Today, DC Pro Sports Report continues a series looking at how the Washington Redskins and their NFC East rivals stack up against each other position by position. We will review each position from best to worst in the division and pick the best player at that position in the NFC East. Remember, though I am a Redskins fan and DC Pro Sports Report makes no bones about its rooting preferences, we analyze all sports questions at arms-length, so expect no home team boosterism here. Previously, we have covered the quarterback position, the running back position and the tight end position. Yesterday, we went over wide receivers. Today, we cover the offensive line of each NFC East team. Remember, these team rankings a for the entire position, not for any one player. 
New York Giants – If you’re a Giants fan, you might be wondering by now why your favorite team, which won the NFC East last year and the Super Bowl the year before that, does so well at winning games, but hasn’t yet won a single position in this series. That’s because most positions are not what make or break a team. Wins and losses in the NFL are mostly determined by 3 things: quarterback play, the offensive line and the defensive line. In those three areas, the Giants are either good [QB] or better than good [OL and DL]. The Giants had the #1 rushing attack in the NFL in 2008 and though the running backs were good, the offensive line was even better. The starting unit begins its third straight season together and they have suffered almost no injuries during that time. The Giants O-line is both lucky and good. Both C Shaun O’Hara and RG Chris Snee deserved their Pro Bowl honors last season and the drafting of Will Beatty provides nice depth at tackle behind solid vets Kareem McKenzie and David Diehl. LG Rich Seubert isn’t great, but he looks good between Diehl and O’Hara and veteran Tutan Reyes was a good free agent signing to provide quality depth. The bad news for opposing defenses is that as long as this group is healthy [and they've been incredibly healthy since the start of 2007], this is a first rate offensive line that will open nice holes for the running backs. This isn’t a great pass-blocking line, but with the Giants running a ball control, run-oriented offense [even moreso this year than in the past], it doesn’t have to be. The only concern is whether or not the absence of a big play receiver will force the line to deal with lots of 8-man defensive fronts all season long.
Philadelphia Eagles — The Eagles have a very solid offensive line — on paper. The team spent big bucks to lure free agent Jason Peters to be the new left tackle. Peters has been to the Pro Bowl, but he’s not as good as he’s billed and he gives up too many sacks. He’s also missed a lot of training camp and preseason with quad injuries. LG Todd Herremans will miss the first 3-4 weeks of the season after foot surgery. RG Stacy Andrews is back and should be very good, but he’s coming off ACL surgery. RT Shawn Andrews just returned to practice this week after missing all of training camp and the first 3 preseason games to back injury. If he is hobbled this season, the Eagles will have real trouble running the ball. Nick Cole and Max Jean-Gilles will back up and try to keep the line going until Herremans returns. This is a more athletic offensive line than the bunch that gave up only 22 sacks last year, but they had precious little time to work together in the month leading up to the season. On paper, this offensive line should be pretty good, but the early signs are a bit ominous.
Dallas Cowboys – Credit QB Tony Romo wi
th making the Cowboys offensive line look good by using his quickness to evade many sacks. The Cowboys have a decent line that is anchored by over-rated LT Flozell Adams, who keeps going to Pro Bowls based on reputation alone. Flozell is a very good run-blocker, but he gave up over 7 sacks last season and he continues to be one of the most penalized players in the NFL, with 12 flags thrown on him last year. C Andre Gurode is a solid center who has had trouble in the shotgun formation, but is otherwise sound. RG Leonard Davis has turned into a nice player for the Cowboys after he was drafted far too high and played out of position by the Cardinals. LG Kyle Kosier is coming off an injury-plagued season and could be pushed by Montrae Holland. RT Marc Colombo is better than average, though he is paid very handsomely. The Cowboys lost rookie Robert Brewster for the season to injury. The depth on Dallas’ offensive line is unproven or unimpressive, so injuries to this unit could be a real problem, particularly for the Cowboys’ running game. The Cowboys line is old so injuries are a very real concern, but the line has been together a while and if they stay healthy, could be a big help to the offense in 2009.
th making the Cowboys offensive line look good by using his quickness to evade many sacks. The Cowboys have a decent line that is anchored by over-rated LT Flozell Adams, who keeps going to Pro Bowls based on reputation alone. Flozell is a very good run-blocker, but he gave up over 7 sacks last season and he continues to be one of the most penalized players in the NFL, with 12 flags thrown on him last year. C Andre Gurode is a solid center who has had trouble in the shotgun formation, but is otherwise sound. RG Leonard Davis has turned into a nice player for the Cowboys after he was drafted far too high and played out of position by the Cardinals. LG Kyle Kosier is coming off an injury-plagued season and could be pushed by Montrae Holland. RT Marc Colombo is better than average, though he is paid very handsomely. The Cowboys lost rookie Robert Brewster for the season to injury. The depth on Dallas’ offensive line is unproven or unimpressive, so injuries to this unit could be a real problem, particularly for the Cowboys’ running game. The Cowboys line is old so injuries are a very real concern, but the line has been together a while and if they stay healthy, could be a big help to the offense in 2009.
Washington Redskins – More than any other, the Redskins offensive line depends on good health in 2009, which isn’t a good sign since this group couldn’t stay healthy in 2008. LT Chris Samuels continues to be one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL when healthy. However, Samuels got banged up later in the year and missed the end of the season. If Samuels is healthy, the Redskins will get another Pro Bowl year from him. Derrick Dockery was brought back from Buffalo and though he’s not great and he can be penalty-prone, he’s a solid player, particularly against the run. He’s also younger and less prone to injuries than most of his line-mates. Dockery has played next to Samuels before and for OL Coach Joe Bugel so his adjustment time has been zero. C Casey Rabach is a solid veteran and the one player on the line who has managed to stay healthy. Rabach gets out of position at times, but he’s a better-than-average center. RG Randy Thomas is a fine pulling guard when he’s healthy, but he’s getting old and the wear and tear is starting to show on him. It would help the Redskins if Thomas can get through this season in one piece but that’s a dangerous bet. Stephon Heyer was supposed to be in a competition for the starting RT job, but he took the job immediately and never gave it back in preseason. Heyer is a pretty good pass-blocker, though his run blocking is mediocre. He lost his starting job early last year after being injured, so he needs to stay healthy. If he can’t stay healthy, the Redskins are in trouble because the depth over there is converted guard Jeremy Bridges and reclamation project Mike Williams, who has shed a ton of weight [almost literally], but doesn’t look NFL-ready to me. The depth is young [Will Montgomery] and unproven [Chad Rinehart], apart from Jeremy Bridges, who should be just fine if he needs to fill in for an extended period of time at guard. If Washington’s line stays healthy, the Redskins could very easily make the playoffs. However, staying healthy isn’t something this line has done much of lately.
Rating the offenisve line for each NFC East team:
1. New York Giants
2. Philadelphia Eagles
3. Dallas Cowboys
4. Washington Redskins
Best offensive lineman in the NFC East: LT Chris Samuels
He’s getting up in age a bit, but Samuels continues to earn those trips to Hawaii every February. He not only does an expert job protecting Jason Campbell‘s blind side [with little or no help against the other team's best pass-rusher], Samuels has turned into a true road-grader in the running game. During the first half of the season the Redskins ran continuously behind Samuels and demolished quality run defenses like the ones in Dallas and Philadelphia. Running behind Samuels, Clinton Portis is one of the best running backs in the NFL. Running behind anyone else on the line, he’s not even close.
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