Cardinals at Redskins: Mash Unit

Arizona Cardinals (3-3) at Washington Redskins (3-2)
1:00 p.m. FedEx Field
After the Eagles game, when Randy Thomas was injured, I joked that Joe Bugel may want to start thinking about suiting up. That’s no longer a joke. He may actually want to put a uniform on this week.

If you are in between the ages of 22-40, taller than 6’3” and weigh around 300 pounds, the Redskins want you on their offensive line. I’d like to tell you who is injured on the o-line for the Skins, but it’s easier to tell you who is healthy. The list consists of Chris Samuels. That’s about it. And he’s still not 100% from his preseason knee injury.

Joining Thomas and Jon Jansen on the injury front is center Casey Rabach, who hurt his groin. Pete Kendall has missed practice with a knee injury. Reserve linemen Todd Wade and Stephon Heyer left the Green Bay game with mild to moderate hamstring problems.

If you don’t think the Redskins can withstand this many injuries on the line, you aren’t alone. Jansen’s injury, while unfortunate, was by no means a back-breaker. There had long been whispers around Redskins camp that Jansen had lost several steps ever since he tore his ACL a few seasons ago. The injury to Thomas hurt a lot more, since I would argue that he’s probably the second best lineman the team has (behind Rabach). It still wasn’t a season sinker. But when six – count ‘em, six – offensive lineman are on the injury report, and four of them go on the report in the course of a week, then that’s probably more than one team can deal with.

This week at practice, the Redskins lined up Samuels at left tackle as always. The rest of the line was unrecognizable. Playing center was Mike Pucillo, who has lined up more at tight end on tackle eligible plays than he has on the offensive line this season. Filling in at guard were two players from the practice squad. The right tackle was Lorenzo Alexander. Check the team roster. Alexander is listed as a defensive tackle/end.

Of the four new injuries, Kendall’s is the least concerning. He’s had shaky knees for awhile. He already returned to practice a couple of days ago and he’ll likely start on Sunday. Wade also returned to practice this week, but the Redskins would probably be better off without him. If anyone saw the Green Bay game, and the number of ways that Aaron Kampman punished Wade, then you know what I’m talking about. I know Kampman was a Pro-Bowler, but he was giving up three inches and about 50 pounds to Wade. If Kampman was just beating Wade on speed rushes, I could understand. But Wade was getting abused with straight up bull rushes too.

Rabach is the key. The Redskins need him as close to perfectly healthy as possible. It may be worth sitting him out a week to make sure he’s feeling better. Rabach is the best offensive lineman the team has. He plays the most important offensive line position. He’s a great leader, a great blocker and a great “quarterback”. He is the lineman responsible for calling out the signals to the rest of the line and changing the blocking schemes if need be. And he’s very good at it. Without him, the line is in deep trouble. And if the line is in trouble, the offense is in trouble too. It appears Rabach is slightly better than 50-50 to start this Sunday.

Now, let’s talk about the Green Bay game. I know, I really don’t want to either. The Redskins have played a total of 20 quarters (and one overtime), and the three bad quarters they’ve played have led to two losses. The Redskins should be 5-0. But they’re 3-2 instead. And even though they have played like a 5-0 team at times, you are what you’re record is. The Redskins are an above-average 3-2 team right now.

What I can’t stand is the Santana Moss bashing. True, his poor play probably cost the Skins the game. But shit happens. Think of how many games Moss has won for this team since he came here three seasons ago. The Monday night game in Dallas comes to mind. The game at home two years ago against the Giants. The win over Dallas last season. Moss has been the most productive receiver the Redskins have had since Art Monk. Think about that for a second. Do you really want to trash this guy because he has one bad game? I know, if Moss holds onto that ball instead of fumbling, the Redskins probably win because Green Bay’s offense did nothing the entire game. And once they gave up the lead, there were no lineman left to help the offensive move the ball and get it back. I understand how it works. Let it go. And while Moss certainly had a large part in the loss, losing three linemen in the same game certainly didn’t help.

I was so pumped after the Lions game because for the first time in two years, the Redskins not only held on to a first half lead, they were able to expand upon it. Halftime adjustments were the one weakness this team’s had for the last two seasons. And it looked like they had fixed the problem. The loss to Green Bay was not only deflating because the Redskins lost an opportunity to beat a decent NFC team on the road, not only because Dallas lost and the Redskins had chance to make up a game in the standings, but because the Redskins lost the game the way they’ve been losing games for the past decade. It is rare that this team ever gets blown out. But the Redskins, more often than not, continue to find new and interesting ways to lose games. Even with Moss’ problems, even with offensive linemen dropping like flies, the Redskins still should have won last week.

Now the Redskins face their first “must-win” game of the season. I know they are 3-2 and it’s only October, and in the NFC, 8-8 could get you a playoff spot. But you have to look ahead on the schedule. After this week, the Skins play 4 of their next 5 on the road. That brutal stretch begins with a trip to Foxboro. So the Redskins must win a home game and head to New England with a 4-2 record. Otherwise, they face the Patriots at .500 and with a good chance of being under .500 by the time the game is over.

So for those of you excited to see our old NFC East friends Arizona on the schedule, let me be the wet blanket. Kurt Warner will probably play Sunday. You heard it hear first. My inside information says that Warner will be listed as questionable, but there is a 90% chance he’ll play despite tearing ligaments in his non-throwing arm. If he doesn’t play, then Tim Rattay gets the nod and the entire complexion of the game changes. Rattay has been with the Cardinals for 17 days. There is no way that he’s able to run their offense yet (as evidenced by last week’s ugly loss to Carolina).

Assuming Warner starts, then this will be the best offense the Redskins have seen all year. Better than Detroit’s. The offensive line in Arizona, once a glaring weakness, has become infinitely better with former Hog Russ Grimm in charge (hey, we may want to see if ol’ Russ is ready to suit up this week). Edgerrin James’ numbers have gone up. The Boldin-Fitzgerald combination is still very effective. And now, Arizona has a defense to go along with their dangerous offense.

If anyone saw their game against the Steelers, then you would know that the Cardinals are finally playing as physical as any team in the league. You could tell the Steelers were shocked that Arizona was not only putting up a fight on the defensive front, but they were winning the battle. And, if you haven’t had the chance to watch Adrian Wilson, then you’re in for a treat this Sunday. He is the best safety in football right now. Period, end of discussion. You could make the case he’s one of the best safeties to ever play the game. If he played in a major market, he’d be a household name. I know Arizona is only 3-3 this season, but it’s not because of their defensive efforts.

It looks as if most of the Redskins line will play this week. That combined with the homefield advantage, the sour stench of last week’s loss and Arizona’s muddled quarterback situation should be enough to ensure a Redskins victory. Look for Santana Moss to have a big game. I can feel it. There is no way he has anything close to a repeat of last weekend’s performance.

If Warner plays, as expected, the Redskins should still be able to frustrate him. Off the top of my head, I can’t remember the Skins ever losing to Warner. Not when he was with St. Louis. Not when he was with New York.

I like the matchup this week, but I think it will be closer than most think (really, is there ever a Redskins game that isn’t as close as most think). A loss here will put a major dent in what was shaping up to be a promising season. The Redskins have to know who is on their schedule, and they have to have the same sense of desperation that I have.