The latest trend on the board now that Fant is emerging is that our line is in great shape as long as we can find a replacement for Garry Gilliam. He is clearly the new whipping boy after Britt (in his 3rd year as a starter) came around and Fant replaced Sowell. I for one think Gilliam is part of the reason our line is shaping up to be a strength, now and in future years.
Gilliam started the offseason at LT. For a variety of reasons - primarily because Webb was injured and did not earn the job - Gilliam was moved over to RT. Most people seem to assume that it was because Sowell beat him out, but I don't think that's clear. Cable says repeatedly that he wants to get his best five players on the field, so essentially Sowell beat out Webb. The promise that Fant showed at LT probably made the decision to move Gilliam back to RT a little easier.
Gilliam started this past week over Webb, Sowell, and Odiambo. That means he beat them out and is one of the five best players we have on the offensive line. The recent criticism of Gilliam seems to stem more from the assumption (based on his lack of experience as well as his uneven performances early in the season) that Gilliam sucks rather than an actual source (such as Cable or Caroll, or an article by an analyst, or even a personal observation).
It's fair to say that it takes a while to settle in on the OL - Britt should serve as evidence for that. Gilliams TC injury, combined with his move back to the right side, combined with the fact that he's playing next to a rookie, are all valid reasons for why he may have had a rough start to the season.
I'm of the mind that the OL that we started the Philly game with might be the group that turns in to a top unit long term. They are young, cheap (for now), and talented across the board, with the versatile Odiambo providing depth and competition along with Hunt. Gilliam still has a lot of upside, his play is steadily improving over the course of the season, and he and Fant give us excellent athleticism as bookend tackles. The future on the OL is bright and Gilliam is part of the reason why.
Gilliam started the offseason at LT. For a variety of reasons - primarily because Webb was injured and did not earn the job - Gilliam was moved over to RT. Most people seem to assume that it was because Sowell beat him out, but I don't think that's clear. Cable says repeatedly that he wants to get his best five players on the field, so essentially Sowell beat out Webb. The promise that Fant showed at LT probably made the decision to move Gilliam back to RT a little easier.
Gilliam started this past week over Webb, Sowell, and Odiambo. That means he beat them out and is one of the five best players we have on the offensive line. The recent criticism of Gilliam seems to stem more from the assumption (based on his lack of experience as well as his uneven performances early in the season) that Gilliam sucks rather than an actual source (such as Cable or Caroll, or an article by an analyst, or even a personal observation).
It's fair to say that it takes a while to settle in on the OL - Britt should serve as evidence for that. Gilliams TC injury, combined with his move back to the right side, combined with the fact that he's playing next to a rookie, are all valid reasons for why he may have had a rough start to the season.
I'm of the mind that the OL that we started the Philly game with might be the group that turns in to a top unit long term. They are young, cheap (for now), and talented across the board, with the versatile Odiambo providing depth and competition along with Hunt. Gilliam still has a lot of upside, his play is steadily improving over the course of the season, and he and Fant give us excellent athleticism as bookend tackles. The future on the OL is bright and Gilliam is part of the reason why.
