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12-01-2012, 10:07 AM #14
Re: FILMSTUDY: Breaking down the Offensive Line performances v. Chargers
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I disagree that they dropped the ball. At the end of the day you have only a certain amount you can realistically spend to make sure you arent skimping elsewhere. You also have to consider that some guys just may not want to play in Baltimore (i.e. Evan Mathis). Finally, several of us have looked at the probability of getting a starting caliber LT after the 15th overall pick in the draft and short of a few (and I mean a FEW) players, it is slim to none.
I'd also like to just state that I believe most teams in the NFL have two RT's and no LT...the Packers and Giants come to mind. Secondly, this whole "LT being more important than the RT" is complete hogwash. That was the case 20 years ago when defenses only had 1 pass rusher. In todays NFL the difference between the left side and right side is your first step once the ball is snapped. Think about it. How many D's do you know of really only have one pass rusher and only line them up over the LT?
I think the Patriots did it the right way by drafting Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer. Both guys are long with quick feet. Both the LT and the RT need to be more athletic than what traditional thinking would point to and frankly, thats why Oher and KO are the tackles. They are both very athletic. Is Oher a great LT? Absolutely not. Will he ever be? Probably not. However, he has shown improvement and KO has shown that he can be pretty damn good too.
I think LG and C is much more of an issue than the tackle positions are at this point. The interior OL is a big reason for the issues in the ground game. So, we agree there.
Sent from my DROID X2 using Forum RunnerDisclaimer: The content posted is of my own opinion.
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12-01-2012, 01:16 PM #16
I know I'm a broken record here but if you are going to pay #5 and #27 $140M then you also have to construct a wall in front of them... G-C-G or C-G-T. I would like to see us aggressively address our OL deficiencies.
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"On their way to the podium, the Ravens FO is going to collectively step over my dead body and select...Breshad Perriman." -- Me, the day before the 2015 Draft
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Re: FILMSTUDY: Breaking down the Offensive Line performances v. Chargers
Yup, totally agreed.
I will say that the interior is becoming more important every year than the tackles. You can have a great Oline with three all pro quality guards and a center, but with only average tackles, similar to what the Saints had last year. Speaking of dropping the ball, the Saints are a team who REALLY dropped the ball in the offseason with their Oline.
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12-01-2012, 05:58 PM #18
Re: FILMSTUDY: Breaking down the Offensive Line performances v. Chargers
Agree with you -- including your point about needing two "LTs." IMHO we don't have even one. I also agree you usually need a high draft pick for a really good T, but that is NOT the case for C or G. The FO should have had a better G behind Grubb than . . . Who? Harewood? Jah Reid? And at C, a late rounder in the 2011 draft would have been smarter than picking a guy (Gino G) in 2012 who apparently is not ready to play C at all this year.
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12-01-2012, 07:26 PM #22Hall Of Fame Poster
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Re: FILMSTUDY: Breaking down the Offensive Line performances v. Chargers
Even though each of our linemen outside of Yanda has struggled terribly in a lot of one-on-one matchups this year, I see the more serious problem as scheme and coaching rather than pure talent level.
When you have an uneven OL, you need to find a way to scheme around your weaknesses. If the left side of your line is bad, you slide a lot of protections to that side and have backs and TEs chip out of the backfield. If your interior line is bad, you move the pocket and run behind tackle. And so on and so on... but this line can't do that.
It's very hard for this team to do that. They don't have a "good side" and "bad side." Yes, Yanda is a good RG, but Osemele misses too many blocks and struggles with speed rushers too much for the Ravens to rely on that side to hold up. Oher is only passable at LT and isn't really demonstrating consistent improvement at all. Even with their deficiencies at OT, their interior is too weak to be relied on as Birk is having by far the worst year of his career and LG hasn't stabilized yet.
The Ravens desperately need to find some way to stabilize at least one element of their OL in a big way. I don't know if the personnel exists for them to do that at this point, as there's nobody better than the 5 they're fielding right now. Osemele should improve at RT, Reid has the potential to hold down the LG spot and possibly improve. Even assuming those two improve you'll still have problems.
Next year, if they could just improve at ONE position, C or LT, it could cascade all the way down. Of course, next year doesn't help us right now...
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