Let's not go too crazy with OL upgrades

[Panthero]

I've done OL only mock drafts......they made me happy. 

[Panthers Fan 69]

If they see an opportunity to get better at all 5 positions….you do it. fug our oline from last year.  fug that oline. 

[kungfoodude]

10 hours ago, Billy Love said:

Jordan Gross and Ryan Khalil have never been replaced. Im waiting for them to go crazy on addressing our OL.

Well, you have to consider that we did actually TRY with Icky, although that appears to be a pretty suspect decision, at the very best.

We really never have tried with Kalil.

[strato]

If they want Ickey at LT the best thing they can do is get the baddest ass edge guy to go against him in practice. The Peppers/Gross model was a good one.

Edited February 13 by strato

[45catfan]

19 hours ago, MHS831 said:

I know what you are thinking--are you CRAZY MHS?  Yes, but crazy people get good ideas too. 

Here are my points:  The main problem with the OL was in pass protection.  (We are going to adopt a system in which the QB has a clock of 2.7 seconds.   Investing in stud pass protectors is not a wise use of limited moves and $$.   Here is why:)

1.  Campen is gone.  He sucked and the OL actually digressed under his watchful eye.  He was a Tepper snitch.  Nuff Said.  With a new system and a more hip and groovy OL coach, players like Ekwonu, and the reserves should respond.  More ground and pound with quick QB releases will make Ekwonu elite--trust me.

2.  We get BC and Corbett back.  40% of our offensive line was missing up the gut, and that is where defenses attacked us.  A 5' 10" QB standing in the pocket with facial pressure and WRs who can't separate.  Not a recipe for success.

3.  We can use some inner OL depth, but Mays and maybe Zavala need some development. (I know, Zavala really sucked--but he was decent at NCS--I recall a G named Evan Mathis who sucked here and went to become a pro bowler at Philly.  Maybe they can come around with a new coach, new system.

4. Ekwonu, Christensen--if Icky sucks again and needs to be moved to G, BC is a stud athlete (see combine #s) and he might very well be the LT--find who does what the best and possibly flip flop them.

5.  In 2022, the OL was decent to OK, and that was before Ekwonu.  The OL if healthy, can get it done.  We need 2 or 3 reserves, and I am guessing we pick up a vet in free agency.

So, MHS, if you are wrong, we are screwed!!   Yup, but if I am right we are screwed as well.  Our resources need to go to WR and (in my unpopular opinion) CB  (Jackson could be gone and Horn is hurt so much he gets great parking.  We need 4 CBs who can step up.  We have 2 who are made of glass.   Not even sure a third round CB can play, but the second rounder has to be WR.  I also think we might double dip at WR.  CMC's brother is a deep sleeper from Rice.  Washington from UVA is interesting.  Lotta options deep in the draft--maybe we should double dip. 

Just stirring the pot to get some thoughts going so I can see under your receding hairlines. 

 

 

 

 

Preaching to the choir bother.  All our starters on the OL are under contract and should be healthy by the start of the season. We even have several backups inked too.  Let's see how they look if we go back to a run first approach, which has been implied, and they excel at.  There's too many other holes on this roster to sign "competition" for the sake pushing these guys.  They all know they are on the hot seat...so to speak, so wasting money on signing FA O-linemen to motivate our exiting guys is simply dumb.

Edited February 14 by 45catfan

[csx]

The OL isn't something you play thoughts and prayers with. Without an OL literally nothing else on offense matters. 

[csx]

If we only fixed one thing this offseason it better be the OL

[thennek]

A year ago at this time we all thought the oline was a strength. 2023 was a terrible year and many players looked bad especially on offense. There were so many injuries on the oline and a revolving door at LG and RG. This impacted the entire line. I also think the rookie QB did not help the oline situation.
All this to say I think there are some pieces of the oline that are good enough to build on…I still think Icky can play but maybe not at LT. This team Has so many holes it is going to be difficult to fill all of them in one offseason. The Rhule/Fitterer years decimated the talent in this team. They traded away so many draft picks for marginal players. Let’s hope Morgan can get the “dawgs” he is looking for and start building a foundation….and Tepper will keep his meddling ways away from the Panthers and focus on his other business and let the people he hired do their jobs. 

Edited February 14 by thennek

[MHS831]

10 hours ago, csx said:

If we only fixed one thing this offseason it better be the OL

I agree 100%, but we probably diagree with how to fix it.

Its happening!!!!!!

1. Campen gone.  That will be the biggest improvement.

2. Ekwonu will either start getting it at LT or he will swap with Christensen.  that adjustment could make us better at 2 positions.  Ekwonu has the athleticism but he needs so work on his fundamentals, He was raw when we drafted him and Campen did nothing with him.

3. BC and Corbett will be back from IR.  That is like adding 2 starters.   Yes, our OL sucked, but have you watched to see where we were getting killed?  A gap.

4. Starting guards beside Bozeman will make him better. 

 

Mays, Zavala, and Jensen need a lot of work, but one or two could become depth.  We may add an OL late, but I do not see overreacting because our OL was injured, we had a rookie QB, and the system was not a good match with our talent. 

I 100000% agree that the OL has be good or the season is a waste of time.  I just think 2022 was not bad for the OL and we added a LT.  Lets develop what we have and go from there.

 

[MHS831]

14 hours ago, Panthero said:

I've done OL only mock drafts......they made me happy. 

For me, it is very difficult not grabbing a C or G early.  There are some studs there.  But I think we get more bang for the buck going WR and CB (nobody really talking about CB---starting to think I could be wrong----nah.)

[MHS831]

11 hours ago, strato said:

If they want Ickey at LT the best thing they can do is get the baddest ass edge guy to go against him in practice. The Peppers/Gross model was a good one.

I am of the mindset that BC could become the LT.  Ickey to G would make us scary up the middle.  Both players are good athletes.  Ickey is raw, BC's arms a bit short for T---but his athleticism is unreal.

[imminent rogaine]

Agree. There are ALWAYS very good interior linemen available in mid rounds. I’d go bpa and draft line if it shakes out that way but I wouldn’t force it knowing you can land an eventual starter in the third or fourth. 

[MHS831]

1 hour ago, imminent rogaine said:

Agree. There are ALWAYS very good interior linemen available in mid rounds. I’d go bpa and draft line if it shakes out that way but I wouldn’t force it knowing you can land an eventual starter in the third or fourth. 

There seem to be ton of DTs in this draft  not sure how good they are...

[top dawg]

I mean, I hear ya and might agree in theory, but I'm not going to fool myself about the O-line yet again. Not this time! We need to make a certain amount of investment into it, and it shouldn't be any Dollar-Store-Dave sh¡t!