I've been a big critic of Ducasse, but of course i would love to see him pick up the Guard position. If he pulls it all together (pass blocking assignments), he has the skill set to be a road grater at Guard in the running game.
Ducasse has a 100million dollar body and a 2 dollar head. I thought he would be good eventually when we drafted him but I'm not so sure. No matter what they say about him in practice I'll believe he has improved when I see him in game. If he could just pan out to be a solid starter atleast it would be huge for this team.
Give him a little bit of a break. He was drafted as a project. Went thru his first training camp - which is a lot for rookies then missed a majority of his second offseason due to the labor issues. This is his first full offseason with the team and showed some improvement last year. I'm not saying he's going to be great, but we all may be surprised with Ducasse this year.
Full TC is what Me and prob alot of us are banking on. Hopefully he catches on and Fills in at G/T depending need + I think NO MATTER WHAT he will be a AMAZING 6th OL on power run plays
He's got big time run blocking skills & has the body(Good feet/long arms/explosion) to be a good pass blocker. He needs practices rep to work out the kinks w/ his technique & pre snap reads...he's finally getting that now.
I have found VD to be a huge disappointment so far, but I would love it if he suddenly started making real contributions.
The man finally has been to OTAs and now he will be at a mini-camp. Last year the guy was deprived of such work. Look for a guy who will win an OG position forthwith. Seems to me that too many guys get their jollies off by labeling him and others as busts very quickly. It takes time to develop some players and when there is little work because of strikes etc, it makes it even harder for the guy to succeed. Lets revisit this issue at years end.
Me too. I understand he's a project but the guy didn't play 1 down of pass protection last season or atleast not 1 that I can remember. That is scary for someone in their second year whether he had an offseason or not. He couldn't come in for 1 play to help protect Mark with Wayne Hunter who was one of if not the worst O linemen in football last year. I'm hoping with the full training program this offseason he will improve enough to atleast be a 6th OL guy. Hearing things about him in practice isn't enough for me though I want to see it in a game. He has all the tools he just needs to figure out how to put it together which is a big question mark.
If the team isn't 100% certain that you understand the pass protection scheme you aren't gonna play.Its a safety issue. Simple as that. The issues with Ducasse have been 100% mental w/ pre snap reads & pass block technique. He displays alot of natural skills you look for in a top O-linemen. The plays that go right for him are impressive. One game he played well in that was really encouraging was against Buffalo week 17 in 2010. Yes it was garbage time & yes it was against a bad team that was being blow out..but he really blew some people off the ball as well as sturdy in pass pro.Naysayers can prognosticate any way they like..but if the green light ever goes on for this guy..look out.
The difference of two "if"s. The first if is generally true. The second one? Well, that's what I call a Big If.
Yeah i agree. Hopefully he can work out the mental part as well as improve on some pass blocking techniques. Guard could be a good position for him in this scheme. We'll find out more during camp and preseason.
I watched him carefully during that game myself as well and became quite impressed and hopeful as a result.
Slauson will be better next year without torn ligaments in his upper body. No question there. Don't expect shit from Ducasse so whatever he accomplishes is gravy.
Have unlike most fans here known that and understand that. And everyone should be wanting the last part of what you wrote.
A project to me means someone with the physical skills but raw football skills. It takes 3-4 years of investing time and exposure before you call him a bust or a failed project. So why are we so surprised and so down on him because he did not pick up the blocking assignments without the benefit of a full camp with VERY COMPLICATED ZONE BLOCKING SCHEMES. He was not the only one. I fully expect him to be a solid contributor this year.
