[sportscurmudgeon]

There are multiple ways to build a good offensive line.

Way #1: Spend high draft picks (Rounds 1 and 2) on offensive linemen, develop them and hope they don't blow out a knee.


Way #2: Look for "hidden gems" in the laste rounds or in the UFA ranks, develop them and hope they don't blow out a knee.


Way #3: Draft or get via UFA two - - or even three - - good OL and then sign via free agency a couple of Pro-Bowlers none of whom blows out a knee.


Now, tell me which of these three avenues to a GOOD offensive line the Redskins have followed over the past decade? The answer would be Way #2 - - except for the minor problem that the Redskins' hidden gems seem to have turned out to be Fools' Gold!


The Skins tried "Way #2" - - - but the folks who did the evaluation of the potential "hidden gems" seem to have been wrong close to 100% of the time. [If you want to argue with that, please look at the 2009 roster and tell me which of the "hidden gems" played like a "real" NFL quality OL for 16 games or so. After you can't find one, just admit that the evaluation process was probably faulty from the beginning.]

Or maybe it wasn't the evaluators' fault; maybe their decisions were overriden by some goofs in the FO at draft time or at UFA signing time or at the time when it became obvious that they had to sift through the culls of other teams.

Or maybe it was the coaches' fault.

Or maybe - - to use a couple of the classic whipping boys of the Warpath - - it was Mike Florio's and Jason LaCanfora's fault...