Offensive Line Is Main Priority

[thennek]

Oline, dline, LB, WR, TE….ugh. So many holes on this team and very little depth. Trading away so many draft picks  and then missing on the limited draft picks available have caused much of this. This team has no identity. 

Bozeman played well last year and we all celebrated when he signed a new contract. This year….not so much. You have to think the drama we are reading has impacted players too. I still think Bozeman, Moton, Ickey, Corbett and Brady is a solid line provided the scheme fits their strengths. A lot has changed this year in the offense..::new rookie QB who is a unicorn due to size, no playmakers, new coaches and new schemes. And if Tepper hires outside of the current coaching staff it will change again. Hard to be consistent with so much change 

Edited December 7, 2023 by thennek

[Iceup]

1 hour ago, Hoenheim said:

Didn't bc play left tackle in college? Think he did for us for a few games too I don't remember how he did

He played T at BYU I think. We had him rated as a round 2 G and Round 3 T. Some of Fits crap I think. His arms were too small/sort to  play Tackle was a comment I remember. IMO he’s a guy who needs help at either spot. Good Kid- Pretty good technique-Good feet- but not as powerful as others. 
 

He did improve as he got more reps at G- So maybe he good progress with reps at T too- but I’m not sure if that’s something I want to bet on.

[BenjaminBreeg]

46 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

It's been said that he doesn't yet recognize "NFL open" vs college open (or Alabama open). That's a known issue.

Seriously doubt he'd be flat out replaced next season though. I expect he gets at least one more year.

 

A season and a half worth of starts is kind of the standard NFL evaluation window for a rookie qb. So 25 games should give you enough confidence to predict how his career will pan out or if he's even salvageable. He's almost half way there.

[Waldo]

50 minutes ago, Mr. Scot said:

I would, for a specific reason...

That's a lot of roster work in an offseason where we already have a lot of roster work to do.

It all starts with the lines. It's why I would be fine with a trade or two if the players were not great fits moving forward. 

No way they turn this mess around in a year and given the draft capital situation they are going to have to rely heavily on free agents. Build it right and stop hammering square pegs into round holes. It's full blown and painful rebuild time. If they look better at the end of year 1 then it is going well regardless because anything they do no matter how well will still end up picking top 5 in 2025. 

[Wundrbread33]

Until you find a QB, QB will remain the biggest problem. 
 

Although at the topof the 2nd round, you would be picking the 4th QB or so. At that point, you can possibly get the best guard or center in the draft. 
 

However if a new coach/gm love a QB that slides into the 20’s, who has all the physical tools required for the NFL, I wouldn’t hate that at all. 

[PanthersGTI]

Build the lines and it all falls into place. Football is still won in the trenches. We have some talent on the O line we just need a good coach to sort them out and then work on filling the gaps. D line needs players badly. 

[Mr. Scot]

2 hours ago, Iceup said:

He played T at BYU I think. We had him rated as a round 2 G and Round 3 T. Some of Fits crap I think. His arms were too small/sort to  play Tackle was a comment I remember. 

That was Rhule. Fitterer made pretty clear he disagreed with that idea.

That said, the idea that he might be a better guard than tackle isn't exactly farfetched. In a zone blocking system though, he'd be better suited to play tackle than Ekwonu would.

Edited December 7, 2023 by Mr. Scot

[Johnstonny]

3 hours ago, CRA said:

this current window has been a textbook example of having no vision and everyone on their own unique page. 

we don't need to "fix the OL".....until we know what we want to be on offense.  We need a HC and a direction before we have anyone fixing the talent on this team. 

Its like dipper skipped steps 1-10 and went directly to step 11 in building this thing...never been a plan it seems. All that takes time and patients which we know he doesn't have... Pick a philosophy and be committed to it for 3 years.

[BrianS]

4 hours ago, BenjaminBreeg said:

 

Oh the line definitely needs fixing, but QB play needs to improve massively too. A lot of people see the sack numbers and automatically assume it's an O-line problem (not saying this is you), but sack is as much of a QB stat as an O-line stat. Bryce's dropbacks are too shallow and don't create enough depth for the O-line to block effectively. He also holds onto the ball for far too long which, when combined with his lack of pocket awareness and elusiveness as well as his unwillingness to climb the pocket, result in more sacks.

 

 

 

 

So wait.

CJ Stroud has the same pocket time as Bryce.  He has been blitzed more, hurried more, hit more, pressured more . . . the only thing Bryce has had more of is sacks.

It's another piece of data that does not look good.

We need to run a system that fits the linemen we have, or hit an offseason where we can realistically expect to change most of them out.  It would also be sweet if our starters could stay healthy.  I don't think enough attention is paid to our seemingly sky high injury rate.  It's been going on for years and I'd love to know why.

[shaq]

Bradley Bozeman has been disappointing this season. We should be looking for a better long term option. Bozeman is not horrible, but is definitely below average atleast for this year. I want a young C to grow and develop chemistry with Bryce.

[Soul Rebel]

If Icky is what we think he will be at LG, I would think that would benefit BC at LT. BC has been good, not great thus far. With a LOT of time off the past year plus, I think he could return to LT in the right scheme next to Icky.

Signing a vet in FA or after cuts would be wise too. Donovan Smith is no spring chicken but on a short deal, could make sense. 

Worst case, Icky to LG and BC to RG for Corbett insurance until Zavala is ready.

[Jackofalltrades]

I believe very sincerely that the game of football is won or lost at the line of scrimmage. If you can't win there, the rest doesn't matter.

[ECUPantherFan]

11 hours ago, BenjaminBreeg said:

Honestly, the QB position is the biggest problem right now. The O-line isn't as horrendous as many are making it out to be. 

[BenjaminBreeg]

7 hours ago, BrianS said:

So wait.

CJ Stroud has the same pocket time as Bryce.  He has been blitzed more, hurried more, hit more, pressured more . . . the only thing Bryce has had more of is sacks.

It's another piece of data that does not look good.

We need to run a system that fits the linemen we have, or hit an offseason where we can realistically expect to change most of them out.  It would also be sweet if our starters could stay healthy.  I don't think enough attention is paid to our seemingly sky high injury rate.  It's been going on for years and I'd love to know why.

That data is slightly outdated. Stroud's pocket time has since improved to 2.6 seconds, while Young's remains at 2.5 seconds, which is more than decent because only five teams afford their QBs more time in the pocket. 

The amount of blame our O-line receives is simple unfair. Our O-line is OK, while our QB is absolutely poo.