The truth about our O-line situation.

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

(08-07-2018, 01:12 PM)Whodey614 Wrote: I've been lurking this place for a year or two now and I finally made the decision to join. Just wanted to add my thoughts.

I genuinely think we're solidified on the left side. Glenn is a proven left tackle and will absolutely not be worse than Ogbuehi. Those who are expecting Whitworth level from him are unrealistic, but he's still solid. That's all we need for now. Anything more than solid from Glenn will just make the team even better. He's gotten burned by Carl Lawson a few times in camp but how many left tackles could handle Lawson last year? I think we should just expect Lawson to have a 15 sack caliber year. Boling even sandwiched in between Ogbuehi and Bodine still graded out as a pretty good guard. We know what to expect from him. I think he could actually have the best year of his career playing next to a former teammate and a legit center for the first time in his career.

Billy Price. R-E-L-A-X. He will get it together. Most of us expect rookies to automatically come in and start firing at all cylinders against seasoned defensive veterans. He will have good plays and bad plays. There is a learning curve he has to go through playing in an entirely different playstyle in the NFL. He is not Russell Bodine who f'd up play after play for Dalton and the running backs. We haven't heard anything about Price getting pushed back into the backfield every other play in practice. Even if Price is just average this season, that's more than we've gotten from a center in the last decade. That doesn't mean he won't grow into a fine center that can anchor the line for years to come.

Right guard I'm ok with. Hopkins got significantly better as the blocking scheme changed after the midway point last year. I'm really pulling for Westerman though, he has a lot of potential and I hope he can get back to speed soon.

Right tackle is where it gets tricky. The idea of Hart being our best RT as of right now is scary. I refuse to buy into any Ogbuehi hype. I don't care if he held his own against prime Julius Peppers in one meaningless practice, he's destroyed our last 2 seasons and as much as I want to believe that Frank Pollack is a miracle worker, I just won't see it until I believe it. I don't have a lot of hope in Fisher either but I think he's our best option. Kent Perkins has been getting praise in camp. I'm interested to see what he has in more than just one drive against the Ravens. I've seen the idea of Redmond playing RT thrown around here but is Pollack actually considering it? I think Redmond is a fine mauler but his pass blocking leaves a lot to be desired for. If he can't handle a DT I wouldn't want to put him against Khalil Mack or Von Miller.

The Bengals offensive line in 2011 and 2012 had some struggles and they still made the playoffs both of those years. Even in 2015 when PFF had us as a top 3 O-line in the whole league, they had issues at C and RT and had trouble running the ball. Worst case scenario we're looking at

LT: B
LG: B
C: C+ (could go higher if Price improves his snapping and his run blocking is as advertised)
RG: C
RT: D

for the o-line in 2018. I think that's doable.

And who's to say the Bengals won't be on the market after rosters start cutting players?? We've preached all offseason about how the organization is more aggressive at making moves and bringing outside guys in. I don't believe Pollack is Paul Alexander. If he sees that one of the guys at RG/T can't do the job we will bring other options in. I would keep an eye out on the situation in Oakland. They have 2 young tackles there that could push Donald Penn out of the door. I would immediately jump on that opportunity. It's clear that building the o-line is going to be a 2-year process. If we get the left side and middle worked out, we can focus on those 2 holes in the draft and FA next year.

I'd hate to bring up the past but imagine if the Browns didn't screw up that McCarron trade. We could've drafted Will Hernandez or Braden Smith to play G and drafted Orlando Brown or one of the other tackles in the 3rd. I think a lot of us would be breathing easier. I still believe that right guard will work itself out. We just need someone at RT to not be a total trash bag. Most importantly, Pollack's scheme will bring out the best physically and skillfully in our linemen and we become a dangerous offense.

Welcome aboard.....homerun of a first post. :andy: