OK enough with the press fiasco at TC- let's talk football. I'd like to solicit some knowledgeable, in-depth opinions about the state of our OL backups. What positions do you see as fairly strong, and which positions do you see as having a glaring weakness, as was the case last year. Which players stick out, either as being the kind of backup you can't wait to see, or the kind of backup that should be folding jerseys at Footlocker instead of stepping onto the field. Have at it....
Ok - I'll start us off slow. Center seems set. Once Teague is back, we will have three starting caliber players that can play the pivot. Guard depth is kind of an unknown to me. Tackle depth, the more I think about it, is pretty good. We've got two starting caliber left tackles, a tough backup who has started (albeit poorly) and Cavka, who is valubale as a swing tackle. Clement seems a bit out of place as the one road-grader on the team - maybe Morley is also a road-grader, dunno - but everyone else seems well-suited to play an active trapping and pulling run O and adept pass-blocking O.
The depth along the OL is pretty good at this point. Obviously Teague and Clement are 2 veterans who provide some experience and reliability behind the youngsters Jones, Ferguson and Mangold. We have alot of long term prospects at the guard position between Morley, Snell, and Neussle. The problem is we havent seen alot of them in terms of NFL playing time. I have seen alot of Snell and have an "insider" regarding his development. He has alot of upside and could easily beat out Moore if given the opportunity. He's extremely athletic and has good size. He's def. a sleeper. All and all the depth looks alright as we have a good mix of capable veterans and long term prospects.
Last year, I was happy with the starting lineup but as we all discussed often here we had no depth; unfortunately that came back to bite us in the ass. This year I see a lot of unknowns. I see the starters from right to left as Clements, Moore, Mangold, Kendall, Brick. Tackle. AJ will probably be the first backup to both tackle spots, and if Teague returns he could also play here in a pinch. I think it's time to give up on Cavka, but maybe he'll prove me wrong. The team seems high on Morley and he has slimmed down a bit going into this camp, but I'm not sure what we have with him. Another interesting player to watch will be Blanton just for his physical presence. Basically, as long as Brick holds his own I think we'll be okay at tackle. Guard. Very weak spot in my opinion. Kendall has great experience and is obviously serviceable but is not a dominant guard by no stretch of the imagination. Many here are high on Moore, but IMO he is just another serviceable player at a position that could definitely use upgrading. Where are the players providing competition to these two? Snell seems to have had a good NFLE campaign but I need to see more. I'm not sure what we have in Nienhaus. Definitely a postion that could be much stronger. Center. IMO, Teague sucks, but does have a lot of experience. The Mangold era has begun and my fingers are crossed that he succeeds. He will surely struggle early with the calls, but Kendall will be a great assett here. Teague will probably be the primary backup when he returns. In the early going Kendall would probably slide over with one of the other backups moving to guard. The team is also really high on Katnik and supposedly he also has a chance to start (although I'm not buying it), but he may be a good backup, but again has very little experience. Not sure what we have with Missant. Overall, tackles and center should be okay if some of the young talent comes around. The guard position needs some upgrading. JMHO.....
Question: Lets say both Katnik and Mangold come in and impress the coaches. Is it possible that they both start, with one of them sliding over to guard?
AGS, I think anything is possible at this point. The one thing we know is that Mangini is going to start the players that give him the best chance to win today. With that being said we really don't know if Katnik can play.
Well the depth is certainly better than last year. But there are just too many projects IMO. Missant, Katnick, Morley, Snell, Cavka, and Nienhaus. And there is a difference between a project player (a long shot player, maybe undrafted, raw, or changing positions) and a young developing backup (a player that is close to starting potential but just needs 1 or 2 years of NFL coaching). 1 or 2 projects are fine, but IMO, there are still too many. And while Teague and Clement have experience, they are not exactly anything to write home about. The depth is much better, but there is still alot needs to be done. Escepially at the G position. Kendall is only getting older. His heir apparent should start being groomed. Maybe someone will step up, but I am not hopeful. This should be addressed in next year's draft either way, IMO. And while Moore is solid, there is room for improvement. RT is still a question mark. How will Jones' production be? Is he the future at the position? How much left does Clement have in the tank?
I think this camp will be very telling for mr. Cavka. He was very inconsistent in NFLE. Some games he displayed very good feet in pass protection and good punch in the running game,other games he struggled mightily in pass protection. The "swing tackle" label maybe bogus as well. He looked much better at RT than he did LT. He needs to add more aggression to his overall game and get stronger. He's been in the program for 3 years now...and it's time for him to step up...
What about Ed Blanton...the HUGE tackle from UCLA? He did fairly well in college but was an undrafted rookie...the guy is 6'9! I hope he makes the team.
Honestly...I have to wait until games 2 & 3 of x-hibition season......before I can really comment. :martin:
Steve Morley isn't a project, he's just a career backup that is looking for a team to stay with. I don't think he can ever start on a healthy O-line with legitimate talent, but given the chance, I think the guy can contribute in a relief role. Not sure why he lost the weight, he must have been asked by the coaches, because 330 lb offensive lineman aren't usually a bad thing in this league.
For most teams 330 lbers isnt exactly a bad thing. But Mangini wants to run a zone-esque scheme in which our linemen are quick, technically sound and mobile. It's a pretty wise decision considering we are building our line around D Brick and Mangold who fit that exact mold.
