It is a darned-if-they-do, darned-if-they-don’t scenario for the Washington Redskins offensive starters and their sluggish running game.
They don’t want to place too much emphasis on the struggles because it’s still the preseason.
“It doesn’t count, so you have to look at it that way,” center Casey Rabach said.
But they don’t want to totally ignore the unit’s problems, either.
“We’re only three weeks from when it does count,” Rabach said.
With that in mind, the Redskins have concentrated on tonight’s game against the Baltimore Ravens with more intensity. Instead of taking just one day to prepare for the opponent, as they did with Tennessee and Pittsburgh, the Redskins treated this week the same as they would during the regular season.
The Redskins hope that translates into a better offensive performance. Against Baltimore’s first-team defense, the Redskins want to establish the run, especially with starting quarterback Jason Campbell sitting out with a knee injury.
“It’s just a matter of getting into a rhythm and getting things going in the right direction,” right tackle Jon Jansen said. “This week, knowing it’s the third preseason game and the one we put the most emphasis on, I think we’ll play well.”
In games against Tennessee and Pittsburgh, the numbers have been bleak:
c The Redskins are 31st in rushing, averaging only 60 yards a game, and tied for 30th in yards an attempt (2.4).
c The first-team offensive line — minus left tackle Chris Samuels — has only 62 yards rushing on 29 attempts, a 2.1-yard average.
c Ten of those 29 carries have gained 1 yard or less.
c The Redskins’ average yards-to-go on third down with the starters playing is 6.9 yards. Still, they’ve converted 11 of 19 third downs.
Even though Clinton Portis hasn’t practiced in three weeks and Ladell Betts has been limited to 10 carries, count coach Joe Gibbs as the captain of the Concerned Camp.
“We’ve got a lot of hard work left to do — we’re not close to where we want to be,” Gibbs said. “Our players are most critical of themselves and they would say the same thing.”
And, they are not using Portis’ absence and Betts’ lack of carries as cop-outs.
“Definitely not an excuse,” Rabach said. “If we block the people we’re supposed to block and move them to the second level, that’s four yards right there no matter who’s carrying it. With the weapons we have outside and the way we’ve been throwing the ball, there’s really no excuse. When we’re running the ball, we want to be in that 4-yard range.”
The Redskins’ running game last year finished fourth in the NFL, averaging 138.5 yards a game and 4.52 yards a carry.
“Usually for the most part, the run game is the last [area] to come around,” associate head coach Al Saunders said. “Part of that is that in the offseason, it’s difficult to work on it because you don’t have the pads on. The impact of the run game is tough to work on unless you’re going full speed.”
The numbers so far back his theory. The league is averaging 3.8 yards a carry this preseason; the 2006 regular season average was 4.2 yards.
The Redskins’ goal is to average 4.5 yards an attempt.
Breakdowns in the blocking assignments have caused some of the problems. In the first drive against Pittsburgh, receiver Santana Moss took a poor angle and didn’t block safety Troy Polamalu, and the Steelers stopped Betts for no gain. A few plays later, fullback Mike Sellers appeared to lunge too early at his man, who dove over Sellers and disrupted the timing of the play; Betts again was stopped for no gain.
“The No. 1 thing we would like to see is an improvement in individual technique and that will improve the group’s function as a whole,” Saunders said. “We want to see every player involved in the running game.”
The Ravens present a stiff test. Baltimore’s defense was second against the run last season — 75.9 yards a game.
Note — The Redskins will be without four starters — Campbell (knee bruise), Portis (knee tendinitis), Samuels (sprained MCL) and linebacker Marcus Washington (dislocated elbow). New left guard Pete Kendall, acquired in a trade Thursday, isn’t expected to play but has not officially been ruled out. For Baltimore, receiver Mark Clayton (ankle) and cornerback Samari Rolle (ankle) are not expected to play.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.