The path to a dominant offensive line

[Captain Morgan]

don't know if it was posted or not during the flurry of news regarding Gilmore but Rhule said yesterday if Erving can't go, it might be Brady.  For those wanting him to get a chance at LT, we're close to seeing it.

[WestPanthers]

We used to have the chance to snap 2 of the possible future pro bowlers but team don't value the O-line -

[joemac]

Just now, WestPanthers said:

We used to have the chance to snap 2 of the possible future pro bowlers but team don't value the O-line -

LOL people act like we just took our first round pick this year and flushed it down the toilet.  We got motherfuging Jaycee Horn, who BTW was playing like one of the top CBs in the game in his first couple of outings.  Fitterer and Rhule and Tepper have shown me that they are completely committed to building a juggernaut here, so In Them I Trust on building the roster.  I am positive they have a plan to improve the line sooner rather than later.  They've done so with literally every other position group on the team, so why wouldn't they also do it on the line?

[CarolinaLivin]

10 minutes ago, WestPanthers said:

We used to have the chance to snap 2 of the possible future pro bowlers but team don't value the O-line -

Or... maybe a new front office made a bad decision... (IMO they didn't) every team makes a few moves that they wish they didn't make. The difference is how they learn from those mistakes and when they choose to cut their losses and move on. Example: Denzel Perryman. 

As a team and as a roster, I like where we are at. We may not be perfect, but they did a damn good job with the roster and draft picks they had. Every year they do "re-Drafts" of where they think players should have gone and which teams made bad decisions. No team makes every move right. Now if we don't upgrade the OL after this upcoming off-season... we have a problem. But right now? They have done everything we could have asked for. They are preparing for next off-season while still focusing on winning now. 

Just like we filled some holes before the draft so that we don't have to draft for need. We are doing the same thing. By the time we are in the off-season the only upgrades we will need are what... OL? maybe a safety and maybe a LB. I mean after OL, we could use talent but only NEED depth in other positions.

Edited October 7, 2021 by CarolinaLivin

[WestPanthers]

Don't get me wrong and I like the Horn picked and I think he can be Elite CB but Oline is still the 1A pick for that draft since Sewell gone.

Team has to value the O-line since they traded for Darnold and that's always the weakest link for us since so many years.

[Supbro]

4 minutes ago, joemac said:

LOL people act like we just took our first round pick this year and flushed it down the toilet.  We got motherfuging Jaycee Horn, who BTW was playing like one of the top CBs in the game in his first couple of outings.  Fitterer and Rhule and Tepper have shown me that they are completely committed to building a juggernaut here, so In Them I Trust on building the roster.  I am positive they have a plan to improve the line sooner rather than later.  They've done so with literally every other position group on the team, so why wouldn't they also do it on the line?

Jaycee is and will be great but the thing is if Slater is just as great it would have been a mistake not to draft him. The fact is it's much more of a premium position and one more difficult to lock down next to QB.

[CarolinaLivin]

1 minute ago, WestPanthers said:

Don't get me wrong and I like the Horn picked and I think he can be Elite CB but Oline is still the 1A pick for that draft since Sewell gone.

Team has to value the O-line since they traded for Darnold and that's always the weakest link for us since so many years.

Rhule and CO. are only responsible for as far as 1 year ago. They obviously value a strong defense more. They had to rebuild the roster. We weren't a player or two away. We weren't an OL away (from being contenders) before, but now we just about are... Why? Because of Rhule & CO. 

[mwright350]

2 minutes ago, WestPanthers said:

Don't get me wrong and I like the Horn picked and I think he can be Elite CB but Oline is still the 1A pick for that draft since Sewell gone.

Team has to value the O-line since they traded for Darnold and that's always the weakest link for us since so many years.

That they don't properly value the oline is not the only conclusion here.  I get it, and with hindsight maybe they do make a different pick, but jumping straight to "they don't value the oline properly" dismisses a lot of information.  Most importantly that (out of Fitterer's own mouth as well as something that's been a known issue for some time) it's so much more difficult to evaluate offensive linemen due to how the college game works.  Bigger risk at a draft position they could not afford to fug it up.

[SBBlue]

Moton was a low second round pick from a minor school.  He barely played his rookie season, and was given a chance to develop and has turned into good RT.

Keeping Christiansen and Brown out during the early and easier part of the schedule  makes some sense, giving them time to get up to speed and saving them for the later and more difficult part of the season . I don't think it is necessarily an indication of how good they are, anymore than  Moton not playing much his rookie year.

I'm sure when BC and Brown play the huddle will attack every misstep,  deride and attack them.  

 

Edited October 7, 2021 by SBBlue

[SBBlue]

As for building a good line there are many ways to do it. 

 The Rams, have a good line, with one of the  lowest pressure %, with a high  pocket time.  They have no first round linemen and haven't drafted any in recent memory.  They drafted their line in the 2nd, 4th and 5th.  They added  a 2nd rounder in free agency  and traded a 5th with Cleveland for a 2nd rounder.

The Chargers took a different tack.   They drafted a 1st round LT, then added a 1st rounder, two 5th rounders and an UDFA in FA.  They lost their FA 1st rounder, Bulaga, after the first game to injury and are now starting a UDFA journeyman from the XFL at RT.   

 So the chargers line is now one 1st rounder, 2 UDFAs and 2 5th rounders.

 








 

Edited October 7, 2021 by SBBlue

[Khaki Lackey]

The rookie wall is real. Injuries from lack of conditioning are real, and Rhule/Fitts know this.

Mark my words, Deonte and Brady will be in heavy rotation, If not starting, by week 6, and the line will improve. Mark it.

[Mr. Scot]

1 hour ago, Khyber53 said:

Here's the problem:

This past draft, we took two offensive linemen. Christensen in the 3rd and Brown in the 6th, both being touted as good pick-ups and possibly steals in the draft (at least here on the Huddle). 

We also gave a big contract extension to Taylor Moton, our RT who had shown himself to be not just starting quality but one of the most reliable in the league.

That's addressing three out of five of the positions on the line. We then went out and grabbed Cam Erving to be our LT (a first round draft pick in 2015 who has played for KC, Cleveland and Dallas --  grabbing an oft-injured tag along the way). We also grabbed Pat Elflein who had a few games as a starter for the Jets and had prior to that been a lineman for the Vikings at guard and center. John Miller, who had been on a one year contract was also re-upped to continue play here. Paradis was retained, apparently to join the roller-skating league team Tepper will be purchasing soon.

So, they did address the o-line through the draft AND free agency to the best of their ability this season.

 

And... that's what sucks about this.

The two draftees were either unready or unable to compete at this level and they've pretty much just been playing grab-ass on the bench or just struggling to get (into) a jersey. Maybe there's hope but considering the beating our QB has taken and the limited openings in the run game, you'd have to think they'd have tried the guys out if they were third tier linemen players at all.

Erving has been a turnstyle and seems to be tiptoeing around the medical trainer's office hoping to get a sick pass. Elflein pulled a hammy somehow and is on IR watching the games from his La-Z-Boy. Miller has been, well, the best of that bunch (barring Moton) even though there are stretches where he has literally disappeared. Paradis has greatly developed his abilities to rollerskate backwards while looking ahead which has allowed him to fall on a couple of fumbles, take that for the faint praise it is.

And Moton, well, he's looking good but mainly in comparison to his line-mates. His quiet season so far would, on another mid-level to good team might possibly draw him some mehs or complaints.

When it comes to helping the line out, remember that we had not just a re-alignment of the TE room (keeping only Ian Thomas from last year) but an expansion of that group like never seen before. And that, sadly, hasn't been much of a help.

In the end, FItterer and Rhule both worked hard on this offensive line this past season, bringing in new personnel from the draft AND free agency. Right now, it looks like in all honestly that they may just not be very good at evaluating or training linemen. 

Like I said in another post, we have to be sure we don't confuse busy with good.

Any judgment of Brown and Christensen at this point is severely premature.

We know precious little about them still. And on the topic of how they will perform as pros, pretty much zero.

[Waldo]

We literally traded for 2 good options at CB for almost nothing, both top 10 picks themselves. Spending a top 10 pick on a CB vs missing on a franchise LT would be a fug up. Not the end of the world but obviously a huge miss. Because it is hard is not really a good excuse. It's the NFL, what is easy at that level other than the owner's making money?

I hope BC looks amazing at LT. As for not playing a rookie just think about us putting in Moton in the SB instead of Bell out there getting killed at RT, we could have a ring for fugs sake or at worst still have lost. It just sounds like a copout unless it's actually tried and they fail when their competition is so bad or they are worse then expected. He wasn't drafted as a project and it's week 5, getting some contribution out of a round 3 pick is not unusual. At what cost, a few plays or series? Just put in BC and pray for the best. 

[Mr. Scot]

15 minutes ago, Khaki Lackey said:

The rookie wall is real. Injuries from lack of conditioning are real, and Rhule/Fitts know this.

Mark my words, Deonte and Brady will be in heavy rotation, If not starting, by week 6, and the line will improve. Mark it.

It's definitely possible.