).

How does it look worse? We have the same guys as last year(one year older but still) with a slue of new guys. I agree that maybe only one out of the bunch may work out but i really don't see us being worse off. If anything else were in the same exact position as last year. All we need is one of these new guys to step up and we will be better off then last year already.

If we traded picks everyone would be arguing on how stupid Danny is for trading them.

True, but it doesn't matter how stupid "WE" think it is, it matters if it translates to wins.
Believe it or not, Theo Epstien (GM Red Sox) got a TON of crap for trading Garciaparra in 04...turned out to be a genius move and won us the series. No one questioned it after we won, in fact, those that said it was dumb, turned around and said it was the bold move the Sox needed to win it all.
It's all about how it works. I'd trade every single draft pick next year for a super bowl win. But only for a super bowl WIN.