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  1. #1

    Week One staring interior line

    I thought there might have already been a thread on this, but I can't find one, so I started this one.

    I am soliciting way-too-soon guesses on the starting offensive line when they line up for the first game of the year.

    I don't think the tackles are in doubt, barring injury, but every thing else seems up for grabs. So for simplicity, just name the interior starters, by position.

    I am going with:

    LG: Tyre Phillips, 6′ 4″ 344 lbs, 35 1/8" arms
    C: Bradley Bozeman 6′ 5″, 311
    RG: DJ Fluker 6′ 5″ 340 (Size 22 shoes)

    This gets the maximum size on the field. Bozeman played center in college, and with 31" arms, it better suited for guard. It also puts the guy with the most experience at the position where you need the most awareness.

    That allows them to develop Powers, Bredesen and Mekari as back ups, with one or more to eventually start.

    I assume Skura will need time to get back to playing shape.





  2. #2

    Re: Week One staring interior line

    I believe we will see:
    Mekari -Bozeman-Fluker

    For much of the same reasons, I simply think the competition will be hard to win as a rookie with a limited camp.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk





  3. #3
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    Re: Week One staring interior line

    Quote Originally Posted by Shas View Post
    I am soliciting way-too-soon guesses on the starting offensive line when they line up for the first game of the year.

    I don't think the tackles are in doubt, barring injury, but every thing else seems up for grabs. So for simplicity, just name the interior starters, by position.

    I am going with:

    LG: Tyre Phillips, 6′ 4″ 344 lbs, 35 1/8" arms
    C: Bradley Bozeman 6′ 5″, 311
    RG: DJ Fluker 6′ 5″ 340 (Size 22 shoes)
    My guess is:

    LG: Ben Powers – 6'4, listed at 310 lbs, 33 3/4” arms
    C: Bradley Bozeman – 6′ 5″, 311
    RG: DJ Fluker – 6′ 5″ 340 (size 22 shoes)

    I bet Powers measures-in with noticeably greater mass than he was listed at last year.

    No rookies in the opening day lineup. They'll back up for a year, while working in the weight room and learning from Joe D.

    Wildcard: Mekari. It's possible that he's just flat better than Powers (or maybe even Bozeman). My leaving him off here could look pretty dumb in four months. NB Mekari is about a year younger than Powers.





  4. #4

    Re: Week One staring interior line

    Quote Originally Posted by jonboy79 View Post
    I believe we will see:
    Mekari -Bozeman-Fluker

    For much of the same reasons, I simply think the competition will be hard to win as a rookie with a limited camp.
    It's a valid consideration. It raises the question whether they really truncate pre season, or find a way to push the start. Sept 10 always seems too early anyway.





  5. #5
    Join Date
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    Re: Week One staring interior line

    Bozeman - Mekari - Powers, with Fluker not far behind... Bc





  6. #6

    Re: Week One staring interior line

    The Ravens are quite conservative/stupid about these things - they made Orlando wait behind Hurst for no reason at all - so I guess Bozeman - Mekari - Fluker for Week One.





  7. #7

    Re: Week One staring interior line

    Quote Originally Posted by QtR Nevermore View Post
    they made Orlando wait behind Hurst for no reason at all
    Well, no reason that you are aware of.

    When you have a guy who is a first round talent but who seemed to fail to put in the work, which caused him to fall into the third round...maybe you send a message that we're not just giving you the job. Maybe as head coach you think you are doing him a favor in the long run by teaching him that putting in the work off the field is no joke. Maybe you need that lesson particularly when your dad played the same position for the same team and it feels like the job is just destined to be yours.

    I don't think we can just assume that because Orlando looked great the day we finally got to see him play that he would have looked that great on day one. Maybe he sat because he truly wasn't ready...and maybe he looked great because he sat, not despite it.

    It's not like Harbaugh has some unnatural love for Hurst...a guy he ended up cutting less than a year later.

    I don't know. No one really knows either way.

    Speaking of Harbaugh's point of view when he makes these decisions, I am keeping in mind what we heard from EDC: Phillips is Harbaugh's guy. Harbaugh was in Eric's ear about Phillips from January, when he saw him at the Senior Bowl, until the draft. EDC basically called him Harbaugh's pick. I had that in mind....along with a desire to be really big and physical up front...in trying to predict who gets the job.

    But you certainly make a valid point that they tend to marinate their linemen before they get the nod. Although those guys tend to be players taken in rounds 4-6. (Powers, Bozeman, Eluemanor, Senat, Lewis, Urshel, Wagner, Jensen, Gradkowski)

    Yanda was a third rounder who saw 12 starts as a rookie (for Billick). Brown had ten.

    Short history then says that Phillips wont be a starter Week One, but maybe by November 1.

    OTOH, Osemele, a late second rounder, started day one for Harbaugh, and he was another massive, 6'5" 340 college tackle who Harbaugh moved to guard. I was thinking of him as the comp for Phillips in Harbaugh's mind.





  8. #8

    Re: Week One staring interior line

    Great post!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk





  9. #9

    Re: Week One staring interior line

    Quote Originally Posted by jonboy79 View Post
    Great post!


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    I think some combination of Mekari/Bozeman/Fluker is the most likely after week one.

    I’ll also guess that either Powers or Phillips will take over one of the spots after the bye.





  10. #10

    Re: Week One staring interior line

    Quote Originally Posted by Shas View Post
    Well, no reason that you are aware of.

    When you have a guy who is a first round talent but who seemed to fail to put in the work, which caused him to fall into the third round...maybe you send a message that we're not just giving you the job. Maybe as head coach you think you are doing him a favor in the long run by teaching him that putting in the work off the field is no joke. Maybe you need that lesson particularly when your dad played the same position for the same team and it feels like the job is just destined to be yours.

    I don't think we can just assume that because Orlando looked great the day we finally got to see him play that he would have looked that great on day one. Maybe he sat because he truly wasn't ready...and maybe he looked great because he sat, not despite it.

    It's not like Harbaugh has some unnatural love for Hurst...a guy he ended up cutting less than a year later.

    I don't know. No one really knows either way.

    Speaking of Harbaugh's point of view when he makes these decisions, I am keeping in mind what we heard from EDC: Phillips is Harbaugh's guy. Harbaugh was in Eric's ear about Phillips from January, when he saw him at the Senior Bowl, until the draft. EDC basically called him Harbaugh's pick. I had that in mind....along with a desire to be really big and physical up front...in trying to predict who gets the job.

    But you certainly make a valid point that they tend to marinate their linemen before they get the nod. Although those guys tend to be players taken in rounds 4-6. (Powers, Bozeman, Eluemanor, Senat, Lewis, Urshel, Wagner, Jensen, Gradkowski)

    Yanda was a third rounder who saw 12 starts as a rookie (for Billick). Brown had ten.

    Short history then says that Phillips wont be a starter Week One, but maybe by November 1.

    OTOH, Osemele, a late second rounder, started day one for Harbaugh, and he was another massive, 6'5" 340 college tackle who Harbaugh moved to guard. I was thinking of him as the comp for Phillips in Harbaugh's mind.
    Not really relevant to what you were getting at But Osemele started at RT week one right? He moved inside during the reshuffling when we put McKinnie in at LT and moved Oher to RT.





  11. #11

    Re: Week One staring interior line

    Quote Originally Posted by NjRavensFan View Post
    Not really relevant to what you were getting at But Osemele started at RT week one right? He moved inside during the reshuffling when we put McKinnie in at LT and moved Oher to RT.
    Wow. Good memory. I had forgotten that, and had to look it up to verify. Osemele indeed started at RT and Ramone Harwood at LG.

    It actually reminds me that we were having the same argument back then about Harbaugh refusing to start McKinnie, who they said was clearly better. But recall that there were questions about McKinnie's physical shape, work ethic and passion -- there were whispers of financial trouble and he was just playing for the money. I always applauded Harbaugh for sitting him and figuring out how to motivate him to be a big contributor on that Super Bowl team. I believe that Harbs was using a similar psychological playbook with Brown.





  12. Re: Week One staring interior line

    I'll go with

    option 1) Powers - Bozeman - Fluker 60%
    option 2) Bozeman - Mekari - Fluker 30%
    option 3) Mekari - Bozeman - Fluker 10%

    - I don't think that the Ravens will start a rookie Week 1
    - I do think that the Ravens want massive at Right Guard





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