kearly":3o0odtch said:
I doubt think Watt could be any worse for us than Smith was, my real concern is McQuistan. Apparently he is getting the nod at LT again this week. That seems really stupid to me with Bailey available. Maybe Bailey hasn't looked as good in practices?
Yeah, this is a bit of a headscratcher for me as well, as you're talking about potentially weakening not just 1 ... but 2 positions along that offensive line. It doesn't seem a like a wise move IF Bailey were 1/2 the player that he showed us during the preseason.
Here's my take on what they might be thinking in regards to the LT spot and what the plan could be ...
Carroll said that they'll start McQuistan this week with Carpenter shifting over to LG. Those are givens. He also though talked about Bailey and Bowie and the fact that they'll have to
"step up and get ready to play as well." (Carroll's words from his Wed. Press Conference) The Jacksonville game really provides the Seahawks coaching staff a unique opportunity, as I believe they're going to treat this like a Preseason game in many ways. If the game goes the way many of us think it'll go, I believe you're going to see Tavaris Jackson and the backups in there by the 3rd Quarter. The Seahawks coaching staff gets a chance to get McQuistan and Carpenter (who looked much better especially in run blocking as the game wore on) more experience at and be more comfortable in their respective positions. In addition though, if the game gets out of hand early, as most think it will, you have a real opportunity to get Bowie and Bailey in there and for them to get some experience in a real NFL game that actually matters. Focusing in on Bailey specifically now -- let's say he looks good in there at Left Tackle. Depending on how dominant that Bailey looks out there (and whether or not in the coaching staff's minds he looks better than McQuistan), they might look to give him some work in the Colts game as well (though he probably might only get a couple of series in that game I'm thinking.) Again, all depends on how well Bailey does with the opportunity that he's likely to be given -- but if he ends up looking better at LT than McQuistan does, it's going to be hard to keep him off the field. Just a thought.
