I would keep Albert at LT, put Tunsil at RT and move James into RG. Let Bushrod and Turner battle for LG. I want Tunsil at one of the OT spots. Call me crazy,JMO. I think Albert will make a stink if you try to move him to OG.
I brought up the exact same scenario in another thread. I don't think it's a bad idea to have your two best players at tackle but....
I think we all have a pretty good idea on what is happening at those positions so it's probably a moot point. I would be very surprised if they moved Albert to guard in favor of Tunsil.
LT Albert
LG Tunsil
C Pouncey
RG Bushrod
RT James
That's pretty much what it is.... (4) tackles and a center. LOL. Really, the only question right now is who will win the RG spot. Omar said that he has been told that everyone inside the organization is saying that Bushrod will be the RG. That tells me it's probably someone else. :err: but in all seriousness, these guys should be the best 5 by a wide margin.
The good news is we have several options. Something we haven't had for years.
If someone were to beat out Bushrod at RG, he would be a great option for a reserve LT as insurance for Albert. Gase will not be running strictly zone blocking schemes this year and they did bring in some bigger guys who don't really fit the old regimes prototype. Most of the guys on the roster are around 6'5 & 310 range. The mantra this off season was "bigger, faster, stronger". I wonder how many from last years squad will actually be putting on muscle weight to go from 305 or 310 to the 315 or 320 range? If any... It sure seems that the our past three draft picks could use some added core strength.
Everyone talks about how strong Douglas was coming out of AZ ST but he hasn't shown it on the field.
Wrote Mike Huguenin:"He will be a third-year starter for the Sun Devils this fall, but this season he'll be at left tackle instead of guard, where he has started the past two seasons. Douglas is legendary in ASU's weight room, with a power clean of 385 pounds, a bench press of 430 and a squat of 565. He has gained 40 pounds since arriving at ASU, but his body-fat percentage is in the low teens. In addition, Douglas runs the 40 in under 5.0 seconds." "Jamil is a 303-pound guy and with his shirt off he looks like he's 265,''
So why did he only bench 28 reps at the combine last year? He sure as hell didn't run a sub 5, 40. He ran a 5.25 at the combine. That tells me he struggled a bit with the added weight or the Mike Huguenin is full of ****e.
Sort of contradicts his scouting report...
Douglas flashes enough potential to excite teams looking for athletic traits, but his lack of functional power will be hard to overlook for others. "He's got to get tougher and stronger. Everyone sees things differently so maybe another team will be sold on his athleticism, but I gave him a late grade based on what we want from our guards." -- AFC west scout. Finesse, left guard-only prospect. Draft Projection Round 5 or 6
Kraig Urbik is 6' 5 325.
Sam Young is 6' 8 332.
McClendon is 6' 3 325.
Turner will have to step his game way up to earn the RG spot. Is it even possible for Dallas Thomas to get better? We all have our doubts. Jamil Douglas is working as the backup center (along with McC and Carter) but will also get a shot at RG. I don't even know if ANY of these guys are better than Kraig Urbik. BT and DT could also benefit by getting stronger.
Then you have the bottom of the roster guys....Vinston Painter, Ruben Carter, Anthony Steen & John Ulrick. It's been so long since we saw a lineman step out from the shadows, I don't even know if it can happen. The last one I remember is Mark Dixon.
Having so many tackles and versatile guys this year probably allows us to keep fewer offensive linemen on the 53 man squad.
