Offensive line.. is it mental or physical?

[clif]

I know for at least one lineman (Step) it is clearly physical. The guy is just not stout enough to handle the middle.

But for everyone else.. except for a few plays here and there.. it seems to be a mental hurdle. These guys don't seem to be on the same page... again. Is it really just as simple as switching these guys around?

I know that won't instantly make them all pro's but can they at least be competent?

 

[CardNots]

I know for at least one lineman (Step) it is clearly physical. The guy is just not stout enough to handle the middle.

But for everyone else.. except for a few plays here and there.. it seems to be a mental hurdle. These guys don't seem to be on the same page... again. Is it really just as simple as switching these guys around?

I know that won't instantly make them all pro's but can they at least be competent?

So how is it Leckey plays better than Step? Brawn or Brains.

 

[clif]

So how is it Leckey plays better than Step? Brawn or Brains.

Has this really been determined? People keep saying that, but I have not seen it.

 

[az jam]

Tough question to answer. Gut feel is that its mental as they are physically (size wise) one of the biggest OLs in the NFL. Maybe they just need to stay together as a unit (means no changes) and commit to Loney's coaching method.

 

[Russ Smith]

Yes the offensive line is mental.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Yes the offensive line is mental.

I'm with ya. If it were physical, the Cards with the biggest line in the league, would not be near the worst.

 

[AZCB34]

I know for at least one lineman (Step) it is clearly physical. The guy is just not stout enough to handle the middle.

But for everyone else.. except for a few plays here and there.. it seems to be a mental hurdle. These guys don't seem to be on the same page... again. Is it really just as simple as switching these guys around?

I know that won't instantly make them all pro's but can they at least be competent?

I don't think it is a simple as simply switching them but at this point, not much else can be done.

I don't claim to know this Loney guy...maybe he is good maybe not. I don't know how he coaches them but I believe the deficiencies on the OL are a three leveled issue:

1. Mental - I think these guys are screwed up mentally. I think they don't know which way is left and which way is right anymore. At some point, Loney I think has to go back to basics and just block the guy in front of you. I mean, if that philosophy was in place, there is no way Jackson gets in untouched like he did with leinart in there.

2. Physical - This OL is a physical OL but, and maybe it is just me who thinks this, but we seem to treat them like they are a finesse OL. I go back to the Warner fumble against the Rams and say that, on that play, it is completely flawed logic to have an OL pulling in that situation with this line. You line these widebodies up and plow forward. Instead, we have guys pulling and trying to be fancy. Yes, that is a playcalling issue (coaching yet again) but in year 3, this should no longer be an issue knowing what kind of OL the Cards have.

3. Confidence - The OL doesn;t have confidence...period. Not in each other, not in themselves. They are pros and can take the heat but this is an OL with 5 independent parts keeping one eye on their job and another on the guy next to them and that means nobody is doing their job right. It is gut check time for this crew. Time to look inside themselves and show something...ANYTHING.

 

[devilfan02]

Not sure why everyone continues to question why our OL is horrendous. It's because they are all-around horrible offensive lineman- mental and physical. Freakin makes me sick

 

[clif]

Not sure why everyone continues to question why our OL is horrendous. It's because they are all-around horrible offensive lineman- mental and physical. Freakin makes me sick

Yeah you could say that, but you can't change all five lineman now so.... something has to be done to get some level of productivity.

 

[AZCB34]

Yeah you could say that, but you can't change all five lineman now so.... something has to be done to get some level of productivity.

Line up and get the guy in front of you. Gotta start back at square one here. Gonna take some lumps with the complex rush schemes and blitzes but not much worse than is happening now.

 

[spanky1]

Yeah you could say that, but you can't change all five lineman now so.... something has to be done to get some level of productivity.

Has anyone heard as to the possibility of Latui starting at OG and Wells being moved to C this week?

 

[clif]

Has anyone heard as to the possibility of Latui starting at OG and Wells being moved to C this week?

No they are off today and Denny doesn't talk personnel on Monday


As much as I would try damn near anything at this point, I just don't see Step moving anytime soon.

 

[Russ Smith]

I'm with ya. If it were physical, the Cards with the biggest line in the league, would not be near the worst.

No I mean they are mental.

I think the main problem is confusion, but as others have said with Step the issue is clearly not just mental, he's just not good enough to start in the NFL. The others probably are but they're not playing at that level now.

At this point there's not much to do we can maybe move in Deuce and move Wells to C but basically it's going to be a work in progress all year.

 

[Buckybird]

As bad a Step is, guess who normally calls all the protections to his linemates...Step!!! I can't put all the problems on him, but he sure deserves a
lot of the blame. How can the biggest oline in the league get no push on a regular basis? I don't have the answers, but benching #71 would be a good start.

 

[AZCB34]

Has anyone heard as to the possibility of Latui starting at OG and Wells being moved to C this week?

I'll ask it again.

If Lutui wasn't even good enough to be active in ATL, why does anyone think he is good enough to start against KC? I mean, logically speaking, if Lutui is good enough to start the Cards would have certainly had him on the active gameday roster just in case an ijury occurred on Sunday right?

 

[spanky1]

I'll ask it again.

If Lutui wasn't even good enough to be active in ATL, why does anyone think he is good enough to start against KC? I mean, logically speaking, if Lutui is good enough to start the Cards would have certainly had him on the active gameday roster just in case an ijury occurred on Sunday right?

I don't think it this cut and dried. You can only activate 45 players and with the decision to dress Chris Cooper on the defense, it took a spot away from the offensive line.

Milford Brown has been terrible....that is now developing into a consistent pattern. The question is.....has Latui shown anything at all in practice.

 

[Pariah]

....has Latui shown anything at all in practice.

I think that's the point--he must not be showing anything in practice, otherwise he'd be dressed for games.

 

[Russ Smith]

I don't think it this cut and dried. You can only activate 45 players and with the decision to dress Chris Cooper on the defense, it took a spot away from the offensive line.

Milford Brown has been terrible....that is now developing into a consistent pattern. The question is.....has Latui shown anything at all in practice.

Cooper took the spot that Langston Moore had been taking so I don't think he impacted the OL depth. I suspect that Liewinski is active because he can play guard or tackle so he's considered more flexible than Deuce.

 

[AZCB34]

Cooper took the spot that Langston Moore had been taking so I don't think he impacted the OL depth. I suspect that Liewinski is active because he can play guard or tackle so he's considered more flexible than Deuce.

But wasn't Gorin active and he can play tackle which would then lead one to think Lutui isn't better than Leweinski thus there is no way he is ready to start?

Either Loney is so loathe to start a rookie on the OL that he doesn't even give Lutui a chance or Lutui is just not ready...and given the current state of chaos up front, the latter is probably the accurate one.

 

[Russ Smith]

But wasn't Gorin active and he can play tackle which would then lead one to think Lutui isn't better than Leweinski thus there is no way he is ready to start?

Either Loney is so loathe to start a rookie on the OL that he doesn't even give Lutui a chance or Lutui is just not ready...and given the current state of chaos up front, the latter is probably the accurate one.

I am guessing of course but both Gorin and Liewinsky can play guard or tackle. Deuce played both in college but he's primarily a guard. So for backups in a game there's some merit in having guys who can play 2 positions ahead of a guy who can play one position?

It's possible that deuce is a bust too but my memory seems to say that we were told repeatedly in camp and preseason that Deuce is going to be a good player he's just not ready to play yet because he makes too many mistakes. Think it was Hardy Brown that said it he can't play yet because his mistakes will be a problem but that he's a very good run blocker and will eventually be a good player? I know someone who was at camp posted that for some reason I'm thinking it was hardy?

 

[Goldfield]

Has this really been determined? People keep saying that, but I have not seen it.

I have no idea how good Lecky will be, but I do know he has a better initial punch & he doesnt get pushed around nearly as much as Step does.

Lecky is a better player than Step because Step just flat out is BAD.

I dont care who we put at C, Just get Step off the field. If its Lecky, or Gorin or Wells it is an upgrade.

 

[JC_AZ]

No they are off today and Denny doesn't talk personnel on Monday


As much as I would try damn near anything at this point, I just don't see Step moving anytime soon.

He moves?

 

[ishbin]

my prob other than all the other obvious ones is that loney isn'y making a difference at all. how many times does our lineman double team a dlineman only to let another one run right be us. we simply don't know our freakin assignments and that troubles me the most.it doesn't matter if we are physical enough when we let players go unblocked. really i want to go on & on but just like our line i'm going to let it go.

 

[b8rtm8nn]

He moves?

Backwards, sideways and downwards - every direction a Cards O-Lineman needs.

 

[john h]

Tough question to answer. Gut feel is that its mental as they are physically (size wise) one of the biggest OLs in the NFL. Maybe they just need to stay together as a unit (means no changes) and commit to Loney's coaching method.

They are not one of the biggest they are The biggest. Would also guess they are the slowest which may be part of the problem. Big does not necessarly mean good.