TC OL thread

[RashanGary]

Core guys in their prime
1. Bakh
2. Lindsley
3. Turner

Young thoroughbred gonna be hard to keep off ten field
4. Jenkins

Older guys who are nearing the back end of career
5. Bulaga
6. Taylor

Versatile career backup types
7. McCray

Younger guys with unknown upside
8. Patrick
9. Light
10. De Beer
11. Pankey
12. Madison

[RashanGary]

That was the best Preseason OL performance I can remember.

I listed them in order of most likely to be healthy and contribute at a high level in 2019 based on our limited fan knowledge. We don’t get to see them in practice so the young guys may be better than we know right now. They also happen to fall into somewhat orderly groups with some valid reason to believe the young guys might be quality players. I think the groups and numbers help visualize the potential solutions to the roster dilemma in the event the young players are real.

I paid close attention to Light and DeBeer because they were our starting tackles and we just cut Spriggs. I read in JS that they thought Pankey was a good player too. Rodgers talked up Patrick. Madison is a “who the hell knows” but he was a 5th round pick.

If at least two of Light, De Beer and Pankey are legitimate nfl tackles (and the Packers should know, from seeing them against our nfl dL) then does that make Bulaga expendable right now? It would open up extending Martinez and Clark now but would lose a probable 5th round comp pick.

And/Or

If Pankey or Patrick can play guard well, does that make moving on from Taylor likely because there won’t be much drop off to Jenkins, we still have young quality depth behind Jenkins and we need the roster space to keep the younger guys?


In summary, what I’m suggesting is Bulaga and/or Taylor may be at risk for the above listed reasons, primarily more young talent than we thought we had. Once I saw the overall high quality preseason OL play, it made me think this was a possibility.

[RashanGary]

In one practice watching the WRs, I see as much as we see in a preseason game. After 5 practices watching WRs I already knew everything we saw on Thursday night 5 times over. So the Packers know more than we know 20 times over about the OL and if changes come, I do trust the decisions are made with sound reasoning. If changes don’t come, I trust that too. Gute has ice in his veins. He doesn’t hang on just to hang on. Nelson and Daniels prove that. Gutes wife better keep her ass in shape. I have no doubt he’d burry his nose in some new fur if she wasn’t performing. Heil Gute

[mraynrand]

Gutes wife better keep her ass in shape. I have no doubt he’d burry his nose in some new fur if she wasn’t performing.

Jiminy Christmas!

maybe get some shut-eye?

[mraynrand]

If at least two of Light, De Beer and Pankey are legitimate nfl tackles (and the Packers should know, from seeing them against our nfl dL) then does that make Bulaga expendable right now? It would open up extending Martinez and Clark now but would lose a probable 5th round comp pick.

And/Or

If Pankey or Patrick can play guard well, does that make moving on from Taylor likely because there won’t be much drop off to Jenkins, we still have young quality depth behind Jenkins and we need the roster space to keep the younger guys?

Good thinking. It's possible that Bulaga and Taylor could be surprise cuts. They said Taylor was playing because he is in competition. Bulaga may just be too unreliable to risk a roster spot. Maybe one of our contract gurus here could tell us the consequences of letting him go now or when would be the best time to get rid of him and how to do it. Hate to lose the compensatory pick - might need that fifth to pick up say a Cole Madison type player...

[RashanGary]

Still think there’s a good shot we see a surprise cut, either Bulaga or Taylor. Bulaga would be the big surprise but I would imagine we’d lock Martinez and Clark up very shortly after.

Of course, Bulaga only goes if they feel really good about two of Light, De Beer and Pankey.
Taylor could go if they really like McCray as backup center, Jenkins is just as good as Taylor and maybe another young guy shows promise.

And then, maybe we trade one.

But OL is interesting in a lot of ways. Both in that we had a really good preseason game from the backups and we might have a lot of good young talent and because of how the log jam would shake out. You don’t get rid of good 24 year old players. But 30 year old ones, that’s a little easier to do.

[RashanGary]

With light playing well, the odds of is keeping Bulaga next year are slim to none. But he will fetch a comp pick and he’s a really good pass protector and our depth is fantastic with him here, so might want to hang one one more year. AR needs all of the advantages he can get in year 1 of Lafleurs offense. A great OL with legit 6th 7th and 8th man depth gives AR a little extra time to really get comfortable with the new concepts. That’s worth something.

But how good are these young guys and how many of them are there!? It might be a dilemma.

[mraynrand]

It looks like there will be very good interior depth, but marginal outside depth.

[RashanGary]

It looks like there will be very good interior depth, but marginal outside depth.

I thought the whole preseason game 1, all the tackles looked decent. Light for sure and I think Pankey and DeBeer might be solid too. That tackle depth might be a surprise positive.

[RashanGary]

Top backups:
6. Jenkins inside
7. Light outside

8? Patrick, McCray, De Beer, Pankey, Coyle, Madison

6 guys fighting for two spots. How good are they? Is Patrick a Taylor that we don’t know about yet? Are De Beer and Pankey better than we think? Same for Coyle and Madison and Yoshi.... Word is the backup OL are making a strong case for themselves. How strong is that case and by how many of them? It could get interesting.

[pbmax]

I still haven't finished the game but I think both tackles looked almost the same shade of shaky. Light ahead of deBeers slightly. I'd bet on Bulaga sticking around.

[bobblehead]

Good thinking. It's possible that Bulaga and Taylor could be surprise cuts. They said Taylor was playing because he is in competition. Bulaga may just be too unreliable to risk a roster spot. Maybe one of our contract gurus here could tell us the consequences of letting him go now or when would be the best time to get rid of him and how to do it. Hate to lose the compensatory pick - might need that fifth to pick up say a Cole Madison type player...

The consequence of letting him go is that he is really good when he is healthy. The experimental part of me thinks we should keep him on the bench for 8 weeks and go with Turner and Jenkins at guard. Make him the break glass option. If he can only last part of a season it might as well be the playoff part.

[bobblehead]

Top backups:
6. Jenkins inside
7. Light outside

8? Patrick, McCray, De Beer, Pankey, Coyle, Madison

6 guys fighting for two spots. How good are they? Is Patrick a Taylor that we don’t know about yet? Are De Beer and Pankey better than we think? Same for Coyle and Madison and Yoshi.... Word is the backup OL are making a strong case for themselves. How strong is that case and by how many of them? It could get interesting.

If I'm betting right now its Bak, Taylor, Lindsey, Turner, Bulaga, with Jenkins, Light, Madison, Pankey. Maybe Nimjin and De Beers on PS....hard to say for sure though. Odds are De Beers and Pankey are in a battle for spot 9. I know they really want Nimrod on the practice though.

[RashanGary]

If I'm betting right now its Bak, Taylor, Lindsey, Turner, Bulaga, with Jenkins, Light, Madison, Pankey. Maybe Nimjin and De Beers on PS....hard to say for sure though. Odds are De Beers and Pankey are in a battle for spot 9. I know they really want Nimrod on the practice though.

This is why Taylor might not be here. Or maybe it’s Bulaga even. I have a feeling they might want to keep De Beer too.

[RashanGary]

Light could play guard. Pankey could. Jenkins can backup center. Madison is a guard. And with Bulaga going away next year, I don’t think they wanna lose De Beer. He seems to have developed.