Peter Diana, Post-Gazette Deshea Townswnd celebrates his first-quarter sack. Click photo for larger image. Listen In Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin Big Ben and the starting offense's struggle in Saturday night's preseason win over the Washington Redskins: Need to do better

LANDOVER, Md. -- Antwaan Randle El was supposed to flourish in the Washington Redskins' offense when he joined the team as a free agent last year.

Instead, his numbers slipped from his previous season with the Steelers. He caught 32 passes for 331 yards (11.0 average) and three touchdowns with Washington. The previous season he caught 35 for 558 (15.9) and one touchdown.

Those numbers aren't what the Redskins expected when they signed Randle El for $27 million over six seasons. Neither was it what Randle El imagined.

"Last year wasn't what I expected," Randle El told the Washington Times. "You didn't get the full gist of what I can do and what we can be as a wide receiving corps overall. What are we doing to contribute to this offense? Last year, neither Brandon [Lloyd] or I felt we got to that point. Certainly, we want to do that this year."

The Redskins were 5-11 last season and their passing offense ranked 21st in the NFL. Their quarterback play was terrible and that may have had something to do with it, as it could have affected Randle El's statistics.

Randle El caught one pass in the Redskins' first preseason game for 20 yards. His thigh was strained in that game, but he practiced last week and was ready to play last night against his former teammates. He caught his first pass against the Steelers in the second quarter last night, for 7 yards.

"It's kind of good that I'm not playing [special] teams because they know me so well that I would have to break all the things I do returning punts. Of course, I would be able to tell our guys how to block them, too."

Randle El said he maintains a warm feeling for the Steelers.

"You develop relationships that you never forget, especially with us winning the Super Bowl, and the way we won it, my last year in Pittsburgh. That brought us close together. You can't substitute for that."

Randle El did not return punts last night, but will during the season.

"If the game was in Pittsburgh, I would probably go back on punt returns just to see the reaction of the crowd. It would be great to play at Heinz Field."

Money for nothing

The Redskins are one of the most profitable franchises in the NFL, but they've won nothing under Daniel Snyder's ownership. He keeps pouring money into coaches and players -- mostly the wrong ones -- and gets nothing for it.

Yet Sports Illustrated ranked him higher than Dan Rooney among the NFL's best owners.

Under those specifications, Enron might rank ahead of General Electric among the best corporations in U.S. history.

Maxed out?

Could Max Starks lose not only his starting job but his roster spot as well? Probably not, but there's a chance Starks won't dress for games if it's determined that Trai Essex can handle the backup role at left tackle.

Essex also has practiced at guard. So, game days could look like this: Marvel Smith, Alan Faneca, Sean Mahan, Kendall Simmons and Willie Colon as the starters. The two backups: Essex (covering tackle and guard) and Chukky Okobi (covering center) or Chris Kemoeatu (covering guard with Simmons moving to center if something happened to Mahan).

It looks right now as if Starks either will keep his job at right tackle or not dress for games.

Injury report

Essex started at left tackle last night because Marvel Smith, who has a minor back injury, did not dress.

Five other Steelers were not in uniform because of their injuries: tight end Jerame Tuman (lower back), safety Anthony Smith (abdomen), center Okobi (back), nose tackle Chris Hoke (knee) and offensive lineman Darnell Stapleton (knee).

The Steelers alternated Starks and Colon at right tackle in the first half with the first team, and also alternated Simmons and Kemoeatu at right guard.

One in the sack

Rookie LaMarr Woodley recorded his first preseason sack to end the Redskins' first drive of the night. He and fellow rookie linebacker Lawrence Timmons got into a game together for the first time on one play in that first series of the game. Timmons lined up to the right of right outside linebacker James Harrison.