****The biggest story that seems to be getting little attention this preseason is the struggle of rookie offensive linemen. The only one that I have seen perform consistently well has been Cowboys tackle Tyron Smith (which is surprising because I had this guy pegged as a bust during the draft). The other Cowboys rookie starting on the offensive line is 7th round pick guard Bill Nagy who's massive struggles have been documented by yours truly.
I have watched extensive film on numerous high draft picks expected to start immediately, with most of them showing the flashes that made them high draft picks, but struggling mightily with consistency. In years past highly drafted offensive linemen have been able to step in immediately and not only contribute, but play well (see Joe Thomas, Jake Long, Nick Mangold, etc). There is no guarantee of course that even in a normal year that the offensive linemen would have played better (see 2009 offensive line draft class), but the ability to learn their offense, work with their teammates and coaches all while getting accustomed to the rigors of the NFL would have no doubt helped out quite a bit. The rookies that I have looked at so far are Tyron Smith, Gabe Carimi, Jah Reid, James Carpenter, and Danny Watkins; one thing they all had in common was that they did not seem to know who to block unless there was a guy right on top of them.
The story on the Bears RT Carimi was that he had a rough camp, but played well once the lights came on....my assessment was a little bit different than O-Line Coach Mike Tice's. Of course the entire Bears line gave up 9 sacks in one game so maybe I shouldn't pick on Carimi to much. In the film I watched Carimi:
- Needed to work on his footwork, too often he seemed off balance.
- Lock on to a block once he engages, seemed to have trouble holding a block for the entire play.
- Showed a lot of indecisveness on where to go when he was pulling and did not get to the 2nd level well.
- When there was a tight end lined up on his side, he did not seem to know if the tight end was staying in to block, just chipping a player, or straight out releasing into a pattern.
- He did have a couple of nice "seals" though where he walled off one side of the hole for the running backs to go through, and he defeinetly had GREAT hustle!
Ravens rookie Right Tackle Jah Reid was a similar story with the entire offensive line struggling as a unit. Reid has the length to be able to guide pass rushers where he wants them to go, but he has to work on a few things to work on:
- Blocking to high (easy to do at 6'7) unable to get leverage on defenders, standing up to quickly and getting overpowered.
- When run blocking not getting his head across his opponent, losing position.
- Unsure of who to block at times and ends up standing there not blocking anyone
- What he does well is he has surprisingly quick feet and great balance for such a big guy.
- This is about Michael Oher and not Jah Reid, but in the film I watched of Oher he performed fairly well and I believe that an overweight and out of shape Bryant McKinnie is a bad move for the Ravens to make.
With Carpenter and Watkins, their demotions from the starting lineup says all that needs to be said. Carpenter who is now splitting reps with practice squad player Breno Giacomini, and Watkins who has lost his job to journeyman Kyle Devan
So what is the cause of the seemingly snail pace that rookie linemen are developing? My theory is probably the same as everyone else's, The Lockout. With the complexity of today's defenses and all the pre-snap movements, linemen have to think and react quicker than ever before, which is difficult when you have had six weeks to acclimate to the NFL.
The one team that seems to have played this just right, of course, the New England Patriots. They seem to have been the only team that realized that offensive linemen would have a hard time early on in the year and are allowing their first round pick Nate Solder to learn behind veteran linemen until he is ready to play.
****Another story that did/does not seem to be getting much attention is the addition of, in my opinion, one of the best inside linebackers in the NFL to the Titans defense, Barrett Ruud. He did not seem to attract much attention as a free agent, which is surprising to me, since I had him as the best linebacker available. After watching him play this preseason I am even more inclined to state that he will be an impact player for the Titans. Not only is he quick at diagnosing plays, he gets through traffic to get to the ball carrier with ease, is one of best pure tacklers I have seen in a while, and was surprisingly adept at dropping back into coverage (very Urlacher-esque).
So are there other stories that need to be addressed, but aren't getting the attention? You bet, I believe that the dismal showing of rookie quarterbacks in the preseason, with most of them being GIVEN a backup spot has not been talked about in depth. Also the new 3rd quarterback rule will make dual threat guys like Brad Smith that much more valuable to their teams this year, while Chris Gronkowski to the Colts has the potential to be a bigger move than most see.
Redskins Left Tackle Trent "Silverback" Williams looked incredible against the best the Ravens had to offer. He showed exceptional power in the run game, including one play where he missed his first block but hustled 10 yards down field and blocked a second guy. In pass protection he kept Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngata and Cory Redding statless, which is no easy task!
So there are some of my preseason observations, there are many more to come in the next few days!
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