And now, some sage perspective from veteran defensive end Phillip Daniels, who doesn't understand all the fuss about the offensive line's struggles early in camp.

"Everybody just needs to relax a little," said Daniels, beginning his 14th season in the NFL. "When you have a D line like ours, that's a lot to handle. It's like people forgot what we do."

Many of you are distraught about the unit's shaky performance and I've written more time is needed to evaluate the situation, which I strongly believe. Of course, I've also made it clear I thought more substantive moves should have been made in an attempt to bolster a unit that gave up 38 sacks last season - the fourth-highest total in the league.

The Skins replaced left guard Pete Kendall with Derrick Dockery and right tackle Jon Jansen with Stephon Heyer. They also brought in tackle Mike Williams and guard/tackle Jeremy Bridges in the hope they could make an immediate impact as part of a rotation.

The Skins haven't even had their intra-squad scrimmage yet, so I'm not prepared to write that Daniel Snyder and Vinny Cerrto blew it again. Covering baseball for a long time, I had to learn to step back and see how things developed. Obviously, they play 162 in the baseball regular season and only 16 in the league I currently cover. But I'm referring to the big picture, not actual games played.

Concern definitely is warranted, however, considering how the unit fared in pass protection last season. Again, the Skins plan to rely on the core group of center Casey Rabach, left tackle Chris Samuels and right guard Randy Thomas. Regardless of whether it's fair, it seems the unit is considered guilty with fans until proven otherwise.

It was another rough day out here Tuesday for Joe Bugel's bunch. Rookie end/strong-side linebacker Brian Orakpo again at times beat Samuels in 11-on-11 drills. Thomas, who had arthroscopic knee surgery in the offseason, sat out with a sore knee. Heyer left practice because of a bruised left knee that occurred in goal line drills. An MRI exam was encouraging, a Skins spokesman said, but there is no timetable for Heyer's return. Rabach also did not finish practice (calf) and Williams rested because of a groin injury. The coaching staff expects the line's performance to improve through reps, which are hard to get if the first-team unit isn't on the field together.

Although the Redskins brought in two new players Wednesday, neither is an offensive lineman. They have not been among the teams inquiring about unsigned tackle Levi Jones, who was cut by the Bengals in May. He is believed to be seeking a starting job and commensurate pay.

The Skins have had plenty of time to make a move toward former Eagles tackle Jon Runyan, but Coach Jim Zorn has repeatedly told me the guys in camp "are the guys we're going with." Obviously, things could change if Heyer is sidelined for a while, but there don't appear to be any answers out there for the Skins.

In discussing the situation with Daniels and Cornelius Griffin, I got the sense they truly believe the O line will be more effective once they "get their timing," Griffin said. "It's still early in camp and [they're] communicating and getting their timing. They're going to be good. They're going to be fine."

The thought process that went into the Skins' offseason plan, however, is open to question. They had the No. 4 overall defense yet still invested heavily on defense with the moves we've all discussed for a long time. There's no disputing the Skins needed to produce more sacks and turnovers, but the offensive line was considered the team's biggest weakness.

Cutting Jansen and declining to re-sign Kendall made sense. Dockery, one would think, should be an upgrade at left guard and Heyer has to be better at right tackle than Jansen, who simply couldn't effectively pass protect at this late stage of his career, many in the organization said. Although Dockery was only away for two seasons, there's stuff he's learning, and the defense is throwing a bunch of new blitzes at the line.

But where's the quality depth? Williams's weight loss is a feel-good story, but he has been overmatched in 11-on-11 drills against, for the most part, any end who has lined up against him, struggling with power and speed moves.

Williams has been great to deal with and seems like a really nice guy. I just don't understand how the Skins could have envisioned him actually contributing, let alone competing to start, when he had not played in a regular-season game since the 2005 season, weighed more than 400 pounds when they signed him and was considered a first-round bust when he was in top form. Watching him in pass protection has been painful, and it's obvious he shouldn't be in a competitive situation on a football field right now.

Jeremy Bridges has looked better at guard than tackle. He has the best chance at being an effective backup, so the Skins are moving him all over the line to have him learn multiple positions. As for second-year guard/tackle Chad Rinehart, well, he seems to be a really nice kid as well. Third-round picks are supposed to contribute, and Rinehart performed poorly in the preseason last year and lost his confidence.

"Man, it's so early," Daniels said. "A lot can change when these guys get their timing down. That's why we're out here now."