Chad Rinehart News

Levi Jones, Chad Rinehart and Stephon Heyer sat together at the end of the Washington Redskins' bench with a little more than two minutes left in the game Sunday.

Washington running back Ladell Betts is questionable for the Redskins game against Denver in which he had been slated to start for Clinton Portis.

The shuffling along the Washington Redskins' beleaguered offensive line continues.

"Even if I have to buy him a couple meals to make sure he's ready to line up and play Football," Campbell said Wednesday at Redskin Park.

I was determined not to write about the offensive line for a while. Having written so much about the team's failure to address its biggest deficiency, I figured Insider readers were ready to move on.

The Hogs weren't just a media creation during Washington's first Joe Gibbs era. Russ Grimm, Joe Jacoby and Jim Lachey were all Pro Bowl studs, and fellow linemen Mark Schlereth, Mark May and Jeff Bostic also had periods of sustained excellence.

Jim Zorn doesn't have a roster with enough playmakers and talent, but he bears a significant amount of the responsibility for the Redskins' 2-5 record, a mark that seems likely to worsen as they face tougher opponents.

As the Redskins prepare to face the Falcons in Atlanta Sunday, here is a Free Lance-Star mid-season report on the players, the coaching, the management and the future of the organization.

It's time to say goodbye to the bye week and hello to the rest of the season, with just over half of the games on the Redskins' schedule still remaining to be played.

The list of players who have rotated in and out of the offensive line around Washington Redskins center Casey Rabach has continued to grow longer this season - a constantly updating reminder of the lack of consistency for a unit that has struggled mightily over the past two seasons.

When the Washington Redskins return to work Monday for the final nine games of the season, London Fletcher hopes "the preparation, focus, all those things" remain a constant despite a 2-5 record and little reason to think things will be turned around.

As the Redskins prepare to relax and breathe a little during their bye week, executive vice president for football operations Vinny Cerrato assessed the first seven games of the season "as frustrating and disappointing." The Redskins take a 2-5 record into their bye, having lost their last three games.

Dwayne Bowe News: Dwayne Bowe reeled in six receptions for 109 yards in the Week 6 victory at Washington.

The Redskins have signed punter Glenn Pakulak from the practice squad, signaling that Hunter Smith is not going to be available for Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jason Campbell knows the blitz is coming this Sunday. He's not about to back off, though.

Offensive coordinator Sherman Smith told me before the start of the season that the Redskins' could not withstand wholesale changes on the offensive line because of the lack of quality depth.

The Washington Redskins had an early lead and something to celebrate. But the joy was short-lived. Pro Bowl left tackle Chris Samuels was injured on Clinton Portis' first touchdown a little more than a minute into the game and did not return, leaving Washington with even more of a makeshift - and suspect - offensive line.

CHARLOTTE, Oct. 11 -- On the Washington Redskins' second play from scrimmage Sunday afternoon, Mike Williams lined his 370-pound body up at right guard, a position with which he became familiar just this past week. Williams blocked for quarterback Jason Campbell, who found running back Clinton Portis in the flat for a 10-yard touchdown pass.

For the first time since 2005, Williams was in a regular season NFL game celebrating a regular season score. And then, he turned around.

'I didn't know who was down,' he said. On the ground, dazed, lay 10-year veteran Chris Samuels. On the same play, Samuels went to block Carolina defensive end Tyler Brayton. The two butted heads. Brayton kept charging. Samuels fell to the ground. His day was over, the victim of a 'stinger,' which sends a tingling sensation down one side of the body. As center Casey Rabach said: 'That's a scary injury,'

The Redskins announced that Mike Williams, a former first-round pick with the Buffalo Bills, will start at rightguard in place of rookie Chad Rinehart.

Most games are lost on the playing field, but occasionally you'll see one that's lost in the boardroom.