Smith started due to injuries to our starters. I would be VERY surprised if he (3rd round selection btw) got more than scraps for playing time last year had our OL been healthy.
This is my problem with drafting OL in roudn 1 guys. We have two starting tackles, and a versatile backup tackle. I don't see Carey starting this year IF Mac is really healthy. If that's the case, we used a first rounder for a posssible stop-gap tackle until Mac got better. Doesnt' seem too smart to me, we could have gotten a stop gap FA tackle (randall) relatively cheap, and not costing us a 1st round pick.
We now have this. A 2nd year OT that played pretty well (didn't do great, but he was a rookie that wasn't intended to start, and was forced into the position) and should be a solid tackle this year, and down the road. I like smith a lot.
Macintosh, who has an injury problem, but MAY be ready to go, and whom we just signed to a good chunk of a contract. Not breaking the bacnk, but if I remember correctly, he got a decent bonus, and won't be particularly fun to unload if it comes to that.
Carey. A taclke who struggled at guard, but who is a rookie, and we just spent a first round pick on.
I'm not sold at Carey as our Tackle, i think it's a big jump to start tackle your rookie year. Granted he's a RT, easier to flide into than LT, but still. So then we think about putting him in at guard. However, he didn't play very well at guard during college. But he was injured, etc.
So when it comes down to it, it's possible that we have 3 starting calibre tackles on this team this year. A little over kill, but none are breaking the bank, and this is all contingent on Mac being 100% when the season starts. But does it make you see that our OT position wasn't as desperate as people made it out to be? Randall was on the table, a 2 time superbowl starting tackle, who has skill, and has underachieved. Could have come cheap, and been a stop gap until Mac got back, etc. etc. And wouldn't have cost us a 1st.
well, you get the gist of it. I don't see Carey starting rookie year over mac if he's 100%. I don'tth ink he'll be, but if he is, we didn't spend that kind of money on Mac to ride the pine, and we'll have used a 1st on a tackle that probaly won't start there,w hen we could have used a 2nd or 3rd on a guard who can't play tackle, but would start there.
We'll see though, glad to see we have too many OL than too little.