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Redskins get respite from woes

October 28, 2009 12:36 am

BY RICH CAMPBELL

ASHBURN--

Players, coaches and executives reflected on their miserable start, sobered by the reality that their expectations at the start of the season are probably unattainable given their repeated poor performances and mounting injuries.

"It's very frustrating," linebacker London Fletcher said. "Week in and week out, you're just like, 'Man, when will this nightmare end?' We're 2-5 and not playing very well at all."

And the Redskins' dwindling hopes for a turnaround sustained another blow yesterday when head coach Jim Zorn announced that Pro Bowl tight end Chris Cooley could miss the rest of the season with a broken ankle he suffered Monday against Philadelphia.

Cooley is optimistic that he'll return this year, but for now, the Redskins' deficient offense must proceed without two of its Pro Bowlers from last season. Left tackle Chris Samuels is expected to go on injured reserve this week with a neck injury.

Vinny Cerrato, the Redskins' executive vice president of football operations and the architect of the team, echoed the sentiments expressed throughout Redskins Park.

"Frustrating and disappointing with 2-5," Cerrato said. "That's not where we expected to be."

A LINE OF CONTENTION

The Redskins arrived at their bye in last place in the NFC East by 21/2 games. Though their defense has not played as well as it did last year, their offense remains a greater shortcoming. Only three teams average fewer points per game than Washington's 13.7.

Poor offensive line play has been a leading contributor, and that has spawned questions about the front office's plan to construct the unit last offseason. The Redskins rank in the NFL's bottom five in sacks allowed per pass play and in the bottom third in rushing yards per play.

Injuries up front have exposed a lack of quality depth, which in turn has crippled the offense as a whole. Veteran right guard Randy Thomas is also out for the season after tearing his right triceps in Week 2.

"We got to address it and get some depth," running back Clinton Portis said. "We went into the season and we didn't address that issue and it came back to haunt us."

Cerrato, however, defended his approach.

Asked twice whether he believes he gave head coach Jim Zorn a roster capable of making the playoffs, Cerrato replied: "Yes."

"We tried to address the line," he said. "We added [free agent left guard Derrick] Dockery. We added [tackle] Mike Williams. We attempted to, and when we were in the draft, there was nobody at No. 13 worthy of it.

"Are you having the results you wanted to? No, we don't want to have sacks. So if it was Chris Samuels and Randy Thomas in there, would it be better? Absolutely. If you lose a Pro Bowler, it's definitely going to drop off. I guess where we're standing right now, to have more depth would be great."

Skeptics, though, wonder how Cerrato could have felt comfortable entering the season without quality depth behind Samuels and Thomas, each of whom is at least 32 years old and had two surgeries in the offseason. Cerrato said he did not expect Thomas to play all 16 games this season but did not answer the same question about Samuels.

Regardless of the culprit, the fallout was evident on Monday when the Eagles pummeled quarterback Jason Campbell and sacked him six times. It was similar to several other games this season.

"You have to be able to protect the quarterback," Fletcher said. "That's one of the basic fundamentals of football, being able to protect the quarterback, take something more than a three-step drop. Take a five- or seven-step drop and not worry about getting hit or being sacked or pressured as much as he was hit [Monday] night."

NO RELIEF IN SIGHT

That said, the Redskins realize that the Hogs aren't walking through the door anytime soon. They have to press on with the players on their roster, and that hardly provides a reason to believe the results will improve.

So it's not surprising that players welcomed a chance to spend some time away from football. Perhaps getting out from under the weight of this season's disappointment for a few days will refresh them and at least improve their outlook.

"This is one of the most talented teams I have been on," defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth said. "Just not to get it done is kind of shocking. I don't know what it is. It's getting bad. This bye week is coming at a good time right now. Maybe we can come back as a new team."

But when they return on Monday, the same problems will be waiting.

There's still Zorn, the embattled coach who was stripped of his play-calling duties last week. The inconsistent quarterback play remains. And the run defense, which ranks 24th in the NFL, will still be an issue.

All those preseason thoughts of going to the playoffs seem misguided now.

"The goals never change," Fletcher said. "You're always striving for the goals. Now whether they are still realistic "

And he let the thought hang.

Rich Campbell: 540/735-1974
Email: rcampbell@freelancestar.com