Originally posted by GEEK:
Originally posted by English:
One thing leapt out at me. The O line needs rather ore in my view that a depth guard and a low pick. What has Boone done to justify his salary? And your depth at tackle is one rookie 5th round draft pick?
I want us to start with the two lines and then, when they are solid - and I mean rock solid - then rebuild behind them. Little or nothing needs doing on the D.
And let's find our next Bobby McKittrick.
So a few things here...
- Our O-line has underperformed across the board. Staley has been off, Iupati has been off, Boone has been off, Martin is a rookie but has been struggling, and J. Martin just plain sucks. We have talent at the line, but our scheme sucks. Bad scheme can make good players look bad.
- Boone, Reitz, Felend, and B. Thomas have LT and/or RT experience. Plus we have a few guys on the PS that can play OT as well.
- Looney, Thomas, Boone, Farrell, Reitz, and even M. Martin can play guard on our offensive line. I love the idea of an open competition across the board.
- You don't need high draft picks to re-build a line. You need smart draft picks. And we have PUP/IR guys coming back healthy next year (Kilgore, Thomas, etc).
Do you think we should change schemes and be more of a zone blocking team rather than a power running team? I think we should emulate what Seattle is doing with an oline that is not that great but their backs (Wilson and Lynch) are making the reads and making the plays. With the athleticism of Staley and Davis at the tackles and Marcus Martin and Brandon Thomas in the interior, I really think we can pull it off.