49ers Offensive Line

Quick and dirty on the first two drives. Really dirty. Like... dirrty.

1st drive:

1. zone : all good. Great flow, effective combos, and good release to 2nd level. Strong 6 yard gain

2 zone: martin pushed back, still gain 4.

3. zone read: Pears pushed back, gain 9

4. pass: martin? Pears and Looney both appear to expect help. MM tries to help both and fails Line call?) Kap has Miller for the 1st, but it's a risky throw across his body to the middle of the field.

5. zone: Looney beat across his face and pears doesn't make it to cutoff or wash down the backside OLB (tough reach). Hyde could have cut it back with only the S to beat, but I think he was smart to get behind his pads and get the yard. Good situational football on his part.

6. zone read: GREAT flow across the board, great cutback by Hyde.

7. pass: Dallas brings 5, OL picks it up. Good block by Hyde

8. Zone: Looney combos with Boone, but MM releases to LB like he thinks HE is comboing with Looney. Weird. 2 plays ruined by bad communication. Both involve Looney, who should be making the calls. Looks like Martin is wrong. Should have had the DE, Looney should have come off his combo with Boone to get the LB MM released to. DE is on a 3 shade, but slants inside. MM should have him alone, but acts like he is in a combo with Looney. Good seam w/o this miscommunication.

8. pass: good pocket. VD blocks the DE to the ground on his own. Pears holds up on the right edge. That's why he's here.

9. zone: Pears and MM give some ground, but the flow is very good, and Davis might score if he cuts back one gap farther, as VD has his guy locked up.

10. pass. We have 5, they bring 5. Dallas DC fools the protection scheme. They show 4 on the right side, so we slide protection right. They only bring 2 on the right and 3 on the left, so the DE on our left comes free. Kap basically throws it away to beat the pressure. He had a chance to hit Hyde on the arrow route, but I don't think he had the time to progress there. In a week where we game plan, maybe that route shuffles higher in the progression against the blitz?

11. pass: Dallas brings 4, good pocket.


2nd drive:

12. zone left: 10 yards. Good flow, good lead block. Looney or MM needed to move off of the NT to LB to secure second level (both stayed on the NT)

13. pass. Yikes. Looney steps left to no-one, because he fails to recognize a T-T-E stunt (the RDT and RE, from the offense's perspective, slant L and the LDT loops over both for a contain rush) as it is occurring. This allows the slanting T to slip inside of MM, who is trying to pass the slanting T to Looney, so he can pick up the slanting RDE. Because Looney isn't there to take on the slanting RDT, MM stays with him and Pears has to stay with the slanting RDE, and the Looping LDT is unblocked. Everyone gets through, because both MM and Pears are expecting help inside.

14. Zone read. It's blocked okay. I hate making OL run block from 2-pt stances. Anyway, Hyde runs straight into Kap, ruining the timing and spoiling a 5 yard wide hole that was still never going to get the 20 yards we needed.



My bottom line: Pears looks good, but we didn't block any power or counter with him. I don't know if/when we will, but that could be telling. Martin looks pretty strong, but he got driven back once on a run when his pads crept up. Looney looks alright, but he was slow on one run and he might have made a couple incorrect line calls. Staley and Boone were good (I didn't have much cause to watch them in detail). Trent Brown could be very good, but not yet. Dude is CRAZY talented, and will need to consistently used all of his tools efficiently. VERY excited we have him. Wow. He pancaked a dude on a zone run, then belly flopped on him. That's hilarious and awesome.

Pass protection looks better than last year. This line may block zone better this year than we blocked power last year. Communication still needs work.

Originally posted by WRATHman44:
Quick and dirty on the first two drives. Really dirty. Like... dirrty.

1st drive:

1. zone : all good. Great flow, effective combos, and good release to 2nd level. Strong 6 yard gain

2 zone: martin pushed back, still gain 4.

3. zone read: Pears pushed back, gain 9

4. pass: martin? Pears and Looney both appear to expect help. MM tries to help both and fails Line call?) Kap has Miller for the 1st, but it's a risky throw across his body to the middle of the field.

5. zone: Looney beat across his face and pears doesn't make it to cutoff or wash down the backside OLB (tough reach). Hyde could have cut it back with only the S to beat, but I think he was smart to get behind his pads and get the yard. Good situational football on his part.

6. zone read: GREAT flow across the board, great cutback by Hyde.

7. pass: Dallas brings 5, OL picks it up. Good block by Hyde

8. Zone: Looney combos with Boone, but MM releases to LB like he thinks HE is comboing with Looney. Weird. 2 plays ruined by bad communication. Both involve Looney, who should be making the calls. Looks like Martin is wrong. Should have had the DE, Looney should have come off his combo with Boone to get the LB MM released to. DE is on a 3 shade, but slants inside. MM should have him alone, but acts like he is in a combo with Looney. Good seam w/o this miscommunication.

8. pass: good pocket. VD blocks the DE to the ground on his own. Pears holds up on the right edge. That's why he's here.

9. zone: Pears and MM give some ground, but the flow is very good, and Davis might score if he cuts back one gap farther, as VD has his guy locked up.

10. pass. We have 5, they bring 5. Dallas DC fools the protection scheme. They show 4 on the right side, so we slide protection right. They only bring 2 on the right and 3 on the left, so the DE on our left comes free. Kap basically throws it away to beat the pressure. He had a chance to hit Hyde on the arrow route, but I don't think he had the time to progress there. In a week where we game plan, maybe that route shuffles higher in the progression against the blitz?

11. pass: Dallas brings 4, good pocket.


2nd drive:

12. zone left: 10 yards. Good flow, good lead block. Looney or MM needed to move off of the NT to LB to secure second level (both stayed on the NT)

13. pass. Yikes. Looney steps left to no-one, because he fails to recognize a T-T-E stunt (the RDT and RE, from the offense's perspective, slant L and the LDT loops over both for a contain rush) as it is occurring. This allows the slanting T to slip inside of MM, who is trying to pass the slanting T to Looney, so he can pick up the slanting RDE. Because Looney isn't there to take on the slanting RDT, MM stays with him and Pears has to stay with the slanting RDE, and the Looping LDT is unblocked. Everyone gets through, because both MM and Pears are expecting help inside.

14. Zone read. It's blocked okay. I hate making OL run block from 2-pt stances. Anyway, Hyde runs straight into Kap, ruining the timing and spoiling a 5 yard wide hole that was still never going to get the 20 yards we needed.



My bottom line: Pears looks good, but we didn't block any power or counter with him. I don't know if/when we will, but that could be telling. Martin looks pretty strong, but he got driven back once on a run when his pads crept up. Looney looks alright, but he was slow on one run and he might have made a couple incorrect line calls. Staley and Boone were good (I didn't have much cause to watch them in detail). Trent Brown could be very good, but not yet. Dude is CRAZY talented, and will need to consistently used all of his tools efficiently. VERY excited we have him. Wow. He pancaked a dude on a zone run, then belly flopped on him. That's hilarious and awesome.

Pass protection looks better than last year. This line may block zone better this year than we blocked power last year. Communication still needs work.

Awesome, Wrath. Thanks for this breakdown.

Key take away here is whenever the line failed it was either one or two guys seeing different things, or the wrong line call. Game is just as much mental as physical. These are correctable issues with time and experience. Glad to hear nobody is getting physically manhandled on that 1st unit.

I guess NFL teams take weight issues seriously because Brown, just based on his tape and skills should have been drafted a lot higher IMO.



Hopefully we keep him focused. I don't expect Kilgore to be back playing anytime soon. Guy has been unable to stay fully active for a while now it will take time to get back to where he was. Hard to see him contributing huge this year but I guess we'll see. Hopefully Looney and Martin both clean up their communication and recognition but I fully expect to see growing pains there. But clearly there's physical ability so there should also be some nice highlights to make up for the mistakes at a minimum (if not much more).

Originally posted by WRATHman44:

Quick and dirty on the first two drives. Really dirty. Like... dirrty.

1st drive:

1. zone : all good. Great flow, effective combos, and good release to 2nd level. Strong 6 yard gain

2 zone: martin pushed back, still gain 4.

3. zone read: Pears pushed back, gain 9

4. pass: martin? Pears and Looney both appear to expect help. MM tries to help both and fails Line call?) Kap has Miller for the 1st, but it's a risky throw across his body to the middle of the field.

5. zone: Looney beat across his face and pears doesn't make it to cutoff or wash down the backside OLB (tough reach). Hyde could have cut it back with only the S to beat, but I think he was smart to get behind his pads and get the yard. Good situational football on his part.

6. zone read: GREAT flow across the board, great cutback by Hyde.

7. pass: Dallas brings 5, OL picks it up. Good block by Hyde

8. Zone: Looney combos with Boone, but MM releases to LB like he thinks HE is comboing with Looney. Weird. 2 plays ruined by bad communication. Both involve Looney, who should be making the calls. Looks like Martin is wrong. Should have had the DE, Looney should have come off his combo with Boone to get the LB MM released to. DE is on a 3 shade, but slants inside. MM should have him alone, but acts like he is in a combo with Looney. Good seam w/o this miscommunication.

8. pass: good pocket. VD blocks the DE to the ground on his own. Pears holds up on the right edge. That's why he's here.

9. zone: Pears and MM give some ground, but the flow is very good, and Davis might score if he cuts back one gap farther, as VD has his guy locked up.

10. pass. We have 5, they bring 5. Dallas DC fools the protection scheme. They show 4 on the right side, so we slide protection right. They only bring 2 on the right and 3 on the left, so the DE on our left comes free. Kap basically throws it away to beat the pressure. He had a chance to hit Hyde on the arrow route, but I don't think he had the time to progress there. In a week where we game plan, maybe that route shuffles higher in the progression against the blitz?

11. pass: Dallas brings 4, good pocket.


2nd drive:

12. zone left: 10 yards. Good flow, good lead block. Looney or MM needed to move off of the NT to LB to secure second level (both stayed on the NT)

13. pass. Yikes. Looney steps left to no-one, because he fails to recognize a T-T-E stunt (the RDT and RE, from the offense's perspective, slant L and the LDT loops over both for a contain rush) as it is occurring. This allows the slanting T to slip inside of MM, who is trying to pass the slanting T to Looney, so he can pick up the slanting RDE. Because Looney isn't there to take on the slanting RDT, MM stays with him and Pears has to stay with the slanting RDE, and the Looping LDT is unblocked. Everyone gets through, because both MM and Pears are expecting help inside.

14. Zone read. It's blocked okay. I hate making OL run block from 2-pt stances. Anyway, Hyde runs straight into Kap, ruining the timing and spoiling a 5 yard wide hole that was still never going to get the 20 yards we needed.



My bottom line: Pears looks good, but we didn't block any power or counter with him. I don't know if/when we will, but that could be telling. Martin looks pretty strong, but he got driven back once on a run when his pads crept up. Looney looks alright, but he was slow on one run and he might have made a couple incorrect line calls. Staley and Boone were good (I didn't have much cause to watch them in detail). Trent Brown could be very good, but not yet. Dude is CRAZY talented, and will need to consistently used all of his tools efficiently. VERY excited we have him. Wow. He pancaked a dude on a zone run, then belly flopped on him. That's hilarious and awesome.

Pass protection looks better than last year. This line may block zone better this year than we blocked power last year. Communication still needs work.

Thank you wrath for this breakdown. I think I'd like to see Martin back at C with B. Thomas at RG. I think Martin is a better fit at C than Looney is. I noticed Thomas was working with the 3rd string at LG this game, not sure why he didn't get more reps with the 1st and 2nd string.
Anyway, hopefully that miscommunication gets cleaned up, those 8 yard sacks are drive killers. We made a habit of them last year, hopefully we won't see many this year.

If Kilgore can get healthy, the only spot that would be a question mark would be the RG. Let Thomas, Looney and Martin battle it out for that spot.(RG)

Originally posted by InsertNameHere:
If Kilgore can get healthy, the only spot that would be a question mark would be the RG. Let Thomas, Looney and Martin battle it out for that spot.(RG)

Kilgore once healthy still needs to practice in and perform in this new scheme but Ideally he would be the starter

Originally posted by InsertNameHere:
If Kilgore can get healthy, the only spot that would be a question mark would be the RG. Let Thomas, Looney and Martin battle it out for that spot.(RG)

I didn't watch the game last night...was Thomas with the starters at all at RG?

Sounds like he's doing better than MM there, I still think MM belongs at center.

Originally posted by WRATHman44:
Quick and dirty on the first two drives. Really dirty. Like... dirrty.

1st drive:

1. zone : all good. Great flow, effective combos, and good release to 2nd level. Strong 6 yard gain

2 zone: martin pushed back, still gain 4.

3. zone read: Pears pushed back, gain 9

4. pass: martin? Pears and Looney both appear to expect help. MM tries to help both and fails Line call?) Kap has Miller for the 1st, but it's a risky throw across his body to the middle of the field.

5. zone: Looney beat across his face and pears doesn't make it to cutoff or wash down the backside OLB (tough reach). Hyde could have cut it back with only the S to beat, but I think he was smart to get behind his pads and get the yard. Good situational football on his part.

6. zone read: GREAT flow across the board, great cutback by Hyde.

7. pass: Dallas brings 5, OL picks it up. Good block by Hyde

8. Zone: Looney combos with Boone, but MM releases to LB like he thinks HE is comboing with Looney. Weird. 2 plays ruined by bad communication. Both involve Looney, who should be making the calls. Looks like Martin is wrong. Should have had the DE, Looney should have come off his combo with Boone to get the LB MM released to. DE is on a 3 shade, but slants inside. MM should have him alone, but acts like he is in a combo with Looney. Good seam w/o this miscommunication.

8. pass: good pocket. VD blocks the DE to the ground on his own. Pears holds up on the right edge. That's why he's here.

9. zone: Pears and MM give some ground, but the flow is very good, and Davis might score if he cuts back one gap farther, as VD has his guy locked up.

10. pass. We have 5, they bring 5. Dallas DC fools the protection scheme. They show 4 on the right side, so we slide protection right. They only bring 2 on the right and 3 on the left, so the DE on our left comes free. Kap basically throws it away to beat the pressure. He had a chance to hit Hyde on the arrow route, but I don't think he had the time to progress there. In a week where we game plan, maybe that route shuffles higher in the progression against the blitz?

11. pass: Dallas brings 4, good pocket.


2nd drive:

12. zone left: 10 yards. Good flow, good lead block. Looney or MM needed to move off of the NT to LB to secure second level (both stayed on the NT)

13. pass. Yikes. Looney steps left to no-one, because he fails to recognize a T-T-E stunt (the RDT and RE, from the offense's perspective, slant L and the LDT loops over both for a contain rush) as it is occurring. This allows the slanting T to slip inside of MM, who is trying to pass the slanting T to Looney, so he can pick up the slanting RDE. Because Looney isn't there to take on the slanting RDT, MM stays with him and Pears has to stay with the slanting RDE, and the Looping LDT is unblocked. Everyone gets through, because both MM and Pears are expecting help inside.

14. Zone read. It's blocked okay. I hate making OL run block from 2-pt stances. Anyway, Hyde runs straight into Kap, ruining the timing and spoiling a 5 yard wide hole that was still never going to get the 20 yards we needed.



My bottom line: Pears looks good, but we didn't block any power or counter with him. I don't know if/when we will, but that could be telling. Martin looks pretty strong, but he got driven back once on a run when his pads crept up. Looney looks alright, but he was slow on one run and he might have made a couple incorrect line calls. Staley and Boone were good (I didn't have much cause to watch them in detail). Trent Brown could be very good, but not yet. Dude is CRAZY talented, and will need to consistently used all of his tools efficiently. VERY excited we have him. Wow. He pancaked a dude on a zone run, then belly flopped on him. That's hilarious and awesome.

Pass protection looks better than last year. This line may block zone better this year than we blocked power last year. Communication still needs work.

I just realized how much I missed these posts WRATH! Thank you!

Great objective post as always...

Agreed with the poster above (and you), that communication is still being worked on which makes sense (Looney leading new line calls in a combo power/ZBS) and M.Martin learning the RG position, I'd expect more mental errors there for sure. The season'd veterans in Staley, Boone and Pears we're less worried about.

I like the combination of Looney - Thomas better than Looney - Martin right now. But TBH, that is on a small sample size. That said, I don't think Martin is ready for C either and Kilgore will be back at some point but then has a long ways to go to get into football shape.

We'll have to see this C- RG combination next game closely...like with Reaser, are they going to tryout Looney - Thomas?

Originally posted by NYniner85:
I didn't watch the game last night...was Thomas with the starters at all at RG?

Sounds like he's doing better than MM there, I still think MM belongs at center.

Originally posted by NCommand:
I just realized how much I missed these posts WRATH! Thank you!

Great objective post as always...

Agreed with the poster above (and you), that communication is still being worked on which makes sense (Looney leading new line calls in a combo power/ZBS) and M.Martin learning the RG position, I'd expect more mental errors there for sure. The season'd veterans in Staley, Boone and Pears we're less worried about.

I like the combination of Looney - Thomas better than Looney - Martin right now. But TBH, that is on a small sample size. That said, I don't think Martin is ready for C either and Kilgore will be back at some point but then has a long ways to go to get into football shape.

We'll have to see this C- RG combination next game closely...like with Reaser, are they going to tryout Looney - Thomas?

Oddly enough, Thomas entered the game with the THIRD string line. Not sure why, maybe the REALLY wanted to see Tiller again, or they wanted to give Thomas reps on the left side, and he was rusty there so they wanted to build his confidence against scrubs.

He looked good, but that basically means nothing for a guy that talented against guys who won't be playing football in a week or two.

Originally posted by WRATHman44:
Oddly enough, Thomas entered the game with the THIRD string line. Not sure why, maybe the REALLY wanted to see Tiller again, or they wanted to give Thomas reps on the left side, and he was rusty there so they wanted to build his confidence against scrubs.

He looked good, but that basically means nothing for a guy that talented against guys who won't be playing football in a week or two.

Yeah, that was an interesting play as well. Usually when a competitive push-starter is put in late in games, it's a way to get a look at someone else that needs to be evaluated closer...i.e. Reaser vs. Wright. Perhaps tonight, like you said, they wanted to get a good look at M.Martin at RG and Tiller who seems to be pretty solid as well. That makes sense given that Thomas had an 'arrow up' game at RG last week and we probably have a ton of film on Jordan Devey for backup at LG.

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by WRATHman44:
Quick and dirty on the first two drives. Really dirty. Like... dirrty.

1st drive:

1. zone : all good. Great flow, effective combos, and good release to 2nd level. Strong 6 yard gain

2 zone: martin pushed back, still gain 4.

3. zone read: Pears pushed back, gain 9

4. pass: martin? Pears and Looney both appear to expect help. MM tries to help both and fails Line call?) Kap has Miller for the 1st, but it's a risky throw across his body to the middle of the field.

5. zone: Looney beat across his face and pears doesn't make it to cutoff or wash down the backside OLB (tough reach). Hyde could have cut it back with only the S to beat, but I think he was smart to get behind his pads and get the yard. Good situational football on his part.

6. zone read: GREAT flow across the board, great cutback by Hyde.

7. pass: Dallas brings 5, OL picks it up. Good block by Hyde

8. Zone: Looney combos with Boone, but MM releases to LB like he thinks HE is comboing with Looney. Weird. 2 plays ruined by bad communication. Both involve Looney, who should be making the calls. Looks like Martin is wrong. Should have had the DE, Looney should have come off his combo with Boone to get the LB MM released to. DE is on a 3 shade, but slants inside. MM should have him alone, but acts like he is in a combo with Looney. Good seam w/o this miscommunication.

8. pass: good pocket. VD blocks the DE to the ground on his own. Pears holds up on the right edge. That's why he's here.

9. zone: Pears and MM give some ground, but the flow is very good, and Davis might score if he cuts back one gap farther, as VD has his guy locked up.

10. pass. We have 5, they bring 5. Dallas DC fools the protection scheme. They show 4 on the right side, so we slide protection right. They only bring 2 on the right and 3 on the left, so the DE on our left comes free. Kap basically throws it away to beat the pressure. He had a chance to hit Hyde on the arrow route, but I don't think he had the time to progress there. In a week where we game plan, maybe that route shuffles higher in the progression against the blitz?

11. pass: Dallas brings 4, good pocket.


2nd drive:

12. zone left: 10 yards. Good flow, good lead block. Looney or MM needed to move off of the NT to LB to secure second level (both stayed on the NT)

13. pass. Yikes. Looney steps left to no-one, because he fails to recognize a T-T-E stunt (the RDT and RE, from the offense's perspective, slant L and the LDT loops over both for a contain rush) as it is occurring. This allows the slanting T to slip inside of MM, who is trying to pass the slanting T to Looney, so he can pick up the slanting RDE. Because Looney isn't there to take on the slanting RDT, MM stays with him and Pears has to stay with the slanting RDE, and the Looping LDT is unblocked. Everyone gets through, because both MM and Pears are expecting help inside.

14. Zone read. It's blocked okay. I hate making OL run block from 2-pt stances. Anyway, Hyde runs straight into Kap, ruining the timing and spoiling a 5 yard wide hole that was still never going to get the 20 yards we needed.



My bottom line: Pears looks good, but we didn't block any power or counter with him. I don't know if/when we will, but that could be telling. Martin looks pretty strong, but he got driven back once on a run when his pads crept up. Looney looks alright, but he was slow on one run and he might have made a couple incorrect line calls. Staley and Boone were good (I didn't have much cause to watch them in detail). Trent Brown could be very good, but not yet. Dude is CRAZY talented, and will need to consistently used all of his tools efficiently. VERY excited we have him. Wow. He pancaked a dude on a zone run, then belly flopped on him. That's hilarious and awesome.

Pass protection looks better than last year. This line may block zone better this year than we blocked power last year. Communication still needs work.

I just realized how much I missed these posts WRATH! Thank you!

Great objective post as always...

Agreed with the poster above (and you), that communication is still being worked on which makes sense (Looney leading new line calls in a combo power/ZBS) and M.Martin learning the RG position, I'd expect more mental errors there for sure. The season'd veterans in Staley, Boone and Pears we're less worried about.

I like the combination of Looney - Thomas better than Looney - Martin right now. But TBH, that is on a small sample size. That said, I don't think Martin is ready for C either and Kilgore will be back at some point but then has a long ways to go to get into football shape.

We'll have to see this C- RG combination next game closely...like with Reaser, are they going to tryout Looney - Thomas?

Absolutely agree...and thanks Wrath for the breakdown! What I take from this, and from watching the game, is the line is making progress and will likely be much better than last year. The communication issues are not so troublesome this early in the preseason.

As for the Looney vs Martin question...I want both to progress because it will make injuries much less destructive to line continuity. Kilgore being out hurts but if these two can back him up when he returns...I'll be dancing! This is the type of line versatility and flexibility many of us have been asking for! If Boonebacks up both OTs and Looney, Martin and Farrell back up at center and OG (if Thomas starts) the line will be very solid. The question is still the RT.

The coaches can scheme to protect the right side and give Pears help from TE or FB, or running screens to that side, but that is a bandaid approach and not optimal. But maybe Pears will be able to hold up and they will find a good backup option if they are leaving Boone on the left side.

Originally posted by dtg_9er:
Absolutely agree...and thanks Wrath for the breakdown! What I take from this, and from watching the game, is the line is making progress and will likely be much better than last year. The communication issues are not so troublesome this early in the preseason.

As for the Looney vs Martin question...I want both to progress because it will make injuries much less destructive to line continuity. Kilgore being out hurts but if these two can back him up when he returns...I'll be dancing! This is the type of line versatility and flexibility many of us have been asking for! If Boonebacks up both OTs and Looney, Martin and Farrell back up at center and OG (if Thomas starts) the line will be very solid. The question is still the RT.

The coaches can scheme to protect the right side and give Pears help from TE or FB, or running screens to that side, but that is a bandaid approach and not optimal. But maybe Pears will be able to hold up and they will find a good backup option if they are leaving Boone on the left side.

The good news aside from the talent and depth in the interior is that Pears seems to be playing well at RT and Brown is just a gamer...getting stronger, smarter, better with each snap. Like WRATH said, this kid is developing into something special. And don't forget that we now have a proven Superbowl starting LG to back up Boone at LG in Jordan Devey. More veteran experience and security. Now it just comes down to starting C, RG and backup RT and building cohesion and communication.

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by dtg_9er:
Absolutely agree...and thanks Wrath for the breakdown! What I take from this, and from watching the game, is the line is making progress and will likely be much better than last year. The communication issues are not so troublesome this early in the preseason.

As for the Looney vs Martin question...I want both to progress because it will make injuries much less destructive to line continuity. Kilgore being out hurts but if these two can back him up when he returns...I'll be dancing! This is the type of line versatility and flexibility many of us have been asking for! If Boonebacks up both OTs and Looney, Martin and Farrell back up at center and OG (if Thomas starts) the line will be very solid. The question is still the RT.

The coaches can scheme to protect the right side and give Pears help from TE or FB, or running screens to that side, but that is a bandaid approach and not optimal. But maybe Pears will be able to hold up and they will find a good backup option if they are leaving Boone on the left side.

The good news aside from the talent and depth in the interior is that Pears seems to be playing well at RT and Brown is just a gamer...getting stronger, smarter, better with each snap. Like WRATH said, this kid is developing into something special. And don't forget that we now have a proven Superbowl starting LG to back up Boone at LG in Jordan Devey. More veteran experience and security. Now it just comes down to starting C, RG and backup RT and building cohesion and communication.

Yup. I like what I saw from Pears in this game. He's much less talented than ADavis, but he's been as consistent as advertised in pass protection, and he is consistently good enough in the run game. We can win with Pears. Some day, we could dominate with Brown, imo.

Originally posted by WRATHman44:
Yup. I like what I saw from Pears in this game. He's much less talented than ADavis, but he's been as consistent as advertised in pass protection, and he is consistently good enough in the run game. We can win with Pears. Some day, we could dominate with Brown, imo.

Those are my early thoughts as well and TBH, I feel we now have the coaches with the balls to make said move when it's time.

Originally posted by WRATHman44:
Oddly enough, Thomas entered the game with the THIRD string line. Not sure why, maybe the REALLY wanted to see Tiller again, or they wanted to give Thomas reps on the left side, and he was rusty there so they wanted to build his confidence against scrubs.

He looked good, but that basically means nothing for a guy that talented against guys who won't be playing football in a week or two.

Tomsula mentioned last week that the line would be shuffled around for this 2nd game and I agree with NC that they need to evaluate backups, so I see Thomas as a lock (not that there was much question).

Now I wonder how much age will play into their roster decisions. Martin (21) is still so young that it may give him an edge, even if Tiller (26) plays a bit better. Looney, Farrell and Thomas are all 24, So, if they go young the line could be extremely young. I would still like to see the middle of the line as Thomas/Martin/Looney, which could be stable for years to come.

Last question--is Kilgore injury prone or just a bit unlucky? Sometimes the over acheivers are maxed out and can't hold up as starters, while a guy like Martin is naturally more stout and able to take the pounding.

Staley--lock (30)
Boone--lock (28)
Kilgore--lock (27)
Thomas--lock (24)
Pears--lock (33)
Martin--almost lock (21)
Looney (24)
Farrell (24)
Tiller (26)
Brown (22)
Devey (27)
Miller (22)
Renfrow (25)
Silberman (22)

Martin is suppose to be an exceptional line leader and that makes center a difficult decision...accept the growing pains of a 21 year old? Or go with older guys (edit-not difficult for me as I believe Martin is a lock and will start at center sooner than later).