GTripp0012
03-21-2007, 09:55 PM
I think he is going to be the starting left guard.
Ryan Tucker is good depth, but I would still like to have Tucker and Wade play one tackle each and spend their offseason playing exclusively on one side so that they can balance their weight properly in preperation to be called upon.
RT and LT is very similar to 2B and SS in baseball from what I understand. In the words of Mike Zimmer "both positions are fundamentally similar, but I was a career SS, and when I moved to second base, it felt like I was playing on one leg."
I'd rather have Tucker specialize at LT, Wade at RT, and go out and find a guard. But if you have to have somebody play the interior, Wade's probably the best lineman we have for the job right now.
GoSkins!
03-21-2007, 10:01 PM
The O line consists of more than one guy, it takes a solid line.....LOL Kinda like we have...
Not to mention he is familiar with our system. That should be a big upside. Not another Archuletta situation! Here we have a guy who can be a big time backup at tackle and a probable starter at guard. If Jansen or Samuels goes down I will be much more comfortable with this guy moving over to fill the spot then I was with old Ray. I personally don't believe our line is going to miss a beat.
well if he is he sure needs to be better than what he was before,the frickin texans cut him loose!! because he sucked and they had the worst off line in football
He was cut because of injury, not performance.
jbcjr14
03-22-2007, 10:13 AM
I think Wade will be the starting guard. He is a big guy and moves better than Doc in space which will be a big plus. The only way I don't see him starting is if we land a free agent guard before the season starts.
Schneed10
03-22-2007, 10:29 AM
At this point I'd have to say it's Wade. His height bothers me at that position though. A DT with a strong base and a low center of gravity is going to get leverage on him. Wade's a good athlete, so maybe he can pull it off, but it could be tricky.
Ideally we'd get a G in the 2nd or 3rd round (after trading down) and he could come in and light it up. But that might be wishful thinking. Wade can probably be solid; if anything, he has the mobility that Saunders loves to employ on running plays to the edge.
Beemnseven
03-22-2007, 10:39 AM
Ideally we'd get a G in the 2nd or 3rd round (after trading down) and he could come in and light it up. But that might be wishful thinking. Wade can probably be solid; if anything, he has the mobility that Saunders loves to employ on running plays to the edge.
The recurring question is, would it be worth trading down to address other needs if it means losing one of the top draftees available for the D-line?
#56fanatic
03-22-2007, 10:42 AM
i believe Wade is a strong candidate to replace Dock. However, someone mentioned it earlier, he is taller than most guards and could get bull rushed by squatier DT's. however, his size and strength will be good in the run game when he is pulling and moving out on sweeps or screens. I trust Buges will get this guy ready to play a new position.
Wade will need to work on his leverage as Buges has already pointed out, but he's only 2 inches taller than Dockery so it's not unheard of for taller guards to be successful.
Schneed10
03-22-2007, 11:15 AM
Wade will need to work on his leverage as Buges has already pointed out, but he's only 2 inches taller than Dockery so it's not unheard of for taller guards to be successful.
Yeah I should clarify myself. Wade is taller, but the key is his center of gravity is so much higher. If you look at Dock, his (ahem) ample midsection and tank-ass helped keep his center of gravity lower to the ground. That's why he was an effective drive-blocker in the run game. He was strong, big, and he stayed low.
Wade is taller and doesn't have the same midsection and ass (I'm feeling a little light in the loafers writing this). He carries a lot of his bulk in his shoulders.
But really, this just means that Wade will be more of a mobile G than Dockery was. Wade's probably not going to be good at lining up and drive-blocking around the goalline or on short yardage. Well maybe he can overcome the center of gravity issue, I dunno, but it will be a challenge for him. But I think he'll be good at pulling and getting out on the edge and lead-blocking on sweeps and whatnot. So that's probably a good thing really, because that's how Saunders likes to run the ball.
As long as the coaches adjust the schemes to take advantage of Wade's skills and don't ask him to do what Dockery was good at, then it'll probably work out decently for us.
Good post Schneed, I agree with what you're saying.