Offensive line depth (R. Thomas' injury)

[Slingin Sammy 33]

Originally Posted by PennSkinsFan

Here is our annual Offensive Line rant, just coming a bit early this year.

http://dcprosportsreport.com/2009/09/is-randy-thomas-the-outer-bands-of-a-bad-storm-coming.html

Rather than rant, let's look at this a little more objectively. Snyder has invested in the OL, it's just been through FA and contract resturctures. Jansen and Thomas restructures in 2007 are what have really hurt. If they both could've been productive through this year we'd have been much better off. No one could forsee both breaking down they way they did after being durable for most of their careers. Dock was a great FA signing. Rabach was a great FA signing in 2005. Samuels has been locked up for the remainder of his career.

I agree more emphasis could've been put on OL in the later rounds, but think about these things:
- Would you have passed on Orakpo at # 13?
- Trading down in 2008 and picking up DT was a good move in that draft, most had him as the #1 rated WR and all the premier OTs & DEs we targeted were gone. Our Smurf-sized WRs was a big complaint that off-season.
- Wasn't OLB an area of need in 2007 when we took Rocky.
- In 2006 didn't we need a CB pretty bad when we took Rogers. Later in the draft, Gibbs made the decision on moving up to get Campbell, not Snyderatto.

Outside of a couple of plays, Rabach and Heyer have been solid. Not sure who Reid's "NFL Insiders" are but if both Rabach & Heyer we doing so poorly we wouldn't have put up the production we did against the Rams and we wouldn't have averaged 4.0 per rush and given up only two sacks against the Giants.