Assessing Need: Left Tackle
by John Morgan on Apr 5, 2010 3:46 PM PDT
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Left Tackle
Starter: Sean Locklear
Age: Turns 29 May 29.
Health: Has missed significant time three of the last four seasons.
Contract: Three years remaining.
Performance: Below average, but incomplete.
Backup: None.
Depth: Kyle Williams
Age: Etc.
Position need: Desperate. No other way to put it. Seattle has one player that is capable of playing the position. He is probably below average, getting old and is often injured. It has Kyle Williams, but Williams is not considered a capable generic left tackle and seems very poorly matched for what Alex Gibbs wants. Hard to see him sticking past training camp.
The Seahawks need to add a starter. Relying on Locklear at this juncture is pretty foolish, and even if Locklear is the presumed starter, his health dictates a capable backup.
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Who is Damion McIntosh?
I don’t see Williams or Frye on the depth chart on the team website. McIntosh is listed as the backup for Ray Willis at RT and for Locklear. We’re OK at the guard and center spots but I think we need to draft tackles on both sides.
Here's a scenario:
Take tackles with both first round picks. Bookends for a decade. Unger at center, slide Locklear inside to guard.
Just an idea… I know we’d probably all throw up if this happened.
Me too, but it seems to make sense.
There’s a lot of value at tackle in the first round this year, and I really don’t see a whole lot of other picks at 6 and 14 that excite me. Except for McCoy, but I don’t think he’ll be around.
Question is… is there a tackle in the first that projects as really good on the right side?
Gibbs really doens't like 1st round OT's or he used to - he's the big unknown
does anyone know if that is bluster or does his teams draft records reflect that. The Broncos didn’t take o-linemen in the first two rounds until the last year of in his time there. The same thing happened while he was with Atlanta. He drafted Duane Brown in his first year with the Texans, was that because they didn’t have anyone else or did he change his mind about tackles taken in the first round?
What I don’t know is what the Broncos/Falcons lines were like before he came to town, I saw a huge improvement with the Texans line.
At least we aren't the Raiders?
That's the question.
Does Gibbs’s draft ideology work only if he’s got the luxury to spend years developing players behind an already decent line?
by BurtonOerney on Apr 6, 2010 10:55 AM PDT up reply actions
I always wonder why the OLine is so undervalued.
And I guess this is it. People get their hearts set on a heisman candidate or something and would feel bored if their team picked linemen. Haven’t we seen enough theoretically good trades and draft picks do absolutely nothing behind our line (except for 2005, when our left side was strong) to realize we won’t get any production out of spiller if he has to block for himself. We were forced to play Carlson as a lineman all last year. He won’t stick around for any more of that than he has to.
In today's NFL they are pretty sexy picks
I think fans value them, look at how many of us say that Jones is our favorite Seahawk of all time.
At least we aren't the Raiders?
That's why I like the Seahawks.
We know about the guys that play for us no matter what position. We get all excited about a Harvard guy playing special teams and backup linebacker. We’re going to get ten new people this year. I would love for this to be the start of another building phase like we had in the mid-eighties where we developed players – Kenny Easley, Curt Warner, Jacob Green, Mike Tice, Joe Nash, Dan Doornick for crying out loud! – to play in Chuck Knox’s system.
by BurtonOerney on Apr 6, 2010 10:53 AM PDT up reply actions
Did I miss a huge news story?
Has Walter Jones retired? I mean officially. Last I heard he was contemplating retirement. If he is still under contract and has not given official word that he is leaving, I think we owe it to Big Walt to at least mention his name in the LT discussion.
Okay. There. I mentioned his name.
Someone said Walt tweeted something that hinted he might be retired.
I don’t know how it can get much more concrete than that.
his procedure and issue is typically career-ending
And he was in pain constantly before that. IMO he was a shadow of his former self even when he was ‘healthy’. With the new front office, I’m not sure he’ll get the same kid-glove treatment and starter designation he might have before.
Perhaps you're right.
But let’s remember something: Simply because of Walter Jones’ age, the need for a future LT does not change.
Talents that I covet:
Ndamukong Suh, Gerald McCoy, Sam Bradford, Mike Iupati, Golden Tate, Earl Thomas, and Freddie Barnes
by Carl Shinyama on Apr 5, 2010 8:24 PM PDT up reply actions
I hope he does retire I'd hate to have him cut
he can hoist the 12 at the first home game and the pace will go crazy.
At least we aren't the Raiders?
Multiple surgeries, bad knee, plus a complete intolerance to pain meds = done
Though he hasn’t officially retired.
6/14/60. Sweet.
why not gaither?
24 years old, probably get him for a 2nd rounder. leaves us with a sure thing and our first rounds to use on other things. just an idear….
hi by the way, i’m a noob.
24-year old left tackles are only available for a reason.
I suspect Gaither is suspect.
Early prospect watch: RB C.J. Spiller, QB Sam Bradford, OT Ciron Black*, DT Gerald McCoy, S Eric Berry, DT Ndamukong Suh, CB Ras-I Dowling**, RB Jonathan Dwyer
well...
i think the reason’s name is michael oher but still gaither has skills imo.
Gaither looks good.
College issues are not issues. He started all season for the Ravens defending a young quarterback. They also had a pretty decent run game right? Don’t they have Sydney Rice?
The question is (at least for today)... is he a Gibbs type player?
I’d be all for getting a proven commodity at LT with our 60, rather than going “what if” with 6 or 14.
I agree.
Somebody on another thread posted flop rates for offensive tackles vs. defensive linemen and quarterbacks, I think. Offensive linemen are less risky but at the same time, I also want to see the right player plugged into the system rather than fitting the system to the best players we can get.
by BurtonOerney on Apr 6, 2010 10:45 AM PDT up reply actions
Whoops.
Them Rice boys get me every time.
by BurtonOerney on Apr 6, 2010 10:46 AM PDT up reply actions
I wouldn't say
he is suspect. But the acquisition of Oher makes him expendable.
Huge need.
LT needs to be addresed in this draft. At this point Jones is less than 50% to come back, and Lock is a much better RT than LT (no shock there). As for Williams, well he is not good.
Draft a LT PLEASE, if the team does not draft a LT at 6th or 14th in this years draft they are just plain DUMB, there is no other way to put it. Even if Jones raises up from the dead and has a “good” season, the team needs some youth and skill at LT and they don’t have it right now.
Draft
a LT at 6, OG at 14. Suffer through another Hasslebroken season, pick Locker next year.
What? No SOUL?
Maybe the Locker thing.
An LT at 6 or 14, though, is a good idea – particularly at 6 – because the likelihood of the player to succeed is higher than a player at another position and he’ll be one of the least expensive options. Only, I would substitute another tackle for your guard. Even if Locklear moves over, we still lack a good tackle to rotate in.
by BurtonOerney on Apr 6, 2010 12:24 PM PDT up reply actions
Seattle drafting a first-round Guard would surprise me like nothing else.
Early prospect watch: RB C.J. Spiller, QB Sam Bradford, OT Ciron Black*, DT Gerald McCoy, S Eric Berry, DT Ndamukong Suh, CB Ras-I Dowling**, RB Jonathan Dwyer
I've heard from Rob Rang
That Iupati could be converted to tackle. So if we drafted him at 14…I dunno, that wouldn’t bother me much.
Though they sink through the Sea, they shall rise again...Death shall have no dominion...
There aren't many positions on the line that couldn't be upgraded
especially if Spencer is on his way out of town or so the rumors say.
At least we aren't the Raiders?
I think both first-round Guard prospects are more mauler/power-players.
Neither Iupati or Pouncey fit the typical ZBS mold, from what I understand.
Early prospect watch: RB C.J. Spiller, QB Sam Bradford, OT Ciron Black*, DT Gerald McCoy, S Eric Berry, DT Ndamukong Suh, CB Ras-I Dowling**, RB Jonathan Dwyer
Widebodies are it.
I would be thrilled to get OL in all the upper rounds, and get some “skill” players in the lower rounds that would be able to produce when holes are opened for them, or the QB has time to throw…
That is the hope that Gibbs brings this year
key picks early on defense talent to fill our holes at DT, DE, and Safety and then going for o-line talent and a later round steal at RB like Hardesty or McKnight.
At least we aren't the Raiders?
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