A Pass Rush In the Slow Lane

Tony Romo of the Cowboys, who had allowed 13 sacks in their previous four games, faced little pressure by the Redskins' pass rush on Sunday. (By John Mcdonnell -- The Washington Post)
Buy Photo

Cerrato also dealt a seventh-round pick for oft-injured pass-rushing end Erasmus James, who has barely played and whom Blache said he does not expect to be a factor down the stretch (he was inactive Sunday).

At a time when rivals such as the New York Giants have risen to Super Bowl champions with a dominant pass rush, the Redskins have not selected a defensive lineman before the fifth round of the draft since taking defensive end Kenard Lang 17th overall in 1997.

Taylor's $8 million salary has translated to one sack. At the time of the trade in July, when Phillip Daniels suffered a season-ending injury, several NFL executives wondered whether Taylor (11 sacks last season; 118 for his career, second among active players) made sense for this defense. Run stopping is hardly his forte.

The lack of synergy between scheme and personnel has been apparent through this awkward transition, as Taylor faces more double-teams now manning the strong side (the tight end is usually next to the right tackle). He was reduced to playing almost exclusively on third downs against Dallas, with longtime reserve Demetric Evans, a stout run stopper, starting ahead of him.

"It's a really different situation here," Taylor said. "I'm playing tighter alignments and being more run conscious."

"Even playing on the left side is an adjustment mentally as well as technique-wise, having to be leery of people like Tony Romo who can run outside if you take an inside move too early. I did play with more, I guess you could say, reckless abandon in Miami, particularly being on the backside of things. It's an adjustment. Everything about it is an adjustment."

In Miami, Taylor also played outside linebacker, a position in which he was allowed to roam, granted the kind of privileges LaVar Arrington enjoyed here before the Williams-Blache regime began in 2004.

"There's so many things you can do when you're moving around," Taylor said. "I had a lot more freedom to just pin my ears back and go."

With Washington injured, Taylor said he would like to get more reps at linebacker, but Coach Jim Zorn indicated that was highly unlikely. Still, several players are hopeful adjustments are forthcoming. Taylor did play in an upright stance and stunt inside a few times against Dallas, and Blache could continue that technique. Giving Taylor more time back on the right side -- especially considering Carter's problems -- makes sense to several teammates.

"Did we really get Jason Taylor to stop the run?" one veteran quipped.

With cornerback Shawn Springs healthy and willing to play free safety, players believe safety LaRon Landry, the best athlete on the defense, warrants more snaps around the line of scrimmage, acting as the fifth pass rusher. Landry has spent much of the season in a deep position with few other proven coverage options at free safety.

And some players wonder if at some point Blache must call a few more all-out blitzes on certain third downs, gambling for a big play with the offense seemingly incapable of providing a sizable lead or scoring more than a touchdown or two.

"I'd always like to get more pressure on the quarterback," Blache said after the loss to Dallas. "We had some opportunities to get there, but we couldn't take advantage of it."

Defying Blache and going outside the scheme to make a play, however, is not an option, and the time to bolster the roster has passed.

"Coach G.B. has his philosophy, and that's what we do," defensive tackle Lorenzo Alexander said. "If you try to break around that and get to freelancing, you won't be here too long."