Kaczur's back: Predict the O-Line?

[PatsWickedPissah]

Neal's a very good OG but his major problem aside from oft being injured is that on several occasions he's managed to injure a fellow Patriot player!

 

[Deus Irae]

I'd like to find out if Neal is a weaker link than we suspect. Problem it, I think we have two solid LT's, so what do you do with the spare?

I'd take Nick over Stephen for a handful of snaps to diagnose a problem, personally. I'm not hating on Neal, I just think some of you over-value him and have not carefully observed Kaczur.

1.) We've seen the line without Neal for 6 weeks. I think we've seen enough.

2.) Neal is the team's best pulling run blocker. He's also the most athletic O-lineman the team has. Without him, the O-line got buried in the Super Bowl, and has been sub par ever since. He's got LoMo's injury luck, but he's a quality player when healty.

3.) <sigh> Ryan Clady would look great at RT this season.

4.) Here's hoping Oher somehow falls all the way to the Patriots in the first round!

5.) The line will be Light/Mankins/Koppen/Neal/Kaczur, if Nick is healthy. If not, they'll go with the backup at RT. Matt Cassel will finally be able to spend all day behind the line the way Brady did last season. The difference being, of course, that nobody called Brady out for doing it, but every time Cassel does it people will act as if MC just shot their dog.

 

[BradyManny]

5.) The line will be Light/Mankins/Koppen/Neal/Kaczur, if Nick is healthy. If not, they'll go with the backup at RT. Matt Cassel will finally be able to spend all day behind the line the way Brady did last season. The difference being, of course, that nobody called Brady out for doing it, but every time Cassel does it people will act as if MC just shot their dog.

I don't get this. The only difference in the line Cassel has been behind is Neal, whose strength is run blocking, not pass blocking. There are two variables involved:

1) Brady has a better pocket presence than any other QB in the league save for a few other elites. Matt Cassel does not share this talent.
2) Teams are rushing us much differently.

When Brady was spending "all day" behind this line, its b/c teams were afraid to rush and dropping guys in coverage - teams were rushing 3 or 4 max. The Giants showed the line is vulnerable up the middle.

 

[Deus Irae]

I don't get this. The only difference in the line Cassel has been behind is Neal, whose strength is run blocking, not pass blocking. There are two variables involved:

1) Brady has a better pocket presence than any other QB in the league save for a few other elites. Matt Cassel does not share this talent.
2) Teams are rushing us much differently.

When Brady was spending "all day" behind this line, its b/c teams were afraid to rush and dropping guys in coverage - teams were rushing 3 or 4 max. The Giants showed the line is vulnerable up the middle.

1.) I think you're underestimating Neal's pass blocking here.

2.) The Giants weren't really overpowering the line until Neal went out.

3.) One thing that should change with Neal back is that Koppen and company won't have to cheat the line in order to protect Yates.

4.) Teams often blitzed the Patriots. Brady just killed them when they did. The line picking up the blitz helped with that.

I don't expect Cassel to be able to serve tea behind the line, but he should get more time now, and that should make a big difference.

 

[BradyManny]

1.) I think you're underestimating Neal's pass blocking here.

2.) The Giants weren't really overpowering the line until Neal went out.

3.) One thing that should change with Neal back is that Koppen and company won't have to cheat the line in order to protect Yates.

4.) Teams often blitzed the Patriots. Brady just killed them when they did. The line picking up the blitz helped with that.

I don't expect Cassel to be able to serve tea behind the line, but he should get more time now, and that should make a big difference.

Some good points, I agree with #2 for sure, and then I guess 1&3 to some extent by extension. But I still think the phrasing was peculiar and sold Brady's influence on the line a little short.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

1.) I think you're underestimating Neal's pass blocking here.

2.) The Giants weren't really overpowering the line until Neal went out.

3.) One thing that should change with Neal back is that Koppen and company won't have to cheat the line in order to protect Yates.

4.) Teams often blitzed the Patriots. Brady just killed them when they did. The line picking up the blitz helped with that.

I don't expect Cassel to be able to serve tea behind the line, but he should get more time now, and that should make a big difference.

Big Neal fan here but remember that Hasslet's MO is blitz the QB. Worked for him against the media's annointed Tony Romo when they kicked the Cows' butts. I'm concerned that a Matt Cassel, without the support of a strong run game could get blitzed into Romo-like mistakes. Hopefully BB is smarter and BJGE has another good game.

Silly me. I'm such a wimp that I'm gonna miss the game and go to a nephew's first B'day. I gotta admit that I'd disown my daughter if she did that to me.

 

[Deus Irae]

Some good points, I agree with #2 for sure, and then I guess 1&3 to some extent by extension. But I still think the phrasing was peculiar and sold Brady's influence on the line a little short.

You're probably right about the way I phrased it, now that I look back at it. I was really trying to point out that Brady took forever to make throws quite a bit last year, and nobody (or almost nobody, anyway) was complaining then. That long wait is part and parcel of a downfield game, and I think people here ignore that when they complain about Cassel.

 

[slash83]

1.) We've seen the line without Neal for 6 weeks. I think we've seen enough.

2.) Neal is the team's best pulling run blocker. He's also the most athletic O-lineman the team has. Without him, the O-line got buried in the Super Bowl, and has been sub par ever since. He's got LoMo's injury luck, but he's a quality player when healty.

3.) <sigh> Ryan Clady would look great at RT this season.

4.) Here's hoping Oher somehow falls all the way to the Patriots in the first round!

5.) The line will be Light/Mankins/Koppen/Neal/Kaczur, if Nick is healthy. If not, they'll go with the backup at RT. Matt Cassel will finally be able to spend all day behind the line the way Brady did last season. The difference being, of course, that nobody called Brady out for doing it, but every time Cassel does it people will act as if MC just shot their dog.

True but Mayo looks just fine to me at ILB

 

[Deus Irae]

True but Mayo looks just fine to me at ILB

I agree, I just value the LT (would be RT until Light moved on, but LT after that) more than I value the ILB. I think we're all seeing the importance of keeping the QB healthy, and the LT is the player with the toughest job of keeping the QB clean because it's where the best pass rushing d-linemen tend to come from. I rank the positional value as follows:

1. QB
2. LT
3. NT

 

[VJCPatriot]

Hey it might be actually kind of nice for the Pats to serve tea back there now and then. It'll soothe the nerves for Cassel. I can see it now. Demarcus Ware is roaring towards the QB, but oh, he trips over the tea set! Down he goes, and Cassel takes advantage to throw a TD strike to Moss!! After the game. Cassel, "I owe this victory all to Darjiling tea and dainty china set. Whoever got the coach to agree to this 'unorthodox' relaxtion technique, thank you!"

 

[BradyFTW!]

Evidently Nick's back in practice.

I'd like to see him at RG, personally. Would anyone hate to try that out?

Light, Mankins, Koppen, Kaczur, LeVoir

Now some of you know more about natural positions than I do (maybe all of you). How would you situate the starting O-Line based on all the available personnel?

Just speaking on a surface level, I can see where you're coming from: Yates sucks, and LeVoir seems to be holding up okay. I'm not sure of what kind of effect that would have in general, but I do like the sounds of that lineup.