The OL FA scene may have been stupid, but nobody, NOBODY was lining up to pay Joeckel 7. So that money is an F on its face. Although...Fant was so AWFUL last year (oh but he's so athletic, oh but he's so good for a basketball player) that I kinda consider the 7 mil our "Fant tax" for being so inexplicably stupid with our OL plan.
Last year I gave the org credit for effort when they drafted multiple offensive linemen. "They are finally recognizing the issue and working towards a solution!" I said to myself. I was also happy that they drafted players who had actually played the position before, which was an improvement.
Then I saw how those linemen played, and how the overall plan played out.
From here on out my grade every season starts as an F. If they make an undeniable upgrade like Lang, I'll make an exception. But a couple of scrubs for whom we are depending on Cable's coaching wizardry don't move the needle.
I also don't take for granted that players on our OL improve linearly from year to year, like many on this board seem to, and I don't believe in the magic gelling fairly. Weeks of Nowak starting didn't improve the cohesion of the line because the player sucked and the coaching didn't offset it. That could apply to any of our returning players (although in a twist ending Britt is the one I have the most faith in).