Howabout Addressing the Offensive Line?

[inFINSible]

You're missing the point entirely. You only see one problem and one solution and must have felt like the entire draft should be devoted to the OL. Ehhhhh, doesn't work that way.

Nobody in here thinks our linemen are the best but I'll ask you again what was your solution to fixing the problem with regard to this draft?

You've yet to name a lineman we should have taken over Roth or Crowder.

Drafting 7 OL every year isn't the solution. Belichick doesn't do it, in fact this is the first year he's invested a high pick on an OL since Matt Light.

I guess you feel that we're going into this season with the exact same product we had on the OL as was the case in August 2004.

You're wrong.

Way wrong. :up:

 

[Da 'Fins]

My view on the OL is this. The top three reasons we failed was not the talent level. Several points from last year and this year indicate our OL will be better:

Last Year:
1) The line audible system was a disaster;
2) The O-line coaching was terrible;
3) We had no one to compete at LT;
4) The offensive scheme was as bad as any in the NFL in years; it was a complete disaster. In fact, the entire offensive coaching staff was in complete disarray.

This Year:
1) We have a much better offensive scheme with a genuine O-coordinator.
2) We have a great O-line coach who will improve each player as well as the entire line system.
3) We've added a starting RT (McDougle), a competitive OG (Damion Cook) and a very good LT prospect.
4) There will be strong competition at C, LT, RG.
5) The O-line is still VERY young!


This OL may not be great next year, but it will be healthier, more competitive, more talented, better coached with a better offensive scheme. It certainly has the players to become very good. I think you have to let the coaches coach them and see how they develop.

When you look at the offensive front 5 compared to the defensive front 7, we are much older on the defensive front. We needed a youthful influx.

 

[Steve S]

My view on the OL is this. The top three reasons we failed was not the talent level. Several points from last year and this year indicate our OL will be better:

Last Year:
1) The line audible system was a disaster;
2) The O-line coaching was terrible;
3) We had no one to compete at LT;
4) The offensive scheme was as bad as any in the NFL in years; it was a complete disaster. In fact, the entire offensive coaching staff was in complete disarray.

This Year:
1) We have a much better offensive scheme with a genuine O-coordinator.
2) We have a great O-line coach who will improve each player as well as the entire line system.
3) We've added a starting RT (McDougle), a competitive OG (Damion Cook) and a very good LT prospect.
4) There will be strong competition at C, LT, RG.
5) The O-line is still VERY young!


This OL may not be great next year, but it will be healthier, more competitive, more talented, better coached with a better offensive scheme. It certainly has the players to become very good. I think you have to let the coaches coach them and see how they develop.

When you look at the offensive front 5 compared to the defensive front 7, we are much older on the defensive front. We needed a youthful influx.

Great post. You can't argue with any of those points. Unless you're so blind that you think you have to keep drafting players at a weak position until the whole unit is at an all-Pro level.

 

[LarryFinFan]

I feel the exact same way. He really hasn't done much to address our Swiss Cheese. I hope my husband is right when he tries to convince me that coaching will do it...

You all must have forgotten about the biggest move Saban made to correct our OL problems...Hudson Houck. The OL scheme we used last year was completely off base. The OL was blocking for one system while the play was designed for another. The whole offensive scheme was screwed up last year because a) Turner left, b) the scheme was developed around RW, who also left at the last minute. c) we had a makeshift scheme that was put in by several different O coaches with different ideas as to how it should be run and d) no direction from the top (Wanny). This won't happen this year. We have decent talent on the OL, and if they are put into a scheme that can work and works in conjunction with the passing and running games, we'll be much better. And finally, a great RB makes even a porous OL look better (just look at our OL for the two years RW was running wild...inferior talent, poor scheme, great RB). We have things in place to be a much better offensive team...now, that plan has to be executed by the players and we'll have to wait and see how well they adapt, but I have confidence in Saban, Linehan and Houck that we won't have a repeat of last years performances...

 

[arsenal]

another reason our line looked so bad i think people are forgetting is because we got blitzed 75% of the time... (remember when we didn't get blitzed? first qtr against the bills)

no teams line will look good when they have more guys coming than we have to block em... our offensive coordinator having no hot routes had no way to exploit an opposings team blitz so basically they were able to blitz blitzl blitz some more which obviously put lots of pressure on the QB and made the line look worse...

if we're facing less blitzes by having schemes that can exploit it (quick ins/outs, hot routes) our line will also fare much better...

but even as we saw as the season progressed the line got better as they played more as a unit, now going in another season with only 1 new player on the line (mcdougal) they are going to do much much better...