HurneyMagic? Amini Silatolu Doesn't Look Half Bad As A LT

[CarolinaNCSU]

Amini was a LT in college that we converted to guard, yes?

Hey...whatever works. 

[rodeo]

Silatolu is one of the worst starters to ever suit up for the Panthers. I can't believe he gets so many chances and people don't notice he's so incredibly bad.

[ichigo1057]

Who was the other offensive player that he was teamed with in that drill. The one that was going up against #92 Butler. That is the one that caught my eye since it looked, at least to me, like he was drove back to where Cam would be in a regular game.

[Hogmolliesmaht]

1 hour ago, ichigo1057 said:

Who was the other offensive player that he was teamed with in that drill. The one that was going up against #92 Dwan Edwards. That is the one that caught my eye since it looked, at least to me, like he was drove back to where Cam would be in a regular game.

 Edwards is long gone. #92 is Butler and he's going to be a monster.

As for Sialtolu, everybody should keep an open mind. If the guy can be a decent back up at LT, then that's a good thing. Players do develop in this league. Believe it or not, it's possible that he could be getting better than he was in the past.

[ichigo1057]

3 minutes ago, Hogmolliesmaht said:

 Edwards is long gone. #92 is Butler and he's going to be a monster.

As for Sialtolu, everybody should keep an open mind. If the guy can be a decent back up at LT, then that's a good thing. Players do develop in this league. Believe it or not, it's possible that he could be getting better than he was in the past.

Yeah you're right. I'm not good at associating numbers with player names so had to look the number up and one of the first results was Edwards, sorry about that. Still though who was that going against Butler?

[chbright]

The ghost of Even Mathis. Another guard the huddle despised and claimed wasn't NFL calibre while he was here. OL isn't a place guys always excel for their rookie contract. Considering the contract this go around is prove it, worth the look. 

[Cyberjag]

Amini was a small college LT who converted to Guard in the NFL.  He started 15 games as a rookie, before going on IR to a wrist injury.  The next year he started just three years before being put back on IR because of a a torn ACL in his right knee.  In 2014, he once again got a roster spot, but this time he missed three games in the middle of the season to a calf injury, and was barely back on the field before he ended up missing five more to knee issues.  In 2014, the guy who filled in for him was some UDFA out of Ohio State named Andrew Norwell.

Note that through his first three seasons, every game he played he was deemed good enough to start by the coaches.  In 2015 there was actually a training camp battle between him and Norwell, which he lost.  He made it into the lineup late in the year and tore his left ACL.  So, in the offseason the Panthers decided that a backup guard with his injury history just wasn't worth bringing back.  He had only played in 33 games in four years, but the coaching staff felt like he was good enough to start in 28 of them.  Even so, with that ACL injury and his history it's no wonder that no one picked him up for 2016.

So maybe the coaches are right about his talent.  Or at least they see any mistakes with a different eye than the average Huddler.  I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and think that he may have something good going on.  I just worry that he won't be able to stay on the field if he makes it there.

For what it's worth, here's his NFL Draft Profile.  Note the weaknesses:

Quote

OVERVIEW

Silatolu is a large, athletic interior lineman who has the ability to smother his opponents and consistently sustain his blocks through the end of plays. Coming from a small school like Midwestern State facing little competition, he will have an adjustment period far greater than other linemen as he enters the league. It is likely that a team will want to move him from his college position of tackle to inside, where his height will be more serviceable and he can use his athletic ability to get up field more often in the run game. Silatolu's greatest attribute is his footwork, as he is quick off the line of scrimmage and an active puller who can get outside, move up field and locate his blocks to quickly engage. He does not have great leverage or explosiveness in his play but possesses many strong assets for an interior lineman, giving him early second-round value to a team with the patience to develop him into a starter.

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS

Silatolu is a quick athlete for a man of his stature and gets off the line with a noticeable quickness. He is urgent in his play, and once engaged with a defender, can keep him covered up for an extended period of time. He is a leg-driver who doesn't get a lot of movement but keeps his man occupied. He is extremely mobile and is an active puller who can get outside, move up field and locate his blocks to quickly engage. He can slide well in pass protection in tackle views in college and will likely be a guard who can sit and stop rushers in their tracks in the pass game at the next level. He is a shield blocker who rarely lets a man behind him.

WEAKNESSES

Silatolu is not an explosive blocker,s and his limited time working at guard will likely slow his development as he transitions to the next level. Midwestern State does not face the level of competition or athletic type of player that he will line up against in training camp, and teams should expect he may need to develop somewhat before he can be inserted as a starter. He can be over-aggressive at times and whiff on blocks; he needs to have more play discipline at the next level.

 

[rayzor]

here's hoping that he's turned the corner into being a reliable member of the OL.

[Pejorative Miscreant]

Sometimes the answer IS on the roster.  But seriously, nothing wrong with giving it a try.  Not a starter but may be a decent fill in and backup.  i would still look at the cut wire but keep up with the experiment. 

[Thomas]

Gross has been gone at least 4 years and they can't get a good replacement to fill the spot? Sorry cam but it looks like you are going to have to take a few more beatings this year. I hope hurney is better at filling holes in the team than gettleman was. we will soon see.

[Hogmolliesmaht]

24 minutes ago, Thomas said:

Gross has been gone at least 4 years and they can't get a good replacement to fill the spot? Sorry cam but it looks like you are going to have to take a few more beatings this year. I hope hurney is better at filling holes in the team than gettleman was. we will soon see.

Huh? We have a viable starter in Kalil. The guy was a pro bowler when he was healthy.This thread is simply about the back up LT. And BTW, Oher was just as good as Gross at LT.

[KB_fan]

2 hours ago, ichigo1057 said:

Yeah you're right. I'm not good at associating numbers with player names so had to look the number up and one of the first results was Edwards, sorry about that. Still though who was that going against Butler?

Here's a one-click link to the Panthers roster page.

http://www.panthers.com/team/roster.html

I am needing to refer to it at least once or twice a practice right now when watching ciips.  So many guys I don't know their numbers yet.

[Thomas]

I hope Kalil pans out for us and playing ball next to his brother can only help but He has not had a good season since 2012. when he is healthy he is a baller for sure but only time will tell if he will be and stay healthy this season.

[Cyberjag]

1 hour ago, Thomas said:

Gross has been gone at least 4 years and they can't get a good replacement to fill the spot? Sorry cam but it looks like you are going to have to take a few more beatings this year. I hope hurney is better at filling holes in the team than gettleman was. we will soon see.

Starting quality LTs are difficult to find, but I agree that it would have been nice to see more of an effort made than just signing a couple of guys who flamed out somewhere else.  I would love to see Oher's success repeated in Kalil, and am encouraged by the fact that we have a pretty good interior line to help with that.  

1 hour ago, Hogmolliesmaht said:

Huh? We have a viable starter in Kalil. The guy was a pro bowler when he was healthy.This thread is simply about the back up LT. And BTW, Oher was just as good as Gross at LT.

Kalil was a pro-bowler his rookie year when the guy who actually made it at his position backed out.  After that, he's had one disappointing season after another.  I'm excited about the possibility that he works out, but let's not rewrite history to make him look better. If he hadn't been such a severe disappointment, there's no way that he would have gotten out of MN.  In fairness though, Remmers looked a lot better here than he did there, and now that he's back there, apparently he looks like crap again.

As far as Oher being as good as Gross, Gross was on the all rookie team, and was a three time pro-bowler and a first team all-pro.  As a rookie he didn't miss a snap, and only allowed three sacks.  He played for 11 seasons, with 167 starts in that time, all with the Panthers.  In contrast, Michael Oher made the all rookie team, but that was it for accolades.  He played 8 seasons for three teams and 110 starts.  OTs who are considered as just "good" or better don't often swap teams, and rarely if ever do it twice in 8 years.  Oher was good here because he was serviceable (i.e. better than Bell), and to compare him favorably to the best OT in team history is kind of silly, IMO.