The Front Office Rolled The Dice With The OL And ...

[LeftHandSmoke]

The general consensus is that the interior guys are playing well, despite their inexperience, and that they will improve with game-to-game experience and up-coaching. Fair enough, we've seen a clear history of OL improvement during recent Seahawk seasons.

The questioning is more around the tackles but why not make the same assumptions about their ability to improve throughout the season? They are certainly 'physical' (and young and big) enough to get good, most certainly motivated enough, and just like the interior men also have the coach's best hopes and attentions to improve. Webb may be too set in his ways but all the others, yes including Sowell, must surely have the potential to build upon, right?

By some stats this group is close to or even ahead of last year's line at this week of the season. With an arguably higher upside because of their youth and the ongoing learnings.

How much time does Gilliam get?

What's an acceptable current performance/future potential tradeoff? Seems to me we're consistently high on future potential and not so much on current performance.

I guess we'll see how much time Gill gets, see how much he will (hopefully) improve. But there is also potential growth there, as Cable is clearly convinced of.

When guys with the obvious experience of PC and TC express short-term criticism but also solid confidence about improvements to come, well that's encouraging talk. They have reputations, which can be earned only through years of straight talking.

 

[DavidSeven]

Honestly, you have to wonder how viable Cable's "use no-name athletes to clip people" system is going to be under the new chop block rules. Some suggest we are using more traditional blocking now, but that's not Cable's forte, and that's showing up (in a bad way) in the rushing stats.

 

[LeftHandSmoke]

Honestly, you have to wonder how viable Cable's "use no-name athletes to clip people" system is going to be under the new chop block rules. Some suggest we are using more traditional blocking now, but that's not Cable's forte, and that's showing up (in a bad way) in the rushing stats.

An earlier poster somewhere here also suggested that the ZBS run-game relies basically on chop-blocks. That was not my understanding of it but am willing to be educated. Does it, more so than the way other teams run block?

 

[CodeWarrior]

We're doing fine this year.

Expenditures don't correlate to quality. Why don't you actually go to the tape, break down the OL performances, and discuss who's doing well and who's not?

I'd say this offense is far from fine.

We are 29th in points per game. That is unacceptable for a team with a franchise QB. The only teams putting up fewer points that us are:

30.) The Case Keenum led LA Rams
31.) The Brock Osweiler led Houston Texans
32.) The Jay Cutler*/Brian Hoyer/Matt Barkley led Chicago Bears

 

[Jville]

Honestly, you have to wonder how viable Cable's "use no-name athletes to clip people" system is going to be under the new chop block rules. Some suggest we are using more traditional blocking now, but that's not Cable's forte, and that's showing up (in a bad way) in the rushing stats.

An earlier poster somewhere here also suggested that the ZBS run-game relies basically on chop-blocks. That was not my understanding of it but am willing to be educated. Does it, more so than the way other teams run block?

Don't believe that. Chop blocks are illegal.

The ZBS does make use of cut blocks.

There is a difference.

 

[chris98251]

Cut blocks are legal within 5 yds of the line of scrimmage if memory serves, we use that to full advantage, outside of that they are illegal, but yeah Chops are illegal anywhere now, used to be you could use them legally in certain situations.

 

[theENGLISHseahawk]

Is it still rolling the dice when you invest 14 draft picks and 3 of your 6 first picks on the Oline? Or is it the Oline coach is pure garbage and can't develop talent?

This idea that simply because you spend the picks it should automatically equal the Dallas Cowboys O-line has to stop.

Also, the idea that every first round pick has to be a 12-year ROH candidate has to stop.

The Seahawks got everything they could out of Okung and then moved on. He isn't playing any better anywhere else. The Carpenter pick was a raving success compared to the OL taken just before and the two just after him in the 2011 draft. Ifedi is about five games into his career.

Cable has also helped get a solid four years out of a converted DL, he turned Unger from afterthought into vital veteran. He made Breno into a solid acquisition and he managed the OL during an eight game stretch in 2013 (SB year) where they had to start Paul McQuistan at left tackle.

And right now we're watching a left tackle who played basketball at HS doing fairly well as a rookie at left tackle. Not to mention Britt's emergence at center.

Plus every 2-3 years he's basically been challenged to completely revamp the OL with hardly any consistency in personnel.

 

[sdog1981]

Is it still rolling the dice when you invest 14 draft picks and 3 of your 6 first picks on the Oline? Or is it the Oline coach is pure garbage and can't develop talent?

This idea that simply because you spend the picks it should automatically equal the Dallas Cowboys O-line has to stop.

Also, the idea that every first round pick has to be a 12-year ROH candidate has to stop.

The Seahawks got everything they could out of Okung and then moved on. He isn't playing any better anywhere else. The Carpenter pick was a raving success compared to the OL taken just before and the two just after him in the 2011 draft. Ifedi is about five games into his career.

Cable has also helped get a solid four years out of a converted DL, he turned Unger from afterthought into vital veteran. He made Breno into a solid acquisition and he managed the OL during an eight game stretch in 2013 (SB year) where they had to start Paul McQuistan at left tackle.

And right now we're watching a left tackle who played basketball at HS doing fairly well as a rookie at left tackle. Not to mention Britt's emergence at center.

Plus every 2-3 years he's basically been challenged to completely revamp the OL with hardly any consistency in personnel.

How was Unger an afterthought? He was an All-American lineman in college and a second round draft pick.

Lets look at some of the better low draft pick lines in the NFL.

Panthers
LT Vet minimum FA
LG UDFA
C 2nd round 2007
RG 3rd Round 2014
RT UDFA

Washington DC
LT 1st RD 2010
LG Vet minimum FA
C 3rd round 2014
RG 1st round 2015
RT 2rd round 2014

Atlanta
LT 1st RD 2014
LG Trade
C Trade
RG Vet minimum FA
RT UDFA

Other teams are able to identify and build lines on the cheap. I think Cable has had a hard time adjusting to the new CBA that limits contact during OTA and training camp.

 

[theENGLISHseahawk]

How was Unger an afterthought? He was an All-American lineman in college and a second round draft pick.

Go back and see where he was when Cable arrived in Seattle.

He was not in the good books with this team. For a while it actually looked like they might move him on.

Cable arrived in 2011 and suddenly he became the one consistent and prominent feature on the OL.

 

[seahawkfreak]

Cut blocks are legal within 5 yds of the line of scrimmage if memory serves, we use that to full advantage, outside of that they are illegal, but yeah Chops are illegal anywhere now, used to be you could use them legally in certain situations.

Yes they are. There is a difference between a cut and chop. There were only a couple types of chop blocks that were legal which I wont go into because it is extremely contrived. The point is our zone blocking depends on cut blocking not chop blocking, never has, except maybe in some rare plays. Again, most types of chop blocks have, at least, for the last 30+ years have been illegal. Cut blocking is totally legit, despite what Michael Bennett says about them, training to avoid cut blocking is a staple of football at all levels.

 

[Seafan]

The OL may be bad but last year's was worse. The problems with RW had little to do with the OL. The running game has been great over the years in spite of the OL. That was mostly due to Beast. When he lost a step it was over. If PC wants a stout running game the team will need to invest in a great RB or invest in an OL like the 'boys. Right now the offense is extremely limited. RW and TR aren't what they were last year.