Content Post Why does Wingspan matter for Tackles?

[rkarp1]

The link below explains why Skoronski did not play LT. Wozzy, once again I should ask you what people are thinking rather than believe the actual person that drafted him.

Titans GM explains why Peter Skoronski didn't get a shot at LT

One of the most perplexing things from the Tennessee Titans' 2023 season was the team not giving No. 11 overall pick Peter Skoronski a look at left tackle. After all, Skoronski was a great left tackle in college and it was worth giving him a shot there with…

titanswire.usatoday.com

gee. Wozzy was 1000% wrong in his statement where he was adamantly opposed to what you said.
shocking
don't bother waiting for him to come back and say he was wrong

 

[maust]

gee. Wozzy was 1000% wrong in his statement where he was adamantly opposed to what you said.
shocking
don't bother waiting for him to come back and say he was wrong

The next time he mans up will be the 1st.

 

[JoeSixPat]

The link below explains why Skoronski did not play LT. Wozzy, once again I should ask you what people are thinking rather than believe the actual person that drafted him.

Titans GM explains why Peter Skoronski didn't get a shot at LT

One of the most perplexing things from the Tennessee Titans' 2023 season was the team not giving No. 11 overall pick Peter Skoronski a look at left tackle. After all, Skoronski was a great left tackle in college and it was worth giving him a shot there with…

titanswire.usatoday.com

It's a good read period, because I think they do make the good point that it is indeed a combination of many things that make for a successful LT or LG - smarts, technique, size/center of gravity etc and I'd say that there's a LOT of intangibles.

In Skoronski's case he's a little shorter and lighter than Campbell at only 6' 4" hence his wingspan is along the lines of Campbell, who is 6' 6"

In any case they took him at #11 looking at him as an LG and, like us, should be happy if he locks down the LG position for the foreseeable future.

Hence we should keep our expectations reasonable for this kid. At the very least he will be better than what we had last year and I think Maye's mobility and pocket savvy will help keep his touches low even if Campbell isn't perfect in his rookie year. But if an upgrade is needed in a future free agent market or draft, no doubt the team will do what they need to do to protect Maye.

So to me the "floor" or reasonable expectation on Campbell is that he'll be a mainstay on the line for the next decade - at LG if not LT - and that's nothing to complain about

 

[Wozzy]

The link below explains why Skoronski did not play LT. Wozzy, once again I should ask you what people are thinking rather than believe the actual person that drafted him.

If Skoronski had tackle length he would have been starting at left tackle for them. He played left tackle in college, he plays guard in the pros and his own GM states his lack of length as a reason why. Not sure how this proves your point.

And just like Wolf blaming “system” for his horrid draft last season, I don’t expect the GM who so bad Vrabel got run out of town to truthfully explain why he still can’t fix his hole at left tackle.

 

[Sect140]

You need to go to YouTube and watch the end from Arkansas, now with the Bills, Landon Jackson, pretty much cause havoc all game long in the backfield vs. Mr. Stubby. Stubby is trigger happy to cover his outside that the inside opens up. Then his footwork goes all happy, frolicking Great Dane puppy.

His footwork.

Yes that was the worst game of his college career. What about all the games he played really well against SEC teams?

 

[Hugepatsfan]

Making first contact is a big part of winning reps vs pass rushers. But leaning to make that first contact leaves you in a vulnerable position.

Stand with your back to the wall and measure your outstretched arm. Have someone hold a pencil .0000000001 inches further than your arm measures. You can say it’s such a trivial distance but the facts are that never ever in your life are you going to be able to stand with your back to the wall and reach that pencil. It doesn’t matter how ridiculously small that distance is, you just flat out won’t ever be able to reach it without leaning forward.

Wingspan is important because having a shorter one means you are in a more disadvantageous position on every single pass rush snap than you otherwise would have been. If the guy you’re blocking has longer arms than you, he’s got an easier time establishing first contest and sitting in the driver seat for that rep. The OT with shorter arms will have to use footwork and body positioning and discipline to not lean too much and open himself up to counters while he chases making that first contact. It means you have to more of a passive/patient pass blocker since you need to wait for the rusher to get a small bit closer to you before you can strike, because being too aggressive means you have to lean forward to make up for your shorter arms.

Playing football is really harder. Shorter arms as an OT makes it harder. It’s really that simple.

 

[One-If-By-Sea]

So to me the "floor" or reasonable expectation on Campbell is that he'll be a mainstay on the line for the next decade - at LG if not LT - and that's nothing to complain about

Drafting a LG with the #4 overall pick is definitely something to complain about. Not sure what you mean.

 

[rkarp1]

Making first contact is a big part of winning reps vs pass rushers. But leaning to make that first contact leaves you in a vulnerable position.

Stand with your back to the wall and measure your outstretched arm. Have someone hold a pencil .0000000001 inches further than your arm measures. You can say it’s such a trivial distance but the facts are that never ever in your life are you going to be able to stand with your back to the wall and reach that pencil. It doesn’t matter how ridiculously small that distance is, you just flat out won’t ever be able to reach it without leaning forward.

Wingspan is important because having a shorter one means you are in a more disadvantageous position on every single pass rush snap than you otherwise would have been. If the guy you’re blocking has longer arms than you, he’s got an easier time establishing first contest and sitting in the driver seat for that rep. The OT with shorter arms will have to use footwork and body positioning and discipline to not lean too much and open himself up to counters while he chases making that first contact. It means you have to more of a passive/patient pass blocker since you need to wait for the rusher to get a small bit closer to you before you can strike, because being too aggressive means you have to lean forward to make up for your shorter arms.

Playing football is really harder. Shorter arms as an OT makes it harder. It’s really that simple.

making initial contact while maintaining balance is at the crux of the matter in my opinion.
Campbell's footwork and athleticism have allowed him to do so at an extremely high level thru out his collegiate career. Pats believe he can do so at this level as well.

 

[dliverey44]

If Skoronski had tackle length he would have been starting at left tackle for them. He played left tackle in college, he plays guard in the pros and his own GM states his lack of length as a reason why. Not sure how this proves your point.

And just like Wolf blaming “system” for his horrid draft last season, I don’t expect the GM who so bad Vrabel got run out of town to truthfully explain why he still can’t fix his hole at left tackle.

It only proved the point that he was in fact not drafted to play OT, which you claimed was false after I mentioned it.

 

[dliverey44]

Drafting a LG with the #4 overall pick is definitely something to complain about. Not sure what you mean.

Not if said pick is a multi pro bowler and opens holes for the run game and keeps the QB upright.

TBH I never really got the don't draft someone high because of their position.

 

[Wozzy]

It only proved the point that he was in fact not drafted to play OT, which you claimed was false after I mentioned it.

They hoped he could play tackle but realized early on he couldn’t. If Campbell ends up at guard the Pays will still end up with a good lineman, but the attempt to fill the tackle position will have been a failure. Pretty simple…

That the Titans have failed repeatedly for years to fill that tackle position, and largely because of wingspan is telling.

 

[Wax Frog]

@pazrul72 - naming Coach Beef is a direct invitation to ask, so I'm asking!

 

[Hyped]

That must take some serious technique

Not really…just our the arms around the front/hind legs and do a squat like you are picking up two 50lb bags of sand…. Dude is 6’3” and 320…. Natural strength. I routinely pick up my 70 pound shepherd mix to ride escalators…..

 

[Hyped]

@pazrul72 - naming Coach Beef is a direct invitation to ask, so I'm asking!

Bet he was a beefy man who had a beef about guys not getting low and attacking the meaty parts of beefy Defensive linemen…

 

[Hyped]

If Campbell is the wrong pick then Wolf and Groh are gone down the road.

You cant be picking that high in the draft and not come away with a stud at his position. There comes a point where you must fill the position and move on to other areas of need. Building for the future does not entail going back and fixing foundation pieces.

Well, while I hope the kid works out…to me this pick has a baseline of Joe Thuney…a decade long fixture at guard who can play tackle when needed. So, not a bad pick…

I will judge this draft class more by Henderson and Williams…

 

[Hyped]

Much has been made of Campbell's athleticism and power. If he has good footwork and can semi-regularly square up with rushers, he should do OK.

Definitely passes the eye test…the LSU QB looks so comfortable in the pocket…not even looking at his blind side and moving up in the pocket…

 

[patfanken]

Well if this is right, there's only one guy drafted in the first two rounds with as short a wingspan as Campbell over the last decade who has made it at LT.

One out of 1/118 - or less than 1% - isn't a great stat.



That's not to say Campbell is a bust if he can't cut it and winds up transitioning to Guard - if he locks down that position for the next decade it's worth the #4 pick.

No it is NOT! It won't be a bad pick if he ends up being a good starting LG for a decade, but it will NOT be what you are looking at for the #4 pick in the draft. With that pick you should get a PREMIUM long term starter AT a premium position.

We have had a number of really good interior OL over the years and IIRC most were 3rd or 4th rounders, though some were UDFA's and one was the last pick (Steve Neal) and one was the last pick in the first round, (Logan Mankins).

 

[dliverey44]

They hoped he could play tackle but realized early on he couldn’t. If Campbell ends up at guard the Pays will still end up with a good lineman, but the attempt to fill the tackle position will have been a failure. Pretty simple…

That the Titans have failed repeatedly for years to fill that tackle position, and largely because of wingspan is telling.

OK

 

[patfanken]

They hoped he could play tackle but realized early on he couldn’t. If Campbell ends up at guard the Pays will still end up with a good lineman, but the attempt to fill the tackle position will have been a failure. Pretty simple…

That the Titans have failed repeatedly for years to fill that tackle position, and largely because of wingspan is telling.

If what you said about the Titans were entirely true, then why was Vrabel not banging the table for someone else? You would think that for his own good he'd have gathered that a guy with a short-armed LT struggles with his job at LT, given his time with the Titans, right?

Did you hear a SINGLE report, ever, that Vrabel had a problem picking Campbell if he was what was left?

Are Wolfe and Vrabel simply self-destructive that they didn't go with another OT, trade down, or go for another explosive player on offense or defense??? Or are they simply idiots not to see what YOU see so clearly.

We agree a lot of the time, but not on this one. In 3 years one of us will have to eat some humble pie.

How come the DOZENS of professional football analysts the Pats pay good money to and go through HUNDREDS of collective hours watching will Campbell

 

[pazrul72]

Bet he was a beefy man who had a beef about guys not getting low and attacking the meaty parts of beefy Defensive linemen…

Pretty close actually. So I only learned some of this after I graduated, went to pay a speeding ticket at the court he was a security guard for, but as the offensive lineman coach he was the strongest coach on our team, they lifted weights with us too. Our practice always started at 4 and he would come flying in driving his truck at 4:15 and people would give him **** about being late. Never appreciated it in high school but being a working man now I try to imagine giving 4 extra hours of my day, driving an extra 45 mins, after working an 8 hour regular job and maybe being a little hungry in between. Coach Beef routinely had some beef hotdogs that he was inhaling as he got out of his truck. So it was probably a combination of he was a BIG dude, that ate like garbage, and had a beef with people giving him ****. I wasn't there when he got the name that's just what everyone called him. He was a tough coach I kinda hated at the time but looking back could not be more grateful of everything he put up with and did for us.