There’s no denying that this season has so far been pretty cool for Redskins fans. The team is in its second year of a proven system, management has made positive additions (and subtractions) to the roster, and the team itself seems to be doing well, having won its first pre-season game against it first opponent, the Super Bowl contending Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a solid win as well. Not a barely-scrape-by-lucky-got-that-holding-call-when-we-did win.
Both Redskins coordinators – on the defensive side Jim Haslett and on the offense Kyle Shanahan – appear to be pretty happy with the team also and spoke to the media today after practice about it. A common theme in what they discussed was their enthusiasm about their respective “men in the trenches.”
One of the positions that Washington has had problems with in recent years and that has improved this season is the offensive line. Veteran center Casey Rabach has been let go in favor of younger Will Montgomery. Six-year center/guard Chris Chester was brought in from Baltimore and the remaining guys: Kory Lichtensteiger, Trent Williams and Jammal Brown are all in their second year of the system. Kyle Shanahan has to be proud of the way those guys handled a good Steelers defensive line (quarterback Rex Grossman made reference specifically to nose tackle Casey Hampton) this past Friday night in the teams’ first preseason game.
“I thought they did a real good job, you know, going against a good run defense,” Shanahan said to the press after practice, “and they came out ready to go. I mean, they came off the ball, they were physical, they moved well together and I was excited about them.”
It has to help the O-line that they’re practicing every day against an improved defense. They must work harder, playing against a defense with personnel that fit the scheme. But actually, that’s not the only reason the big guys have improved. The younger Shanahan gave us his opinion on why his offensive line is better in 2011.
“We’ve obviously added some players,” he said. “So we’ve got some good players there which I think helps [the offensive line] to go against good players every day. I’m sure everything is a factor but I think it is more just being used to each other, being together a year. I think the guys that came to camp this year [really came] with the mindset to get better. They’ve worked and they’ve been real detailed in everything they’ve done and I think it showed for them in the Pittsburgh game. Hopefully that continues.”
Haslett appeared very satisfied about having a nose tackle with so much talent (as are many fans). He was asked specifically about new acquisition Barry Cofield.
“I was really impressed with the way he played in the game because he was probably playing against one of the better centers, if not THE best center in the league and he really did a nice job,” Haslett answered. “Great hand usage, square, powerful guy… he’s exactly what you’re looking for in a nose. You know, he’s not 350 [lbs.] but he’s not 307 – or what everybody says he is or something like that. But he’s a big, powerful guy. I think you’ve got to talk to the linebackers because they’ll tell you how free they could run last week in the running game.
“It’s the number one position,” he went on, talking about the importance of the nose tackle. “That’s the most important position. He had a couple of hits on the quarterback from that position last week. I don’t think we had a hit [all of] last year. That’s where you build it. It’s like a catcher in baseball, you kind of build from there out. I thought he did a heck of a job last week for the first time playing in a game situation.
“Personnel-wise we’re much better depth-wise, we have better quality up front.”
Evidently, Cofield told left tackle Trent Williams that he was going to be all over the field and would run better and be more active than any nose tackle on the team.
When told of this, Haslett’s immediate reply was a surprised chuckle and an incredulous, “He said that?”
“I think it’s an extra bonus if you get a guy that can move and get outside the numbers,” Haslett explained. “He had a couple of quarterback hits last week which is what really impressed me – he converted from learning to pass [the opposing lineman] that fast and had some giddy-up and got to the quarterback – which you don’t normally get from a conventional nose. So far, to this point he’s done everything you can imagine. Obviously he wants to play some nickel and do some things like that. I told him we’ll look at that in the future. But the linebackers feel comfortable with him in there and that’s what we’re doing right now.”
Speaking of chuckling, head Coach Mike Shanahan was in a good mood today, starting his press conference by pretending to toss one member of media’s digital recorder off of the podium. A few minutes later he told us that kicker Graham Gano had left practice early today because he had received a call from his wife that she was ready to deliver their baby. Good things going all around.
Best wishes to Graham for a healthy, happy family.
Hail.