Offensive Line

I know that it isn't just one area of this team that seems to not be living up to expectations, but I'd like to examine the offensive line a little bit.

Listing to NFL Radio on Sirius, they've made the case for other teams that perhaps it isn't coaching that could be the problem, it's talent. So, assuming that is the case with this offensive line, how could it be a lack of talent? How many high draft picks have they invested in this line? If anything, it seems as though they regress every year. How is that possible? Sure, some of the woes could be attributed to Ben holding the ball to long, but you should still be able to give your qb more than 2 seconds in the pocket before he has to start shuffling around because his line is like cheese cloth.

Who's to blame here? How could the team miss this badly, this often with offensive line picks? If we were to do what some fans suggest and blow up the whole team, who would you honestly keep? To me, there's really only two names I keep out of everyone. And that's Velasco and Beechum. I'd get rid of Adams (can't seem to block anybody), Foster (appears average at best), Pouncey (not worth what he's getting paid and is oft injured), Decastro (not lighting the world on fire in my opinion for where he was drafted), Gilbert (has he been regressing?), and Whimper (he's just awful).

And if I were to blow up the team, I honestly wouldn't even spend a single draft pick on the offensive line. Bring in UDFA's. Since they apparently can't get it right anyway, why waste the picks. Just gather a mess of bodies and see who works the best.

So, the TL/DR version: Why is this offensive line this bad?

 

I posted something very similar a couple weeks ago.

I think it's a case of playing out of position + youth + new scheme...

* Moving Mike Adams to the left side was a mistake. It's weakened two positions on the OL. Adams was really showing potential his rookie season on the right side, particularly in the run game. It was while he was healthy and starting on the right that we strung together those games of 100+ yard rushers. Moving him to the left has weakened the left and right spot. I would move him to the right to learn his permanent position and play Beach or Gilbert on the left side for the rest of the year. There's no left tackle on this roster. The team tried to make a run at Jake Long in the offseason, so they're willing to look at free agency. Jake Matthews or Taylor Lewan are very real possibilities in the first round in May.

* Other than that, the OL is showing promise. Foster is what he is... An average guard, but he's fine. Velasco has played well, especially considering the ciscumstances. David Decastro has some mental errors (keep in mind he has something like 8 starts in the NFL), but has shown he can be dominant, particularly when you get him out in space. Pouncey+DD+Bell could = a very dangerous screen game in the future.

I think the OL needs time to learn this new scheme and to gel. I think a quality left tackle would make this WHOLE offensive line look much much better... because like I said, I think upgrading that one position actually upgrades the right side as well.

 

Time to gel? Lmao! They've had a whole offseason working out together, ota's, minicamp, training camp, 4 preseason games, and 4 regular season games. They've had more than enough time to gel.

 

Well a lot of that time they weren't working with Velasco but he hasn't been the problem. To say this is not on the staff is grasping for straws I think. They drafted them. They evaluated them. They gave them a contract and a roster spot. They overpaid other guys to the detriment of the team overall and tied their hands to keep them from being able to release these bums and pay some guys that want to play. If you listen to WDVE you will hear so many excuses for Tomlin, DL, and Colbert it will make your head want to explode. This guy called yesterday and RIPPED Colbert BAD and I agreed with every bit of it and they just said "well Colbert works really hard and he's always at his office early and tries to help people" and I'm like "uhhhh probably 95% of the people in the NFL do that but we're not paying a guy to be at his office early. We are paying him to build a winner and clearly we are not doing that and the pieces he has put in place to secure our franchise qb have NOT panned out." But they just make excuse after excuse. It's infuriating really.

 

simply put. its the coaching. these guys were all very good college players. yes i know theres a big difference between college and the NFL, but to see the drastic drop is alarming. there are plenty of other teams that have rookies and 2nd year players on there oline and playing well.

its like the Steelers oline is were players come to forget how to play. stop drafting olineman and than making them change positions. draft a guy at the position he plays and leave him there. to me this is the biggest problem. are any of these guys playing at their best position?

with each passing week it is becoming more clear that this entire coaching staff is not very good and makes bad decisions and does a terrible job at putting the players they have in the best possible position to succeed.

 

in the strongest possible terms!!!

We've got to face the sad reality that the players on this team are not being coached up. All of these players, Hood, Heyward, Gilbert, Adams, DeCastro, J Jones, Worilds, Timmons, Pouncey (when healthy) and others were all VERY GOOD and even GREAT college players. Their play has diminished this year and in some cases, in previous years. We have the athletes on this team that have the ability to compete and win games. They just didn't forget how to play football. Our coaching staff, lead by our HEAD COACH, is not getting the most out of these players. The players, for whatever reason, are not responding to this coaching staff. We're getting outplayed and worse yet, outsmarted by the other team and that comes down to coaching, game prep, in-game adjustments. We're not seeing that. To borrow a phrase from a political campaign a few years ago: IT'S THE (COACHING) STUPID!

 

I don't think it is as simple as lack of talent. I think the one phrase I don't like Tomlin using is "position flexibility". I hate that term and it wreaks of weakness overall. If you are a great LT, you don't need to ever see a snap at RT, cause you should be able to pull it off. I don't need you to know every position, just know the 1 position we want you to play. Know that one, and do it well and we would be fine.

To me, they have some choices to make on this Oline especially if Foster is out for a while. They must choose between Adams and Gilbert for the RT spot. Make that decision permanent and move on from there. DeCastro is fine at RG and will only get better. C is a position where Pouncey should have it nailed down, but we need a backup cause he is always getting hurt. I like the guy we have now playing that role, maybe he makes sense for depth or even to move Pouncey to G. The loser of the Adams Gilbert battle becomes a backup OR you potentially look at Gilbert as a LG. Beachum also needs to be considered for some role.

Positionally this is how I see things:

RT - Adams or Gilbert. Personally I lean towards Adams cause he and DeCastro I think can make a good pair.

RG - DeCastro

C - Velasco or Pouncey. The question here becomes one of health. Can Pouncey play the position next year and stay heathy? Should he move to LG?

LG - I would use the rest of the year to make some choices here. Play Beachum and Gilbert both some at the LG position. When Foster comes back he also could be looked at here. Right after the offseason ends you must have a plan. Which of these 4 is going to be your starter: Beachum, Foster, Gilbert or Pouncey

LT - IMO, based on where we are picking one of 2 things must happen. We either bring in a UFA LT who is a stud and can hold that position allowing us to draft a Clowney or you take the top ranked LT on the board. No one we have on the roster can currently hold down the position UNLESS Adams somehow finds some mojo we don't know about.

 

I wonder what they do in practice because its definitely not translating on the field.

 

I've been overly critical of this group for a while and nothing hasn't been said about them.

What I wonder is who scouted Adams? And who suggested on picking this guy in the second round? That goes for Gilbert as well.

Not everyone is successful after having a stellar college career. (Tebow, JaMarcus Russell, Tony Manovich(sp), Robert Gallery) just to name a few. But how can we miss just not once, but twice or maybe three times.

DeCastro just needs to get stronger.

Foster wouldn't start on most teams.

Pouncey should be the starting center if he's totally recovered from his knee injury.

Velesco should challenge Foster for the starting LG position.

Then like someone mentioned, either we sign someone to the LT position or we move up in the draft to take the best left tackle in the draft.

In the meantime, bench Adams period. Move Beachum to the left tackle position and have someone play LG. Even if it's signing someone from someone's practice squad.

 

I think Velasco may challenge Pouncey for the starting center position. If he does, Pouncey could move to guard.

 

This is what I would like to see happen.