The other top tackles...

[Panthers Rhule]

30 minutes ago, mrcompletely11 said:

rhule is a fuging fool, this isnt news

 

For saying people must earn what they get? Yeah, so stooped

14 minutes ago, TheCasillas said:

Difference is that those teams don’t have much option along their oline. Luckily for us, we do.. for once.

 

also, I thought icky was splitting his reps with the 1s and 2s….?

And logic and reason enters the conversation

13 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

From the article...

If there’s been a constant in Rhule’s second real training camp (the Panthers didn’t come to Wofford in 2020 because of COVID-19), it’s that no one is going to be handed a starting job.

Not Mayfield. Not center Bradley Bozeman. And not the aforementioned “Ickey,” the former NC State standout who was the first offensive player taken on Day 1 of the draft.

“To me, Ickey’s a rookie. He’s gotta earn everything he gets, and he’s got a long way to go,” Rhule said. “He does some things really well naturally. He’s unbelievably powerful and talented. But there’s a lot to this game. There’s a lot of nuances and techniques and all those things. He has a long way to go. He’ll get there, but every day he’s gotta work.”

Maybe it’s owing to his background as a college coach, but Rhule is not about anointing many players as starters before they’ve stepped on Wofford’s campus. There are exceptions. Former Los Angeles Rams offensive lineman Austin Corbett jumped into a starting job at right guard, while veteran safety Xavier Woods slid into the first-team defense alongside Jeremy Chinn from Day 1 in Spartanburg.

“I don’t think it’s fair to make decisions about the depth chart unless it’s blatantly obvious,” Rhule said. “But guys who are battling after a week, you’ve gotta (get) these guys to settle in.”

Rhule has made it clear that he’s in no hurry to name a starting quarterback, nor has he given any indication when he plans to do so.

This is as it should be. 

12 minutes ago, LinvilleGorge said:

Nah, you're much better off forcing your top 10 OT draft pick and newly acquired former #1 overall pick QB split reps in a farce of a competition before ultimately naming them the starters like everyone knew they would be all the whole you accomplished nothing more than denying them valuable reps with the starters.

Orrrrr, he's taking off some pressure to give him time to learn the playbook while still getting his reps. Reps with the 2s is the same number of reps but while still in the 1st week on a new team letting him build his confidence a little. Or maybe you know better than all of those seasoned coaches that the Panthers now have. 

Have you seen Rhule lately? He looks soooo much healthier. There's a reason for that. It's because now he doesn't have to try to do everything. Rhule is the HC. He's not responsible for climate change, or wars, or civil unrest. He's also not responsible for every action made by the Panthers. 

People don't like Rhule. We get that. Trust me, we get that. We really don't need to be reminded every day. We get that. Let it go. Everyone just let it go. If some of you don't want to be happy and enjoy things for at least as long as it's still possible then fine. All the power to you. But can't the rest us be excited for this brief period of time? 

9 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

Options like Pat Elflein and Michael Jordan?

Those guys are currently starters.

I think he was referring to LT. 

1 minute ago, TheCasillas said:

He is getting reps there… 

Thank you for being the voice of reason.

[frankw]

45 minutes ago, Pakmeng said:

They are more desperate. 

Having 2 options > 1

More desperate? We had the worst OL in the league at one point. And the Giants curb stomped us.

[mc52beast]

Maybe his arms got shorter since being drafted…

[mrcompletely11]

25 minutes ago, TheCasillas said:

Are you suggesting we play Ickey at guard with that statement? He will be the LT week 1. Not sure why there would be any doubt by anyone here.

if he will be starting lt week 1 why isnt he getting those reps and starting to gel with the other guys?

[Mr. Scot]

9 minutes ago, TheCasillas said:

He isn’t learning two positions … at least from what I’ve been following. I haven’t seen anything about Ickey playing guard, but if you have something sharing that then… I agree.

Sounds like to me Bozeman and Ickey have always been on the field together until today. Someone mentioned in the main practice thread that this was intentional for them to build a relationship on the line. 

Mostly at tackle, but more than one source has confirmed he's taken reps at guard.

Person has also confirmed that Christensen is indeed a genuine option to start at left tackle, which would mean Ekwonu at guard.

Again, from the article...

But Christensen seemed to change their thinking with an impressive audition at the blindside spot late in his rookie season and has looked like the more polished pass blocker in the early going of camp.

During Wednesday’s one-on-one blocking drills, not long after Christensen deftly handled Pro Bowler Brian Burns’ speed rush, Ekwonu whiffed on Marquis Haynes when the edge rusher beat him with a swim move.

[TheCasillas]

4 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

Mostly at tackle, but more than one source has confirmed he's taken reps at guard.

Person has also confirmed that Christensen is indeed a genuine option to start at left tackle, which would mean Ekwonu at guard.

Again, from the article...

But Christensen seemed to change their thinking with an impressive audition at the blindside spot late in his rookie season and has looked like the more polished pass blocker in the early going of camp.

During Wednesday’s one-on-one blocking drills, not long after Christensen deftly handled Pro Bowler Brian Burns’ speed rush, Ekwonu whiffed on Marquis Haynes when the edge rusher beat him with a swim move.

If he is getting guard reps then as I said above … I agree with you.

i just haven’t seen any footage or a beat writer say that he has undeniably been taking reps at guard. What you have provided is probably the closest thing I have seen to such. 

Edited August 3, 2022 by TheCasillas

[TheCasillas]

5 minutes ago, mrcompletely11 said:

if he will be starting lt week 1 why isnt he getting those reps and starting to gel with the other guys?

He has been working closely with Bozeman. It’s possible christenson is making it harder than they thought to flat out put Ickey at LT 1. Also, as Mr scot shared, sounds like Ickey has struggled a bit. 

[Mr. Scot]

5 minutes ago, Panthers Rhule said:

This is as it should be. 

If we were talking about a guy who had been drafted much lower, I could agree.

As it stands, I can't.

A player drafted in the top ten is meant to be a plug and play guy. I believe Ekwonu can be that, but to ensure it happens he needs to be taking the lion's share of the starter reps st left tackle, and he's not.

The team is giving genuine consideration to starting Brady Christensen at left tackle. That would move Ekwonu to guard, unless you just want to bench him and make him a backup.

[Mr. Scot]

3 minutes ago, TheCasillas said:

If he is getting guard reps then as I said above … I agree with you.

i just haven’t seen any footage or a beat writer say that he has undeniably been taking reps at guard. What you have provided is probably the closest thing I have seen to such. 

I've seen it referenced, but even setting that aside if you really want him to be starting left tackle as a rookie, he shouldn't be in a "competition".

I'll ask the same question I did above: say Christensen wins the starting job? Do you try Ekwonu somewhere else or just bench him?

[TheCasillas]

1 minute ago, Mr. Scot said:

I've seen it referenced, but even setting that aside if you really want him to be starting left tackle as a rookie, he shouldn't be in a "competition".

I'll ask the same question I did above: say Christensen wins the starting job? Do you try Ekwonu somewhere else or just bench him?

I put him at guard. However, I am not James Campen and I’m not sitting in at practice nor watching film.

So my opinion comes from armchair coaching perspective and I understand that. 

[amcoolio]

Brown started right away, Horn started right away....it's not like Rhule woke up and decided this, maybe Ickey isn't as far along as you guys think

[Prowler2k18]

20 minutes ago, Panthers Rhule said:

For saying people must earn what they get? Yeah, so stooped

And logic and reason enters the conversation

This is as it should be. 

Orrrrr, he's taking off some pressure to give him time to learn the playbook while still getting his reps. Reps with the 2s is the same number of reps but while still in the 1st week on a new team letting him build his confidence a little. Or maybe you know better than all of those seasoned coaches that the Panthers now have. 

Have you seen Rhule lately? He looks soooo much healthier. There's a reason for that. It's because now he doesn't have to try to do everything. Rhule is the HC. He's not responsible for climate change, or wars, or civil unrest. He's also not responsible for every action made by the Panthers. 

People don't like Rhule. We get that. Trust me, we get that. We really don't need to be reminded every day. We get that. Let it go. Everyone just let it go. If some of you don't want to be happy and enjoy things for at least as long as it's still possible then fine. All the power to you. But can't the rest us be excited for this brief period of time? 

I think he was referring to LT. 

Thank you for being the voice of reason.

Winner of best post of the day. Points well taken!

[Shotgun]

1 hour ago, mrcompletely11 said:

The posters that are left defending rhule are clearly his family members or tied to his coaching staff.  Its blatantly obvious.

Exhibit-a

52 minutes ago, TheCasillas said:

Difference is that those teams don’t have much option along their oline. Luckily for us, we do.. for once.

 

 

 

[Mr. Scot]

25 minutes ago, Panthers Rhule said:

People don't like Rhule. We get that. Trust me, we get that. We really don't need to be reminded every day. We get that. Let it go. Everyone just let it go. If some of you don't want to be happy and enjoy things for at least as long as it's still possible then fine. All the power to you. But can't the rest us be excited for this brief period of time?

I have zero personal feelings about Rhule.

I don't believe he's qualified to be an NFL coach.

Anyone who does can get as excited as they want, but I'm not up for building a false sense of hope over someone I don't believe in.

Nothing personal about that at all...