Redskins Need New Offensive Line Coach

[CapitalDefense]

To implement the WCO that Zorn favors the team has to change its approach to evaluating and selecting OL. The WCO favors quicker, more athletic OL who are adept at pass protection for a qb using that 3-5 step drop and release.

The Redskins also need to get younger along the OL across the board.

While Joe Bugel has been a legendary OL coach in the past, I think at 68 his fondness for the power ground game and keeping 30's veterans on the roster instead of developing younger players is out of step with what Jim Zorn needs on his staff now.

Rennie Simmons retired recently and I think Joe needs to follow him. The Gibbs regime is over.

I can see on defense where maintaining Blache and Gray has worked, largely because Blache has decided not to entertain major changes to the scheme which takes the veteran performers out of what they do best.

On offense a number of players are miscast and the team can't allow sentimentality to dictate who is kept and who plays in 2009.

We really needed to see Stephon Heyer at RT in 2008 so a better judgment about his future could be made, instead Bugel (Zorn seemed to favor Heyer) stuck with Jansen even after Heyer returned from his sprained shoulder.

Heyer ended up playing but out of position at LT after Chris Samuels went down. All we learned from that experience is that he is a mediocre left tackle.

But that doesn't dim his prospects at RT.

Contrary to what the Washington Times article seems to infer about Heyer not being starting material, I would pose the thought that in MOST cases of younger players at 6'5 and 325 starting on the OL they need reps to be able to acquire the necessary leverage to be effective.

The fact at 24 Heyer is not a finished product like Joe Thomas (who was the #2 pick in the draft) is no reason to cast him to the side.

A NUMBER of Redskins are going to be learning on the field in 2009, hopefully including the three #2 picks that were made in 2008.

Given the lack of cap space in 2009 to bring in veteran free agents it would appear as if we need to fully evaluate those players we do have even more closely.

Joe Bugel is not going to be comfortable in the role of managing a transition where he might have to say goodbye to both Jansen and Randy Thomas for 2009.

Nice breakdown I am sure, but I did not read one word of it. A coach is only as good as the players he has to work with. Look at the age of these guys and tell me any stud 25 year old that could not run right over them if he wanted. This is a young mans game and we have a bunch of old foggies trying their best. Well their best is not enough anymore, we need some spring chickens.

EXAMPLE...look at the ages of the NY Giants defensive front and then tell me why we can't stop them when we play?

[CRobi21]

I agree with you bulldog.

It seems we are still in a different era of football than the rest of the league.

Time to get modernized.

[tr1]

That offensive scheme produced a decent rush game this year.

More than can be said of the head coach's pass scheme.

I'd prefer Zorn to move on...not Bugel.

[SIXX99]

I have been thinking this for a while. Buges is a great coach but the line is just getting worse. We need to get younger and that should go for the coaches to.

[veteranskinsfan]

Wildbill- I agree with you that we have not given Bugel a lot of young skilled linemen to work with over the years because our drafts have ignored linemen after we got our left tackle a few years ago.

[illone]

If you're given brick and mortar, even an idiot can build a wall 6 foot high.

If you're given a gigantic pile of horse manure, even a genius can't build a 6 foot wall with it, no matter how much horse manure you have.

In other words, anybody could build an OLine with 1st and 2nd round picks. All we've given Buges for the last 10 years is horse manure.

Look at the people not drafting the talent at OL, not the coach.

This is definitely true to an extent, but Buges style is definitely more Air Coryell than Bill Walsh, and the Skins need to address that if they want to run the WCO in DC.

[Xero21]

We need new players, not a new coach.

I know it seems weird, it did to me too, but our guys on the O-line aren't what they were 4-5 years ago. Then, they were the second-coming of the Hogs to us.

No more. Jansen's skills at blocking speedy pass-rushers are declining. Thomas is still good, but he too is not as dominant as he was. Rabach I never thought was all that great. Kendall does well for his age and having bad knees, but how much longer? Samuels is of course Samuels, our Pro-Bowl LT and he is the one player we could not easily replace.

We need to come to terms with the fact that they aren't going to play forever. I think this is especially true with Randy Thomas. We love the guy, he's a great person and was a great player.

But he is getting older, and while still playing well, his level of play is beginning to dip. He doesn't need to be replaced right away, but drafting his successor now would not be a bad idea. There's no reason they couldn't both be on the team.

I ranted, I apologize.

[Stormy]

Zorn stuck with Jansen because Jansen was a stronger run blocker and he improved enough with his pass protection that he felt comfortable leaving him in there. Considering that at the time the running game was the bread-and-butter of this offense, it was probably the right thing to do.

If by "improved" protection you mean that Jansen allowed himself to be pushed 3 yards deep into the backfield, collapsing Jason's strong side throwing lane, on virtually every pass play (that's when he's not being beaten outright by an edge speed rush) - then I agree with you that he improved at pass-pro. Frankly, I think Zorn saw some early success with a run heavy offense, and then reverted to complete overkill in his reliance upon it, which meant sticking with Jansen. Playing Jansen so deep into the season was a huge mistake not only on a performance level, but in terms of evaluating the future of the RT position.

[Dick Edds]

we need to get younger on the OL this off season no matter what, open competition for every spot on the OL in training camp ... and yes I love Buges and he is a legendary coach. But he's not a recruiter like Bowden or JoePa, he ain't getting any younger and he's coached a different style of OL his entire career. It's time to bring in an experienced WCO OL coach, and that is not a slight on Buges at all.

We need our run game to be in synch with our passing game, they need to be extensions of the other, etc. It's time to move on from the Gibbs regime.

[Vicious]

Yeah right, Zorn kept the same ground game and we fnished 4th. are you people serious? dont fix whats not broken, we need to work on the freaking pass game and thats NOT Bugels Fault.

Yeah because you can pass with a DE on you, get real dude.

[SkinsFTW]

Wildbill- I agree with you that we have not given Bugel a lot of young skilled linemen to work with over the years because our drafts have ignored linemen after we got our left tackle a few years ago.

A few years ago was actually 9 drafts ago.

[TSO]

Whatever it may be, I hope every decision we make is for the improvement of the team. Somehow, I think Buges is more of an asset than anything... but if Zorn knows he needs someone else, there should be no hard feelings. Buges would understand too.

I find it hard to believe that Buges doesn't know what's needed, even in a west coast offense. He's been doing this for too long, and blocking is blocking no matter how you look at it.

[REEGSKINS]

i agree and its not because i dont believe bugel isnt a great line coach. its because i believe zorn needs to implement his entire system and not a zorn - gibbs hybrid. i dont believe synder should have hired the assistant coaches before the head man. so ultimately if zorn is gonna ever get a fair chance to succeed in washington i think he should do it his way.

[paloosa]

Joe Bugel doesn't pick the players, he only coaches them. Vinny and Dan are the ones that pick the OL players that Bugle has to coach up and IMO has done a great job with what he has been given. Name a quality OL player that the Redskins have drafted since Samuels? I am talking a player that is on the top 5 at any position along the OL. We haven't. Heyer wasn't drafted. Rhinehart was a late round guy. Geisinger was also a late rounder. The only guys that start for this team that were drafted by the Redskins are Samuels and Jansen. We acquired Randy Thomas and Pete Kendall from the Jets (not in the same year) and Casey Rabach from the Ravens. So we don't need to replace the coach but rather drafted better because when, the team gives him chopped liver instead or Prime Rib, you can't expect miracles.

[celticsalmon]

They need a New Offensive line!

[rlt2622]

Ive been thinking about this all the time. I think Buges might not be the problem. I think its actually our oline itself. There to old and slow and banged up. Thomas needs to stay i think, jansen might stay around as a back up. but fabini needs to get the hell out quick. Imagine portis with a great oline like the titans had.

[SoCalSkins]

JC calls the protections. Until he reads defenses better or Zorn changes the scheme by having the center call line protections, changing linemen or coaching techniques is not going to solve all the protection issues.

[sb_xxvi]

Alex Gibbs for 2009!

[IronMike]

It saddens me to agree, but it may be time for Bugel to go.

Yes, he has not had first round talent, but many OL coaches develop very good young talent with 4th, 5th and 6th round draft choices. Look at the Colts, Giants and Ravens, for example.

During his second act here, he has yet to develop a low round draftee or free agent into a player who can start and not embarrass himself (or get our QB killed). He had Wilson and Molinaro in 2004 (2 tackles from quality college programs: Cal and Notre Dame), and Rinehart in 2008. Lefotu 2 or 3 years ago. None have even made it to be able to start a game in the NFL. I am not asking for a Pro-Bowler, just someone who can start a game, and contribute to team success.

[PorkSkins]

It's not the coach! Buges does a masterful job of coaching with the players he is given. Heyer was undrafted and already we all think he should be starting. Credit the coach.