Washington Redskins quarterback Rex Grossman has something in common with St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford. Both players, both teams, are suffering from poor offensive line play. In case you haven't noticed, offensive line play has been a big theme here this week, though we should probably point out how bad the receivers have been with the drops.
The trend in Washington is duly noted at Hogs Haven:
The Redskins rank 8th in QB hits allowed. As we saw first hand against Arizona, bad things happen when the interior OLine doesn't hold their ground and rushers come in untouched off the edges. Rams' RT Jason Smith is statistically one of the worst Right Tackles in the NFL right now. Grossman floats passes and makes bad decision, but he's still doing the right things.
Matt Williamson from Scouts, Inc. sounds a similar tone in a conversation with Mike Sando today:
I think Bradford has played well and I feel for him. They have had so many drops. No one can get open for him. He hits guys in the hands on third-and-8. He is getting no help. The line is not there, the safety-blanket running back is not there. Bradford is not the problem at all. The offense should get better when Danny Amendola and Steven Jackson are back. Bradford could really use an Amendola type.
Fortunately for the Rams, Steven Jackson is back this week, back to a bigger role. The Rams defensive line has also been pretty sharp, certainly on the edges. The defensive ends playing inside in some of the pass rushing packages, including James Hall, have struggled a bit with penetration. They have a favorable matchup this week. Of course, the Redskins are looking at the Rams offensive line and thinking the same thing.