Right Guard or Left Guard...

[mgteich]

I'm not sure of your issue with my post. I agree that the backup center needs to be a solid center. The presumption is sometimes made that the backup center can play guard. In any case, on Game Day, we need backups for all five starters and for the long snapper.

The expectation is that this can be accomplished with only two backup roster spots on Game Day. If three are needed, then three backups will be active.

Don't know what you mean here. The backup center has to be a good center, hopefully also good at guard. Can't just assume anyone can play center.

 

[Kasmir]

Hmm...

I believe Neal is much underrated at RG. He's both agile and explosive. He started off at a real football instincts deficit but has improved steadily in his time here. He's probably the best overall athlete amongst all the OL, and his football skills has been improving steadily. His biggest problem is fragility, he's missed a lot of games. It's a big dropoff when we got to Hochstein, especially in the run game.

O'Callaghan is the real sleeper. He's actually several times beat out Kaczur for starting RT when he's healthy, which unfortunately is a huge problem for him. As someone mentioned, he's had serious concussion problems. But he's much more of a natural RT type than Kaczur, who's best position is probably LT. It'll be interesting to see if O'C can stay on the field, and if the team believes his injury problems are chronic he could easily be IR'ed again or even cut.

BTW, O'C started the final regular season 2007 game vs the Giants and did a *vastly* better job on Strahan than Kaczur did in the Superbowl -- we only gave up one sack in that game despite passing 43 times. Kaczur was ragdolled in the Superbowl. Neal also was injured early in the Superbowl, and had been injury plagued all that season. I believe if we had had a healthy Neal and O'C in the Superbowl it would have made a huge difference...

 

[RayClay]

I'm not sure of your issue with my post. I agree that the backup center needs to be a solid center. The presumption is sometimes made that the backup center can play guard. In any case, on Game Day, we need backups for all five starters and for the long snapper.

The expectation is that this can be accomplished with only two backup roster spots on Game Day. If three are needed, then three backups will be active.

BTW, there is also possibility that we would have a left side backup (LG and LT) and a right side backup (RG and RT with the best backup at center coming in to backup the center

Maybe i misunderstood your post. Looked like you said pick a right and left guard then use whoever is better from those two to backup center. It's usually a moot point, of course since centers or guards looking for work as a backup will either have g/c or g/t capabilities..

For example, Woody was a center who couldn't snap. If he were less talented he might have had less chance of sticking as a backup due to that deficit.

 

[mgteich]

Yes, one of the guards MUST have the ability to be a backup center. My point is that the MOST important skill on Game Day for the backup interior lineman is his role as backup center.

Maybe i misunderstood your post. Looked like you said pick a right and left guard then use whoever is better from those two to backup center. It's usually a moot point, of course since centers or guards looking for work as a backup will either have g/c or g/t capabilities..

For example, Woody was a center who couldn't snap. If he were less talented he might have had less chance of sticking as a backup due to that deficit.

 

[mgteich]

To this day, I don't understand how we could allow Woody to be our center when he couldn't shotgun snap. He was a guard with certain of the skills of a center.

Maybe i misunderstood your post. Looked like you said pick a right and left guard then use whoever is better from those two to backup center. It's usually a moot point, of course since centers or guards looking for work as a backup will either have g/c or g/t capabilities..

For example, Woody was a center who couldn't snap. If he were less talented he might have had less chance of sticking as a backup due to that deficit.

 

[RayClay]

Yes, one of the guards MUST have the ability to be a backup center. My point is that the MOST important skill on Game Day for the backup interior lineman is his role as backup center.

I misunderstood your post, you're talking about keeping 9 or 10 OL I guess. Just ignore me.

 

[RayClay]

To this day, I don't understand how we could allow Woody to be our center when he couldn't shotgun snap. He was a guard with certain of the skills of a center.

Hard to believe that could happen under the crackerjack Bobby Grier regime.

He actually wasn't bad, he had a lot of power. As a guard, though he wasn't a first rounder (I think. I assume given the same physical attributes a center is worth more).

 

[State]

O'Callaghan is the real sleeper. He's actually several times beat out Kaczur for starting RT when he's healthy, which unfortunately is a huge problem for him. As someone mentioned, he's had serious concussion problems. But he's much more of a natural RT type than Kaczur, who's best position is probably LT. It'll be interesting to see if O'C can stay on the field, and if the team believes his injury problems are chronic he could easily be IR'ed again or even cut.

BTW, O'C started the final regular season 2007 game vs the Giants and did a *vastly* better job on Strahan than Kaczur did in the Superbowl -- we only gave up one sack in that game despite passing 43 times. Kaczur was ragdolled in the Superbowl. Neal also was injured early in the Superbowl, and had been injury plagued all that season. I believe if we had had a healthy Neal and O'C in the Superbowl it would have made a huge difference...

Great points. A healthy O'C beats out Kaczur 2/3 times. I think we fans should make more out of the fact that Kaczur was the first OT in the Bellichick era to absolutely suck in the SB.

We had succeeded with Greg Randall and Tom Ashworth, for goodness sakes!

I know what a lot of you are going to say, that the whole O-line crapped out. True enough.

But does anyone trust Kaczur on the right side against an elite pass rusher? Does Brady?

With Light's apparent slight diminishment in physicality, Brady can't afford to slide over to his side as much, as he's been in the habit of doing.

I think O'C was injured for that SB, no?

 

[State]

He actually wasn't bad, he had a lot of power.

RayClay, are you talking about Damian Woody's ability to fire up his grill and place the T-bones on it in less than 15 seconds?

 

[RayClay]

RayClay, are you talking about Damian Woody's ability to fire up his grill and place the T-bones on it in less than 15 seconds?

Well no man would dare get between his hand and his mouth at feeding time, if that's what you mean.

 

[AzPatsFan]

Yes, one of the guards MUST have the ability to be a backup center. My point is that the MOST important skill on Game Day for the backup interior lineman is his role as backup center.

In the Bios for Ohrnberger, it said the he won All Big Ten one time as a LG and another time as a RG. So he has flexibilty on both sides. It was also said he regularly took reserve training snaps at C, but did not play there, in a game.

I would think Ohrnberger is what you would call a G/C rather than a G/T. Could that ability be one of ther reasons that the Pats valued him enough to draft him in the 4fth round?

I don't doubt that Kaczur would be viewed as a G/T.

As far as whether Kaczur would be a better LG or RG, I think his drive blocking ability would stand him in better stead as a RG. But he is a mobile as a Tackle and LG usually need more mobility than RGs, since when they pull they usually have slighty longer lengths to run, on plays.

 

[Synovia]

But does anyone trust Kaczur on the right side against an elite pass rusher? Does Brady?

I trust him more than Light.