Interesting Notes Fron WNST On Our OL

[purplepoe]

That's pretty funny dude.

Second rounders CAN become starters or immediate contributers. So can undrafted free agents. "Should" is too strong a word. There are guys that are drafted with a lot of talent that still need work to become viable NFL starters. Matt Jones immediately comes to mind.
- C -

I understand that not every 1st and 2nd rounder is gonna be a starter right away. Maybe I worded it incorrectly. But I would expect them to contribute sooner than later.

However, when writing my post the Ravens OL was what I had in mind.

And therein lies my issue. We have PUTRID interior lineman. And yet guys that we are trading up in the 2nd round to draft can't even seem to push these slugs (Mulitalo/Flynn/Vincent) for a starting position?

Sorry, but that's bullshit.

And the Ravens are starting to develop a pattern when it comes to guys drafted in the 2nd round.

PP

[MrPoeJangles]

Marcus McNeil was picked after Chester.

Even though McNeil was drafted after our original 2nd round pick, he was picked ahead of Chris Chester.

[MrPoeJangles]

We have PUTRID interior lineman. And yet guys that we are trading up in the 2nd round to draft can't even seem to push these slugs (Mulitalo/Flynn/Vincent) for a starting position?
PP

Why does everyone say we traded up to get Chester? It was my understanding we had the 44th pick which we traded to the Giants for the 56th(Chester) and 87th(Pittman) picks.

An argument can be made that we didn't get the most bang for our buck with those picks, but I don't think we "traded up" to get Chester.

Sorry if I am wrong about this, but it appears to be a self perpetuating rumor on the board that is adding to everyones angst.

[purplepoe]

Why does everyone say we traded up to get Chester? It was my understanding we had the 44th pick which we traded to the Giants for the 56th(Chester) and 87th(Pittman) picks.

An argument can be made that we didn't get the most bang for our buck with those picks, but I don't think we "traded up" to get Chester.

Sorry if I am wrong about this, but it appears to be a self perpetuating rumor on the board that is adding to everyones angst.

Nope, you are right. I was wrong. I apologize.

I had the trade switched in my head for some reason. We did trade up to get Terry, but not Chester.

Either way, Im still fed up with the OL and this team.

PP

[Sephy]

McNeil was pretty awful today against the Chiefs. Still better than Pashos, though.

[PurpleRulz]

I understand that not every 1st and 2nd rounder is gonna be a starter right away. Maybe I worded it incorrectly. But I would expect them to contribute sooner than later.

However, when writing my post the Ravens OL was what I had in mind.

And therein lies my issue. We have PUTRID interior lineman. And yet guys that we are trading up in the 2nd round to draft can't even seem to push these slugs (Mulitalo/Flynn/Vincent) for a starting position?

Sorry, but that's bullshit.

And the Ravens are starting to develop a pattern when it comes to guys drafted in the 2nd round.

PP

You have to ask if it is that the rookies are not pushing the "slugs" for a starting position, or is it that Billick has a thing against starting rookie OL ahead of vets.

I can remember Brett Farve being critical of having so many rookies starting on their OL this year. Also, on NFL Network, Marshall Faulk made a comment that vet offensive players have problems, sometimes, with rookie OL starting right away.

OL is not a position that a rookie can come in and start immediately, so why not take a OL like Chris Chester that could be developed to start in 2007? Again, even if we had a taken Marcus McNeil or Winston Justice, they would be sitting on the bench right now.

Billick does not like starting rookie OL over vets. We may not like it nor agree with it, but it is what it is.

[StingerNLG]

I guess what the angst is that with many other teams, offensive line isn't as much of a problem as it is in Baltimore. We look around the league and do see OL rookies playing in cases. But here we've got Adam Terry that isn't going to see the field unless JO gets hurt. Now we're talking about a guy in his SECOND year on the team!

OL is not a position that a rookie can come in and start immediately, so why not take a OL like Chris Chester that could be developed to start in 2007?

Because that leaves Keydrick Vincent or Mike Flynn on the field for yet another year to let our QB's run for their life and get injured. We can't even run designed rollout plays because those guys suck so much. So we do need OL draft picks that can step in and play because Ozzie isn't going to free agency to get anyone good.

It's frustrating.

[MrPoeJangles]

Maybe we should vent more of the anger at the fact that our big Free Agent OL signing was Vincent. If he had panned out, our OL situation would look much better now and in the future.

In that case, we already have JO's and Flynn's replacements on hand, and the rest of the line would be young and in place. I know a lot of people are down on Pashos, but I feel he has looked better this year and believe once he has a better guard next to him, he will be fine.

[purplepoe]

Maybe we should vent more of the anger at the fact that our big Free Agent OL signing was Vincent. If he had panned out, our OL situation would look much better now and in the future.

O, believe me, that signing was a joke from day 1.

There were other guards out there that went elsewhere that we didn't even talk to.

There's a reason Pitt let Vincent go. We've seen it for a season and a half now. He sucks.

And remember, we got him on the cheap. Again not wanting to spend for legit OL help.

PP

[StingerNLG]

There's a reason Pitt let Vincent go. We've seen it for a season and a half now. He sucks.

Funny you mention that. Pittsburgh fans feel the same way. The Steelers fan worker friend of mine said almost exactly the same thing. If you're not wanted on the Steelers offensive line, there must be a good reason for it. If they were willing to let Vincent walk, they knew why.

There was Rick DeMulling from Indy that was available. He's head and shoulders a better guard than Vincent ever was.

[UKRavenStockers]

Funny you mention that. Pittsburgh fans feel the same way. The Steelers fan worker friend of mine said almost exactly the same thing. If you're not wanted on the Steelers offensive line, there must be a good reason for it. If they were willing to let Vincent walk, they knew why.

There was Rick DeMulling from Indy that was available. He's head and shoulders a better guard than Vincent ever was.

Yeah because DeMulling has been soooooo good in Detroit hasn't he.:grbac:

[Gabrosin]

I was yelling for McNeill during the draft, once he slipped into the second round (with Winston Justice still on the board too) I thought we were going to luck out and solve two line problems at once (having taken Ngata for the other one). I saw Chris Chester's name come up and I was disappointed... not because I don't think Chester can be a solid player, but because McNeill could have been our starter at RT immediately, based on the way he played at Auburn. He's been stellar (for a rookie) for the Chargers, and I expect him to get better.

And I'll have to disagree with one of the previous posters; Jammal Brown had a very solid rookie year and has played even better this year. Watch for him on Sunday. I'd say he's a pretty big reason why the Saints have improved so much; he gives Brees time and makes holes for Bush and McAllister. To be fair, with where he was taken, he was out of our reach, even for a reasonable trade, and I'm still happy with Mark Clayton. But this represents two recent drafts where there have been good tackle prospects going to other teams while we struggle along with a fifth-rounder who's been mediocre at best. We're deep at RB, WR, LB... I'll take a little less of that depth for a solution to our O-line problems!