K9's Offseason Plan 1.0 (including Top 5 mock draft)

[Mulli]

meant i was done with K9. No point in discussing something with someone who 's projecting stupidity on you.

Personal attack!

 

[Duckjake]

duck, i've said NUMEROUS times that the complete upheaval of those lines made no sense to me. that being said, Levi was no prized pig at RT either and those lines were made to look MUCH better because of Warner's quick release. He's gone and we need a line that can actually... eh, screw it. If y'all really want to reward a complete bust and keep him on the team for another 4 years for the sake of continuity when the line now sucks... well, you'll probably get your wish as it's exactly the bass-ackward move this team will make.

We need a line that actually blocks the guys in front of them instead of the ridiculous schemes that are called where they continually block down leaving defenders unblocked. A line that doesn't pass block even on running plays. A line that actually can get a guy or two on a LB once in a while.

I've looked at a lot of offensive line depth charts the last few days and I don't see too many with 5 guys more talented than our five.

I could care less about LBrown, a product of a really boneheaded move by the FO. If it were Bridges or Sendlein or Lutui I'd be saying the same thing.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

The biggest tragedy is keeping Seidlein in the middle, follow closely by Levi, and not giving Hadnot a chance to play over Fanaca.

I spend a 2nd round pick on Stefen Wisniewski from Penn State (uh oh, another Penn State offensive linemen) and send Seidlein back to the bench.

 

[kerouac9]

cheese, what I'm repeating is not putting words in your mouth or creating a straw man. It's what I'm hearing from you. If you mean something different, let me know.

What I'm hearing is that you hope that we'll be able to find someone better than Levi Brown over the next two years. So do I. But HOPE isn't a plan. I asked you what your plan would be, and it's apparently drafting a left tackle not in round one but somewhere between rounds two and seven at some point over the next two seasons, or perhaps courting some unnamed free agent who is obviously better than Levi Brown but their team is happy to let walk away.

Your "plan" and mine aren't in any way mutually exclusive, but I can't debate with shadows and smoke. If you want to put together a concrete alternate plan, I'd love to hear it. If I believed that Donald Penn or Justin Blalock were really going to become available, or that this team wasn't going to start Levi Brown at LT next year regardless, then I'd have a different plan.

 

[Cardiac]

Interesting and lengthy read about LT's and O-lines in general.

At some point in the article everyones thought during this debate are validated. What that means is that there is not just one way to build an O-line but the path most traveled is investing a 1st rd pick on a LT.

Duckjakes never ending tirade on O-line continuity is confirmed by every single person who is quoted in this article.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2009-03-29-sw-tackles-cover_N.htm

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Interesting and lengthy read about LT's and O-lines in general.

At some point in the article everyones thought during this debate are validated. What that means is that there is not just one way to build an O-line but the path most traveled is investing a 1st rd pick on a LT.

Duckjakes never ending tirade on O-line continuity is confirmed by every single person who is quoted in this article.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/2009-03-29-sw-tackles-cover_N.htm

You have to get the right people first, and THEN leave them there for a long time.

As little faith as I now have for this organization's ability to manage the QB position, I have even less faith in their ability to build a successful offensive line.

 

[Rats]

Levi was hamstringed right out of the gate IMO. He was drafted as a left tackle and we signed Gandy. He played the right side in unspectacular fashion but was not the worst in the league on that side. He was moved to LT which takes some time to adjust. He is somewhere in the middle of the pack for left tackles in the NFL today. Our offensive gameplan does not play to his strengths and the Qb's made him look worse than he is. I have always said fixing both lines is the way to a consistant playoff contender. Levi being kept and keeping the lines together needs to happen for this team to get better.

My concern is that Grimm sucks at teaching any kind of techniec for blocking when you pass so much. Is it to much to ask that Levi or Keith drop there outside foot half a yard and give themselves a better shot at pushing the speed rushers wide? It is not like they are tipping off that we were going to pass. We passed nearly every play. For guys that they say have very good Feet they seemed to fumble over themselves trying to get the speed rusher wide.
Not sure Levi is the solution but he is not the worst at his position and has upside if taught right. Keith also. I just think coaching let this team down all the way around this last season.

 

[Cardiac]

You have to get the right people first, and THEN leave them there for a long time.

As little faith as I now have for this organization's ability to manage the QB position, I have even less faith in their ability to build a successful offensive line.

Excerpts from the article are in blue.

Titans stress development

The Titans are an unusual case study in offensive line play because they believe so strongly in its value, yet they don't spend many high draft picks on it. They've not used a first-round pick on an offensive lineman since 1993, when the then-Houston Oilers took left tackle Brad Hopkins.

"We're going to draft an offensive lineman every year. We've drafted backups and developed them," Fisher says. "You need to develop them. Some will come in and play right away. Others, if you are patient, will develop into mainstays."

The Arizona Cardinals thought they had a fundamental piece of their future offensive line in place when they made tackle Leonard Davis their No. 1 pick — and second overall — in 2001. Davis never really made his mark, but neither did the Cardinals — until last season. By then, Davis had moved on in free agency to the Dallas Cowboys, who paid him $49.6 million for seven years and moved him to guard.

Davis made the Pro Bowl at his new position.

Others bounce around on the line without finding themselves or their team finding a way to help them. The Oakland Raiders chose Robert Gallery second overall in 2004. He immediately seemed miscast as a left tackle, was moved to left guard and then right tackle and then back to left guard, where he has finally begun to flourish as a run blocker.

The so-called "bust of all time" as a tackle was Tony Mandarich, chosen in 1989 by the Green Bay Packers, one pick after the Dallas Cowboys took Troy Aikman at No. 1 overall and right before Barry Sanders, Derrick Thomas and Deion Sanders. Mandarich lacked the feet to play left tackle, wound up out of football and then enjoyed several productive years with the Indianapolis Colts


I somewhat share your concerns about if we can develop the O-linemen we have but what other options do we have?

K9's extension of Levi is one that if he doesn't cut it at LT he can play RT or even OG without being out of whack for the CAP.