If we bring this line back intact in 2014 we'll be shoved around and embarrassed. They simply aren't talented enough. Late season is never a good time to evaluate offensive linemen. That may not be intuitive, and in fact apparently senseless, but it holds up. The majority of games at this point of the season feature too much scrum activity in the trenches, far beyond earlier in the year. Not as much ferocity from the defensive front sevens. That's why some of the great running back performances of all time have accelerated greatly at the end of the season. Those backs like Simpson and Dickerson and Peterson never would have put up those final numbers if the game were played similarly as September and October. I have plenty of friends who like to bet player props. They always take the over in running back numbers in late season games. The defense is often skating around on sloppy field, for one thing. That levels out the talent aspect. That defensive lineman may be 30% superior to your offensive lineman in perfect conditions early in the year, but in the slop in December it can lead to a false impression of parity.
McKinnie really doesn't try to hit anybody in the running game. I posted that before we signed him. He knows where to move, to essentially wall off his man. It reminds me of cotillion when I was in junior high. For every additional year, he'll lose a few percent, a vital few percent. That said, there's no question he has been an upgrade in pass blocking and field smarts.
Clabo is playing at the same level as last season in Atlanta, when the Falcons were content to get rid of him. He was strangely far below that level for the bulk of the season. Again, the trend is downward. Always dangerous to ignore the logical trend in favor of overreacting to the most recent sample.
I don't know enough about Brenner. Might be a keeper. Narrow torso but moves well. I suspect he'd be trucked in August and September, some plays reminiscent of Martin against the 49ers last season.
Jerry is the same as always. I think he's actually interesting to watch because so few players have a frame like that. It reminds me of watching Leon Searcy play tackle for the Steelers years ago, and wondering what he might look like if he ever got in shape. Truthfully, it probably wouldn't have mattered much. That's one of those happy adjustments I always despise. If he got in shape he'd still be the same John Jerry, with decent athletic ability and football instincts but not ideal balance or explosiveness. Marginal starter.
I'm a Seantrel Henderson fan, to use a Canes reference. He might be a value add, in the 3rd or 4th round. Right tackle. That's the type of thing I look for, a big talent who is devalued. Henderson was the top rated player coming out of high school. He's had some minor off field issues and been in Golden's dog house sporadically. Lots of Canes fans have soured on him, based on expectation and result. Not a full time player. But if you watch him when he's out there and set aside the biases, he's quite effective and often tremendous, like against Werner of Florida State in 2012. I suspect Henderson will be a far better pro than collegian, like so many recent Canes.
McKinnie really doesn't try to hit anybody in the running game. I posted that before we signed him. He knows where to move, to essentially wall off his man. It reminds me of cotillion when I was in junior high. For every additional year, he'll lose a few percent, a vital few percent. That said, there's no question he has been an upgrade in pass blocking and field smarts.
Clabo is playing at the same level as last season in Atlanta, when the Falcons were content to get rid of him. He was strangely far below that level for the bulk of the season. Again, the trend is downward. Always dangerous to ignore the logical trend in favor of overreacting to the most recent sample.
I don't know enough about Brenner. Might be a keeper. Narrow torso but moves well. I suspect he'd be trucked in August and September, some plays reminiscent of Martin against the 49ers last season.
Jerry is the same as always. I think he's actually interesting to watch because so few players have a frame like that. It reminds me of watching Leon Searcy play tackle for the Steelers years ago, and wondering what he might look like if he ever got in shape. Truthfully, it probably wouldn't have mattered much. That's one of those happy adjustments I always despise. If he got in shape he'd still be the same John Jerry, with decent athletic ability and football instincts but not ideal balance or explosiveness. Marginal starter.
I'm a Seantrel Henderson fan, to use a Canes reference. He might be a value add, in the 3rd or 4th round. Right tackle. That's the type of thing I look for, a big talent who is devalued. Henderson was the top rated player coming out of high school. He's had some minor off field issues and been in Golden's dog house sporadically. Lots of Canes fans have soured on him, based on expectation and result. Not a full time player. But if you watch him when he's out there and set aside the biases, he's quite effective and often tremendous, like against Werner of Florida State in 2012. I suspect Henderson will be a far better pro than collegian, like so many recent Canes.
