Tom Cable speaks to tackle positions ... ya all best listen

[Frozenropers]

One big difference I see between Gilliam and Fant.

Both tend to have the athleticism to play the left side....but I see more aggression coming from Fant in his blocks and playing style than Gilliam. Gilliam plays with finesse, while Fant tends to have a little bit of a nasty streak. On one play in the NE game a pass rusher beat Fant to the inside, Russell stepped back and to the left. Fant didn't give up on the plan and followed the pass rusher to the inside and then as soon as the pass rusher tried to cut back toward Russell when Russell slid to the outside, Fant blew up the guy and put him on his back.

Fant will continue to get beat on occasion by good moves, but he has the slide step to stay with rushers and looks to have some strength to push DE's back during running plays (still needs to work on his overall size and strength though). Fant doesn't seem to give up on plays either if he gets beat. He tries to stay on assignment and get a chance to positively effect the play if he misses on his initial assignment.

Just my 2 cents.

:irishdrinkers:

 

[Lords of Scythia]

I am very, very optimistic about the future of this line with Britt, Ifedi, Glow, and especially Fant.

I second that. It's nothing but upside.

GO HAWKS!

 

[HawkerD]

If Fant begins to Pan out then I feel that the Hawks should move him to RT next year and bring in Joe Staley or Joe Thomas on to hold down LT for a couple few years. If Fant is the real deal he could then move back to LT and in the in between years we can be on the look out for the next OT in the draft.

 

[Lords of Scythia]

The oline playing together will develop just as much as each individual player will develop. The best olines are the ones that've been together for years. I hope we can keep this one together--it'll be the first time in the PC era. The salary cap's always increasing, and our big players have started getting their main big contracts, so maybe they can save some coin for this new group.

 

[ivotuk]

From the ESPN Sheil Kapadia article: "Tom Cable credited co-director of player personnel Trent Kirchner for identifying Fant as a project with upside."

Maybe he should credit Seahawks.net posters also for bringing these type of guys to light. :2thumbs:

 

[Sgt. Largent]

If Fant begins to Pan out then I feel that the Hawks should move him to RT next year and bring in Joe Staley or Joe Thomas on to hold down LT for a couple few years. If Fant is the real deal he could then move back to LT and in the in between years we can be on the look out for the next OT in the draft.

Bring in? What does that mean?

You don't just bring in a player when he has 3-4 years left on his contract like he's a unrestricted free agent.

btw, if Fant pans out, you don't need to bring in a 7-10M a year tackle that's going to cost you other players that have to go for the cap space.

 

[Lords of Scythia]

If Fant begins to Pan out then I feel that the Hawks should move him to RT next year and bring in Joe Staley or Joe Thomas on to hold down LT for a couple few years. If Fant is the real deal he could then move back to LT and in the in between years we can be on the look out for the next OT in the draft.

I don't see that happening. The only starter position the Hawks ever bring in a free agent for is rec/te. JS is just too much of a draft genius (the best ever?), and the rookie contracts free up coin for the never-ending stream of Pro Bowl players he drafted who now need their big contract.

 

[HawkerD]

If Fant begins to Pan out then I feel that the Hawks should move him to RT next year and bring in Joe Staley or Joe Thomas on to hold down LT for a couple few years. If Fant is the real deal he could then move back to LT and in the in between years we can be on the look out for the next OT in the draft.

Bring in? What does that mean?

You don't just bring in a player when he has 3-4 years left on his contract like he's a unrestricted free agent.

btw, if Fant pans out, you don't need to bring in a 7-10M a year tackle that's going to cost you other players that have to go for the cap space.

For what ever reason I was thinking Staley was in a contract year but apparently he is under contract through 2019. When there was talk of SF trading him at the deadline, I though I heard the reason was due to him being an UFA after the season.

 

[Sgt. Largent]

If Fant begins to Pan out then I feel that the Hawks should move him to RT next year and bring in Joe Staley or Joe Thomas on to hold down LT for a couple few years. If Fant is the real deal he could then move back to LT and in the in between years we can be on the look out for the next OT in the draft.

Bring in? What does that mean?

You don't just bring in a player when he has 3-4 years left on his contract like he's a unrestricted free agent.

btw, if Fant pans out, you don't need to bring in a 7-10M a year tackle that's going to cost you other players that have to go for the cap space.

For what ever reason I was thinking Staley was in a contract year but apparently he is under contract through 2019. When there was talk of SF trading him at the deadline, I though I heard the reason was due to him being an UFA after the season.

There was, but that's why NFL trades rarely happen. The salary cap is too restrictive, is there dead cap, how many years left........... and valuable draft picks have to be given up.

 

[Pandion Haliaetus]

I think a lot of us here saw this coming.

I didn't even remotely see a UDFA who hasn't started a game since 8th grade becoming a starting left tackle in the NFL, actually.

1 sack, 2 hits and some pressures given up against the Bills, a few more against the Cardinals...Fant is not yet a net improvement from Sowell, he just gets a pass because he's an unknown quantity. BUT...he's better at run blocking, and showing some promise. I guess Cable knows best.

I do think the Eagles will shred him magnificently, though. Growing pains.

But...he has tenacity, he has work ethic, and he has spunk. That will last him a long way, and is covering up some of his flaws even now. Buckle up.

One of the best things ive see from elite tackles is the quickness to recover.

Gone are the days of elite tackles like Walter Jones who would dominate 99% of his assignments with amazing technique.

It just can't happen in today's NFL, Defensive players are bigger, stronger, faster, more athletic than they ever been. Sparq numbers confirm as much the freak of nature Olinemen are nowhere near in comparison to the freak of nature Dlinemen/edge LBers.

And it's not being helped that in the last 8 to 10 years that it has turned into a passing league that is now using spread concepts, empty backfield sets, and shotgun schemes. That just means more space, less congestion, and more opportunities for defenders to win thier battles.


To come back to my point I feel the best tackles especially pertaining to pass pro in today's NFL arnt ones that can straight up dominant on an consistent level.

To me they are the ones with the quickness, agility, and aptitude to mirror defenders enough to get the ball out. However, the best tool they can have is recovery because more often than not you are gonna be beat. But if you have the aptitude to stay with the defender and get back into your block imo thats elite these days.

I seen a play where Jason Peters got beat badly, but he stay with his block, Wentz made a superb move in stepping up, eyes downfield, not frantic or panicked, seemingly trusting Peters to get back into his block. And that's what Peters did taking out the rusher before he had a chance to crash in.

Pertaining to Fant, I could care less if he ever became a dominant force. What I want most from him is gaining the aptitude and the urgency to stay with his block even when hes beat. For a guy who is ultimately fundamentally raw imo his athleticism and agility is getting the job done in comparison to Sowell.

Fant doesn't need to imo to be a great or proper technician like complete Olinemen are for Wilson to have success. He just needs to excel at mirroring and impeding his assignments with the unrelentess effort he has show and again the aptitude to get back on his defender when hes beat.

If he can excel at that but is average or worst in his other areas, ill take it. We don't need a complete LT, even though that is the dream for any team. We just need a guy who is relentless and one that can apply his athleticism and agility with enough aptitude to give Wilson the time he needs on that given play.


A hurdle that can scrap and perhaps re-establish itself to force another jump from the runner at this point is better than a greased up broken turnstile.

 

[brimsalabim]

Fant has at least managed to be a nuisance to the DL. That alone puts him ahead of Sowell. At this point a speed bump is better than a turnstile.

 

[IndyHawk]

I think a lot of us here saw this coming.

I didn't even remotely see a UDFA who hasn't started a game since 8th grade becoming a starting left tackle in the NFL, actually.

1 sack, 2 hits and some pressures given up against the Bills, a few more against the Cardinals...Fant is not yet a net improvement from Sowell, he just gets a pass because he's an unknown quantity. BUT...he's better at run blocking, and showing some promise. I guess Cable knows best.

I do think the Eagles will shred him magnificently, though. Growing pains.

But...he has tenacity, he has work ethic, and he has spunk. That will last him a long way, and is covering up some of his flaws even now. Buckle up.

One of the best things ive see from elite tackles is the quickness to recover.

Gone are the days of elite tackles like Walter Jones who would dominate 99% of his assignments with amazing technique.

It just can't happen in today's NFL, Defensive players are bigger, stronger, faster, more athletic than they ever been. Sparq numbers confirm as much the freak of nature Olinemen are nowhere near in comparison to the freak of nature Dlinemen/edge LBers.

And it's not being helped that in the last 8 to 10 years that it has turned into a passing league that is now using spread concepts, empty backfield sets, and shotgun schemes. That just means more space, less congestion, and more opportunities for defenders to win thier battles.


To come back to my point I feel the best tackles especially pertaining to pass pro in today's NFL arnt ones that can straight up dominant on an consistent level.

To me they are the ones with the quickness, agility, and aptitude to mirror defenders enough to get the ball out. However, the best tool they can have is recovery because more often than not you are gonna be beat. But if you have the aptitude to stay with the defender and get back into your block imo thats elite these days.

I seen a play where Jason Peters got beat badly, but he stay with his block, Wentz made a superb move in stepping up, eyes downfield, not frantic or panicked, seemingly trusting Peters to get back into his block. And that's what Peters did taking out the rusher before he had a chance to crash in.

Pertaining to Fant, I could care less if he ever became a dominant force. What I want most from him is gaining the aptitude and the urgency to stay with his block even when hes beat. For a guy who is ultimately fundamentally raw imo his athleticism and agility is getting the job done in comparison to Sowell.

Fant doesn't need to imo to be a great or proper technician like complete Olinemen are for Wilson to have success. He just needs to excel at mirroring and impeding his assignments with the unrelentess effort he has show and again the aptitude to get back on his defender when hes beat.

If he can excel at that but is average or worst in his other areas, ill take it. We don't need a complete LT, even though that is the dream for any team. We just need a guy who is relentless and one that can apply his athleticism and agility with enough aptitude to give Wilson the time he needs on that given play.


A hurdle that can scrap and perhaps re-establish itself to force another jump from the runner at this point is better than a greased up broken turnstile.

Umm I diagree about Big Walt,he would absolutely dominate todays players BUT he would cost too much to keep and have the defense we have

 

[Seahawk Sailor]

By the way, the George Fant story has the potential to become one of the NFL's biggest stories for 2016. It is the kind of story that makes legends out of coaches.

That would require buy in from a national media that has made the O line the basis of a whole narrative devoted to how short sighted the Seahawks are to not devote any resources to the line - completely focusing on the Cap number and ignoring the draft capital spent here over the last 5 years. This only becomes a national story if the Seahawks make the Super Bowl and the national hacks run out of story lines

Yeah, and that won't happen because they'll find some "so-and-so wouldn't talk to the media" story or "so-and-so is retiring and is from this very city" or something equally unimportant and self-aggrandizing to milk for a couple of weeks. Happens every time.

I think a lot of us here saw this coming.

I didn't even remotely see a UDFA who hasn't started a game since 8th grade becoming a starting left tackle in the NFL, actually.

1 sack, 2 hits and some pressures given up against the Bills, a few more against the Cardinals...Fant is not yet a net improvement from Sowell, he just gets a pass because he's an unknown quantity. BUT...he's better at run blocking, and showing some promise. I guess Cable knows best.

I do think the Eagles will shred him magnificently, though. Growing pains.

But...he has tenacity, he has work ethic, and he has spunk. That will last him a long way, and is covering up some of his flaws even now. Buckle up.

No, no, not that. I don't think anyone saw that coming that long ago. I was referring to his play the last couple of weeks and how much better he looked than Sowell. For me it was easy to see them going with him based on that.