I think we can all agree this team isn't going very far with this OLine as presently manned. Rodgers isn't the Last Son of Krypton and honestly even if he was, with this OLine he would be in for a long season.
Maybe the plan is to upgrade the line once Rodgers has officially only played enough snaps to guarantee GB their 2nd next year *ducks*
Yeah, the McDonald pick in round 1 still seems stupid to me. The jets have truckloads of edge rushers and squat on the OL.
I agree that the OL situation looks grim at this point. Based on camp reports regarding how slowly Brown and Becton are recuperating from their injuries, it sounds like the best we can hope for is that one of them makes enough progress to be okay at LT on opening day. Brown has never played RT and Becton has expressed discomfort at being there, particularly because of his knee. I think it's fair to say that we must consider both players fragile at this point. So I guess the loser would go to the bench and continue to work in hopes of being ready when the other guy gets injured again! Maybe the best realistic scenario would be that we just need a solid RT! And maybe by the time both Becton and Brown get injured again, Mitchell will have gotten his act together a bit!
Well it’s looking more and more like we may need AVT at RT and one of the other guys to step in at RG I still think we’ll end up making a couple of moves here and yup, I agree that this OL is our Achilles heal, and after 3 years of JD, it damn well shouldn’t be
So much rides on Becton. He's such a nice player to have when healthy. I'd like to, at the very least, see him play his designated number of snaps. Him manning LT allows some flexibility along the line. Maybe Tippman plays C, McGovern moves to RG and AVT moves to RT. Idk the ideal rotation, but having a healthy Becton helps a ton. Right now it feels like they're going into the season with a black hole at one of the tackle spots. Mitchell and Warren don't seem like options. I have no clue what to expect from Duane Brown, and Becton is such an enormous question mark.
It's just unforgivable IMO that you bring in one of the best QBs ever and set him up to fail with a crap OL. Or worse, get hurt.
Yeah, AVT to RT, with maybe Tippmann to RG might be a possible solution. (I suggest Tippmann to RG because McGovern reportedly stunk at guard in Denver and evidently has the experience at center to work well with AR.) However, I'm one of those who question whether relative unfamiliarity with tackle/lack of arm length might have contributed to AVT's triceps injury. In any case, he has more upside as a guard, and he might be best in his guard comfort zone, where his lack of arm length is not an issue at all.
There was no excuse and still is no excuse for JD to have not sured up the tackle spots in the offseason. He had so much time and anyone with a clue could've seen this coming. I was livid during FA and the draft that he didn't do anything. You get the HOF QB with a few good seasons left and you don't do enough to protect him on the edges. I'm sorry to say but we are staring at a 7-9, 8-8 season because of this. We're all going to be screaming at certain points of every game this year because of the sieve that is our edge protection. I said it when FA opened and on draft day and I'll say it again. So fucking inexcusable.
I am afraid Max didn't improve from last year, when he was rated #71 tackle in the League out of 81 with qualified snaps by PFF. Billy turner last year didn't play enough snaps to be rated, but when he did play he looked equally as bad. Based on him routinely getting beat like a drum in practice, looks like it wasn't just a down season for him. We just signed a washed up guy. These two guys right now are starting for Rodgers. No wonder AR is complaining. These guys should not be starting. They should not even be main back-ups. They are depth guys. And they are still ahead of a 4th round rookie Warren that JD drafted this year. People are hoping Duane Brown can come back and kick ass, but Duane was rated #69 last year. Yes, he played hurt, but who the hell knows what the guy has left in the tank at 38 years old. He hasn't even practiced yet this year, and we are less than a month away from the first game. Just like last year the only hope is injury prone Becton. Then maybe AVT can play RT until he gets hurt again battling guys with much longer arms. JD just can't get it right at tackle. He had McDonald and some TE who went into second round rated higher than Broderick Jones. Who btw is impressing so far in the camp. I just don't get it why JD just appears incompetent when it comes to shoring up tackle position year after year. Let's hope it does not cost us the season.
If Becton can play 17 games, I think this line-up may be OK. This is the best we can hope for. But it kind of sucks to waste AVTs talent at G spot, where we would have had an advantage, and now we don't. AVT is an elite guard, but only a solid tackle - he has very short arms. Tomlinson I hope will be average (this would be a huge step up from terrible last year), and Tippman is still unknown, though he made progress and moved from 3d to 2nd team. CMG is an average center. So, at best we are basically average. I am OK with that, but we need to hope Becton has a rebound year and plays almost entire season. Also, AVT got hurt last year, sustaining a serious injury on the bend, which he would not have had if he played inside. Can he stay healthy all year at the tackle spot, given his physical disadvantages? To be average we now have to hope that two guys who had season ending injuries last year (and Becton a year before too) will be iron men, playing in the same exact spots where they got seriously hurt. Max and Billy are shit, I am sorry to say, and looks like 4th round rookie Warren, like most 4th round picks, is behind them and will need time. Billy and Max should not play this year. If they do, it's going to be roller coaster ride every time AR takes a snap. Honestly, would anyone be upset if we just waived Billy right now? Any injury, and what do we have? Brown to me is very risky. I know he was injured last year, but it is a fact that his performance declined a lot in each of last two years. He will be 38. I honestly don't know what to expect from him, but I am not expecting a lot. And damn, would it be nice to keep AVT inside, limit his risk for injury, and actually get advantage for a change.
Anyone keeping tabs of how Laken Tomlinson is looking in practice? Haven't heard a peep about him all offseason. His reputation has been tarnished since last season but he still remains a big allocation for us because he was so good before coming here. For a guy to make the pro bowl and then have a bad year, I have to believe he has more potential than how he played last year. But still, haven't heard a single thing about him doing well or being beat. Maybe he's playing average.
Laken may have been overrated, but still, he was a good player. PFF numbers support that as well. For the past 5 years before coming here he was slightly above average to well above average player, depending on a year. He is also extremely durable, which is a big factor in compensation. Last year he was well below average, bottom quarter of the league. You can make an argument he was overrated and even overpaid, but at least he should be counted on to give average to above average production. He absolutely failed last year, but I do think it is reasonable that he at least becomes average this year. If not, that means he is washed at just 30-31, which is not great for us. Let's hope it is not the case though.
