What's going to happen at left tackle?

[Jville]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DavisHsuSeattle/status/791411216748912640[/tweet]

P.S. Cable also credits others for finding George Fant.

 

[LeftHandSmoke]

Am just guessing but in Basketball you're more likely to be taught and conditioned to very deftly get in the way but to ~avoid~ serious penalty-causing contact, right? Must be a tough mental adjustment.

WRT Gill needing to be more physical (needing to outmuscle guys like Nkemdiche) well: how do you coach someone to be the bigger physical beast?

 

[LeftHandSmoke]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DavisHsuSeattle/status/791411216748912640[/tweet]

P.S. Cable also credits others for finding George Fant.

Could be taken as Cable pointing the finger elsewhere, for what talent he has been handed down to try work with.

 

[mrt144]

Am just guessing but in Basketball you're more likely to be taught and conditioned to very deftly get in the way but to ~avoid~ serious penalty-causing contact, right? Must be a tough mental adjustment.

WRT Gill needing to be more physical (needing to outmuscle guys like Nkemdiche) well: how do you coach someone to be the bigger physical beast?

I don't know if you can teach more aggression rather just ways to channel whatever is there productively.

 

[Jville]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DavisHsuSeattle/status/791411216748912640[/tweet]

P.S. Cable also credits others for finding George Fant.

Could be taken as Cable pointing the finger elsewhere, for what talent he has been handed down to try work with.

It could be ...... but his tone in the linked audio sounded (to me) like he was appreciative of what college scouting found in Fant.

 

[LeftHandSmoke]

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DavisHsuSeattle/status/791411216748912640[/tweet]

P.S. Cable also credits others for finding George Fant.

Could be taken as Cable pointing the finger elsewhere, for what talent he has been handed down to try work with.

It could be ...... but his tone in the linked audio sounded (to me) like he was appreciative of what college scouting found in Fant.

Yes, you could also take that from how PC described the scouting of Fant, also today.

 

[NFSeahawks]

Ifedi to LT Odhiambo to RG. Or Odhiambo to LT and leave Ifedi at RG.

This makes the most sense.

Were you being sarcastic? Why would they move Ifedi to the other side of the line to play tackle?

 

[nanomoz]

It'd make sense to stick with Fant, adding some chip help. Gilliam, however, should be playing to keep his job. He was really awful. He makes Sean Locklear look like Breno (in terms of toughness).

 

[Seafan]

Sowell, Fant, Gilliam, Rees, Webb.

 

[Fade]

Webb over Gilliam could be something If you want to run the ball. That would be a lot of beef on the right side.

 

[Jville]

Webb over Gilliam could be something If you want to run the ball. That would be a lot of beef on the right side.

It certainly would. IIRC, Webb and Ifedi were the combo they originally envisioned.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DavisHsuSeattle/status/791411216748912640[/tweet]

P.S. Cable also credits others for finding George Fant.

Could be taken as Cable pointing the finger elsewhere, for what talent he has been handed down to try work with.

It could be ...... but his tone in the linked audio sounded (to me) like he was appreciative of what college scouting found in Fant.

Yes, you could also take that from how PC described the scouting of Fant, also today.

I circled around for a re listen of Cable's media event and Trent Kirchner was the man credited by Cable for finding George Fant.

 

[brimsalabim]

Tom Cable addresses left tackle questions and other questions about the offensive line >>>>

Video Link >>> [urltargetblank]http://www.seahawks.com/video/2016/10/26/tom-cable-week-8-press-conference[/urltargetblank]

Audio only Link >>> [urltargetblank]http://prod.video.seahawks.clubs.nfl.com/SEA/videos/dct/video_audio/2016/10-October/161026-cable-32k.mp3[/urltargetblank]

Thanks.

There's apparently a good chance that Sowell will play. My takeaway is that he would be the first choice, then a toss up between Fant and Rees (who both practiced at LT today in Sow's absence), but with Webb also in the mix.

So the injured guy who was awful when healthy is still a better choice than Fant ..
Then they want to turn around and tell us that Fant will be fine if it's him because he is such a quick study? Good
Grief I am losing respect for Paul Allen by the moment.

 

[Jville]

^^^ I know of no upside to becoming upset over evaluations or decisions we have no control over.

“The part that on the outside you wouldn’t understand unless you’re involved in it every day is, can they strain?” Cable said. “This is a hard game, you’re going to have failures right away, especially when you have a limited background. Can you handle those struggles? Can you recover? Then at the end of the day, is he really athletic enough and strong enough? Is there enough of his makeup that he can keep coming back, wanting to get better. If they can do that, they’ve got a chance.”

“I would say at the end of that first or second week we knew,” Cable said. “He’s really raw, a lot of issues and all that, but all he did was get better each day. He took coaching, and as we got into the preseason and started to play, you’re like, ‘he can do this.’ You just remember you’re dealing with someone where it’s like a blank slate, there’s nothing there. There’s 24 snaps now to his name.”

Ahead of the curve .... link >>> [urltargetblank]http://www.seahawks.com/news/2016/10/26/seahawks-rookie-george-fant-%E2%80%9Cway-ahead-curve%E2%80%9D-transition-offensive-line[/urltargetblank]

 

[HawkGA]

I vote Fant with chipping help from Tuk. And then for the rest of the season I vote whomever they feel like putting there with chipping help from Tuk. Seriously, let's game plan around having poor tackle play for once.

 

[tmobilchawker79]

This could be the making of something really special. If Fant picks things up as fast as they say he can...he could be this year's Thomas Rawls. Unknown talent coming into prominence.

I think it's a huge long shot, but why not?

 

[McGruff]

I think George Fant is incredible talented. I just don't know if a player this inexperienced can be a LT.

I would like to know if there is precedent in the last 25 years, having a player (ballpark wise) this inexperienced at the game of football being anything at LT.

Basketball player to TE makes perfect sense to me. Running down the seam is like running on the fast break. Catching the ball is like an alley oop. Posting up at times especially in the red zone. Rebounding translates to fighting for the ball when it's in the air, using your body to pin the defender.

For OT though.
In basketball getting in the chair, and moving your feet on defense is somewhat similar to mirroring a pass rusher. After that I don't see many skills translating to OL. It's a whole new world.

Tom Cable is either a genius, or delusional. As the years go by I am leaning towards the latter. (Please be a genius.)

Jason Peters is the closest comp that comes with mind.

 

[Fade]

I think George Fant is incredible talented. I just don't know if a player this inexperienced can be a LT.

I would like to know if there is precedent in the last 25 years, having a player (ballpark wise) this inexperienced at the game of football being anything at LT.

Basketball player to TE makes perfect sense to me. Running down the seam is like running on the fast break. Catching the ball is like an alley oop. Posting up at times especially in the red zone. Rebounding translates to fighting for the ball when it's in the air, using your body to pin the defender.

For OT though.
In basketball getting in the chair, and moving your feet on defense is somewhat similar to mirroring a pass rusher. After that I don't see many skills translating to OL. It's a whole new world.

Tom Cable is either a genius, or delusional. As the years go by I am leaning towards the latter. (Please be a genius.)

Jason Peters is the closest comp that comes with mind.

I wasn't aware of his back story. I am going to look it up, thx.

 

[McGruff]

I think George Fant is incredible talented. I just don't know if a player this inexperienced can be a LT.

I would like to know if there is precedent in the last 25 years, having a player (ballpark wise) this inexperienced at the game of football being anything at LT.

Basketball player to TE makes perfect sense to me. Running down the seam is like running on the fast break. Catching the ball is like an alley oop. Posting up at times especially in the red zone. Rebounding translates to fighting for the ball when it's in the air, using your body to pin the defender.

For OT though.
In basketball getting in the chair, and moving your feet on defense is somewhat similar to mirroring a pass rusher. After that I don't see many skills translating to OL. It's a whole new world.

Tom Cable is either a genius, or delusional. As the years go by I am leaning towards the latter. (Please be a genius.)

Jason Peters is the closest comp that comes with mind.

I wasn't aware of his back story. I am going to look it up, thx.

He had football background as a blocking TE, but had ever played OL before. Very raw, very athletic. UNDRAFTED out of college.

 

[Pie Romania]

I was a big fan of Fant pre-draft and hoping we would find a way to snag him as an UDFA, although I thought they would consider him along the D-Line if they could get him to play with aggression. As an OT prospect, I saw him along the lines of Terron Armstead potential whom I really liked also. With this said, I prefer NOT having Fant out there early on unless it is absolutely necessary. To say he is raw is an understatement and I believe his rookie season should be spent learning the position and improving (or obtaining) technique. Some might say the best way to do this is to play in games, but for someone so new to the position, I'd prefer not taking the chance of ruining what confidence he has at this time.

I'm not fond of Gilliam or Sowell, but if Sowell is out, I'd want to move Gilliam to LT. Yes, he is a liability, but his athleticism is much more suited on the left side and facing pass-rushing DE's as opposed to DE's with power who can bull-rush Gilliam like he is on skates. Gilliam-Glowinski-Britt-Ifedi-Webb is what I'm thinking with Ifedi/Webb being interchangeable on the right side.

As much as I dislike the idea of trading high draft picks for aging left tackles, there's just as much I would like about doing so. Reasons to consider trading for a proven veteran:
1.) As others have stated, finding a franchise LT is becoming more and more difficult these days. More players in HS and College want to play defense which leaves less talent to be molded at OT. Those few that are considered steals for the position are few and far between and even high 1st round picks are far from guaranteed studs.
2.) This coming free agent class is riddled with busts, below-average talent for the position, and one talented (but very seasoned) veteran in Andrew Whitworth. Take into account that just because they're scheduled to be free agents does NOT mean they will reach free agency, so that list of lackluster options will undoubtedly dwindle further the closer we get to free agency.
3.) The upcoming draft is also low on exceptional talent for the position. Sure, there are a couple tackles that (I believe) could come in and play well from day one, but those guys will likely be gone in the Top 10-15 picks. After that you're going to see teams reaching and by the time the Hawks are OTC, it wouldn't be a list you'd want to think about for very long. We all still remember the Hawks reaching on Justin Britt due to better talent flying off the board and the Hawks panicking, right? Sure, it appears Britt has found a home at center and I couldn't be more thrilled that he's able to contribute well for us, but prior to that he looked like a colossal bust we wasted a pick on that left us with the same problem at tackle as before.
4.) Say we obtain Joe Thomas or Joe Staley...They're both on the wrong side of 30 and could very well play sub-par (by theirs/our standards) compared to what we're used to seeing from them while they get acclimated to the system in Seattle, but even so, I don't think it would take long for them to adjust. No matter what, they'd be an instant upgrade at the position and would undoubtedly help protect our franchise QB who may very well have to take the field in a wheel chair by the end of the season. Also, having that kind of veteran presence, leadership, and knowledge would not only help others along our starting offensive line, but IMO would give Fant the best opportunity to learn and eventually succeed the position. Fant definitely has the height, weight, arm length, & athleticism for the position and it would allow him to be molded without having to break him of any bad habits since he hasn't had the time to truly develop any.

Reasons against trading for a veteran:
1.) Draft Compensation. At this point in the season, it will likely take more than a 2nd round pick to obtain either Thomas/Staley, regardless of what sports media people say. Put yourself in the situation of a team like the Browns who are perennial losers, have a high probability of obtaining the first overall pick in the coming draft, and are looking to rebuild their franchise with young talent. Any possible playoff contender that can't protect their QB will be facing an uphill battle. As we get closer to the trade deadline, more teams will be interested in fixing their hole at the position and it will become a supply & demand scenario where the price will rise substantially. That same player could be protecting their number 1 pick next fall and with the weak draft class at the position, that could drive the price up also. Then look at Joe Staley and the 9ers. There's no doubt in my mind that the last thing they want to do is improve the talent of a division rival and the only way they would do a trade is if we blew them away with an offer that beats out the next closest offer by a decent amount.
2.) Age. None of us know how much these players might have left in the tank. While some players perform admirably into their late 30's, there are also a lot who start rapidly declining. If this happened to be the case if such a trade was made, we'd be right back in the situation we're in now, but without a high draft pick or two. Ideally, we'd need the player to be at least above average for the next couple of years until there's a free agency period or draft class that is viable to find a replacement if Fant doesn't pan out or Ifedi stays strictly on the right side.

While I may not like the idea of trading a 1st or 2nd+ for an aging LT, I feel like it's the best idea in a list of mediocre (or worse) ones. It not only gives us a much better chance of winning another SB during our window of opportunity, but also keeps us from having to gamble with poor odds on unproven players from a weak positional draft class.

 

[LeftHandSmoke]

Decent post, Romania