OL of the final 4

Discussion in 'Tennessee Titans and NFL Talk' started by Titans2004, Jan 16, 2012.

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  1. Titans2004

    Titans2004 Pro Bowler

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    Their are 20 starting OL still playing this yr. Of those 20 OL, 8 of them were drafted in the 1st rnd and 3 were drafted in the 2nd rnd. So that is more than half of the starting OL who were drafted very early.

    I think this shows the importance that some teams/coaches put on the OL.

    The Giants are the only team without a 1st rnder. They have Baas and Snee who were both 2nd rnders and McKenzie who was a 3rd. Then Boothe a 6th and Diehl a 5th rnder.

    The Pats have Mankins and Solder who were 1st rnders. Then Light who was a 2nd rnder. Brian Waters was undrafted, but when the Pats picked him up he had already been to 5 pro bowls. So the Pats weren't afraid to go get a stud vet OL.

    The Ravens have McKinnie, Grubbs, and Oher who were 1st rnders. Yanda was a 3rd rnder. Matt Birk is similar to Waters because he was a 6th rnd pick, but when the Ravens picked him up he was a 6 time pro bowler. Again a team investing via FA in their OL

    The 49ers have had a remarkable turnaround this yr. I think a large part has to do with how they have invested in their OL. Staley, Iupati, and Davis are all recent 1st rnd picks. Snyder is a 3rd and Goodwin is a 5th.

    So 3 out of the final 4 teams have clearly made it a priority to invest in their OL. Out of the 15 starters 9 are 1st rnders and 2 are multi pro bowl FA signings.

    Another way to look at the data is that of the 20 starters in the final 4 only 4 of them were drafted later than the 3rd rnd (diehl, Boothe, Connelly, and Goodwin)

    Reinfeldt please take notice of this and give our young QB some help in the middle of the OL.

    We have plenty of talent at the skilled positions on offense.
     
    #1 Titans2004, Jan 16, 2012
  4. Fry

    Fry Welcome to the land of tomorrow!

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    That's great. Too bad we don't need a tackle. Guards and centers are a waste of a first round pick unless it's going to be a guy like Steve Hutchinson.

    The 49ers also gave up 82 QB hits(10th worst), despite only throwing the ball 445 times.

    http://www.nfl.com/stats/categoryst...sonType=REG&tabSeq=2&qualified=true&Submit=Go

    And lets be honest, this organization has been pretty successful finding long-term starters in the middle rounds. Guys like Benji Olsen, Zach Piller, Justin Hartwig, Jacob Bell, Eugene Amano and David Stewart.
     
    #2 Fry, Jan 16, 2012
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  7. pettso

    pettso Starter

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    Interesting stats. I would not be upset with going O-line in the first or second round (or both). I do think that D-line is a bigger team need though and good D-linemen are harder to get than their counterparts.
     
    #3 pettso, Jan 16, 2012
  10. Titans2004

    Titans2004 Pro Bowler

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    I wouldn't say that Logan Mankins has been a wasted pick for the Pats. You don't have to be Hutchinson to deserve to be drafted early.

    Hartwig and Amano have been offense killers with their poor center play. Jacob Bell was the one guy that I really thought was special because he could really get to the 2nd level well, but we decided not to pay him after over-paying for Olsen and Pillar which helped us into cap hell and the roster purge of 2004.

    The Titans have found guys who are avg. starters at best with our mid/late end picks.

    The Titans are fine at the skilled positions on both sides of the ball (as long as we sign Finny). What we need to do this offseason is get better inside on both sides of the ball.
     
    #4 Titans2004, Jan 16, 2012
  13. Scarecrow

    Scarecrow All-Pro

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    I flat out disagree with all of this.

    Hartwig was just fine here and I am sure plenty were sad to see him go. He provided the Steelers with some fine play for a few years. Olsen and Pillar were great guards but old age and injuries caused their decline in play. We held on to plenty of players we should not have and holding onto Olsen and Pillar was not the downfall.

    We have the pieces on the interior defensive line. We could use some depth but what we really need is an end who can get to the quarterback.

    Edit- oh, and I am pretty sure Bell wanted to go. Basically just disappeared on the Rams.
     
    #5 Scarecrow, Jan 16, 2012
  16. munie

    munie Starter

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    32nd in run blocking and 31st in TOP. Titans need an overhaul of interior line talent badly. They need to sign a FA and draft a G/C in the first 2 rounds or this problem will not go away.
     
    #6 munie, Jan 17, 2012
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  19. Fry

    Fry Welcome to the land of tomorrow!

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    When you pick 32nd and are coming off a Super Bowl win you have the luxury of picking a guard.

    It's about value. A guard in the first 20 picks isn't good value unless he's going to be a hall of fame caliber player. I'd make the argument that Dave DeCastro would be worth it, but I'd still be a bit disappointed with the pick because guard is really deep this draft.
     
    #7 Fry, Jan 17, 2012
  22. RavensShallBurn

    RavensShallBurn Ruck the Favens

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    I don't consider either the Giants or 49ers o-line to be very good, but I consider those teams to be the most complete of the remaining four.

    Ravens have an amazing o-line. Patriots have a great one as well.

    In the offseason we need to sign either Carl Nicks, Ben Grubbs, or Nick Hardwick for LG and either Todd McClure or Andre Gurode for C. Get rid of Scott. Then move Harris and Amano to RG and see who does better in camp.
     
    #8 RavensShallBurn, Jan 17, 2012
  25. RavensShallBurn

    RavensShallBurn Ruck the Favens

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    I made a thread at the beginning of this season about Hartwig and how we should've called him up to take over for slap-d*ck Amano.
     
    #9 RavensShallBurn, Jan 17, 2012
  28. Titans2004

    Titans2004 Pro Bowler

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    Hartwig was horrible at center and I was thrilled he was gone. He signed a nice deal with the panthers and then they cut him 2 yrs later. He was the weak link in the Steelers OL as well and that is why he only played 2 yrs for them. Hartwig and Amano are comparable.

    Olsen and Pillar were solid players, but not studs. Floyd Reese signed both of them to very lucrative deals late in their careers and it certainly did add to our cap woes.

    Munchak and Matthews were both top 10 picks. It wasn't like they were late rnders who turned into HOF players.

    The interior OL is a major weakness and I was just pointing out that the teams still left playing football have without a doubt spent more high draft picks on their OL than we have.

    I don't want us to take a 2nd rnd graded OL in the 1st rnd, but if the choice is between a 1st rnd graded WR and a 1st rnd graded OG/C then I take the OG/C. Much less likely to bust and will have a more immediate impact.
     
    #10 Titans2004, Jan 17, 2012
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