We really rolling with this offensive line?

[MHS831]

Personally, I think we will be better on the OL than people think.  I am really liking the Michael Jordan acquisition and think Brady C will be starting at LG by mid season or earlier.  I hope we try Jordan at C and move Brown up to get some reps this season before Miller's contract expires.  Then draft a LT in round 1 and forget QB--protect the one you have.

With the cap, it is hard to hide a bad player or two.  We tried it at TE, and to some degree, we are now. DT?  nope. DE? Nope.  LB (not a winning formula)--so it makes sense that the OL would be the red-headed step child (sorry gingers, I do not agree) and not get love.

[Jackie Lee]

Otherwise good offseason but I can't believe we managed to downgrade from Chris Reed at LG for 3 times the price. Reed looked about as bad as you could get last year and he still graded out way better than Elflein, signed with the Colts for 1 mil

[glenwo2]

20 hours ago, chbright said:

Let's see, the last few years no decades is to work on both the QB position and both lines.

We had mediocre line last year. half the o-line solved from last year's team: Moton and Miller/paradis. Those last 2 are serviceable and upgradable but we're not going to kill us. Unless you start both and down grade other positions and by God that's what we actually accomplished. 

We go into FA with a great plan: target O-line depth. Not sold on elf as a solid backup but hey had to take some chance there. Cam Erving was fine as a backup hold the fort for a few game as a starter. Not thrilled with these at the $ but they are solid depth. Although solid depth for a playoff team with high aspersions. Or low end starters like they are here. They are the "all in style moves" to make a run if your good starters go down for a short time, these are the guys with experience you want vs young guys still learning the trade. Rebuilding teams don't really focus on experienced vets at this level for their backups. Backups for a rebuilding teams are the development guys.  So we did exactly what Hurney would have done (woops).

Enter the draft. Still needing to really upgrade the starting line and what do we do, go completely counter to the trend and go CB 1st. I love horn, he will be absolutely great. Odds are they don't throw his way in later years and that's nice. 

We had the chance to really lock down a top guy in Slater or Darrisaw to find another bookend and take an average line from 2020 to a above average line. This would have been anything but all in. Thank ron if you wish for gifting us a win with Haskins, but it wasn't like it was a 1 guy class at OT. Then we later go find a conversion project in Brady and a guy that needs some conditioning in brown.  Im fine with this as we need that as a rebuilder but left us in a real mess at the starting unit. If we wanted to really build it thru the draft swing and a miss in the 1st

So now we are looking at starting 2 backups (stop gap backups at that) to start the year. They had a chance to really take a step forward but did the exact opposite.

So yeah we have a reason to be concerned. Especially with the QB not having a track record of over coming a suspect line.we could now go another off-season still needing help at OT and QB. We could have solved the OT in the draft day 1 but went counter to the trend. So now we will be right back here next year with a boat load of skill players but no line or QB to get them the ball. We saw that story the last couple years. But hey let's try again......

That wasn't a "suspect line" in NY. 

That was "no line" at all.    I don't think any QB could overcome THAT.  

[Shotgun]

6 minutes ago, glenwo2 said:

That wasn't a "suspect line" in NY. 

That was "no line" at all.    I don't think any QB could overcome THAT.  

Except 90 year old Flacco.

 

 

[pantherclaw]

 

 

 

10 hours ago, 1of10Charnatives said:

I mean....

If they aren't ignoring it now,  I'd honestly hate to see what ignoring it actually looked like. It's very hard to argue they've made legitimate efforts to provide the kind of protection you'd hope to get for a new QB in his first season with the team. Drafting one mid round and one late round rookies and adding free agents that exactly zero independent observers are impressed with as legitimate starters? This after the unit has been repeatedly awful for several seasons in a row?

What argument that you would expect an informed neutral observer to accept would you put forward that they have not ignored the OL?

This is the part that in my eyes, is unacceptable.  This is the stance you and many others have taken. This is also the lazy response.  

At no point have out franchise ever ignored the oline,  or positions on the oline. It has gotten to this point because the decision makers are making the choices that the fans would prefer. So therefore their ignoring the line. 

Now I realize that the overall quality of the oline has been a struggle since Gross retired, but not due to a lack of effort. 

I'm not going down the list of additions they have made over the years, as you will just disagree with them as they weren't your choice, and in your eyes if they aren't getting the guys the fans think they should, they are ignoring the position. 

I know in today's modern NFL, building even a decent oline, is a struggle. As someone who values good line play (admittedly I don't share the same fondess for the big ugliest as Scot),  no moves seem to bring the results that I want and expect. I guess I just buy into the same lazy narrative,  but I can not.  I will not.  

I know that *I* must be patient, while the guys that are slotted to be our starters, get play time together,  and get the opportunity they deserve to gel.  Until then, judging the line based on who is playing and who isn't playing is doing nothing, but beating the same dead horse, that you choice isn't being played! For the love of all things holy!!!  

We all want the same thing. We want good, consistent oline play. We want out QB protected, and our running backs to have holes to run through. 

I'm going to give their start 5 time to gel! Before I attempt to decide whether it's good or bad. The oline is a unit,  they cannot be assessed based on individual performance.  

[Khyber53]

31 minutes ago, MHS831 said:

THe OL needs to find its groove.  They are not very choreographed right now.  We will add a player or two throughout the season, but it should improve as we go.

Or, these guys could gel. We may have a better offensive line than we think. And it may have a lot to do with a guy not on the line.

CMC on the field changes everything, including how the defensive front 7 lines up and attacks. The guy is the definition of game changer and he has the potential to be put to use on every snap of the ball. That could, should, make things easier for our O-line and might be enough to let them dictate the game to their opponents. 

Sheesh, wouldn't it be nice to see our O-line actually bully and push around the defense? 

[LinvilleGorge]

The most disappointing thing to me is if we trot out subpar vets and leave guys like Brady Christensen and Deonte Brown riding the pine. If we want to roll with the vets at first, fine. But they should be on a really short leash because the youngsters have just plain looked better.

[glenwo2]

8 minutes ago, Shotgun said:

Except 90 year old Flacco.

 

 

I refuse to believe he's 90...even though he looks like he's collecting dust. 

[SmokinwithWilly]

11 minutes ago, LinvilleGorge said:

The most disappointing thing to me is if we trot out subpar vets and leave guys like Brady Christensen and Deonte Brown riding the pine. If we want to roll with the vets at first, fine. But they should be on a really short leash because the youngsters have just plain looked better.

If it wasn't for the contract, I think Elf would have been cut. He just looks terrible, and Erving could very easily fall in that same category. Since both are injury magnets, I think the best thing to do is let them play, get hurt, get stashed on IR and we sign a FA OT and guard. Or even snag off someone else's practice squad. If they do gel and do ok, great, but I'm not holding my breath. 

[Jackie Lee]

 

[Mr. Scot]

Well, apparently we're not now

[OldhamA]

6 hours ago, SmokinwithWilly said:

If it wasn't for the contract, I think Elf would have been cut. He just looks terrible, and Erving could very easily fall in that same category. Since both are injury magnets, I think the best thing to do is let them play, get hurt, get stashed on IR and we sign a FA OT and guard. Or even snag off someone else's practice squad. If they do gel and do ok, great, but I'm not holding my breath. 

So many of you have made up your minds about our FA acquisitions without seeing them play.

It's bizarre.

[onmyown]

k

[Zod]

Look at everyone blasting me for stating the obvious.