Cameron Fleming at guard?

Patriot Missile said:

TJ Clemmings Pittsburgh
Cameron Flemming FSU
Ali Marpet Hobart
Shaq Mason, GT

All players I'd be ok with on the line.

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????Cameron Fleming FSU?????

Would be fun to have 2 Cameron Flemings on our OL, but I think you're referring to Cameron Erving there.

Great finding.

It's official now that they are indeed looking for him to play guard (Right side I believe) , it's not only Mike Reiss or us suggesting that possibility. And he is working his ass off. If it works out, Fleming and Wendell as a backup makes the right side all set.

This video was posted 1 week ago, and a video of that quality takes time to edit, also his trainer talking makes me think they are doing that for a little while. If this is correct until draft day BB will have good data and if he is confident then I can see them drafting a left tackle that can slide in instead of a pure guard.

PatsWickedPissah said:

Great video. Who here could not benefit from developing "the ability to hold onto stiffness"?

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I wasn't having a problem with this until Ian 'fixed' the site.

Wasn't Fleming one of the guys who got a late start because Stanford had a late graduation date. All in all I thought he did a good job catching up after a late start.

shmessy said:

GREAT find. Thank you!

This is a fantastic update on a player who, I think will see a huge jump from rookie season. Fleming is a mountain of a man and is extremely intelligent. If he gets his technique in order at guard, he will be one heckuvan asset. That would mean the Pats have Cannon, Fleming, Stork and Wendell who can each play 2 different positions on the OL. That kind of flexibility is underrated, but crucial in a 53 man roser - 16+ game season.

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OL is one area -- perhaps the one area -- where Pats' players' versatility is nothing special, because other teams' players have it too. Didn't Damien Woody go from a center who would have been good if he could shotgun snap to guard to RT?

RxJock1120 said:

Not impressive??? He was very impressive in every opportunity I saw. The kid was a beast in the running game and will only get better with a year of experience.

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Not sure what games you were watching. Fleming's main playing time and only two starts came in the first four games of 2014 when the offensive line was a train wreck. He only appeared in 7 regular season games with substantial snaps in the Buffalo week 17 game. Fleming has potential but hasn't proven he can be an NFL starter. I am not saying he won't emerge as a solid guard/tackle, but he has a lot to improve upon. The extra work is encouraging.

http://www.nfl.com/player/cameronfleming/2543654/gamelogs

7 regular season games and 2 post season games is about what I would expect from a solid 4th round pick on either line. You'd love to have a 4th rounder be a reliable back up and maybe develop into a starter.

goheels22002 said:

Fleming is a rocket scientist from Stanford, (really) but was not impressive as a rookie. He left Stanford with a year of eligibility remaining after earning his degree and would have benefited from another year at the BCS level.

He's got the size to do the job, and the extra work on footwork and body positioning to gain and hold leverage is great news. It would be great if he could step into Connolly's spot. I expect the Patriots to draft a guard/tackle in the third round to compete for the job.

However this works out, the Patriots will continue to get younger along the offensive line and have solid building blocks for the offensive line of the future.

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BB has always said, "You draft tackles and convert those who are not superior NFL tackles". Flemming was drafted to play RG, but injuries interfered. Plus the main attention was Stork at Center in 2014. I think Flemming will win the RG spot.

This year it will be the time to get some new more talented Guards. Flemming is more suitable in size and experience to play RG, I beleive. This year's offensive line draftee will more likely be a college LOT who will be converted to LG. That leaves swing tackle for Marcus Cannon and swing Guard/Center to the undersized, ex-starter, tough Guy.

I'm not an expert on OL play/assignments, but 6'6" seems awfully long to play inside. They're showing that he's doing the work on his agility... time will tell, I hope he can do it. On the other hand, he'll be at the "easiest" position on the line and will get to blindside more defenders.

What really matters is if he can summon an '***hole' attitude on the field like so many good interior linemen. He seems like a smart, soft-spoken kid; at that size, he needs to be physically and mentally destroying defenders.

TB's pocket should be pretty comfy though.

I think most of us assumed that both he and Cannon would see some looks at guard---as long as it is on the right side (not sure what that would mean for Wendell, or if it would simply be rotational/backup).

A line consisting of Solder-Mathis-Stork-Flemming-Vollmer would be an absolute beast.

Sigh I can dream

supafly said:

I think most of us assumed that both he and Cannon would see some looks at guard---as long as it is on the right side (not sure what that would mean for Wendell, or if it would simply be rotational/backup).

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He was never really given a chance after Justin Houston roasted him w/ pure speed. I would like to see him get another shot. Cannon is another story. I saw how bad he was at guard in 2013 and was sadly right about him last season. Maybe Cannon would be better w/ an entire offseason but I would just accept the fact that he is a decent tackle and nothing more.

I see Kline eventually holding down one of the guard positions and a rookie the other. I am a long time fan of Wendell and have defended him throughout the years but I doubt he can hold on to his spot for long. Wendell will probably start the season and eventually be a backup. The one dark horse I see in this is Chris Barker. I re-watched some of our preseason games and have come to the conclusion that he is still on the roster for a reason.

AzPatsFan said:

BB has always said, "You draft tackles and convert those who are not superior NFL tackles". Flemming was drafted to play RG, but injuries interfered. Plus the main attention was Stork at Center in 2014. I think Flemming will win the RG spot.

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That comment right there rules out the Pats drafting an AJ Cann or a Laken Tomlinson.

Regarding Fleming I love his size, if he can get the technique down he can be a mauler of a guard.

goheels22002 said:

Not sure what games you were watching. Fleming's main playing time and only two starts came in the first four games of 2014 when the offensive line was a train wreck. He only appeared in 7 regular season games with substantial snaps in the Buffalo week 17 game. Fleming has potential but hasn't proven he can be an NFL starter. I am not saying he won't emerge as a solid guard/tackle, but he has a lot to improve upon. The extra work is encouraging.

http://www.nfl.com/player/cameronfleming/2543654/gamelogs

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I agree with the other poster. Fleming was very impressive when used as a 6th blocker and did reasonably well when given the start against a terrific KC DL. He has a ways to go to be an NFL caliber guard, but all in all, there is plenty of reason to be optimistic.

A lot of people on this thread seem to have the opinion that if you aren't an all-pro you are basically JAG. I expect the Pats will likely look at Cannon and Fleming at guard seeing how they want to make sure they have all their bases covered and don't need to throw a rookie into the starting lineup

meatface said:

A lot of people on this thread seem to have the opinion that if you aren't an all-pro you are basically JAG. I expect the Pats will likely look at Cannon and Fleming at guard seeing how they want to make sure they have all their bases covered and don't need to throw a rookie into the starting lineup

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Yes, Cannon and Fleming MIGHT get every opportunity to show what they have at OG in training camp and in the preseason. Of course, that didn't happen much last year. My guess is that Fleming might indeed be a future RG. I still see Cannon as a fine OT.

That being said, I think that it's great to have all that competition on the right side, at RG and at RT.
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I'm not sure that the potentials of Fleming and Cannon at OG are relevant, unless one thinks that Wendell will move to lG, where I don't think that he has played.
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BOTTOM LINE
1) We have one LG in Kline.
2) We might sign or trade for a veteran.
3) We need to sign one or two OL's in the draft who can play LG.
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BTW, I don't think that this situation is any different than it was at the beginning of the preseason.

I th

mgteich said:

Yes, Cannon and Fleming MIGHT get every opportunity to show what they have at OG in training camp and in the preseason. Of course, that didn't happen much last year. My guess is that Fleming might indeed be a future RG. I still see Cannon as a fine OT.

That being said, I think that it's great to have all that competition on the right side, at RG and at RT.
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I'm not sure that the potentials of Fleming and Cannon at OG are relevant, unless one thinks that Wendell will move to lG, where I don't think that he has played.
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BOTTOM LINE
1) We have one LG in Kline.
2) We might sign or trade for a veteran.
3) We need to sign one or two OL's in the draft who can play LG.

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I think that LGs have to be able to pull and pass block better than the typical interior player. I want the Pats to invest in a big, mobile tackle who can drive block as a LG. With a great QB the Pats have always invested and plalyed good pass blocking Offensive linemen, even sacrificing some drive blocking ability, in order to insure protection for the the Franchise QB.

Now I want both, to help the run game, so that the aging GOAT has less to do.

mgteich said:

I'm not sure that the potentials of Fleming and Cannon at OG are relevant, unless one thinks that Wendell will move to lG, where I don't think that he has played.

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Wendell has played LG from the beginning of his career, subbing in for Connolly there during Logan Mankins's holdout, and later subbing in for Mankins when he was held out the last game of the year in 2011.

He and Connolly have pinballed around the Pats IOL since their first preseason games. Strange to think people think he couldn't play LG... yet its all over the board.

The thought might not be as much about Wendell's ability to play LG as it might be about his ability to play it well enough to keep TFB upright should he need more than 2 seconds to throw the ball.