Quote:
Originally Posted by JoeRedskin
First, props to Randy for trying. He is one of my favorites and I hope he comes back strong next year.
Second - given the age of our line, I think that any expectation that it would be "intact and healthy" all year would be unreasonable.
IMHO - To expect success from our line this year, the staff needed to have quality depth (not pro bowl depth, but solid starter depth) to cover for at least two long term injuries. I do not believe it did. It brought in retreads who have no future here and expected a committment to exellence from them. As has been shown, not gonna happen.
I am not sure whether the problem lays in talent aquisition (i.e. - we want a player but haven't been able to get him), the inability to coach'em up (we got someone with talent but just can't get them up to snuff), or the inability to judge ability (we thought he had talent but, instead, he's just a turnstile with legs). For whatever reason, we have had a number of young lineman through and none have stuck.
I keep harping on it, we have not developed good talent to back up our quality starters. As such, the O-line is and will be (for the forseeable future) the main thing holding this team back. It is unconscienable that THIS staff - which built championships founded in solid line play - failed on this fundamental aspect.
|
I'll agree w/ you on virtually all points, but I think given the circumstance that you have to give the front office & coaching staff credit for how they handled the o line THIS year. Of course, some of the poor personel decisions that led to dead cap space impacted our ability to get quality depth. In addition, if we'd have been able to sign dock before he hit the market, it would've helped too.
Yet, they were able to make the deal for Kendall & sign a couple vets, plus they've developed Heyer. That's all they could do given the cap situation.
They could've drafted an o-linemen instead of Palmer, Sartz or Blades, but maybe they thought none of the players available by then would make the team over a free agent vet. Go back to the 04 draft; Gibbs drafted Wilson & Molinaro in the 5th & 6th rounds. Good idea, bad outcome. Neither player is still w/the team. If at least one of those guys had developed it could've been a big help.