02-28-2017, 09:44 PM
(02-28-2017, 08:57 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: You say 2 really bad players on the OL, like it's some small thing. It's 40% of the OL... It's also much trickier to fix, than what might meet the casual observer's eye.
OL gains part of their strength as a unit, from playing beside one another. They know each other's strengths, weaknesses, all of each other's hobbies, interests, and names of all their immediate family members. Simply drafting a couple of prospects and plugging them in, just doesn't really work that well. It takes reps together, as a unit, to develop cohesiveness.
Best scenario for the OL is to re-sign Whit, do their best to re-sign Zeitler, and make some hard choices concerning the developmental players that they have under contract. They really swung and missed on Ogbuehi, and this is generally considered a weak draft class, as far as LT prospects go. The real replacement needs to be at OL coach (but we know that won't happen). So, even though I hate Bodine, and really think that his ass sucks canal water, he did show at least signs of improvement, as last year wore on. On the bench, we saw limited action from TJ Johnson, and he looked rather underwhelming. Aside from preseason reps, crickets from Westerman and Hopkins, so that tells me that the staff isn't comfortable with either of them. Jake Fisher, I think that he will continue to develop into a reliable to good player at RT.
Best short term remedy is to get a veteran G, in the likely event that Zeitler is no longer with the team. A veteran will adapt more quickly than a fresh body, from the standpoint of melding in with existing personnel. Step two, draft heavy on the interior of the OL. This is a great year to load up on C and G, why not take advantage of it? As for LT, we will have to hope that Whit can maintain his level, and really hope that next year's class is better than this year's.
I was going to say something similar. 40% of the line has issues and we're likely losing Zeitler and possibly Whitworth. Boling is the only guy that we know will be back for sure that can play. All of the rest of the guys are question marks. Fisher is still a question mark too in my mind.
Oh...and the team website is talking about how they have $15 million total to spend in free agency...so you can't just sign free agents to plug it.
