Ex-Mountaineer Chris Neild Hopes To Bolster Redskins Run Defense

When the Redskins made the switch to a 3-4 defense in 2010, defensive coordinator Jim Haslett was aware it would take time to assemble the correct personnel to run his scheme.

What he didn’t foresee was a void at nose tackle. Though there were concerns about Albert Haynesworth’s commitment, the Redskins believed he would end up being an asset anchoring the middle of the defense along with Ma’ake Kemoeatu.

But Haynesworth failed a few conditioning tests in training camp and couldn’t creep out of Mike Shanahan’s doghouse while Kemoeatu never fully recovered from an injured Achilles tendon injury.

Without a nose tackle, Haslett’s defense endured one of the more disappointing defensive seasons in franchise history. They ranked 26^th against the run, giving up 4.6 yards per carry largely due to the lack of a presence up front. As the season progressed it became unmistakably clear: the Redskins would need to make serious offseason renovations along the defensive line.

Leading up to the draft, the Redskins were expected to be in the mix for Baylor’s Phil Taylor and a few of the other big, versatile linemen who could upgrade Washington’s front three.

West Virginia defensive lineman Chris Neild wasn’t on anyone’s radar, but as one of the draft’s few true nose tackles, Washington passed on some of the bigger names early, scooping Neild up in the seventh round.

Though he may not admit it, Neild is a true football player in that he knows his role within the defense and will stick to it. At West Virginia he played the same thankless nose tackle position he’ll play in Washington, but his competitive nature and love of the game make mucking it up in the trenches as glamorous to him as hauling in a 40-yard TD pass.

He’s far from a household name, but at the Redskins player-run practices last week in Northern Virginia, Neild indicated he doesn’t mind a low profile position so long as he’s contributing.

“I’m not going to brag on things like hard work and stuff like that,” Neild said. “You know I feel like I just play the game of football and the nose guard position is a position that not a lot of college teams play so I was very lucky to get drafted here.”

Neild might not talk himself up, but that’s what coaches are for.

“I love the way he competes,” Mike Shanahan told the Washington Post in May. “I love how important football is to him, because you can tell. He’s got a mindset when he plays, and you can tell he really enjoys football.”

Mountaineer coaches were consistent in their praise of Neild’s work ethic as well. His stocky frame fits the nose guard position perfectly and at WVU he established a reputation as a space-eating headache for opposing offensive lines.

“Chris is the best player that nobody really knows about except us coaches, and I guarantee you the linebackers that play in our defense,” WVU Defensive Coordinator Jeff Casteel told the Post. “He creates a lot of plays for those guys with double teams. He’s a really, really good football player.”

Neild’s 6-2, 319-pound frame is perfectly suited to play nose tackle, but as a late round selection it’s uncertain how sizeable a role he’ll be given in Washington.

Yet he made his mark in college despite never putting up big numbers in West Virginia’s 3-3-5 defense. Neild posted 35 tackles and three sacks in 2010, but it was his overall disruptive ability that prompted coaches to name him to the first team all-conference in the Big East for his senior season.

Now Neild will direct his attention to the professional level, hoping to make the same impact he did in college. His NFL journey is already underway having participated in several of the Redskins players-only practices since the draft.

And as expected he’s lined up at nose tackle for the majority of the team’s walkthroughs.

“I’ve been playing just straight up nose guard,” he said. “I’m pretty familiar with the technique. I played it in college so it’s something that I kind of carried over here, but it’s a different playbook so it’s something that I ‘ve got to get used to and a couple different techniques that aren’t familiar to me. But all in all, the last couple days and the last OTAs I really tried to get it down.”

Neild has been soaking up all the information he can during these informal workouts. He admitted the help he’s received from veterans during the practices has drastically reduced his learning curve as he prepares for his first meetings with the coaching staff.

“For rookies it’s kind of like a crash course on getting these plays down,” he said. “It’s especially good for the rookies [to come workout]. Being unfamiliar with a lot of the guys on the team, having to come out here and just get familiar with them, get familiar with the system—whether we play on offense or defense—it’s a time for us to bond a little bit, but also it’s a time to get work done.”

Neild has been especially grateful for Kedric Golston one of the few members of the defensive line who has regularly attended practices.

“Kedric’s been helping me out a whole lot,” he said. “I come here to practice and he teaches me all these techniques. We’re going through some drills and the plays I’m obviously not familiar with so he’s been helping me out a whole lot for these past two practices. [So far] he’s been nothing but a tremendous help to me.”

Without many options at nose tackle, Neild has a prime opportunity to establish himself as a starter. Thus far, he’s shown nothing less than a willingness to contribute immediately, making him a key piece in restoring stability to the Redskins run defense.

“We’re doing a good job out here and I’m really happy with the progress,” he said. “I’m going to try to do my best to make this team and hopefully it all works out, but I’m going to do whatever’s possible and whatever’s necessary to help this team succeed.”