What’s up with the total OL Overhaul?

[12th_Bob]

I think the changes against cut-blocking is a factor, we just decided that having large men > than going with more prototype zone guys we have been so fond off, might also explain the idea of getting more RB instead of sitting on true zone runners.

 

[HawKnPeppa]

Faith in Gilliam is 1).

He gradually transformed himself into a solid RT that was average in Pass Pro but among the best in Run Blocking in the 2nd half.

2) Considering that improvement and the fact his natural position might be at LT, where he's had more training at, and where his overall athleticism and length matches up better against speed rushers vs bull rushers. Although reports on Gilliam is that hes bigger and stronger and more prepared to play heavier than he was coming in a year ago.

3) He has an incredible work ethic that in such a short time took him from 3rd year Collegiate TE to NFL starter in about 2-3 years. Now entering his 3rd season as a Pro he has a great opportunity to establish himself at a premium position and earn money he probably never dreamed of making in his lifetime if he puts in the work that is.

The way I see it Gilliam has all the athletic tools and the drive to be successful. What he lacks is mentally but even so that is improving everyday. What it comes down to is grit and developing that nasty demeanor to be a dominant force.

Projecting Gilliam's floor I don't feel he'll be worst than Bailey-McQuistan-Locklear-Injured Okung that has filled the position in past years and Gilliam's ceiling could be as high as as Jason Peters, one day.

McQuistan?! Sheesh, I'll put dollar to donut he's better than that from the get go. If not, gawd help us!

Sent from my SC-02H using Tapatalk

 

[HawKnPeppa]

The vikings are spending 40 million of their CAP on the offensive line. There are 23 teams that spend more than 20Million cap on their o line. Nobody spends less than the Seahawks at 9 million.

This is not a coincidence, it is a financial decision.

That helps us put the best defense, and the best QB in the NFL on the field.

True, but it's not the way to go when you're paying your quarterback 20 million a year. Hopefully the Walter Jones thing is real because it's the cheapest way ever to solve our pass blocking issues.

Sometimes people like Walter, who do things so naturally, have a tough time teaching others how to do it. That said, it's hard to imagine Walter doing anything poorly.

Sent from my SC-02H using Tapatalk

 

[HawKnPeppa]

Interesting that we are using such adjectives as 'replacement-level.' He outperfomed the guy he replaced, so what is the baseline for such a grade? I think some of you are hedging your bets a bit.

Sent from my SC-02H using Tapatalk

 

[Jville]

Just a reminder about the state of the offensive line:

One year ago, just after the 2015 draft, Coach Cable acknowledged and announce that they were starting over with the offensive line. This is not a secret or a mystery or some sort of insider information. It was a published statement.

This is year two of what one might describe as a rebuild. This years post draft note was that of the continuing need for versatile linemen and the need for better continuity. I think it noteworthy that, of the 15 man roster comprising the offensive line, only two are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in 2017. The other 13 linemen are either under contract for 2017 or scheduled to become restrict or exclusive rights free agents in 2017.

 

[hawkfan68]

Just a reminder about the state of the offensive line:

One year ago, just after the 2015 draft, Coach Cable acknowledged and announce that they were starting over with the offensive line. This is not a secret or a mystery or some sort of insider information. It was a published statement.

This is year two of what one might describe as a rebuild. This years post draft note was that of the continuing need for versatile linemen and the need for better continuity. I think it noteworthy that, of the 15 man roster comprising the offensive line, only two are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in 2017. The other 13 linemen are either under contract for 2017 or scheduled to become restrict or exclusive rights free agents in 2017.

If they were starting over last season....looks to me they haven't moved much forward and are still in the "starting over" stage this season. Last season, they had Okung and Sweezy coming back. This year they both are gone. So they have to replace both of those guys in addition to last year's LG being moved to C and RT moving to LT. Both guys getting new positions. How they handle those will be the key to how well the OL performs. Hopefully the learning curve is not steep and they catch on quickly otherwise, Wilson could be running for his life back there.

 

[Jville]

Just a reminder about the state of the offensive line:

One year ago, just after the 2015 draft, Coach Cable acknowledged and announce that they were starting over with the offensive line. This is not a secret or a mystery or some sort of insider information. It was a published statement.

This is year two of what one might describe as a rebuild. This years post draft note was that of the continuing need for versatile linemen and the need for better continuity. I think it noteworthy that, of the 15 man roster comprising the offensive line, only two are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in 2017. The other 13 linemen are either under contract for 2017 or scheduled to become restrict or exclusive rights free agents in 2017.

If they were starting over last season....looks to me they haven't moved much forward and are still in the "starting over" stage this season. Last season, they had Okung and Sweezy coming back. This year they both are gone. So they have to replace both of those guys in addition to last year's LG being moved to C and RT moving to LT. Both guys getting new positions. How they handle those will be the key to how well the OL performs. Hopefully the learning curve is not steep and they catch on quickly otherwise, Wilson could be running for his life back there.

Although I acknowledge Sweezy to Tampa Bay as a cap loss, Okung was an expected departure. I think they decided to move on with LT Gilliam already on board. I view Gilliam's time at right tackle,last year, as a necessity to get the best 5 on the field. This year I count 4 returning projects that now have an additional year under their belts going into training camp. That, plus the emphasis on maturity with most of this years rookie linemen, suggests a better starting point and a more rapid sorting out of candidates. The evolution of the line should proceed with a more rapidly urgency this year.

What we are witnessing is just part of the process of rebuilding and finding the best possible combinations.

 

[hawkfan68]

Just a reminder about the state of the offensive line:

One year ago, just after the 2015 draft, Coach Cable acknowledged and announce that they were starting over with the offensive line. This is not a secret or a mystery or some sort of insider information. It was a published statement.

This is year two of what one might describe as a rebuild. This years post draft note was that of the continuing need for versatile linemen and the need for better continuity. I think it noteworthy that, of the 15 man roster comprising the offensive line, only two are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in 2017. The other 13 linemen are either under contract for 2017 or scheduled to become restrict or exclusive rights free agents in 2017.

If they were starting over last season....looks to me they haven't moved much forward and are still in the "starting over" stage this season. Last season, they had Okung and Sweezy coming back. This year they both are gone. So they have to replace both of those guys in addition to last year's LG being moved to C and RT moving to LT. Both guys getting new positions. How they handle those will be the key to how well the OL performs. Hopefully the learning curve is not steep and they catch on quickly otherwise, Wilson could be running for his life back there.

It's just part of the process of rebuilding and looking for the best combination.

The line has been in perpetual rebuilding mode since Cable became the OL coach. So that's nothing new.

 

[Jville]

Just a reminder about the state of the offensive line:

One year ago, just after the 2015 draft, Coach Cable acknowledged and announce that they were starting over with the offensive line. This is not a secret or a mystery or some sort of insider information. It was a published statement.

This is year two of what one might describe as a rebuild. This years post draft note was that of the continuing need for versatile linemen and the need for better continuity. I think it noteworthy that, of the 15 man roster comprising the offensive line, only two are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents in 2017. The other 13 linemen are either under contract for 2017 or scheduled to become restrict or exclusive rights free agents in 2017.

If they were starting over last season....looks to me they haven't moved much forward and are still in the "starting over" stage this season. Last season, they had Okung and Sweezy coming back. This year they both are gone. So they have to replace both of those guys in addition to last year's LG being moved to C and RT moving to LT. Both guys getting new positions. How they handle those will be the key to how well the OL performs. Hopefully the learning curve is not steep and they catch on quickly otherwise, Wilson could be running for his life back there.

It's just part of the process of rebuilding and looking for the best combination.

The line has been in perpetual rebuilding mode since Cable became the OL coach. So that's nothing new.

Sorry ....... I added the following remarks while you were replying

Although I acknowledge Sweezy to Tampa Bay as a cap loss, Okung was an expected departure. I think they decided to move on with LT Gilliam already on board. I view Gilliam's time at right tackle,last year, as a necessity to get the best 5 on the field. This year I count 4 returning projects that now have an additional year under their belts going into training camp. That, plus the emphasis on maturity with most of this years rookie linemen, suggests a better starting point and a more rapid sorting out of candidates. The evolution of the line should proceed with a more rapid urgency this year.

With regards to perpetual rebuilding, cap attrition and injury attrition are factors that can challenge an organization and make continuity difficult. They have certainly had to rebound and find ways to recover from higher than typical attrition. In the process, they do seem to look for ways to change up what they present to opponents. The right side, of the penciled in line, appears to be a good 50 pounds heavier and presumably stronger. It is a different looking line. IMHO, they are doing a great deal more than looking for cookie cutter replacements.

 

[hawkfan68]

With regards to perpetual rebuilding, cap attrition and injury attrition are factors that can challenge an organization and make continuity difficult. They have certainly had to rebound and find ways to recover from higher than typical attrition. In the process, they do seem to look for ways to change up what they present to opponents. The right side, of the penciled in line, appears to be a good 50 pounds heavier and presumably stronger. It is a different looking line. IMHO, they are doing a great deal more than looking for cookie cutter replacements.

I agree with most of what you have said here with the exception of the bolded part. Bigger doesn't necessarily equate to better. I hope in the Seahawk case that bigger does equate to better. However, player development has been questionable under Cable. He has not developed players to take the next step. They just don't seem ready. That's what I was getting at. When you make changes, you ensure that they are ready to take the next step. Nowak wasn't ready. Britt hasn't been ready. Cable has been working with these guys for more than year. The only guy he's really developed since he's been here is Sweezy. Sweezy became better, but he's definitely not Pro Bowl material. The pro-bowl caliber players on the Seahawk OL were Unger and Okung. Both guys who were here prior to Cable. Unger was traded last offseason and Okung left this offseason. I hope that Gilliam has developed enough to handle LT as he'll be covering Wilson's blindside. As for Britt, I hope he can handle C better than he did LG or RT. But based on track record, I'm not counting on it.

 

[Jville]

With regards to perpetual rebuilding, cap attrition and injury attrition are factors that can challenge an organization and make continuity difficult. They have certainly had to rebound and find ways to recover from higher than typical attrition. In the process, they do seem to look for ways to change up what they present to opponents. The right side, of the penciled in line, appears to be a good 50 pounds heavier and presumably stronger. It is a different looking line. IMHO, they are doing a great deal more than looking for cookie cutter replacements.

I agree with most of what you have said here with the exception of the bolded part. Bigger doesn't necessarily equate to better. I hope in the Seahawk case that bigger does equate to better. However, player development has been questionable under Cable. He has not developed players to take the next step. They just don't seem ready. That's what I was getting at. When you make changes, you ensure that they are ready to take the next step. Nowak wasn't ready. Britt hasn't been ready. Cable has been working with these guys for more than year. The only guy he's really developed since he's been here is Sweezy. Sweezy became better, but he's definitely not Pro Bowl material. The pro-bowl caliber players on the Seahawk OL were Unger and Okung. Both guys who were here prior to Cable. Unger was traded last offseason and Okung left this offseason. I hope that Gilliam has developed enough to handle LT as he'll be covering Wilson's blindside. As for Britt, I hope he can handle C better than he did LG or RT. But based on track record, I'm not counting on it.

I certainly appreciate your view on the history of the line. I guess my focus resides in looking forward to the end of July. Our first meaningful look at the state of developmental linemen comes with the first contact reports. I feel confident in Gary Gilliam growing as a second year starter. And, I'm looking forward to seeing Mark Glowinski in his second year along side of Gilliam. I'm expecting a nice chemistry to emerge between the two of them on the left side.

On the right side, there should be more sand and power. I'll admit I am uncertain as to their quickness. But, it looks to me like the intent on the right side is a return to a form of bully ball ..... which will likely show up when running or rolling the pocket to right side.

Kristian Sokoli and Terry Poole are a couple of holdovers who needed a year of orientation before challenging for a role. I'm looking forward to seeing them in pads along with this years rookie linemen. They represent competition and depth.

Although we don't have a Tobeck or Unger, the play at center should improve. The competition is there.

I am also encouraged that a couple conditioning issues appear to have been addressed during the off season. In my mind, that enhances the likely hood for a faster start.