Has the Game Passed by Joe Bugel??

[RedskinLifer]

Buges is an Old School Redskin, so it hurts me to think about it as a fan of 30+ years, but given the state of the offensive line, it's hard to ignore. Has the game passed Joe Bugel by?

We have an obvious hole at RT that is so glaring that it masks the fact that Randy Thomas is a shell of his former self. It also disguises Casey Rabach, who couldn't block offensive programming if you gave him parental controls, let alone opposing defensive linemen. The fact that this is not discussed more is a great example of the poor shape our line is in.

That said, it isn't like we haven't drafted options in Bugel's second tenure. In his first draft back, we drafted Jim Molinaro and Marc Wilson, both of whom did no more on the field for this team than I have. Neither of whom were needed to be thrown into the fire right away, given that Samuels and Jansen were in their prime in '04. Kili Lefotu, aided by some off-field troubles, was drafted soon thereafter never materialized either. How about Chad Rinehart last season? Never saw the field and will struggle to make it as a reserve going forward. ndrafted Stephon Heyer has made the team, but anyone that has watched him - and I mean truly watched him and not just a game in which he is playing - knows that he isn't the long-term solution at RT.

Now I realize, other than Rinehart, none of the other three were drafted in the earlier rounds, but that shouldn't preclude them from having success, or at the very least, having more than a cup of coffee with the team. Imagine if just one of these players had materialized. Had any of these guys developed into a solid pro, then the scope of this draft may be dramatically different.

Think I'm being too tough on Buges? Then think about it this way, because I did before I posted this. Obviously there is a player variable in each pick that can't be ignored, but imagine if either Molinaro or Wilson, fifth and sixth round picks respectively, had been developed like, say, David Diehl has. Diehl was a fifth round pick who was a good left guard and is a solid left tackle. There would be considerably fewer prayers that Michael Oher was available at 13 in this scenario. Need more examples? Mark Taucher was a seventh round pick, as was Kevin Shaffer. None of these guys are going to make Anthony Munoz sweat, but they've all had solid to good careers

I'm not cementing Bugel's legacy based upon the failed careers of four poor draft selections, nor am I discounting his contributions over the seasons. But in the old days, an undrafed prospect could be turned into Joe Jacoby. In Joe Bugel 2.0, that same undrafted player becomes Devin Clark.

Pick apart my reasoning if you will, and disagreements with the heart are welcomed too, but the fact remains that in his second go 'round, Buges is, well, average. I expect this to not be a very popular thought, but for those of us who are old enough to remember, the o-line doesn't have the same swagger as it did when Bugel was in his prime.