The interior OL

[Cbus cardsfan]

Most of us pay attention to the tackle position and share our opinions about Levi and Gandy but i think we should give props to the 3 interior guys. They have been playing very well. I have been one of Wells's biggest critics and also have expressed concerns about Sendlein being the starter at C but i can only remember a few instances earlier in the year when the interior of the OL has been weak. I think Lutui has been having, by far, his best year. He seems to be more tuned in instead of seeming not to take the game very seriously. You have to give these guys credit. The main reason the run game has come around is the stepped up play of those 3. Maybe there is something to having all those games in a row starting together.

 

[Snakester]

I just watched the Seattle game and I thought they did pretty good. Sendlein is playing better and holding his own better than he did last year. Wells is a good finesse type player. His only drawback is bigger DTs can manhandle him and push him back to the QB. Otherwise he has a pretty sound game. Lutui I think is playing well enough to get another contract. I think he is playing better than he was last year and at least has the size and strength to become a solid all-around guard. To the most improved of the three this year is Sendlein. I have been a critic of his from day one and have not thought that he should be a starter. I will have to see him play the rest of the year to give him a thumbs up to continue to be our starter after this season but, I liked what I saw in the Seattle game. He is playing hard and giving good effort.

I tell you who I was most impressed with in that Seattle game was Levi Brown. He looked like the solid tackle we all hoped he would become when we drafted him. I would love to see him continue to play that good for the rest of the year.

 

[Reddog]

I have great hope for Lutui because he is a nasty guy. That attitude is critical on the OL. I am sure Tommie Harris didn't punch him in the helmet unprovoked and Lutui's acting as the poor victim was worthy of an oscar. I am curious what we have in Keith and Johnson. I think Keith is also a nasty dude.

 

[BigRedArk]

Is our OL (especially Gandy and Brown) playing better because we are running the ball better (i.e. the opposing DL are now on their heels perhaps concerned about our improved rush ability instead of being ready to tee off and try and rush or sack Warner), or are we running the ball better because our OL has improved?

 

[lobo]

Most of us pay attention to the tackle Maybe there is something to having all those games in a row starting together.

no maybe's needed....remember how good the cowboy's ol was in the landry day's.....that was the main reason...


HTTA!!

 

[lobo]

I just watched the Seattle game and I thought they did pretty good. Sendlein is playing better and holding his own better r.

C is very easy position to dismiss as an oh hum position...yet it is the most critical of all OL. Lyle plays very smart...and the top C's all have high football IQ's. They call all the blocking assignments on the line for those who dont realize it. Great ones are as rare as hen's teeth...they are all very nasty/smart and last a long long time in the league.

 

[lauraw]

These posts are all educational for me and enlightening as well!! OUR running game is up to 94 yds a game for the yr. and will be over 100 by the end of the season and into the REAL seasonin January...

 

[Redsz]

I tell you who I was most impressed with in that Seattle game was Levi Brown. He looked like the solid tackle we all hoped he would become when we drafted him. I would love to see him continue to play that good for the rest of the year.

Snakester, just a speculative hypothesis here: But do you think that Levi Browns overall game has improved because he is getting the chance to run block more?

I would also imagine an effective run game reduces the DE's tendency to just pin their ears back and pass rush, which has also helped?

 

[Second Deck]

I always like to follow players in the NFL that have local ties to the Phoenix area. I think it is great that two of our offensive lineman went to High School in the Phoenix area. You keep thinking we could upgrade at the center position but when you look at the games Sendline is seldom the lineman that is getting beat and constantly goes on and makes a second block. With Beanie and Hightower giving the Cards a running game we have not had in the past the Cards should be able to beat any team in the NFL.

 

[Doug]

The titans have one of the toughest up and coming players in all of the NFL playing at DT.Trying to replace the loss of Haynesworth.He had 8 tackles and 2 sacks from the DT position last week vs the texans and he is making the DE's flexible to move anywhere they want with KVB on the titans line.

I'm glad you mentioned our interior three because this week they'll be facing that dude down bigtime and needing to give Kurt that room he so desperately needs to step up and throw correctly.

Its gonna be a very big game.Plus it gets us ready for the DT duo the vikes have with the same last name.Could'nt pick a better warmup game than the titans.With Chris Johnson.AP is slow compared to Johnson.It takes more to bring AP down though.

Lets cause some turnovers this week in Tennessee!!!GO ROAD WARRIORS "09"!!!

 

[Crimson Warrior]

Agree with the original poster.

I've been replaying the SEA and STL games, and one thing I noticed is that our line does a good job at the second level, especially Sendalin.

It's clearer now why, when TH and Beanie get past the D-line, that they often don't get touched until they are seven, eight, even nine yards down the field.

Wells also does a good job when he pulls. Deuce is playing okay but not great.

As for Levi, there's no question that the SEA and STL games were his best of the year. He was beat by Little once, and by a stunt in the SEA game, but otherwise was very good in both pass protection and run blocking.

Thirty games in a row is amazing. We've got a good chance to win every game we play because our improved running game. A lot of that has to do the o-line.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

The titans have one of the toughest up and coming players in all of the NFL playing at DT.Trying to replace the loss of Haynesworth.He had 8 tackles and 2 sacks from the DT position last week vs the texans and he is making the DE's flexible to move anywhere they want with KVB on the titans line.

I'm glad you mentioned our interior three because this week they'll be facing that dude down bigtime and needing to give Kurt that room he so desperately needs to step up and throw correctly.

Its gonna be a very big game.Plus it gets us ready for the DT duo the vikes have with the same last name.Could'nt pick a better warmup game than the titans.With Chris Johnson.AP is slow compared to Johnson.It takes more to bring AP down though.

Lets cause some turnovers this week in Tennessee!!!GO ROAD WARRIORS "09"!!!

is is Jason Jones you're talking about? I wanted the Cards to nab him in the draft but i guess i can't complain that they took CC 4 picks before him.

 

[Doug]

is is Jason Jones you're talking about? I wanted the Cards to nab him in the draft but i guess i can't complain that they took CC 4 picks before him.

Sorry Cbus its 5 year player Tony Brown out of Memphis that is finally learning how to play the game and in a major way for the titans.Read the article on him in the other thread that has the Tenneseean newspaper in it down below.It has all of his stats.

Pretty amazing for a defensive tackle around the 300lb mark.He's gonna give us quite a test as a inside pass rusher this week.He's been on a HARD ROLL for a few weeks now.We have to SHUT HIM DOWN this Sunday afternoon.He's been a tackle machine.

For those who thought it took Branch too long to learn the inside position.Even though he's playing mainly DE now.It really is hard to catch on for some dominant college DT's to do the same in the Pro's.Kris Jenkins took a couple years before he got it.I think Lott would have him lose a lil' weight if he played for us.He tires too quickly.Not what he was with the panthers before the Jets threw all that money at him.Thats what worries me about Darnell Dockett.Will he stay in shape and play harder or just make it rain?

 

[Crazy Canuck]

Sendlein had a bad shoulder for most of last season.

That and experience, I suggest, is the reason for the improvement.

 

[Doug]

Sendlein had a bad shoulder for most of last season.

That and experience, I suggest, is the reason for the improvement.

I love me some Sendlein,but he and most of the front 5 have had a slow start to the season.Thats putting it mildly.The pre-season was a mess in the 4 games and its taken them a while now to start looking like the guys that ended the season together last year.

We'll see how they look against a very strong defensive front in the titans with one of the best linebacker corps in the league behind them.

This weekend (could) bring on a lot of bad threads if we are'nt who we think WE ARE.Especially the middle of the front line that helps Kurt set his feet to throw.He needs that lil' room to step up into.Sometimes he floats a step to his right.So Lutui even needs to make sure he has that extra room.It was a rough start and the Carolina game brought it all back in a hurry again as Warner refused to be helped up by Lutui during that game.

Kinda like the colt game.Except that was mainly on our OT's that did'nt have any help.The Pats sure gave their offensive tackles tons of help with an extra OT or TE or blocking FB in on EVERY play of the game.Sometimes or half the time both.

Something we will need for the vikings game and the SUPERBOWL game with the Colts .

 

[Crazy Canuck]

Doug, FYI

LUTUI

That is how it is spelled and pronounced.