A Thin Red Line

[Harry]

Well if Green is truly done with reshaping the offensive line, I for one am not satisfied. Don't get me wrong; I think Ross is a solid edition. My questions is this, if Davis gets hurt in game two, who plays left tackle? Wells? He doesn't have the feet for it. Plus, then who plays left guard? This new line has three developing players holding down the middle. There is potential, but the interior of the line ususally benefits greatly from experience. With NFL teams employing constantly more complex defenses, blocking calls are critical. Stepanovich will get little recognition help from his guards, as their knowledge will be limited as well. Also, none of these guys will have great familiarity with the skills of their opponents and what moves they employ. You can study all the film you want, but it's just not the same. Talent is important, but it is not a substitute for experience. One veteran guard would help immensely. The Cards also need a Joyce-like guy, capable of filling in at either tackle slot. I think the Cards will likely take an O-lineman in the draft, but you can't draft experience.

This is one reason I don't like the choice of Warner. It will take 6-8 games before this line plays well together. Warner is not mobile and gets frustrated when he doesn't have time. This is a recipe for failure

 

[Garthshort]

Ol

Harry, I agree with you, but I attribute DG's comments to "coachspeak". Expect us to trade Shelton and Clement (maybe) and end up with a Day One OL. Also, probably pick up an experienced OL off the waiver wire. Also, don't assume Warner will beat out Mc Cown if he signs. And even if he does, remember DG is Captain Hook.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

Did i just read a Matt Joyce reference ?

 

[danny l]

Harry, Ihave been a member on this board since it's inception ( had to move twice with my job so I had to change my board name since I didn't have the expertise to transfer it) and I have always appreciated your knowlede and insights. However, don't get to upset with the line situation until it all shakes out. I think that Green knows what he is trying to do and is committed to the long haul and not just short term fixes. As far as Shelton, I could care less if he is gone. I always thought that he was at the best just an average LT. That being said, why is nobody really considering moving Clement to guard? I always thought that his weekness at tackle was his footwork. If he moved inside, with his size and experience I think that he might be a very good Guard. What do you think?

 

[Tyrestud]

I think we end up trading Shelton OR Clement but not both. One of them makes for a very expensive backup, but it's not like the Cards are gonna go over the cap.

 

[Red Air Force]

He did say his STARTING line was set, so hopefully that means he still plans to add some depth.

 

[JeffGollin]

My questions is this, if Davis gets hurt in game two, who plays left tackle? Wells? He doesn't have the feet for it.
I respectfully disagree. I think Wells has the best feet of anyone we had on the roster last year and, with another year under his belt, actually represented a better fit at left tackle than Leonard (whom I feel was at his most effective when he played RG).

Didn't he step in for "Big" late in the season and do a surprisingly effective job of protecting McCown's blindside?

 

[ajcardfan]

Didn't he step in for "Big" late in the season and do a surprisingly effective job of protecting McCown's blindside?[/COLOR]

Sigh. Rice dogged it in the Tampa game. It's really useless for evaluating Wells as a tackle.


As for this line, the Cards are not done. Proclamations made about starters on March 5th not set in stone. In the meantime, Green wants his guys to work as hard as possible in case he does have to wind up using what he has now. What would motivate Bridges to work harder? Saying he'll be replaced? Or, saying he's going to start? I think it's a good chance that it's the second and that's why Green said what he said.

 

[john h]

Well if Green is truly done with reshaping the offensive line, I for one am not satisfied. Don't get me wrong; I think Ross is a solid edition. My questions is this, if Davis gets hurt in game two, who plays left tackle? Wells? He doesn't have the feet for it. Plus, then who plays left guard? This new line has three developing players holding down the middle. There is potential, but the interior of the line ususally benefits greatly from experience. With NFL teams employing constantly more complex defenses, blocking calls are critical. Stepanovich will get little recognition help from his guards, as their knowledge will be limited as well. Also, none of these guys will have great familiarity with the skills of their opponents and what moves they employ. You can study all the film you want, but it's just not the same. Talent is important, but it is not a substitute for experience. One veteran guard would help immensely. The Cards also need a Joyce-like guy, capable of filling in at either tackle slot. I think the Cards will likely take an O-lineman in the draft, but you can't draft experience.

This is one reason I don't like the choice of Warner. It will take 6-8 games before this line plays well together. Warner is not mobile and gets frustrated when he doesn't have time. This is a recipe for failure

You are right on Harry. Experience on the OL is far more important than on the DL. You rarely walk out of college and into the starting OL position and make a big impact. This group needs to develop and learn their opposition and how the guys on each side of them function. If you can keep a good OL intact you have gone a long way in making your team a good running and passing team. Jeff should be all over this as he is the OL fan Guru. I disagree with you on Warner as I think he is a lot calmer than Josh and will recognize the blitz packages much better. He has proven he can be accurate and with our receivers he was superman on those short wideouts and over the middle passes when with St Louis. He is not a long term solution but there is none in FA and I think the best one left. I remain more concerned about our QB slot than any other position. McCown is still a work in progress and it is a longshot in my mine that he is a longterm solution. His mobility did not help him last year. Maybe if you stuck him with a team like Pittsburg who has a runnin and passing game he might??? have turned into a decent QB. Not in AZ however and I think his confidence was shaken regardless of what he says. You could see it on the sidelines.

 

[Rats]

You are right on Harry. Experience on the OL is far more important than on the DL. You rarely walk out of college and into the starting OL position and make a big impact. This group needs to develop and learn their opposition and how the guys on each side of them function. If you can keep a good OL intact you have gone a long way in making your team a good running and passing team. Jeff should be all over this as he is the OL fan Guru. I disagree with you on Warner as I think he is a lot calmer than Josh and will recognize the blitz packages much better. He has proven he can be accurate and with our receivers he was superman on those short wideouts and over the middle passes when with St Louis. He is not a long term solution but there is none in FA and I think the best one left. I remain more concerned about our QB slot than any other position. McCown is still a work in progress and it is a longshot in my mine that he is a longterm solution. His mobility did not help him last year. Maybe if you stuck him with a team like Pittsburg who has a runnin and passing game he might??? have turned into a decent QB. Not in AZ however and I think his confidence was shaken regardless of what he says. You could see it on the sidelines.

Your right John about the Oline but I think that drafing Baas as our RG next to Ross would work out nicely. That side of the line would have a real mean streak. There are no long term solutions at Qb unless we draft Alex Smith. Josh should make or break his starting role this season in camp. The Vets only provide depth. Josh is the best option we have for this coming season.