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Rinehart down to last chance
Redskins notebook
Date published: 11/13/2009
BY RICH CAMPBELL ASHBURN --The shuffling along the Washington Redskins' beleaguered offensive line continues.Chad Rinehart will start in place of right guard Will Montgomery on Sunday against the Denver Broncos, a performance-based move to accompany the changes spawned by injuries. Rinehart, a third-round pick in 2008, will receive a second chance to prove himself after being demoted from the starting lineup following a two-game stint earlier this season. "I just need to concentrate on myself, and hopefully that's good enough for them," Rinehart said. Head coach Jim Zorn would not publicly commit to Rinehart as the starter, saying, "That's an ongoing battle." But Rinehart, Montgomery and offensive coordinator Sherman Smith each said Rinehart will start on Sunday. Rinehart worked with the first team in practice the last two days. He is the only offensive linemen the Redskins have drafted in the third round or higher since 2003, meaning he is the only player in which the franchise has made a significant investment in addressing the future of its aging line. But Rinehart has disappointed so far, and the costly effects have been evident in the line's wide-ranging struggles this season. He started against Detroit and Tampa Bay in Weeks 3 and 4, but the Redskins replaced him with Mike Williams, a tackle who had never started at right guard before. It was a damning indictment of Rinehart's progress. "I was kind of a little too timid in my pass sets, waiting for them to do their technique versus me and initiating the contact," Rinehart said of his stint in the starting lineup. Rinehart has been inactive for three of the four games since. In that time, he believes he has improved. "Pass sets," he said. "Just having tight hands and punching up and initiating the contact instead of waiting for the defensive linemen to make a move." The right guard position has been a leading example of everything wrong with the Redskins' offensive line this season. They began with Randy Thomas, who management feared would not survive the season because of his age (33) and recent injury history. He tore his triceps in Week 2 and was lost for the year.
Date published: 11/13/2009
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