2011 Denver Broncos Preview: Offensive Line
by Colby on Aug 5, 2011 9:01 AM MDT
in 2011 Denver Broncos Season Preview
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PrintThe Denver Broncos have a great future at offensive line. They are a young unit that really came together at the end of last season. The starters right now are projected to be Clady-Beadles-Walton-Kuper-Franklin. Where the Broncos really need to find help though is its depth. Stanley Daniels showed that he can help out but isn't a starter in case someone goes down, and that usually happens. It will be a good battle in camp to see who can get the backup guard and tackle spot.
The new regime of lineman for Denver started with the McDaniels era. Clady and Kuper were Shanahan picks but most of the guys we have now were picks of McDaniels. Hopefully with the group we have now, they can remain together for quite some time and put together the running teams we used to have.
Center
J.D. Walton was drafted in 2010 by the Bronco in the third round. He started all 16 games for the Broncos. Walton had a very good season for a rookie. He was the only option to start for the Broncos after the choice of not bringing back Casey Weigmann. He played for the Baylor Bears. He was signed to a four year contract and is entering the second year of it. He was the second center drafted in the 2010 after Maurkice Pouncey. He was an All-American in 2009. Walton is a player you can already name as the starter at this position. The young offensive line will continue to build with Walton being a part of it.
SB Nation Scouting Report
Assets
Flaws
Career Potential
From Denver Broncos Official Page: 2010: At Jacksonville (9/12), Walton made NFL debut, starting at center. ...Vs. Kansas City (11/14), he was part of a starting offensive line unit that didn't allow a sack and led the way for the Broncos' first 100-yard individual rushing performance in 2010. He also made his first career special-teams tackle, assisting P/H Britton Colquitt on a touchdown-saving tackle after a missed field goal at the end of the first half.
Guards
Zane Beadles was drafted in 2010 in the second round. Beadles started all four years at Utah and was an All-American in his senior year. He is a very versatile player as he is able to play at tackle and guard. In 2010 he played in all 16 games for the Broncos starting 14 of them. Beadles also is a good fit for the John Fox running scheme bring a nasty big lineman. Going into training camp, he has the starting job at left guard but also being able to provide relief should someone else go down.
From Denver Broncos Official Page:
2010: Beadles made his career debut in the season opener at Jacksonville (9/12), starting at right tackle... Part of the starting offensive line unit that didn't allow a sack and led the way for the Broncos' first 100-yard individual rushing performance in 2010 vs. Kansas City (11/14)... Part of the starting offensive line unit that only allowed one sack and blocked for a run game that totaled 126 yards vs. Houston (12/26).
Chris Kuper was drafted in the fifth round out of North Dakota in 2006. Kuper will be the starting right guard for the Broncos going into the season. Kuper became a full time player in 2007 for the Broncos starting 11 games. In 2010 the Broncos announced that they had signed Kuper to a 6 year deal worth $29 million. He was one of the team captains in 2010. Kuper has been solid for the Broncos only missing one game to injury each of the past two seasons.
SB Nation Scouting Report
Assets
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Career Potential
From Denver Broncos Official Page:
QUICKLY: The fifth-year offensive lineman is in his fourth season as a starter for the Broncos and has allowed just six sacks in 42 career starts (31 at right guard, 11 at left guard) according to Stats Inc. Kuper is a team captain for the 2010 season.
On August 25th, 2009, Josh McDaniels traded a 7th round pick to New England for Ross Hochstein. Hochstein was drafted in the fifth round in 2001 by Tampa Bay. Hochstein the next season played for the Patriots winning Super Bowls with the team. In 2009, Hochstein, started 10 of the 15 games he dressed for.
SB Nation Scouting Report
Assets
Flaws
Career Potential
From Denver Broncos Official Site
QUICKLY: Hochstein, who was acquired by Denver in a trade on Aug. 25, 2009, has started games in at five different positions (C, LG, RG, FB, TE) in his career… Saw time in 36 of a possible 38 games for the Patriots’ back-to-back Super Bowl-champion teams from 2003-04. 2010: Hochstein played in each of the team's 16 games, including six starts. 2009: Hochstein, who was acquired by Denver in a trade from New England on Aug. 25, played 15 games with a career-high 10 starts for the Broncos at three different positions (8 at left guard, 1 at right guard, 1 at tight end)... Also saw time at fullback in goal-line situations... Placed on injured reserve with a knee injury on Dec. 29... Started at right guard in the season opener at Cin. (9/13)... Started vs. Dal. (10/4) as well as in Games 9-15 at left guard... Opened Denver’s contest vs. Pit. (11/9) at tight end.
Eric Olsen was drafted in the sixth round of the 2010 draft. Olsen started the last 31 games he played at Notre Dame. Olsen is considered a project, but is known for his big numbers he put up at the combine. In the one game that Olsen played, he was on the special teams unit against Seattle.
Assets
Flaws
Career Potential
From Denver Broncos Official Page:
QUICKLY: Olsen was selected by the Broncos in the sixth round (183rd overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft from Notre Dame where he started at all three interior offensive line positions during his collegiate career… Penalized just once during his final 1,731 plays and allowed only four quarterback sacks in his last two years for the Fighting Irish. 2010: Olsen made his NFL debut on the field goal protection unit against Seattle (9/19).
Daniels was undrafted in 2007 and signed by the Rams. In 2010 he signed with the Broncos as a depth player. After the 2010 training camp he made the opening day roster. Daniels started the first four games at left guard. Daniels role was diminished to special teams for the next while and eventually was listed as inactive. On December 12th, he was waived and signed to the practice squad.
SB Nation Scouting Report
Assets
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Career Potential
From Denver Broncos Official Page
QUICKLY: Daniels joined the Broncos as a free agent on May 14, 2010 after spending time on the Packers’ practice squad in 2009 and the Jets’ practice squad in 2008… Entered the league as a college free agent with the Rams in 2007. 2010: Daniels made his first NFL appearance in the season opener at Jacksonville (9/12), earning the start at left guard. 2009: Daniels saw time on the Packers' practice squad. 2008: Daniels competed on the New York Jets' practice squad. 2007: Daniels entered the NFL with St. Louis in 2007 as a college free agent.
Byers was was a college free agent in 2010 with Seattle. The Broncos signed Byers off waivers on placed him on the practice squad. He was on the active roster for a few games at the end of the season.
From Denver Broncos Official Page:
BYERS AT A GLANCE:
- A rookie offensive lineman who competed in training camp with Seattle in 2010.
- Named second-team All-Pacific-10 Conference as a junior.
- Earned Gatorade National Player of the Year as a senior at Loveland High School in Loveland, Colo.
- Signed to the Broncos' active roster on Dec. 24, 2010
- Awarded to the Broncos' practice squad via waivers (Seattle) on Sept. 6, 2010.
- Signed as a college free agent by Seattle on April 24, 2010.
2010: Byers joined the Broncos' practice squad via waivers from Seattle on Sept. 6, and was signed to the active roster on Dec. 24... Competed in training camp with the Seahawks after signing with the club as a college free agent on April 24.
Ramirez was drafted in the fourth round in 2007 by Detroit. He has played in 18 games and started 15 of them. Last season he did not play in any games. He will compete for a backup role with the Broncos this season.
Assets
Flaws
Career Potential
Denver Broncos Official Page
Ramirez will enter his fifth year having played 18 career games (15 starts) for Detroit since he was selected by the Lions in the fourth round (117th overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft from Texas Tech University.
The Red Raiders led the nation with an average of 398.9 passing yards per game during his four seasons as a starter (2003-06). He received first-team All-Big 12 accolades as a senior in 2006.
Ramirez attended Willowridge High School in Houston, Texas, where he was a first-team All-District 20-5A selection as a junior and senior. He was born on Feb. 13, 1983.
Murphy was drafted in the fourth round by the Miami Dolphins in the 2008 NFL Draft. He has only been active for one game in his career and he did not start. He would be a long shot to make the team and if he did would be a depth lineman. He will probably end up getting practice roster but the preseason games will be important for him.
SB Nation Scouting Report
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Tackles
Ryan Clady was drafted by the Broncos in 2008 in the first round. From day one he has been a starter at left tackle and one of the leagues elite. You could argue Clady as a top 3 tackle in the NFL. In his rookie season, he only gave up half a sack and only three penalties. In 2009, Sports Illustrated listed Clady as the number one tackle in the NFL. He played in the 2009 Pro Bowl and the NFL First Team. In April of 2010, Clady injured his knee playing basketball in the offseason bringing questions if he would recover and be the same. He was able so start week 1 in 2010 but it took a few months before Clady got back to his top form.
This season, Clady will be back after an injury free off-season and should be at top form protecting the blindside of whoever is the quarterback. The Broncos number one priority when it comes to roster moves is re-sign Clady to a long term deal.
Assets
Flaws
Career Potential
From Denver Broncos Official Page
QUICKLY: Clady has started 48 straight games at left tackle to begin his career. He did not give up a full sack in his first 20 career starts, an NFL record since STATS Inc. began tracking the statistic in 1994... Named to his first career Pro Bowl in 2009 and was also named first-team All-Pro... Became the first offensive lineman to be named Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week in the five-year history of the award for his play vs. Kansas City (12/7/08)... One of five players drafted in 2008 to start every possible game.
Orlando Franklin was drafted in the second round of the 2011 draft. His is known for how nasty he plays and his toughness. He is competing for the starting job at right tackle and will probably win it with the departure of Ryan Harris. Franklin played left guard for the Hurricanes. Franklin started 40 of the 51 games he was in at Miami. He has to work on his instincts when the opponents run stunts on the defensive line.
Denver Broncos Official Page
CAREER NOTES
Franklin appeared in 51 games, one short of the school career-record of 52 contests by Brandon Meriweather (2002- 06)…Started 39 contests – 14 at left tackle and 25 at left guard…In his last three seasons as a full-time starter, Franklin delivered 150 knockdowns with 35 touchdown-resulting blocks, grading 85.61% for blocking consistency…Led the team in knockdowns in each of his final three seasons. 2010 SEASON All-Atlantic Coast Conference second-team selection by the league’s coaches and media…Played in all thirteen games, starting twelve contests at left offensive tackle…Still managed to lead the team with 61 knockdowns and 16 touchdown resulting blocks, as the two-time ACC Offensive Lineman of the Week (Pittsburgh and Ohio State) provided solid pass protection in the trenches, helping the Hurricanes reduce their sacks allowed total from 35 in 2009 (100th in the nation) to 16 in 2010, the second-fewest total in the conference, ranking 24th in the nation…The offense led the ACC and placed 31st nationally with an average of 421.31 yards per game…Graded 89% for blocking consistency vs. Pittsburgh, 95% vs. Florida A&M, 94% vs. North Carolina State and a season-best 96% vs. Ohio State…Miami’s total of 5,477 yards in total offense is the second-best total by a UM squad in a season.
Chris Clark was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played for Southern Mississippi. At Southern-Miss, he was an all-conference tackle in 2008 as a senior. After that he was with the Vikings for two seasons before being waived and picked up by the Broncos. Clark was with the Broncos practice roster before being active for 8 games. He was on the field for a play on a 1 yard Tebow touchdown run!
He might have a chance at making the roster due to our lack of quality depth at tackle.
Herb Taylor is a guard/tackle. He played last season for Las Vegas in the UFL. He was signed to a future contract in January of 2011. In 2007 and 2008 he was with Kansas City after being drafted in the 6th round out of TCU and played a total of 18 games starting 1.
Assets
Flaws
Career Potential
Curt Porter is another undrafted free agent picked up by the Broncos in 2011. He attended Jacksonville State. Curt Porter started every game in 2009 as a junior making the All-OVC team. He led the team in pancake blocks with 13. He will compete for a roster spot but will most likely end up as a practice squad player.
Adam Grant is a tackle out of Arizona. He is an undrafted free agent that was picked up a week ago. Unfortunately he has injury history. He made the All-Pac 10 second team for a strong rushing attack for the Wildcats in 2009 and 2010.
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I really hope we pick up some depth....
……before the season starts. This is the weakest depth on our team, IMO.
"Pain don't hurt" - Swayze (Road House) -- We miss you man!
Really?
I feel like our OL is one of our strong spots. No teams in the NFL have much “Depth” when it comes to the OL because you can’t afford to keep more than 7 or 8 OL on the active roster.
I'm afraid I agree with bonaire, and then some.
With the exception of Clady, I see this bunch as unproven and underperformed. I’d say at this point this group is one of the biggest question marks of groups on the team. I hope I’m wrong.
Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, he'll eat for a lifetime.
"As a quarterback, all you want is an opportunity to lead your team to victory" - Tim Tebow
by azbroncomaniac on Aug 5, 2011 10:35 AM MDT up reply actions
I agree with you Atwater27
O Line is perhaps the strongest unit on the team. I was initially concerned about depth, but after some TC reports I am satisfied we will do fine even if someone does get hurt.
It all starts in the trenches - HT 11/11/08
Leave the hateful vitriol to the uninformed - HT 3/16/09
We have a good starting 5...but I don't see any quality depth anywhere.
Learn how to dominate your league through a solid fantasy football draft tiers. A shameless plug for a fellow Broncomaniac!
Yeah agree. I think if we're talking the starters, I like who the Broncos are going to war with. But...
the depth does not inspire confidence right now, especially after they lost Harris to FA. I would’ve liked Franklin to have a year on the bench to get his feet wet. Regardless, the point is valid that there isn’t a lot of great OL depth across the league in general. It’s like people complaining that their baseball team doesn’t have a good backup catcher. Well guess what, good catchers are very rare, and good backup offensive lineman are also rare. That said… I would feel better if they can bring in another solid guy for depth to compete. There are some decent guys still out there in free agency.
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
What makes me nervous...
….is most teams have a 1st or 2nd year player or players backing up the o-line that many hope have potential to ultimately being starters. We are starting our 1st and 2nd year players and backing them up with players that make me nervous.
"Pain don't hurt" - Swayze (Road House) -- We miss you man!
Don't be nervous...
Our OL have strong, young, ligaments in their knees. I’d be more worried about having Casey Weigman as a starting OL at 38. Or Look at Oaklands situation:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/teams/oak/depthchart
Raiders look to be starting 2 rookies and a LT with one year Experience. Can’t wait to see our DL unleash on them.
Reminds me of us....last year. 2 rooks and 1 yr experience guy. And we got eaten up.
So yeah, I hope it’s turnaround time. Clady by all accounts is healthy, and the 2 rookies have a year of experience. But still unproven, I say. GO BRONCOS
Give a man a fish, he'll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, he'll eat for a lifetime.
"As a quarterback, all you want is an opportunity to lead your team to victory" - Tim Tebow
by azbroncomaniac on Aug 5, 2011 12:30 PM MDT up reply actions
And they just lost Asoughma and Miller
Yup, the tide will turn this year
"It's all over fat man!"
-Tom Jackson
I really look forward to seeing these bruisers in action.
There better be some clean QB jerseys and 1000 yard plus rushers this year. Hope there is a move to the zone blocking to make these guys effective. I expect Walton and Beadles to be much more improved with a full season under their belts. Clady should be his “Sweet Feet” self and be the All-Pro LT we expect. Kuper is solid. “Deebo” Franklin is the one I want to watch this year since we invested a 2nd round pick this year.
Thanks for the write-up, Colby.
Jerry Jones is Al Davis with a smile!
CHICAGO...Where Quaterbacks' careers go to die!
Why would anyone want to live in Oakland?
Do you have a feel from his History with the Panthers how many of the 53 man roster Fox will fill with OL?
Ding Dong the lockout's dead
For those of you keeping track
Manny Ramirez and Jeff Byers are working at Center behind JD Walton. Russ Hochstein is working at Right Guard.
Character may be manifested in the great moments but it is made in the small ones -- Philip Brooks
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Follow me on Twitter @MHR_KaptainKirk
I am rooting for Manny Ramirez to break the dreadlock for the backup position ;-)
There's no need to fear, Underdog is here! / Broncos/Dodgers/Lakers fan in Niners/Raiders/Giants/Warriors country, and damned proud of it.
Badum Psh.
You can be dumb... that's ok! There are many dumb people.
You can be an a$$hole... that's ok! There are many of these as well.
Unfortunately you cannot be both...
Ok... prove me wrong.
Cough, hack
I like your happy outlook, but JD Walton has none of those assets you stated, guy was bull rushed and trucked more than I can remember any Center for us, missed asignments, and was arguably the worst starting Center in the NFL last year. One of the gripes I have with the adminstration is that they didn’t get a solid vet to come in and at least compete with Walton, I think that was one area of the line we could of gotten much better at.
"Me fail english, that unpossible" - Ralph Wiggum
"Duffman is thrusting in the direction of the problem" - Duffman
"Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun" - Ash from Army of Darkness
"H.I., you're young and you got your health, what you want with a job?" - Evelle from Raising Arizona
"It happens sometimes. People just explode. Natural causes." - Agent Rogersz from Repoman
ProFootballFocus (who watched and graded every play for every player) does not agree with you on Walton
He was in the middle of the pack last year, which is not bad for a rookie starting at the most demanding IMO position on the OL. (full disclosure – I played both C and G in college so I can tell you that C is tougher than G. You could make a good argument that playing LT is more difficult than playing C)
Ding Dong the lockout's dead
by DE_BroncoFan on Aug 5, 2011 11:48 AM MDT up reply actions
Are you sure? Profootballfocus rated Walton 54th out of 57.
His overall score was -15.8.
His screen blocking was the only positive. His run block and passblock were both in bottom 10%.
One other positive – he started scoring positively from week 12 onwards. So the guy still has potential.
What would Blackie Lawless do?
by British Bronco on Aug 5, 2011 11:54 AM MDT up reply actions
Thanks for the stats
I understand Center is more difficult a transition from college to pro than say a G or even a RT, I would say maybe not as hard as LT. Anyways, I know watching games last season, JD Walton was routinely getting fooled on simple stunts that he should of learned how to switch in HS, he didn’t look to being anything close to a quality starting C in the league. One prime example I can remember is watching the SF game last season, they ran a simple cross stunt the entire game and Walton would routinely chase his man into Clady and then Clady would try to double back to get his man who was the free rusher because Walton and Beadles had chased their guy over the field, that is just fundlementally wrong, the guy should understand how to switch and pick-up a simple stunt, that goes to freaking HS. I honestly have no idea why he was given the starting job, he didn’t earn it. That is for sure.
"Me fail english, that unpossible" - Ralph Wiggum
"Duffman is thrusting in the direction of the problem" - Duffman
"Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun" - Ash from Army of Darkness
"H.I., you're young and you got your health, what you want with a job?" - Evelle from Raising Arizona
"It happens sometimes. People just explode. Natural causes." - Agent Rogersz from Repoman
individual grades for OL is really tough
it can’t be based on success/fail of hte play…these guys just work together so much…if a guy blocks the wrong guy, it makes his buddy look like a moron, when he was the one who actually made the mistake…
I woudl like to see OL grades that consist of an overall line grade for the success fail of the play, and then an individual grade for every play that merely looks at OL technique and notes whether the player was getting leverage, good bend etc.
Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace.
by Jeremy Bolander on Aug 5, 2011 8:32 PM MDT up reply actions
I'm a little confused
Mostly on the “career potential” aspect, Chris Kuper is an “excellent starting guard”, but Ryan Clady is a “good starter”. And why don’t they all follow the same format? Really hoping this unit gels well together this year!
if they all stay in the same position, they will gel together just fine.
Jerry Jones is Al Davis with a smile!
CHICAGO...Where Quaterbacks' careers go to die!
Why would anyone want to live in Oakland?
line
the games i watched it seemed to me the off line struggled alot. they looked to me like they were pushed back alot. Am I wrong, was what I saw just normal and I’m just too critical?
o line
Lot of talk on this sight about quarterbacks and defensive tackles but this o line is the most important part of the puzzle. I’ve read alot of bad press about knowshon the last couple of years and quite frankly I don’t get it. Knowshon has ran behind the worst offensive lines the Broncos have fielded in the 25 years of me watching. Obviously the scheme change(idiotic), Cladys injury, and starting 2 rookies had alot to do with that. I’ve never seen a runningback have to avoid tacklers behind the line of scrimmage more in my life. This line must come together for this team to have any success, I think it will.
by johnnyurrotten on Aug 5, 2011 11:19 AM MDT via mobile reply actions
Wish we had another RT option
I am not convinced with Franklin as a Tackle. I feel his skill set and experience lean toward a guard. Unfortunately, without Harris, I guess he is gonna have to play RT…at least Orton will be able to see the guy that’s about to crush him…Tebow is gonna his spine snapped.
RT
It is still amazing how fast Ryan Harris went from right side saviour to…SEE YA!!
by WYO(MF)BRONCOBOY on Aug 5, 2011 11:59 AM MDT up reply actions
Agreed, don't be surprised though if we pickup a player or two after the 1st or 2nd round of cuts
I am interested in bringing in Bryant McKinnie, the guy was a pro bowler, sounds like he got out of shape, but maybe a few weeks under Tuton pushing a sled around, he could be a servicable backup to either the LT/RT by the start of the season.
"Me fail english, that unpossible" - Ralph Wiggum
"Duffman is thrusting in the direction of the problem" - Duffman
"Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun" - Ash from Army of Darkness
"H.I., you're young and you got your health, what you want with a job?" - Evelle from Raising Arizona
"It happens sometimes. People just explode. Natural causes." - Agent Rogersz from Repoman
I would, if we had any decent youth as back-ups
"Me fail english, that unpossible" - Ralph Wiggum
"Duffman is thrusting in the direction of the problem" - Duffman
"Good, bad, I'm the guy with the gun" - Ash from Army of Darkness
"H.I., you're young and you got your health, what you want with a job?" - Evelle from Raising Arizona
"It happens sometimes. People just explode. Natural causes." - Agent Rogersz from Repoman
Profootballfocus scores for our Offensive Line - very interesting.
1. Clady: +13.8 – 9th best tackle overall
2. Beadles: +6.3 – 19th overall guard (his tackle rating was -13.3 so lets not play him there again!)
3. Walton: -15.8 – 54th overall center (out of 57!)
4. Kuper: -7.8 – 101st guard (good pass blocking, very poor run blocking)
5. Harris: -0.9 45th tackle overall.
Walton got better after week 12 so there is hope. Kuper is disapointing. Good to see Beadles play well at guard. As a second round pick I would hope so too.
What would Blackie Lawless do?
What would Blackie Lawless do?
Go blind in Texas?
by ConradA on Aug 5, 2011 12:08 PM MDT up reply actions 1 recs
Well going blind in Texas beats watching the Cowboys...
What would Blackie Lawless do?
by British Bronco on Aug 5, 2011 12:13 PM MDT up reply actions
^^ This ^^
Kuper has looked sensational in previous years, and definitely earned his new contract. He had a down year last year… but McDaniels was also screwing with the blocking scheme quite a bit. Clady is a first round pick with the athleticism to do well no matter the scheme, but Kuper is more scheme specific. With a return to more zone blocking plays, Kuper should excel again and start returning to his pre-2009 form.
"It is better to be rougly right than precisely wrong." - John Maynard Keynes
"Excellence can be obtained; if you care more than others think is wise…risk more than others think is safe…dream more than others think is practical…expect more than others think is possible." - Anonymous Author
by Alexander Wall on Aug 5, 2011 1:06 PM MDT up reply actions
Also keep in mind that Kuper kept getting out of position by having to help out Beadles at RT for almost half the season.
When Beadles was inside at Guard, Kuper played fine. When Beadles was at RT, he seamed to drag Kuper down with him, because that side was so exploitable. I think Franklin (by size alone) will bring a nasty presence to that right side, and a heavy anchor in pass blocking that Kuper can feel more confident about. This should be a really good year for or O-Line and should only get better as these guys gain experience/familiarity with each other.
"It is better to be rougly right than precisely wrong." - John Maynard Keynes
"Excellence can be obtained; if you care more than others think is wise…risk more than others think is safe…dream more than others think is practical…expect more than others think is possible." - Anonymous Author
by Alexander Wall on Aug 5, 2011 1:10 PM MDT up reply actions
Don't underestimate
Kuper in run blocking, be it zone or man. He is very capable of opening a hole.
It all starts in the trenches - HT 11/11/08
Leave the hateful vitriol to the uninformed - HT 3/16/09
Pass the koolaid please...
Hmmm love me some dominant OLineman. Hope yer right my man.
You can be dumb... that's ok! There are many dumb people.
You can be an a$$hole... that's ok! There are many of these as well.
Unfortunately you cannot be both...
Ok... prove me wrong.
@Colby..nice work
Starting OL will be graded after pre-season. Some were drafted for ZB, Clady and Kuper, some for power, Beatles and Franklin. Walton was the BPA at center and is the most improved.
This pre-season needs to have youth ‘show-up’, Clark, Olsen, Daniels, Byers, because if Hochstein is still a BU then we to pick someone off the 53 cut list.
Remember that the BU’s are the special teamers also so old guys create a problem
We've got one of the better sets of 5 starting OL in the league.
Our depth is kind of scary… but really… its improved over last year’s situation. Especially since we brought in a tough nasty player to fill Harris’ spot, who was one of the only guys that has gone down the last couple of years. Plus Clady is coming back 100% this year. We will have a big, nasty OL, that’s extremely athletic for their size (which will come in handy with zone blocking) who can still get up and drive the DL off the ball on running plays. It might take a couple years for us to draft some solid depth at OL, but luckily our starting 5 shouldn’t need to change too much over the next 5 years. This is a tight group that’s got lots of playing time together (minus Franklin) and should have great communication and teamwork, which will let their talent really shine.
"It is better to be rougly right than precisely wrong." - John Maynard Keynes
"Excellence can be obtained; if you care more than others think is wise…risk more than others think is safe…dream more than others think is practical…expect more than others think is possible." - Anonymous Author
Don't think you can...
look at o line as individuals. Its a unit and the Qb is a major part of that unit. I think the success in ’08 was partially line talent and partially Jay Cutler. He knew the offense and he got rid of the ball. he stepped up and scrambled when he needed to. our running backs had moderate holes… and did well considering they were 5th 6th 7th and 8th on the depth chart that year.
This years line has talent, so I think the line play will be all about the QB play.
Why is it that Franklin looks so much bigger than anyone else?
He isn’t even as big as Clady, but Franklin simply looks MASSIVE. Is it the complete lack of neck?
Mediocrity is like a lollipop: lick it once and you'll suck forever.
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