Our Turf Show Times friend, Ryan Van Bibber, who writes for the the main SB Nation NFL website, ranked the NFL's 2012 defensive lines as training camp approaches. Upon viewing the article, I kept scrolling, and scrolling, and scrolling, went to the bathroom, more scrolling....and low behold! There are the Redskins ranked 32nd! Say what?!?
Barry Cofield seemed like an odd fit for a nose tackle, and sure enough ... Stephen Bowen and Jarvis Jenkins are the keys to a better front three in Washington, if they can get healthy.
First thought in my mind: Well, that's some extensive research!!!
Second thought in my mind: Scroll up to the post and make sure this isn't dated 2011. OK, check. 2012. The only proper manner to respond to this ranking is to completely annihilate Van Bibber. I'm calling in the AH-64 Apache Hellfires. Let's roll:
Barry Cofield seemed like an odd fit for a nose tackle
Umm. "Seemed?" 16 games, 25 tackles, 8 passes defended, 3 sacks. Cofield's eight passes defended ranked second in 2011 for all defensive lineman. Van Bibber gives praise to Jay Ratliff, while noting he's not the best fit at NT, despite having less sacks and passes defended than Cofield.
Stephen Bowen and Jarvis Jenkins are the keys to a better front three in Washington, if they can get healthy.
If Stephen Bowen can get healthy? He's played in all 16 games the last three years while racking up six sacks in 2011 alone...
Jenkins is fully recovered from an ACL, so do you mean "stay" healthy? Jenkins has never had an injury in his career before the ACL, so it's not like we're talking about Laron Landry here. Van Bibber also forgot Adam Carriker, who has been very deserving of the starting role at the other end position. Van Bieber (pun intended) probably left out Carriker since the Redskins completely fleeced the Rams getting him in exchange for swapping their 5th and 7th round picks. Neither of the guys the Rams drafted with those picks are still with the team.
Final arguments:
The Redskins are bringing back the same, exact defensive line as last year, which ranked EIGHTH eighteenth against the run last year, AND the Redskins get second round draft pick, Jarvis Jenkins, back.
What say you, Van Bibber?
[Editor note: As glorious as my rant is, I botched a stat. Skins D ranked 18th vs the run, not 8th. That is a big difference, but still the point stands, the Skins aren't 32nd bad.]