04-17-2021, 11:17 AM
(04-16-2021, 07:34 PM)TheLeonardLeap Wrote: Problem is Jonah has missed 26 games over the last 2 years. XSF has missed 23 games over the last 3 years.
As things currently stand, you're probably going to get an (un)healthy amount of backups playing.
With an OL of Williams/Spain/Hopkins/XSF/Reiff, they have played 16 games in a season a grand total of 3 seasons out of a possible 14 since the start of 2018. (Spain in '19, Hopkins in '18 and '19.) The only reliably healthy one of that group (Hopkins) is recovering from a Week 17 knee injury.
Yeah, this is a huge factor. XSF was the intended starter in 2020, and missed a ton of time. This put them right back into the practice of starting Redmond. Redmond is a tough player and works hard, but unfortunately he's just not good. They've had to press him into action over the last 4 seasons due to lack of depth and talent when injuries hit, and it takes a toll. XSF isn't going to suddenly turn into Quentin Nelson, but he's a solid enough player that the drop-off to Redmond is going to be a costly one, and it surely was. Spain may not be great, but I feel okay about him being here if he's in the backup role Redmond occupied last year.
Jordan is a head-scratcher. I still think he was a victim of circumstance. He never should have been starting games his rookie year. It'seasy to blame the staff for throwing him to the wolves, but they had little choice when Boling left, Glenn got "hurt", and Jonah never got out of the gate. they needed bodies so badly that Andre Smith and John freaking Jerry were in line to start. You're using duct tape and super glue at that point, and expecting that to work out when you're position coach is one of the worst in the league is unrealistic. I just hope Jordan's career isn't shot due to dammaged confidence. He's been through some rough times here, and a lot of players would be mentally spent after it. He needs a year to be groomed and build strength before we can toss him on the scrap heap IMO. Either way, I don't want to see him on the field in 2021.
Jonah's a tough one, too. He looks the part of a blindside protector. They have to get something out of him, and unlike others, I'm totally fine with moving him inside if that's what it takes. He's their best OL right now, and he has to stay out there.
As much as I bash them over lack of talent up front, neither line in the Taylor era was anything like the one they intended to roll out in the offseason. It would be nice to see players remain healthy and build some cohesion over a few games.
