Next season, super excited for Alvin Bailey.

Guy is a bulldozer. That compact frame and that 320 lbs of his just overpowers defenders. That superbowl goalline TD was largely in part due to Bailey blocking the backer and moving him completely out of the way. Hopefully he improves his feet and in pass protection which I think he will, Cable's one of the best. But we got 2 young tackles with good potential in Bailey and Bowie

Bailey already has pretty good footwork. He just needs further development of his technique and knowledge.

HawKnPeppa":225ybt7m said:

Bailey already has pretty good footwork. He just needs further development of his technique and knowledge.

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good to hear, I just started rewatching the playoffs while focusing on the o-line since that's one of our question marks this offseason.

He was surprisingly very solid in pass protection. If he keeps developing, Bailey could be a major upgrade at left guard.

Yeah I just watched that Lynch playoff highlights video and that TD run against Denver, it was all Bailey. Knocked the guy back and pushed him right so fast.

I've always liked Bailey. The middle really needs shoring up, Carpenter has had his moments of success but seems to be wondering what to do after first contact. Bailey is really gett'n it. He's blocking someone all the time! Great size and strength. I think the Hawks have all the pieces to fix OL. Unger has his moments but JeanPierre is knocking at the door too!

Bailey/Bowie are a big reason why I'd frankly be disappointed going OL in the 1st round. I think both guys have the potential to be very good OL and they cost literally nothing in terms of Cap and draft capital. That's amazing when you think about it.

Bailey in particular, is really exciting. I honestly think he can play 4 spots on the line and do so at a pretty high level. He's still a very young guy, so don't discount a huge step forward this year in terms of technique and playing strength.

I think OL in particular need a good 2-3 years before you really see what they are capable of doing. Another reason why I'd rather get an immediate impact player at 32 (DL, WR, DE). I think many have lost sight of the fact that 3/5s of our OL was hurt for a big chunk of the season, and we still got the #1 seed and dominated the SB. How do you say, "first world problems"?

Bailey was great everytime he knew who to block, any stunts or changes made it sickening to watch. more expierence will greatly improve Bailey's understanding. imo

hawknation2014":3vb5lv6w said:

He was surprisingly very solid in pass protection. If he keeps developing, Bailey could be a major upgrade at left guard.

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We may well see him at RT if Breno isn't back. He played uncovered as a T eligible TE which is much like playing T so he's already getting used to being out an island so to speak. Guessing he'll be Okung's backup for sure no matter where he ends up regularly.

I think he has the potential to be a great depth LT, useful in jumbo schemes and a serviceable OG. However, if you're looking to take a Guard high in the draft you're hoping for a game changer -- someone who can open up an occasional gaping hole, can be trusted in short-yardage situations, makes an impact at the second level, and isn't abused by non-conventional pass-rushing tactics. Now, if we had excellent tackles and an elite center, then serviceable OGs can get the job done, but I'm not sure we're at that point. We were close in 2012, but took a step backward due to various injuries. I think OL is worth looking at early in the draft if you think our bookends and center can't rebound to 2012 form or better.

I think we are at a spot where the team can go almost purely BPA in the early rounds. Pete's presser where he couldn't name any upgrade areas indicated as much. It just happens to be that this draft is the strongest at the spots we've talked the most about upgrading. So OL is a very real possibility early, but it doesn't mean it's a lock either.

Bailey almost never makes a mistake it seems... Go back and watch tape even from the preseason. He just seems so damn consistent; the complete opposite of Carpenter.

Another thing I like so much about Bowie and Bailey is the fact that they can both adequately play 3 or 4 positions across the O-line; meaning as long as we have a backup center, we can afford to keep just 8 O-lineman on the 53 man roster, which opens up a roster spot or two for some of those diamonds in the rough that JS and PC pull out.

kjreid":29i53i5r said:

Bailey was great everytime he knew who to block, any stunts or changes made it sickening to watch. more expierence will greatly improve Bailey's understanding. imo

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Not that I am disputing what you are saying but do you remember any specific examples of this? I didn't see this at all when I watched him.

Mtjhoyas":1dn0qslv said:

Bailey/Bowie are a big reason why I'd frankly be disappointed going OL in the 1st round. I think both guys have the potential to be very good OL and they cost literally nothing in terms of Cap and draft capital. That's amazing when you think about it.

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We could potentially lose both Breno and Mcquistan.... if that occurs and someone goes down THEN what happens? I'm mostly in favor of BPA but if Guy A grades out to a 89 at WR, and a guy grades out to an 87 at OT/OG, I go with guy 2 imo.

DavidSeven":owcje6bg said:

I think he has the potential to be a great depth LT, useful in jumbo schemes and a serviceable OG. However, if you're looking to take a Guard high in the draft you're hoping for a game changer -- someone who can open up an occasional gaping hole, can be trusted in short-yardage situations, makes an impact at the second level, and isn't abused by non-conventional pass-rushing tactics. Now, if we had excellent tackles and an elite center, then serviceable OGs can get the job done, but I'm not sure we're at that point. We were close in 2012, but took a step backward due to various injuries. I think OL is worth looking at early in the draft if you think our bookends and center can't rebound to 2012 form or better.

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I disagree with this assessment whole-heartedly. Bailey has way more potential than that. It's easy to give the illusion that you've done your homework on a player, or to appear credible by rating a player as 'serviceable' or by using other such lazy adjectives. That's what separates the Mel Kipers from the Rob Rangs. Too short = "serviceable" A late round pick = "serviceable" Sigh! I can name 3 starters on our OL that Bailey has the potential to supplant.

HawKnPeppa":25jvc739 said:

DavidSeven":25jvc739 said:

I think he has the potential to be a great depth LT, useful in jumbo schemes and a serviceable OG. However, if you're looking to take a Guard high in the draft you're hoping for a game changer -- someone who can open up an occasional gaping hole, can be trusted in short-yardage situations, makes an impact at the second level, and isn't abused by non-conventional pass-rushing tactics. Now, if we had excellent tackles and an elite center, then serviceable OGs can get the job done, but I'm not sure we're at that point. We were close in 2012, but took a step backward due to various injuries. I think OL is worth looking at early in the draft if you think our bookends and center can't rebound to 2012 form or better.

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I disagree with this assessment whole-heartedly. Bailey has way more potential than that. It's easy to give the illusion that you've done your homework on a player, or to appear credible by rating a player as 'serviceable' or by using other such lazy adjectives. That's what separates the Mel Kipers from the Rob Rangs. Too short = "serviceable" A late round pick = "serviceable" Sigh! I can name 3 starters on our OL that Bailey has the potential to supplant.

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to be fair potential is an easy word to throw around without any repercussions when proven wrong...... not disagreeing with you, just playing devils advocate

HawKnPeppa":2tuwc7i2 said:

I can name 3 starters on our OL that Bailey has the potential to supplant.

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Which three? He's never played a snap at RT or C and isn't being considered for those positions. You think he's better than Okung?

DavidSeven":1puc2cvt said:

HawKnPeppa":1puc2cvt said:

I can name 3 starters on our OL that Bailey has the potential to supplant.

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Which three? He's never played a snap at RT or C. You think he's better than Okung?

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I believe he was referring to the two guard spots and RT.... don't agree (at this point in time) but if you can play LT you can probably handle RT......

bigcc":98hbqeh9 said:

DavidSeven":98hbqeh9 said:

HawKnPeppa":98hbqeh9 said:

I can name 3 starters on our OL that Bailey has the potential to supplant.

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Which three? He's never played a snap at RT or C. You think he's better than Okung?

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I believe he was referring to the two guard spots and RT.... don't agree (at this point in time) but if you can play LT you can probably handle RT......

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While I agree the best RTs can probably handle LT and vice versa, most teams trend toward putting their better run blockers/maulers at RT. This is why Breno excels in that spot and why Bowie was his #2, even though Bailey flashed more as a pass protector. I love Bailey, but what does he have physically or on tape that shows he's better in this regard than Breno and/or Bowie?

DavidSeven":2ct9hsiy said:

bigcc":2ct9hsiy said:

DavidSeven":2ct9hsiy said:

HawKnPeppa":2ct9hsiy said:

I can name 3 starters on our OL that Bailey has the potential to supplant.

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Which three? He's never played a snap at RT or C. You think he's better than Okung?

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I believe he was referring to the two guard spots and RT.... don't agree (at this point in time) but if you can play LT you can probably handle RT......

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While I agree the best RTs can probably handle LT and vice versa, most teams trend toward putting their better run blockers/maulers at RT. This is why Breno excels in that spot and why Bowie was his #2, even though Bailey flashed more as a pass protector. I love Bailey, but what does he have physically or on tape that shows he's better in this regard than Breno and/or Bowie?

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The fact that they moved bowie to LG leaves me with question marks. In my mind ideally we keep Breno and let Bailey/Carpenter/Sweezy/Bowie fight it out elsewhere, but of all position groups OL is probably the least I know about so I'm just going off the dome.

I'm not a Bailey fan boy fwiw, I like Bowies potential much more, I was pretty shocked when he was moved to LG, and then left inactive, so shows what I know regarding OL... lol