FBO: Word of Muth: Things Change

[Benkeiofthehillpeople]

Another nice write up of the OL and two running plays.

What a difference a couple of weeks make. Only two opening-day starters on the offensive line were in for Donovan McNabb's final kneel down this weekend. During the course of a 16-game schedule, injuries are bound to happen, but losing 60 percent of your o-line (either to injury, illness, or benching) in the first month of the season isn't typical. Despite the shuffling up front, the Redskins were able to beat the Eagles and move into a tie for first place in the division, thanks to the new faces in the trenches and a new-found running game.

Casey Rabach is the last man standing from the original interior of the offensive line. The veteran center has fared better after a rough first game facing Jay Ratliff. He seems to excel at working with his guards, whether he is over taking their blocks so they can climb to the second level, or the other way around.

That being said, he can still struggle when he is forced to block nose tackles one on one. Mike Patterson, in particular, caused some problems in the backfield. Once, he beat Rabach cleanly with a quick move off the snap to force a bad throw from McNabb. He would also get some good penetration in the running game when he wasn't being double teamed. However, Rabach usually did have some kind of help (as most centers usually do) and was able to handle his assignment and his man most of the game....

Rest of the article here:

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/word-muth/2010/word-muth-1

[HBnotBlades]

Thats a fantastic article. Football Outsiders articles are always my favorite.

It's pretty easy to see the Oline coming together on the field, but it's nice to hear an expert explain what exactly they're doing right.