There will be one big offensive change on Sunday against the Broncos, Levi Jones will be getting his first start at left tackle. Redskin fans seem quick to dismiss this move as futile because Jones failed to catch on with a couple of teams earlier this season, but I don’t see it that way at all. The Redskins need some personnel ‘luck’ with the state of their roster, especially the offensive line, so if Jones can come in and play well, he could prove very ‘lucky’ indeed. In my opinion, Washington need to sign four offensive linemen before the start of 2010, so if Levi plays well, he could turn into one of those players. He really only has to be better than Stephon Heyer to make it worthy of serious consideration.

It isn’t practical to expect the Redskins to get four offensive linemen that can start in one draft, so finding a guy that can come in off the street and play, is a win-win. If Samuels decides to come back, then Jones can be the right tackle, or he can just be Samuels’ back-up. Part of fixing what is broken with the offensive line, is being able to bring in depth that can provide very little drop off in talent.

I’ll be watching Levi all game long to see how he does. While it would be unfair to expect him to put in a Pro Bowl performance, I’ve spent a lot of time watching Heyer struggle the last few weeks, so I won’t have any trouble gauging the relative performances of Heyer and Jones.

On top of struggling, Heyer has been banged up – so hopefully he can get a chance to heal up a little bit. If Jones can stick, it will bring up an interesting scenario; would the Redskins then be better to put Heyer back at right tackle, and move Mike Williams back to guard in place of Will Montgomery? When cohesion is such an important pert of the offensive line, it’s hard to want to play musical chairs all of the time; but would that then actually be the best combination available to the Redskins? Heyer would have to establish that he could play better back on the right, than he has on the left, but Montgomery has struggled as well. Williams has played well at both tackle and guard when you consider how far he has come, but I thought his best game was actually at guard.

It will be interesting to see if the Redskins just sit Heyer down now, or if they continue to tinker with the line-up. While cohesion may be paramount to success, I’d settle for average protection at this point. I wouldn’t hesitate to try the aforementioned line combination – we’re 2-6 and we need to not only play our young guys, but we need to see how our ‘cheap’ options work as well. Guys like Jones and Williams are very worth retaining if you can get them on the cheap – now is the time to see what kind of money is worth throwing at them.

Keep your eye on the left side of the line this week, and see how Levi does. Hopefully the Redskins will get him help from a TE or RB chip, early and often. Let him settle in a bit and shake off some rust. I’d run Betts between Jones and Derrick Dockery on the very first play. Then I’d run a late developing screen to Levi’s side and let him get out in front blocking – that’s how important I think it is that the Redskins give him every opportunity to be successful.

LJ?

Larry Johnson was released by the Kansas City Chiefs this week, and cleared waivers as well, so he is an unrestricted free agent

Redskin fans, who have become accustomed to thinking EVERY free agent will end up here, will spend the entire week going back and forth about why it’s the worst idea on the planet, or why it’s the best idea on the planet.

Personally, I take a flyer on LJ and here are my reasons:

1) It won’t cost anything. Larry’s already been paid his $2.3M this season, so it’s probable that he is going to sign for minimal money – probably even league minimum money – so that he can try and ‘re-establish’ himself as a viable NFL entity.

2) With Clinton Portis and the rest of the Redskin offense struggling – what do they have to lose? There has been a lot of talk lately about how CP may have lost a step and maybe on the downside of his career, so the running back job for 2010 is certainly up in the air.

3) Considering the wealth of personnel moves that Washington has ahead of them, they have to start somewhere, and they have to count on a little bit of luck. Luck in the sense that if the Skins could find a couple of people that other teams have given up on, and give them a shot, then the risk-reward factor could be very favorable. Washington doesn’t have enough good draft picks to land 4 starting offensive linemen, a franchise quarterback, and a stud running back, so some of this new personnel will have to come from free agency. Johnson is a proven performer – even if he hasn’t done it with enough consistency. Sometimes a change is all a player needs to get back on track.

4) Bringing in LJ and him being able to contribute, doesn’t in any way prevent the Redskins from drafting another RB in the 2010 draft or looking to free agency for the need – it just gives them a possible option.

The drawbacks for getting LJ are not lost on me either. He’s had a multitude of off-field transgressions and his production has slipped considerably. He hasn’t exactly established himself as a leader or a team player over his career, so he does still have the potential to put the fun in dysfunctional.

Can the 2009 Redskins actually be any more dysfunctional though?

It is obviously impossible to know ahead of time if things could work out, but it’s difficult for me to see how Johnson could make the offense more inept, or the team, more dysfunctional.

So while I’m not saying for one second that it’s a lock for success, I just don’t see how the possible rewards don’t outweigh the risk factor. To me, there is no risk factor if you sign him to a small contract. If they can do what the Eagles did with Michael Vick and lock him up on a two-year cheap deal, they can let Larry’s play decide his future. If he doesn’t work out, they can cut him at little harm to the cap.

With Portis possibly seeing his last season in the burgundy and gold, to me it’s worth taking a shot.

The Redskins have nothing left to lose.

Since the bye week is almost at the half-way point, I thought I’d take a look at the things that were ‘good’ for the Redskins in the first half of 2009.

1) Albert Haynesworth – check last week’s blog to see what I think about Big Al and the way he’s played so far.

2) Andre Carter – In last week’s blog about Haynesworth, I mentioned the great season that Carter is having. So far Andre has 6.5 sacks, to go along with 34 tackles. He is consistently in the backfield disrupting the passer, and he has taken advantage of the inside pressure created by Haynesworth. He has also played much better against the run, and has 3 forced fumbles. If he can continue playing at his current level, he will have a good shot at the Pro Bowl.

3) London Fletcher – Speaking of Pro Bowls, it sure would be nice to see Fletcher finally make it to one. It’s criminal that he hasn’t already, but with 71 tackles going into week eight, he led all NFL players. As usual, Fletcher is quietly putting together another great season. Well, quiet in that he’s an unassuming man, but just ask Brian Westbrook if he plays quiet. London is the leader and heart and soul of the Redskins defense, and he leads by example. Sometimes it’s hard to notice how great a player is, when he’s so consistently great, but Fletcher is that kind of player, and has been again in 2009.

4) Brian Orakpo – Can you say real deal? This kid hasn’t even cut his teeth yet, and he’s hard for anyone to handle. There are many people that feel that having him play linebacker is a mistake, but there’s no denying that when he lines up with one hand down, he has shown that he is an absolute force. He has 3.5 sacks in his rookie season, and that with very minimal snaps at end rather than linebacker. It’s hard to move Orakpo to end when Carter is also playing so well, but the Redskins have to find more ways to get Orakpo up to the line. It’s hard for a Redskin fan to be patient waiting for a young defensive end to be used, when it’s so long since we had such a promising one. If the season continues to go South, it would be nice to see Brian get a longer look at end at some point, even if it means moving Carter to the other side. Carter isn’t really an ideal left end, so maybe platooning the two of them for a game or two, would allow the Redskins to let Orakpo get into a groove. He looks so hungry out there, that it’s hard to imagine that perpetual motor not coming into full effect and fully releasing the beast.

One more worthy Orakpo note – he may not be the best linebacker in the league, and have struggled slightly in coverage, but for a rookie to walk on to a starting NFL roster at a position that he doesn’t really play, is pretty darn amazing. The kid is a phenomenal athletic talent, and while others may have played slightly better than Orakpo in 2009, no Redskin has more up-side and future.

5) Chris Cooley – You can’t talk about who’s played well without mentioning Captain Chaos. He may be out for a while with the ankle injury, but he was putting together another good season. The Redskins continually fail to utilize him enough, but when they do, CC never disappoints – he’s one of the league’s very best tight ends.

6) Mike Williams – Surprised to see an offensive lineman on the list? Well I think it bears mentioning and acknowledging that Big Mike has actually done a very decent job stepping in after injuries to first Randy Thomas, and then Chris Samuels. Originally Williams got slotted in at guard where he did better than either of the other previous attempts (Chad Rinehart and Will Montgomery), and then when Samuels went down and Stephon Heyer moved to left tackle, Williams moved to right tackle. He has been effective in pass pro, and excellent in run blocking, and shown absolutely no signs of having not played football since 2005. He is a massive man, and has worked  himself into good football shape, and I think he has done a surprisingly bang up job. Kudos to Big Mike for the amazing dedication that it took to get back on a roster, let alone to play his way on to the field and play well.

7) Shaun Suisham – What can you possibly complain about when Suisham is perfect on the season? Obviously Shaun had a bad 2008, but it’s amazing to me that people just seemed to forget that his 2007 was the second best season EVER for a Redskins kicker in terms of accuracy. He is 9-for-9 on field goals in 2009, with a season long of 47 yards; it’s hard to do better than 100%, so its pretty safe to say that the Canadian kicker is having a good season.

8) Reed Doughty – While it was disappointing for many Redskin fans to see Chris Horton relegated to back-up status, give Doughty credit for playing his way back on to the starting roster. He has been steady and effective, and has 37 tackles so far in 2009.

9) Kedric Golston – The big defensive tackle continues to improve and contribute; he’s played very well along side of Big Al. Pretty good find in the 6th round.

Give yourself a break – think about some of the good things on the 2009 Redskins roster.

The 13-year veteran played with the Redskins from 2002-06 before being picked up again as a free agent in March. Wynn was inactive for the four games that he was on the roster for, but could still see some playing time this year if Phillip Daniels’ biceps tear turns out to be worse than doctors have said.

The Redskins released Pakulak after the Panthers game, so presumably incumbent Hunter Smith’s aggravated groin will be fine for the Chiefs game. Pakulak was signed to the practice squad again today though, and the Redskins could do the same thing they did last week, if Smith is unable to play.

Offensive Line Shift

If the offensive line woes on Sunday weren’t enough, the Redskins are faced with making multiple shifts this week, to come up with some sort of strategy for Kansas City. Big Mike Williams will move outside to right tackle to supplant Stephon Heyer, who will be moving to the left side to fill in for the injured Chris Samuels. Either Will Montgomery or second-year guard Chad Rinehart will take Williams’ spot. Regardless of which of the two the Redskins choose, they will have to play better than they have previously in 2009, if the Redskins o-line is to perform at an NFL level.

0 Fors…

The Redskins have played nothing but winless teams this season. In all five games, their opponent has come into the game with 0 wins, and that will continue when the Redskins play the Chiefs this week. Granted, one of those 5 teams was the Giants, who were only winless because it was the first game of the season. Other than that, the Rams, Lions, Buccaneers and Panthers had all failed to register a win yet this season, and two of the four, Detroit and Carolina, got their first wins against the hapless Redskins.

Schedule Gets Less Friendly

The Redskins’ will host the Eagles on Monday night, and after that there’s really only one more bad team for them to play – the Raiders in Week 14. Can the Redskins get back to .500 this week? Because if they don’t – they’re not likely to again this season.

Gruden next Coach?

Not that football rumors mean anything, but the latest ‘new coach rumor’ is that Washington is interested in Jon Gruden. It is thought that Gruden would be a logical choice, because he isn’t likely to want the type of organizational control that a Mike Shanahan or a Mike Holmgren would demand.

As a coach, I like Gruden the most of the bunch, but frankly, giving someone other than Snyder and Cerrato control of football operations is even more important than finding a new coach. So if Gruden is the lead candidate because he would acquiesce to Snyderato, then in the broadest of schemes, he might actually be the worst choice for the franchise.