Redskins Ingredients for Improvement: Clean slate needed in Week 3
By Ian Cummings
No. 4 – Offensive line must stick to assignments, impose will
The tale of the tape will tell you that the Redskins’ offense wasn’t befallen by one lone factor. There were a number of culminating causes that led to Sunday’s dismal showing. One particularly impactful factor was the inconsistent play of the offensive line.
The line was outplayed by a surprisingly adequate Colts’ defensive front for much of the day. Players like Hassan Ridgeway and Jabaal Sheard stood out for Indianapolis, and the Redskins’ starters didn’t look nearly as polished as they presented themselves to be against Arizona.
The Colts’ defensive coordinator, formerly of the Dallas Cowboys, used familiar tricks to befuddle the line’s communication, per D.C. sports reporter Craig Hoffman. It was an issue that trickled down to the rest of the offense. Adrian Peterson and Chris Thompson couldn’t find running room. Alex Smith, for what it’s worth, didn’t often have a lot of time to throw.
The game of football is a team effort every week, but it always starts in the trenches, on both sides of the ball. In Week 1, the Redskins were dominant in this department. In Week 2, they got dominated. In a tale of two tapes, it’s hard to tell which line we’ll see next.