Offensive Line - Silver Lining For Next Year?

[rjdriver]

It's a statistical improbability that we lie within the mean or average as long as we spend the 32nd most on the O-line. This isn't a critique, just a point that it would be pretty spectacular and rare to rank in the middle while spending the least.

I would be happy to find a way into the third quartile with the rest of the talent we have on this team. Heck, I'm happy now considering we seem to make deep playoff runs the last 5 years or so even though we always hope for better.

 

[chris98251]

I suspect the interior will get better, the Tackles, we have yet to settle on our edge guys and flop and flip and replace which I think creates help issues making the interior look worse, Rees Odhiambo has looked liked he belonged when I have watched but doesn't get much time, Germain Ifedi is suppose to be a Right Tackle, if he gets moved again next season we shuffle again. Garry Gilliam and George Fant are suppose be guys with potential, hot and cold here, they say it's about competition, but guys that are marked for the future need to play their spot and learn it and not be flopped all over, this is where I think we hurt ourselves the most.

 

[Lords of Scythia]

In your opinion is there a chance this offensive line could be at least average next year? We can have every one of these guys back if we want to and for cheap. Britt is signed through 2017, and the rest are rooks, a 2nd year player, or in the case of someone like Sowell, it's not like he's gonna get paid in FA.

Carroll has said continuously, you need continuity on the line to be successful. Well, here's our chance. Carroll has also said multiple times that the biggest jump is between your rookie year and 2nd year which would apply to Ifedi, Odihambro and Hunt. I've gotta think it somewhat applies to Glowinski as well.

It seems unlikely, but would like to hear your thoughts.

It's Britt's first year at center, so he's basically a rookie. I think we should expect a big learning curve for this offensive line. I hope they keep them together.

GO HAWKS!!

 

[Lords of Scythia]

It would be nice to get some continuity with the guys but I hope they'll be some changes. I agree the interior is in good shape but I wonder if they might try moving Ifedi out to tackle? My hope is we draft a Tackle and let Fant, Obmutmbo, Gilliam and new guy battle it out for those positions. With Carolina, Arizona and LA on the schedule to finish it will interesting to see how this group finishes the year.

They're not gonna do that this year, but I think they drafted Ifedi to eventually anchor the LT positiong long term.

 

[Optimus25]

It would be nice to get some continuity with the guys but I hope they'll be some changes. I agree the interior is in good shape but I wonder if they might try moving Ifedi out to tackle? My hope is we draft a Tackle and let Fant, Obmutmbo, Gilliam and new guy battle it out for those positions. With Carolina, Arizona and LA on the schedule to finish it will interesting to see how this group finishes the year.

They're not gonna do that this year, but I think they drafted Ifedi to eventually anchor the LT positiong long term.

You know, as much as I've heard this speculated I've never felt that way. Seems to me like they're perfectly comfortable with a super long term solution at RG.

 

[AgentDib]

Britt is a great reason to be optimistic about the OL over the next couple of years.

If you listen to Russ, one continuity that matters a lot but is rarely recognized is that of center-QB when it comes to calling protections. It's not just that Britt is doing a nice job at them but that he is doing so in conjunction with Russ and they are on the same page. Most of our worst OL struggles over the previous two seasons have come as we've shuffled around that center position. It's not a coincidence that Glow and Ifedi both looked pretty good tonight with Britt managing things.

I suspect tackle positions will always be a concern for Seahawk fans because of Russ's mobility. Edge pressure is less effective against a healthy RW because the rushers have the responsibility to maintain containment and that lets our tackles cheat a bit. As much as we'd love Walter Jones back it just isn't as necessary as it would be if we had an immobile pocket passer instead of Russell. Of course that won't stop fans from calling for heads to roll whenever something goes wrong.

 

[Lords of Scythia]

It's amazing to me how many people--even in the media, who are supposed to know what they're talking about--dismiss the importance of having the starting center in there, and how it impacted us last week. The center's by far the most important offensive lineman, unless (as somebody said above) you have an immobile qb who's vulnerable to getting smeared blind-side.

 

[MontanaHawk05]

The OL was terrific last night, especially in run blocking, with Britt back under center. Anyone wondering why Bradley Sowell is being kept around need only watch the highlight reels. He had some excellent hats put on people last night. That's not to say he's irreplaceable, but he is doing some work out there.

 

[Steve2222]

I think Britt is well on his way to become an upper echelon center

 

[oldhawkfan]

It would be nice to get some continuity with the guys but I hope they'll be some changes. I agree the interior is in good shape but I wonder if they might try moving Ifedi out to tackle? My hope is we draft a Tackle and let Fant, Obmutmbo, Gilliam and new guy battle it out for those positions. With Carolina, Arizona and LA on the schedule to finish it will interesting to see how this group finishes the year.

They're not gonna do that this year, but I think they drafted Ifedi to eventually anchor the LT positiong long term.

I've wondered about Ifedi and where he will possibly be moved to. If they were going to eventually move him to LT, then why didn't they just plug him in earlier this year like they did with Fant. One could easily argue that Ifedi was the much more experienced guy over Fant. At least Ifedi played football after junior HS. I think Ifedi may end up staying at guard. Maybe they will move him out to RT, but then what happens at guard? The never ending drama that is the Seattle Seahawks offensive line...

 

[McGruff]

Ifedi is not moving to LT. If that was the plan, they'd have him playing LG, not RG. Everything I have heard from OL is that kicking outside to inside is pretty easy, but switching sides entirely is very hard. Footing, reaching, reading . . . It's all messed up.

Best case scenario is Ifedi kick out to RT, where he played in college. Worst case is he stays at RG and becomes a killer issnterior OL.

 

[RichNhansom]

Ifedi is not moving to LT. If that was the plan, they'd have him playing LG, not RG. Everything I have heard from OL is that kicking outside to inside is pretty easy, but switching sides entirely is very hard. Footing, reaching, reading . . . It's all messed up.

Best case scenario is Ifedi kick out to RT, where he played in college. Worst case is he stays at RG and becomes a killer issnterior OL.

Pretty much this. Not sure where the LT talk is coming from. He played the right side in college and was said to have been drafted for the RT position but they wanted to get him some experience first.

I suspect he will train to move to RT in the off season and if he does well either Sowell will move inside or Odiombo will take over at the guard spot.

 

[Attyla the Hawk]

I respectfully disagree. We have a staff in place that thought it would be okay to go with a starting offensive line where three players had 0 experience at their positions, one had zero experience with the game itself, and one had been cut from multiple teams.

Considering the alternative (resign Okung, Sweezy) and compare how they've fared this year -- even in abbreviated hindsight this was a good move.

Neither of those guys were worth a second deal.

Any one of these guys might have worked out on their own if plugged into an already experienced or otherwise talented offensive line but there was 0 chance that rolling the dice on ALL 5 offensive line positions at once would pay off!

It's already paid off. This was a transition year for this position group. And it wasn't all that hard to see the design of their thinking.

When they talked about cohesion on the line, they weren't talking continuity. I see the terms intermingled by fans -- but there is a distinct difference between the two. Continuity means no change. Cohesion just means familiarity. We weren't ever going to just keep mediocre players around for the sake of not changing. They wanted the right kinds of prospects to grow together. Similar to how the LOB was established. That first year they were pretty brutal (Sherman didn't start till week 11, Chancellor not till year two. Browner was a dumpster fire. Thomas struggled mightily). And we jettisoned some mediocre to good talents to do it (Deon Grant, Marcus Trufant, Josh Wilson).

Any staff that would even attempt such malarkey is too stupid to recover from. It
Is not enough to replace one player. More of the same moves won't get it done.

While I agree more of the same moves won't get it done -- obviously you haven't been paying attention to how Pete and John build teams this entire time.

You can disagree with the premise. Most coaches don't trust rookies. But Pete is a developer of talent. And he assumes the sunk cost of growing pains willingly.

We need to replace the person responsible for making this call to begin with unless he is willing to learn from his mistakes.

This is the entire point of this thread which you missed entirely. Right now, Seattle has a very young unit. But one that has flashed good quality which is the best one should hope with youth. They are getting better -- and the results certainly are getting better with the return to health of Rawls and Wilson.

Seattle is going to have to address the RT position. Whether that's Ifedi being moved. Or a new rookie. Or a better, higher priced young vet on his second deal. Seattle will be in a position cap wise to make that move if needed.

I'll be watching how we handle Britt next offseason. He is eligible for extension after this year. And truth be told, he's really the first OL we've had that is verifiably worth a second deal outside of Unger. Britt has been the glue this year. He's earned it. I'm excited to see how this unit grows. In all honesty, this unit really shouldn't even be hitting their stride until this time next season.

It is different than years' past, when we were just biding time until rookie deals expired so we could move on from them. This unit has room to grow. Has shown that their ceiling can be high. But just need to get more consistent. Something that is a reasonable expectation given their inexperience and evolving familiarity with each other. It just feels very much different with this group of players.

Seattle is constantly evolving somewhere on the team. The goal is to create a good enough team overall to assume the growing pains and still be in a position to win games. Quite obviously -- they have nailed this.

Within the next couple of years, we'll be replacing Avril and Bennett. Probably a year to three after that, we'll be replacing most of the LOB. And after that, the LBs. This OL is going to have to be a position unit of strength to weather those growing pains.

 

[McGruff]

I respectfully disagree. We have a staff in place that thought it would be okay to go with a starting offensive line where three players had 0 experience at their positions, one had zero experience with the game itself, and one had been cut from multiple teams.

Considering the alternative (resign Okung, Sweezy) and compare how they've fared this year -- even in abbreviated hindsight this was a good move.

Neither of those guys were worth a second deal.

Any one of these guys might have worked out on their own if plugged into an already experienced or otherwise talented offensive line but there was 0 chance that rolling the dice on ALL 5 offensive line positions at once would pay off!

It's already paid off. This was a transition year for this position group. And it wasn't all that hard to see the design of their thinking.

When they talked about cohesion on the line, they weren't talking continuity. I see the terms intermingled by fans -- but there is a distinct difference between the two. Continuity means no change. Cohesion just means familiarity. We weren't ever going to just keep mediocre players around for the sake of not changing. They wanted the right kinds of prospects to grow together. Similar to how the LOB was established. That first year they were pretty brutal (Sherman didn't start till week 11, Chancellor not till year two. Browner was a dumpster fire. Thomas struggled mightily). And we jettisoned some mediocre to good talents to do it (Deon Grant, Marcus Trufant, Josh Wilson).

Any staff that would even attempt such malarkey is too stupid to recover from. It
Is not enough to replace one player. More of the same moves won't get it done.

While I agree more of the same moves won't get it done -- obviously you haven't been paying attention to how Pete and John build teams this entire time.

You can disagree with the premise. Most coaches don't trust rookies. But Pete is a developer of talent. And he assumes the sunk cost of growing pains willingly.

We need to replace the person responsible for making this call to begin with unless he is willing to learn from his mistakes.

This is the entire point of this thread which you missed entirely. Right now, Seattle has a very young unit. But one that has flashed good quality which is the best one should hope with youth. They are getting better -- and the results certainly are getting better with the return to health of Rawls and Wilson.

Seattle is going to have to address the RT position. Whether that's Ifedi being moved. Or a new rookie. Or a better, higher priced young vet on his second deal. Seattle will be in a position cap wise to make that move if needed.

I'll be watching how we handle Britt next offseason. He is eligible for extension after this year. And truth be told, he's really the first OL we've had that is verifiably worth a second deal outside of Unger. Britt has been the glue this year. He's earned it. I'm excited to see how this unit grows. In all honesty, this unit really shouldn't even be hitting their stride until this time next season.

It is different than years' past, when we were just biding time until rookie deals expired so we could move on from them. This unit has room to grow. Has shown that their ceiling can be high. But just need to get more consistent. Something that is a reasonable expectation given their inexperience and evolving familiarity with each other. It just feels very much different with this group of players.

Seattle is constantly evolving somewhere on the team. The goal is to create a good enough team overall to assume the growing pains and still be in a position to win games. Quite obviously -- they have nailed this.

Within the next couple of years, we'll be replacing Avril and Bennett. Probably a year to three after that, we'll be replacing most of the LOB. And after that, the LBs. This OL is going to have to be a position unit of strength to weather those growing pains.

Simply put . . . brilliant.

 

[Jville]

The OL was terrific last night, especially in run blocking, with Britt back under center. Anyone wondering why Bradley Sowell is being kept around need only watch the highlight reels. He had some excellent hats put on people last night. That's not to say he's irreplaceable, but he is doing some work out there.

Yes indeed :2thumbs: At a time when there is such an extreme shortage of offensive tackles in the league, it is so timely to acknowledge the hard work and effort of our offensive tackles ..... including the much maligned Bradley Sowell. There are other teams in worst shape. Cables group is moving on and making progress.

Wonder what happened to Michael Bowie? He was the RT for some of the season during the Superbowl winning season. He should still be young and he did play well. Maybe they can bring him back?

Michael Bowie had the frame and 36" arms. But, his weight, conditioning, health and work ethic remained questionable. Bowie was claimed injured (shoulder) by Cleveland. On and off the injury list, the Browns placed Bowie on the reserve/retired list on August 5, 2016. He was released on September 30, 2016. It is my impression that Bowie is done. I would think that there are surely better alternatives.

By the way, Alvin Bailey failed to win a starting right tackle job with the Browns. That makes it two years in a row where Bailey has come up short on securing a starting job that was handed to him. Once again, Alvin is a backup guard.

Tom Cable is making the right decisions ...... in moving on.

 

[Jville]

I respectfully disagree. We have a staff in place that thought it would be okay to go with a starting offensive line where three players had 0 experience at their positions, one had zero experience with the game itself, and one had been cut from multiple teams.

Considering the alternative (resign Okung, Sweezy) and compare how they've fared this year -- even in abbreviated hindsight this was a good move.

Neither of those guys were worth a second deal.

Any one of these guys might have worked out on their own if plugged into an already experienced or otherwise talented offensive line but there was 0 chance that rolling the dice on ALL 5 offensive line positions at once would pay off!

It's already paid off. This was a transition year for this position group. And it wasn't all that hard to see the design of their thinking.

When they talked about cohesion on the line, they weren't talking continuity. I see the terms intermingled by fans -- but there is a distinct difference between the two. Continuity means no change. Cohesion just means familiarity. We weren't ever going to just keep mediocre players around for the sake of not changing. They wanted the right kinds of prospects to grow together. Similar to how the LOB was established. That first year they were pretty brutal (Sherman didn't start till week 11, Chancellor not till year two. Browner was a dumpster fire. Thomas struggled mightily). And we jettisoned some mediocre to good talents to do it (Deon Grant, Marcus Trufant, Josh Wilson).

Any staff that would even attempt such malarkey is too stupid to recover from. It
Is not enough to replace one player. More of the same moves won't get it done.

While I agree more of the same moves won't get it done -- obviously you haven't been paying attention to how Pete and John build teams this entire time.

You can disagree with the premise. Most coaches don't trust rookies. But Pete is a developer of talent. And he assumes the sunk cost of growing pains willingly.

We need to replace the person responsible for making this call to begin with unless he is willing to learn from his mistakes.

This is the entire point of this thread which you missed entirely. Right now, Seattle has a very young unit. But one that has flashed good quality which is the best one should hope with youth. They are getting better -- and the results certainly are getting better with the return to health of Rawls and Wilson.

Seattle is going to have to address the RT position. Whether that's Ifedi being moved. Or a new rookie. Or a better, higher priced young vet on his second deal. Seattle will be in a position cap wise to make that move if needed.

I'll be watching how we handle Britt next offseason. He is eligible for extension after this year. And truth be told, he's really the first OL we've had that is verifiably worth a second deal outside of Unger. Britt has been the glue this year. He's earned it. I'm excited to see how this unit grows. In all honesty, this unit really shouldn't even be hitting their stride until this time next season.

It is different than years' past, when we were just biding time until rookie deals expired so we could move on from them. This unit has room to grow. Has shown that their ceiling can be high. But just need to get more consistent. Something that is a reasonable expectation given their inexperience and evolving familiarity with each other. It just feels very much different with this group of players.

Seattle is constantly evolving somewhere on the team. The goal is to create a good enough team overall to assume the growing pains and still be in a position to win games. Quite obviously -- they have nailed this.

Within the next couple of years, we'll be replacing Avril and Bennett. Probably a year to three after that, we'll be replacing most of the LOB. And after that, the LBs. This OL is going to have to be a position unit of strength to weather those growing pains.

Simply put . . . brilliant.

Yes indeed ...... that spells out the cycle of reloading rather well.