Rod Graves on 910 this morning.....up next

seesred

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IMO we have the tools in place to have a solid O-line this year and them in place to do better last year. Most teams go through injuries to the line as it is a very physical part of the team. Last year we had players coming off the street and starting at center things got so bad. Elton Brown was in his first year, Step and Lechey (second year) both hurt, Ross in his first year with us played hurt the first half or more of the season. Davis very rarely played with the same guy twice at the LG spot and on top of all that are coach was not very good all though looking at all those other problems I'm not sure any coach would have done much better.

I know we have hashed this question out in over one million threads. Davis with good coaching should go to the pro bowl, last year he was second team.Wells IMO is going to be a very good player and just might end up at center . That would give us two solid back ups in Step and Lechey.The Browns will start on opposite sides of the line and Ross who will get better this year without the injury and the changing doors next to him.

Don't forget we were the number one passing team last year and 8th overall in offense.It's true that we threw almost every down, but that would make it harder not easier for the offense to do as well seeing the opposing defense knows you can't run. The running game had O-line p[roblems but also had Shipp coming off a horrid injury and the newbee not finding his NFL legs till late in the season also hurt the running game, well guess what we now have EDGE in our line up and that's big IMO. Even with the same line. But as you all can see there will be at least two or three major changes there. Center and Guard for sure. I believe if we can get one more in the draft as Graves has said we will it will give us depth and talent enough to make us a playoff caliber team.

GBR
40
 

PortlandCardFan

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AntSports Steve said:
The players on the OL now have shown no indication that they can stay healthy. Instead, you should expect them to be injured again as that's their history. Any thoughts of less injures is just foolish.

Without a quality backup OT to push Ross, if Ross sucks or Big gets injured again, it will once again be "musical chairs" on the OL and the team will once again be starting OL with players playing different positions with each OL change.

If they can get a vet OT to compete, things will look better :

BU = Backup

LT - Big, BU=?
LG - Wells (per Graves), BU =Haayer?
OC - Leckey/Step
RG - Milford Brown, BU = Elton Brown
RT - Ross, BU = Wakefield?

Backups on the Roster :
?? Dante Elling - (From the salary cap thread)
OT Alan Reuber - (From the salary cap thread)
OG Rolando Cantu - (From the salary cap thread)
OC Kyle Schmitt - (From the salary cap thread)

OT? Allen, Ian - (from cardinals website)
OT Ellington, Dante
OT Haayer, Adam - (the cards site has him listed as OT, but he's a poormans OG at best).
OT Wakefield, Fred - (from cardinals website)
OG Bridges, Jeremy - (from cardinals website)
OC Conaty, Bill - (from cardinals website)
OC Lynch, Shawn - (from cardinals website)
OC Schmitt, Kyle - (from cardinals website)

Look at those backups. Haayer or Bridges are probably the Cards best backups to sub for Wells and BOTH were STREET FREE AGENTS. That means NO OTHER NFL TEAM WANTED THEM. Why should the Cards settle for backups like that? Wakefield is a project. The rest are practice squad guys who might have a shot.

Is Wakefield or Ian Allen really the Backup LT and RT?

Drafting a rookie OT will help, but it takes a year or two for OL rookies fit in and be productive.

If you are thinking that Wells is the backup OT if either OT suck/get injured, then you are just repeating the mistakes from last year. The OL should stay in their normal position. Backups should have roles to play and fill in. Moving Wells to OT when the 1st injury to OT happens ruins the developement of the OL.

Cards need a good backup OT.

I like some of your arguement but would we want any BU from another team? The FA list had starters listed IIRC not backups.

What starter wants to become a backup? None...

Depth is important and I feel that is where draft picks should go.
 

Redheart

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PortlandCardFan said:
...
Depth is important and I feel that is where draft picks should go.

...or the June 1st cuts.

There was a time when we waited for June hoping to pick up a starter. Well, it is still like that.

Maybe we can improve our depth when June comes around if there is an "improvment" out there.
 

az1965

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I will be very nervous going into the season with Ross at the RT... he was plain horrible!
 

CardinalChris

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I would be more than satisfied with Elton Brown backing up both Guard positions, including if Wells had to slide outside to play for Big.
 

CardinalChris

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az1965 said:
I will be very nervous going into the season with Ross at the RT... he was plain horrible!

I think a replacement, or at the very least competition can be found in the second or even third round.
 

Cardiac

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AntSports Steve said:
The players on the OL now have shown no indication that they can stay healthy. Instead, you should expect them to be injured again as that's their history. Any thoughts of less injures is just foolish.

Without a quality backup OT to push Ross, if Ross sucks or Big gets injured again, it will once again be "musical chairs" on the OL and the team will once again be starting OL with players playing different positions with each OL change.

If they can get a vet OT to compete, things will look better :

BU = Backup

LT - Big, BU=?
LG - Wells (per Graves), BU =Haayer?
OC - Leckey/Step
RG - Milford Brown, BU = Elton Brown
RT - Ross, BU = Wakefield?

Backups on the Roster :
?? Dante Elling - (From the salary cap thread)
OT Alan Reuber - (From the salary cap thread)
OG Rolando Cantu - (From the salary cap thread)
OC Kyle Schmitt - (From the salary cap thread)

OT? Allen, Ian - (from cardinals website)
OT Ellington, Dante
OT Haayer, Adam - (the cards site has him listed as OT, but he's a poormans OG at best).
OT Wakefield, Fred - (from cardinals website)
OG Bridges, Jeremy - (from cardinals website)
OC Conaty, Bill - (from cardinals website)
OC Lynch, Shawn - (from cardinals website)
OC Schmitt, Kyle - (from cardinals website)

Look at those backups. Haayer or Bridges are probably the Cards best backups to sub for Wells and BOTH were STREET FREE AGENTS. That means NO OTHER NFL TEAM WANTED THEM. Why should the Cards settle for backups like that? Wakefield is a project. The rest are practice squad guys who might have a shot.

Is Wakefield or Ian Allen really the Backup LT and RT?

Drafting a rookie OT will help, but it takes a year or two for OL rookies fit in and be productive.

If you are thinking that Wells is the backup OT if either OT suck/get injured, then you are just repeating the mistakes from last year. The OL should stay in their normal position. Backups should have roles to play and fill in. Moving Wells to OT when the 1st injury to OT happens ruins the developement of the OL.

Cards need a good backup OT.

:soapbox:

This is what I have been posting non stop for over a month now. Steve takes it a step further that we absolutely need a vet OT for backup and gives the rational as to why.

At this point I'm more concerned about the Oline than any other position/unit on the team.
 

Cardiac

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joeshmo said:
One year of them being injured is a trend?

But I do agree we need more depth without a doubt.

BIG has missed the last game in the past 2 seasons. May or may not be a trend.

Wells has been healthy except for the broken leg, this typically does not mean a trend.

Step and Leckey weren't injured in their rookie years but both were last year. Not yet a trend.

Ross, I think he has been healthy until this past year. Not a trend.

Taken as an entire unit with all of these injuries one could consider it a trend, at the very least it can't be ignored.
 

Doc Cardinal

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The offensive tackles in this year's draft seem deep and we could possibly pick one up in any round....and although some of these guys could go higher....some of them and their rounds could be:

Round 1-Winston justice-USC

Round 2-Eric Winston-Miami

Round 3-Andrew Whitworth-LSU

Round 4-Jeremy Trueblood-BC

Round 5-Guy Whimper-East Carolina

Round 6-Paul McQuistan-Weber State

Round 7-Adam Stenavich-Michigan
 

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