SPITZ BEST OF 3 OL DRAFT PROSPECTS ??

[Scott Campbell]

I'm interested in that mojo this year because after this last draft, TT said he wouldn't have to do that as much...

JS also did a writeup be4 last year's draft claiming GB would not do that as much and may even trade up

TT never shows his cards regardless of what they are

I still see this roster in need of a number of upgrades. I wouldn't mind 11 picks.

[RashanGary]

I'm afraid Colledge will end up the type of LT that gets his QB killed. What we saw Taylor do to him last year could happen when he faces any number of quick outside rushers, and there are quite a lot of them. If he completely whiffs as he has shown a tendency to do, a qb could be clobbered in a very ugly manner.

There is something missing in his play. No last ditch effort to get a piece of the guy or to do something. Its almost like a surrender on a particular play.

I completely agree, Patler. There is something about him that inspires almost no confidence in me. You never know, and I'm usually not one to throw a guy under the bus until he really gets a chance but for some reason, I can't picture him as anything more than a left side backup. I feel like we need a new player to replace Clifton because Colledge just seems like junk to me. Well, not junk, but a guy you don't want starting.

[Fritz]

There is something wrong with Colledge's play that I just can't quite figure out. He gets manhandled by power moves with some regularity, which you can attribute to a lot of different things. The confusing part is the number of times he has either been out-quicked by defensive tackles, or just totally confused by them, and has allowed them through virtually untouched, even in the limited area a guard plays. It happens not only on stunts or things intended to cause confusion. It has happened from the simplest moves of a DT. Everyone gets beat now and then, but to not even get a piece of the guy is a real concern.

I'm afraid Colledge will end up the type of LT that gets his QB killed. What we saw Taylor do to him last year could happen when he faces any number of quick outside rushers, and there are quite a lot of them. If he completely whiffs as he has shown a tendency to do, a qb could be clobbered in a very ugly manner.

There is something missing in his play. No last ditch effort to get a piece of the guy or to do something. Its almost like a surrender on a particular play.

It is strange. It's difficult to not speculate that it's got something to do with the guy's mental or emotional make up more than any lack of physical abiltiy. It probably never hurts to draft an offensive lineman or two every year. I remember Ron Wolf saying once that he told Favre that Wolf would never let Favre get battered thanks to a lack of skill on the offensive line.

[pbmax]

I believe its his feet. He tends to lunge toward a target instead of moving his feet to get into a position to intercept the rusher. And that's why simple moves beat him even when he doesn't have to contend with other garbage. It gives him no leverage.

There is something wrong with Colledge's play that I just can't quite figure out. He gets manhandled by power moves with some regularity, which you can attribute to a lot of different things. The confusing part is the number of times he has either been out-quicked by defensive tackles, or just totally confused by them, and has allowed them through virtually untouched, even in the limited area a guard plays. It happens not only on stunts or things intended to cause confusion. It has happened from the simplest moves of a DT. Everyone gets beat now and then, but to not even get a piece of the guy is a real concern.

I'm afraid Colledge will end up the type of LT that gets his QB killed. What we saw Taylor do to him last year could happen when he faces any number of quick outside rushers, and there are quite a lot of them. If he completely whiffs as he has shown a tendency to do, a qb could be clobbered in a very ugly manner.

There is something missing in his play. No last ditch effort to get a piece of the guy or to do something. Its almost like a surrender on a particular play.

[Patler]

I believe its his feet. He tends to lunge toward a target instead of moving his feet to get into a position to intercept the rusher. And that's why simple moves beat him even when he doesn't have to contend with other garbage. It gives him no leverage.

That is what I suspect is part of the problem. If he lunges, doesn't stay "square" and does not remain balanced over his feet, he can be between quickly. Those are things that can be taught (not always completely, but at least improved most of the time). However, the part that bothers me is that when he is beaten, nothing happens. I've seen Tauscher and Clifton (as well as Rivera, Wahle and others in the past, even Spitz the last two years) contort themselves into the most awkward positions just to get a piece of a guy going by them, to bump the rusher off stride, anything to slow or divert him. I've seen Colledge look almost statue-like as he gets beat. I'm not sure that is something that can be taught.

We have seen it time and time again from Tauscher this year. The guy has played a good part of the season on one leg. He often gets beaten (which rarely happened in the past), but he never gives up on the play. There was an isolation of him in a game a couple weeks ago. He lunged at the guy going around him, barely grazing his side. But it was enough to upset his balance so the player had to stick his leg farther out to regain balance. Favre took a half step, and delivered a completion as the player just got his inside arm on Favre. It was a pressure, probably a QB hit, but a completed pass. Without Tauscher's last effort, it was likely a sack, deflected pass or at least an incompletion.

[Patler]

It probably never hurts to draft an offensive lineman or two every year. I remember Ron Wolf saying once that he told Favre that Wolf would never let Favre get battered thanks to a lack of skill on the offensive line.

Wolf has said you really need to draft an O-lineman every year, just to bring in a guy to develop, He had very good success with that, with "afterthoughts" like Timmerman, Rivera and Tauscher developing quite nicely, in addition to higher picks like Dotson, Taylor, Verba and Clifton.

For all his "promises" to Favre, many of the O-lines Wolf put together were good, but not great; and turnover rate in the O-line was very high under Wolf. The best and most stable line he put together was the one he left Sherman with.