At what point should we start getting concerned that he is not developing? Midseason? Next year? The day he gets cut?
Who says he isn't developing? He was about as raw as you can get coming into the league so even if he is developing at a steady rate it would be difficult to expect him to start... unless you have unrealistic expectations. If a reasonable person thinks about how raw he was coming into the league and then takes into account all the valuable off season training and coaching he missed out on this year a reasonable conclusion would be that it was unrealistic to expect him to be ready to start week 1. We have all seen this type of overreaction with pretty much every draft pick ever. Last year McKnight got this treatment from a good chunk of the board and now those people are going to look mighty foolish this year. You are probably on schedule for looking foolish next year, maybe even mid season.
The same type of people who labeled Ferguson to be D'Bust in his first two seasons are the same ones in a panic over Ducasse. They looked pretty foolish when Year 3 rolled around. Let the kid learn. At a minimum just wait and see what kind of camp he has before being concerned about anything. He was a left tackle in college and has been attempting to learn multiple positions he has never played before while simultaneously making the jump from 1-AA to the NFL. That's a hell of alot on the kid's plate. He has the body type, power and athleticism required to play at this level and is working with one of the best O line coaches in the business.
People here seem to think you know your shit, so I won't discount you analysis, but I always thought Hunter was a better pass protector than he was a run blocker.
what a hilarious thread full of insanity. week 1 of camp and the self proclaimed experts are already proclaiming Vlad to be a "bust". LOL. Meanwhile back in reality, after learning and developing as a backup on one of the top OLs in the NFL Vlad will develop into a starter at either RG or RT - Just as Coach Callahan planned when Vlad was drafted in 2010.
This was a solid re-sign. I had no doubts he was the starting RT once the deal was done. He'll play a steady role, and provide some consistency on the line.
I guess the coaching staff thought it was more important for the starter to get all the 1st team reps and chemistry with the line instead of having a competition for the job.
This is a situation the Patriots are in as well. Nate Solder was drafted to replace Matt Light and the lockout really affected preparation. Light ended up being re-signed largely because of this. Rookies this year will be expected to make the least impact in a long time simply because of the missed time getting acclimated to their particular system.
I never said he was a bust. I never said he should start week 1. If it makes you feel better make things up so you can pretend you are right and I am wrong that is fine, it's just not accurate. What I AM saying is that it appears Vlad has not developed much since we got him. I am basing that on the fact he was rarely active last year and has already been declared beaten out in training camp before they even put pads on. You say he isn't slow in development, so we disagree. What I am asking is, at what point would you start to agree with me? Would it be if Vlad is inactive all year? Would it be if he still a backup in 2012? Will you never agree no matter what happens?
Quick change in tone from you, how shocking. What I am saying is that it is impossible to tell how he is developing for you and me because we haven't seen him play on Sundays and we don't get to see practice on a daily basis. You can ASSume what you want about what making an experienced veteran the unquestioned starter in a severely abbreviated off season means or you can take a second and think about the logic behind the move. I am asking too much I know, but go ahead and try it.
The thing that worries me about Ducasse is that all I read was how he was in such ridiculously good shape, how he worked out like crazy all off season,,, and they name Hunter the starter in 10 seconds.
gholston was always in good shape too i didn't mean this as he is a bust too.only that being in shape isn't the only thing that plays into it.
If he's inactive all year, then its a red flag. I don't know what you want from the guy. He's had no offseason, and is a project that has raw ability. I've already put my expectations on Ducasse as a guy who can play the 6th OL spot. If it takes him all of this year to get his technique to NFL standards and then the game slows down for him in year 3 then he's pretty much on schedule. Every prospect gets 3 years before they should be judged.
