Redskins Insider

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Our at-the-bye series continues with an analysis of the Redskins' offense. On Friday, Barry Svrluga will dissect special teams; Rick Maese posted on the defense.

At this time last season, the Redskins were 6-2, quarterback Jason Campbell had passer ratings of at least 104 in four games, running back Clinton Portis was the NFL's leading rusher and rookie Coach Jim Zorn was the toast of the town. Washington's veteran offensive line provided the foundation for the surprising success on offense to that point, and it seemed the team could be headed to bigger things if the unit remained physically sound for 16 games.

Of course, the line fell apart because of injuries. The Redskins went 2-6 in the second half, finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs for the seventh time in 10 seasons under owner Daniel Snyder.

Those offensive line problems were identified in an internal offseason evaluation of the roster but were never adequately addressed, and so far this season, the Redskins are experiencing an offensive crisis that holds no promise of ending over their final nine games.

With just 96 points in seven games, the Redskins are averaging 13.7 points per game, tied for 28th in the league. The New Orleans Saints, the league's No. 1 offense, have scored 142 more points than the Redskins in just six games. Washington is averaging 296 yards (24th in the league) with a major drop-off in the running game, falling from second in the league at this point in 2008 to 21st this season.

Washington (2-5) has not been able to overcome its major deficiencies along the offensive line, and league sources who have reviewed video of the team's games do not expect much to change this season. The Redskins' linemen too often lose individual battles in pass protection and the running game, said one longtime NFL player-personnel executive on another team, and with left tackle Chris Samuels and right guard Randy Thomas now lost to injuries, most of their linemen are "long-term projects" or "just guys."

Samuels and Thomas were coming off multiple offseason surgeries. Many in the organization expected Samuels and Thomas to miss time. Thomas's season ended in Week 2 because of a triceps injury, and Samuels suffered a season-ending neck injury in Week 5. Washington brought back guard Derrick Dockery to replace left guard Pete Kendall and made a push to sign Seattle Seahawks tackle Ray Willis.

Considering the magnitude of their problems along the line, and the fact the team had playoff aspirations, the Redskins should have done more to bolster it, players said this week. The team's problems in pass protection were glaring in Monday night's 27-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles at FedEx Field. The Eagles had six sacks and throughout the second half pummeled quarterback Jason Campbell.

"You have to be able to protect your quarterback. That's one of the basic fundamentals of football," middle linebacker London Fletcher said. You have to be "able to protect the quarterback, so he can take something more than a three-step drop -- a five-step, seven-step drop -- and not worry about getting hit or being hit, sacked and pressured as much as he was hit [against Philadelphia]. It was only six sacks that they got, but it seemed like double-figure sacks. I asked some of the guys after the game, 'How many sacks did they have?' Watching the game, you feel bad for him with how many hits he's taking. It's just like . . . boy."

A sobering thought: In their final nine games, the Redskins face three teams (the New York Giants, Denver Broncos and Eagles) ranked among the top 10 defensively and four teams (the Broncos, Eagles, Giants and Oakland Raiders) in the top eight in sacks.

Pro Bowl tight end Chris Cooley might return this season after undergoing surgery Wednesday to repair a broken bone in his foot, welcome news for Campbell and backup Todd Collins.

-- Jason Reid