Interesting move by the Raiders..

[Yorkshire Patriot]

They intend to start Bruce Campbell at RG, rather than bury him on the depth chart at tackle. Seems like another shrewd move as they had success moving Gallery from tackle to guard last season. More evidence that Senile Al isn't running the show in Oakland anymore???

 

[patchick]

RG? I don't get it. Campbell's problem is inexperience and ineffectiveness, but he's very clearly a natural tackle -- 6'6.3" with huge 36.25" arms and tons of athleticism. (One of Gallery's big problems at tackle was 32" arms.)

AFAIK Campbell has never played a day at guard. So now instead of being buried on the depth chart due to lack of readiness, he pops to the top of the chart at a position he's even less ready at, and less suited to? Should be interesting indeed.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

RG? I don't get it. Campbell's problem is inexperience and ineffectiveness, but he's very clearly a natural tackle -- 6'6.3" with huge 36.25" arms and tons of athleticism. (One of Gallery's big problems at tackle was 32" arms.)

AFAIK Campbell has never played a day at guard. So now instead of being buried on the depth chart due to lack of readiness, he pops to the top of the chart at a position he's even less ready at, and less suited to? Should be interesting indeed.

Well, if his problem is inexperience, this starts to get him used to the speed of the game, with Veldheer drafted in the third they are setting themselves up for a nice pair of bookends.

York, don't count out Crazy Al on this, if his meds are working he's as dangerous an NFL personnel man as there is.

 

[patchick]

Well, if his problem is inexperience, this starts to get him used to the speed of the game, with Veldheer drafted in the third they are setting themselves up for a nice pair of bookends.

Both intriguing long-term prospect for sure, but I'd be scared to line up behind either of them in 2010.

 

[Criptonite]

RG? I don't get it. Campbell's problem is inexperience and ineffectiveness, but he's very clearly a natural tackle -- 6'6.3" with huge 36.25" arms and tons of athleticism. (One of Gallery's big problems at tackle was 32" arms.)

AFAIK Campbell has never played a day at guard. So now instead of being buried on the depth chart due to lack of readiness, he pops to the top of the chart at a position he's even less ready at, and less suited to? Should be interesting indeed.

Yeah not only is he a tackle, but he seems to specifially be a left tackle. I can't even see him playing RT, nevermind at guard.

 

[hammertime]

This is going to be a bigger failure then the Vladimir Ducasse experiment.

Campbell can't play guard.

 

[jsull87]

only thing i care about is how it effects them this year and i hope it's inexperience at the start of the year and then start to get better by the time it is too late

 

[Coach42]

The Raiders are the most consistent team in the NFL. I'm not worried.

 

[mcsully]

bigger failure then the Vladimir Ducasse experiment.

I guess I don't get this comment.. Ducasse was a great pick by the Jets.. I was actually hoping the Pats would make a move on him.. There will be little or no drop off with him starting..

 

[mcsully]

So Pat Kirwan was talking about this very subject last week and mentioned how great a move this was for the young Campbell.

He mentioned its a good start for a young player to play guard for the following reasons (as I recall)
1. Gets an idea of game speed
2. doesn't leave him out on an island
3. and gets him to play now more than later..

 

[patchick]

I guess I don't get this comment.. Ducasse was a great pick by the Jets.. I was actually hoping the Pats would make a move on him.. There will be little or no drop off with him starting..

I might have mentioned this before, but before the draft I heard a radio interview with a scout who was at the Senior Bowl. His take on OLs is that the #1 trait you look for is the mindset to shrug off getting beaten on a play and head into the next play with total confidence.

Apparently at Senior Bowl practices Ducasse was struggling...and his reaction was to beg the coaches to move him inside to guard so he wouldn't get beaten so badly. The scout said he turned to a colleague at that and they both just shook their heads and said "forget it."

fwiw...

 

[Yorkshire Patriot]

So Pat Kirwan was talking about this very subject last week and mentioned how great a move this was for the young Campbell.

He mentioned its a good start for a young player to play guard for the following reasons (as I recall)
1. Gets an idea of game speed
2. doesn't leave him out on an island
3. and gets him to play now more than later..

It may be that LT is his preferred position and where he ends upplaying the majority of his career, but I really like the idea of playing him at RG initially for the 3 reasons listed baove.

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

I might have mentioned this before, but before the draft I heard a radio interview with a scout who was at the Senior Bowl. His take on OLs is that the #1 trait you look for is the mindset to shrug off getting beaten on a play and head into the next play with total confidence.

Apparently at Senior Bowl practices Ducasse was struggling...and his reaction was to beg the coaches to move him inside to guard so he wouldn't get beaten so badly. The scout said he turned to a colleague at that and they both just shook their heads and said "forget it."

fwiw...

I read this same information reported by the Real GM Jr. website in an interview with an unnamed NFC Scout. The question that arises for me is why Ducasse, who played Tackle and struggled at Guard when he was moved around at the Senior Bowl, would beg to be moved inside where he had struggled and would be in transition? The young man was actually performing fairly well while working at Tackle when I watched him, so either the Scout(s) reporting this had dyslexic moments, were spreading pre-draft disinformation, or the TV camera and commentators were lying.

If this had been said about Iupati, an equally gifted and raw OL, it would have made more sense as he was a Guard who was literally knocked on his backside by a bullrush off the edge and consistently beaten by experienced edge rushers. I agreed with those who felt he could be developed and eventually play OT, but he sure was made to look bad in the drills.

Either way, neither made my draft board due to my belief that Coach Scarnecchia prefers a higher degree of technical proficiency in his draft picks - raw talent appears to receive UDFA grades for NE.

 

[VJCPatriot]

I might have mentioned this before, but before the draft I heard a radio interview with a scout who was at the Senior Bowl. His take on OLs is that the #1 trait you look for is the mindset to shrug off getting beaten on a play and head into the next play with total confidence.

Apparently at Senior Bowl practices Ducasse was struggling...and his reaction was to beg the coaches to move him inside to guard so he wouldn't get beaten so badly. The scout said he turned to a colleague at that and they both just shook their heads and said "forget it."

fwiw...

Yeah Ducasse doesn't seem to have the mental toughness to succeed.
As for Campbell, I think the Raiders are just desperate to improve their horrid OL, so they're trying to shoehorn their talent onto the field. Even if the talent doesn't quite fit, Campbell probably can't be any worse than the guy he's replacing..

 

[mcsully]

I might have mentioned this before, but before the draft I heard a radio interview with a scout who was at the Senior Bowl. His take on OLs is that the #1 trait you look for is the mindset to shrug off getting beaten on a play and head into the next play with total confidence.

Apparently at Senior Bowl practices Ducasse was struggling...and his reaction was to beg the coaches to move him inside to guard so he wouldn't get beaten so badly. The scout said he turned to a colleague at that and they both just shook their heads and said "forget it."

fwiw...

You probably mentioned it and I didn't read it..

Trust me, I hope he is a disaster.. Because Faneca really help out D'Brick and if this kid, (and I might be wrong but I believe he'll be good,turns into a bum, Jet are in serious trouble on their left side of the OL..