This Just In: The Skins Need a Defensive Line

By John D. McKinnon, Jr.

Bigfoot, The Loch Ness Monster, aparitions and UFOs are all elements of the unknown. We cling to these fabled mysteries with awe and fear of the possibility they could be true. Some mysteries however, aren't as captivating. Which brings us to the point of this article. (I'm actually going somewhere with this.)

For years the Washington Redskin's front office has ignored the fact that their Defensive Line has been one of the NFL's weakest at pressuring opposing quarterbacks. This glaring deficiency seems to be the one area the Redskins have not addressed. Even agents Mulder and Scully would experience many sleepless nights attempting to figure out why.

The Skins have addressed every other position during the last few years and have not had a formidable defensive line since the days of Dexter Manley. Sure the Redskins have boasted decent defensive ends such as Marco Coleman, Kenard Lang and Andre Carter but they haven't had a collectively dominant line since the mid 80s. One of the positives over the past four seasons has been the overall production of the defense despite not having a respectable pass rush. Credit for this has to go to Greg Williams whose been able to get by on his ingenious schemes. Greg has utilized crafty and sneaky blitzes from unlikely positions to generate pressure, however sending cornerbacks, safeties, linebackers and occasionally fans after the quarterback can only hold up for so long. Greg Williams has benefited from having one of the league's best defensive backfields for the past four years, which makes it difficult for receivers to get open. On the other hand, our weak pash-rush allows accurate, savvy quarterbacks to pick the secondary apart since they have so much time to throw.

It's no coincidence that the Skins have trouble creating turnovers, since many turnovers are caused by disrupting the quarterback. The aforementioned Andre Carter has been a welcomed surprise to the Redskins. He appears to be very comfortable and adds fire and speed to an aging, talentless defensive line. Most of Andre's sacks this year have not come off of the intial burst but would usually come after the quarterback had gone through his progressions and found no one open. In the universal football dictionary this situation is known as a "coverage sack." Which means the offensive lineman can only block someone for a certain length of time and consequently, the quarterback will get sacked if he has no one to throw to.

How do we resolve the issue? I don't think it requires covert officials from Area 51 to figure it out. In fact, it's quite simple. In April there's an event known as the NFL Draft where teams choose young talented players to improve their teams. This draft has been known to add depth and improve teams throughout the league. If the Redskins keep their picks (provided we have any this year) we need to draft a pass-rushing Defensive End to play opposite of man-beast Andre Carter. But what if he's a bust? But he may be too small to play on running downs. But it usually takes 2 to 3 years for a rookie defensive lineman to develop. Ok, maybe this is true. But its also true that the current Skin's Defensive line (save Carter) hasn't developed after nine or ten years. Then again maybe they have developed and just aren't that talented. As a die-hard fan, I'm writing with the hopes we will finally address our D-line woes and make Greg William's job a little easier. Maybe we can go for a pass-rushing defensive tackle in free-agency provided he's feasible.

Will we ever find the Abominable Snowman, and the secrets of the Bermuda Triangle? Or will we discover life on Mars or capture a live Yeti? Whether these mysteries are ever resolved or not, lets just hope the Skins improve their line before they happen.

Hail To The Redskins!