I am a Breno supporter.

[themunn]

Not to piss on the parade:
http://12thmanrising.com/2013/03/24/rea ... giacomini/

Take it for what it's worth. I like Breno's grit and venom, and all the intangibles we seem to love about a "nasty" O-lineman, but I'll take technique and production over piss and vinegar every time. I hope Breno improves.

It's quite clear though that he improved a LOT in the second half of the season, and those 2 really bad games were BOTH against the Rams, who (IMO) have the best D-Line in the league.
Also, he graded out quite poorly, however were there any other RTs in the league that suffered the amount of rotation at RG that Breno had, with Moffit, Sweezy and McQuistan all putting up snaps across the season

 

[HagFaithful]

Agreed - he's done an admirable job with the role he was given and ended the year trending in the right direction. Also, it's a matter of who do you bring-in to replace him? I'm not a GM, so that's not my job. And I definitely "like" Breno, love watching him play the game, respect the teammate he is, etc....but to me, we need to be honest about addressing our weaknesses. Breno (and RT) is currently one of our weaknesses, IMO, and that makes me nervous when so much of our success next year depends on the guy he's protecting.

I think we neutralized a lot of the issues Breno was having (and "reduced" them in the second half of the season) the more we implemented and utilized the ZR Option. It made defensive ends freeze and read instead of attacking Breno at full-speed with a full arsenal of moves. I'm not sold on calling that Breno's "improvement". Regardless, I'm comfortable with Breno competing for the job next year and I genuinely believe he's going to get better in his technique, discipline and production with continued coaching from Cable. I will also say he's got a really high ceiling if he combines technique and production with his vim and vigor.

 

[Scottemojo]

Not to piss on the parade:
http://12thmanrising.com/2013/03/24/rea ... giacomini/

Take it for what it's worth. I like Breno's grit and venom, and all the intangibles we seem to love about a "nasty" O-lineman, but I'll take technique and production over piss and vinegar every time. I hope Breno improves.

It's quite clear though that he improved a LOT in the second half of the season, and those 2 really bad games were BOTH against the Rams, who (IMO) have the best D-Line in the league.
Also, he graded out quite poorly, however were there any other RTs in the league that suffered the amount of rotation at RG that Breno had, with Moffit, Sweezy and McQuistan all putting up snaps across the season

Those are excuses. I have seen a lot of those in this thread.
Breno is in the final year of his deal. He has not been re-signed, and his penalties very well could have been the difference last year in not getting a home playoff game. Money he could cost may be needed to keep other players. He is slated to make 3.5 million this year. What will he want next year?

There are two players so far that could be there in the second round that could replace him from day one, IMO.

 

[LawlessHawk]

Sure there's a lot of love for Breno around here, me included, and why not? But I doubt there's anyone on this forum, aside from Breno's mom, that would bat an eye or shed a tear if Breno lost out to any player, rookie or vet, that the coaches brought in to compete for the job... it's what we've grown accustomed to the last few years. Survival of the fittest... it's the basis of all life on this planet.

 

[Attyla the Hawk]

Those are excuses. I have seen a lot of those in this thread.
Breno is in the final year of his deal. He has not been re-signed, and his penalties very well could have been the difference last year in not getting a home playoff game. Money he could cost may be needed to keep other players. He is slated to make 3.5 million this year. What will he want next year?

There are two players so far that could be there in the second round that could replace him from day one, IMO.

I do have to agree. The cost for a very average RT has to be considered prohibitive. And even if we go along with the improvement theme as indicated by the graphical data supplied -- Giacomini pretty much improved to 'not bad, not good' standard. Even though I like him, I can see the ability to achieve impactful improvement by replacing him.

Also, this team is different now. Before, we didn't have much value to protect. We have a franchise QB now. And despite his ability to reduce risk by way of mobility -- all one has to do is rewatch the Rams game in week 17 to recognize that mobility does not equal risk free.

We have to do a much better job of protecting that investment. That is a new mandate. Giacomini's new standard of mediocre is not sufficient.

I still am not sold we'll go RT in round 2. But I would think one or even 2 RT prospects could be called on day 3. And I'd be perfectly ok with going RT in round 2, even if it would mean hearing Rob's cries of anguish across the ocean.

 

[Happypuppy]

It's hard to argue with stats. Football Focus points out he is (based on peer comparison) a bottom rung RT. He did cut back on penalties in the 2nd half but only relative to the first season half. I like PC 's mantra of competing. If he is the best we option we have so be it, but he will have to prove it camp and preseason.