Last year, Justin Britt was a lightening rod for many an impatient critic. Position theory states that an offensive line is only as strong as its' weakest link. The post of "v1rotv2" addresses the subject of rookies as probable opportunities of weakness. So with all the Wilson love and the time honored tradition of beating up a linemen over a missed or defeated block, there was little surprise that Britt would be heavily targeted by critics. In year two there seems to be plenty of evidence of a carry over effect from his rookie year at right tackle to his first year at left guard. I think carryover criticism is and was predictable. Justin Britt has made good progress in learning the left guard position. I suspect he has yet to zero in on his best playing weight. Britts' best games are clearly in his future. Tom Cable needs some year to year continuity in the line. Britt looks like he can continue to provide that while upgrading his game.
An important trait that impatient critics overlook is flexibility, durability and resilience. Justin Britt has logged the most snaps, among offensive linemen, again this year. JR Sweezy follows with the second most snaps for two consecutive years. And this year, Garry Gilliam has moved into the #3 spot for most logged snaps in his first year as a starter. Considering that Gilliam acknowledged that he was under strength, I find his durability both remarkable and encouraging.
With regards to Garry Gilliam, the early season weakness in run (power) blocking off of right tackle was, IMO, noticeable. However to Bevell's credit, play calls remained true to the principle of minimizing tendencies by resisting the temptation of avoiding a weak link or direction. That gave Gilliam the necessary opportunities to learn and build on his strength and technique. Off season photos of Gilliam showed a fit and taunt athlete that looked, to my eye, like a jumbo tight end. Last Sunday one could see a hint of a lineman's belly. To my eye he continues to add mass and strength as the season progresses. He continues to make good progress in his transition into a NFL starting tackle. His ceiling has become a bit of an unknown for me. But, I have little doubt his best games are in his near future.
