From what I recall about them as prospects, Slauson is better in the run game but Duccase is more athletic. At this point I think either one could develop into a good left guard, and whichever one does not win the starting job, will be penciled in as the replacement for Moore
I like Slauson and the one year experience on the left side of the line with Brick and Keller, and Vlad working out at RT where his athleticism can be better utilized and he can be groomed for the starting spot when he is ready.
Slausen will probably be the starter because he has more experience, but there is no doubt Duc was drafted to replace someone next year, The Jets are building a young strong offensive line and a young strong backfield(Greene, Conner, McKnight) LT was picked up to school the young guys. The Jets are putting the building blocks in place for their dynasty.
But Woody doesn't play LT!? Anyway, it may be that Slauson starts LG this year and Ducasse plays RT next year, but that's not the story we're being given by the FO at the moment. Time will tell.
I can't imagine they would have considered cutting Faneca without believing that Slauson could play left guard next year. Vlad looks like a great prospect but he's raw and played for umass. I guess it's possible but I can't imagine him starting from day one. A year of coaching and contributing on specials and as a 3rd tackle in run formations will hopefully have him ready to take over for Dwood next year.
Slauson will start, hes got a year experience, he came out of college a very well schooled Lineman, Nebraska is a lineman factory, it will be better for the team if Slauson starts this year and Ducas works into lineup at a different position next year. The Jet Superbowl march has begun !
I agree... but Rex in a presser said they are teaching Ducasse how to play on the inside. I don't know if it's because they want him to be versatile, because it's easier to start out at G instead of at T... Whatever the reason I hope sometime through TC Rex comes out and say that Slauson or Turner is the starter at LG and Ducasse will be groomed in Woody's footsteps...
Said it once, I'll say it again. The Jets were trying to trade AF for several weeks prior to drafting Vlad. Which says loud and clear to me that they felt Slauson was read to take over at guard...or someone was ready to take over at guard that was already in the fold. Drafting Vlad made it possible to just cut AF. But there is noway in Hell the Jets were going to try and trade AF if they didn't have a solution ready at the time they were trying to trade him. I'll say it's still possible that Vlad wins the LG spot this season, but it's clear to me anyways that Slauson, for now, is the front runner.... But of this there's no doubt, in 2011 we'll see both Slauson and Vlad on the O-Line.
I think all this Slauson hype is unwarranted. From the reports I've heard, namely the one that said we were attempting to trade up to draft Mike Iupati, we entered the draft looking for a starter at LG. We couldn't get Iupati or Pouncey; we were handcuffed into drafting the far-and-away BPA Kyle Wilson (I'm not complaining). Upgrading the line remained the top priority in round 2. That's telling. Not too many teams make "back-up lineman" their top draft priority. Nothing could make me happier than to see Matt Slauson emerge as a viable starter. But there's no reason to think that hope is any more realistic than "Jacob Bender will get it done."
When you have another aging lineman that's generally believed to be on the way out within the next year or so you do make OL a higher draft priority. If there had been no talk of trading AF prior to the draft I'd buy your line, however when your picking #29 you don't try to move your starting LG weeks before the draft unless you've got something already in house that your comfortable with starting. Plain and simple, drafts are far too unpredictable to go in hoping you can get a first year starter on the line when you pick #29. If you pick top 10 yeah you can take that gamble, but not at #29
First of all, we were trying to trade up to draft Iupati. Regardless, if you draft a guard at 10, 29 or 32, that's your starter. Period. I don't think we were trying to trade Faneca for that long. I thought it was a couple of days before the draft, after we were certain we took care of OLB with the Taylor signing. That's when OG took over OLB as our top draft priority.
There were reports of the Jets trying to move AF for several weeks before the draft. As for starting your guard, yeah maybe, MAYBE if you pick it at 29.....but not at the bottom of the second round......where Vlad was taken....in a draft that wasn't very deep on OL once you got past the first 4 or 5..... But even if you pick your OL in the first round there's no assurance they'll be a first year starter, infact the first year from round one start about 50-60% of the time, in the second round that number drops down to around 10%. Hardly an assurance of starting the first year. And Vlad has some big holes in his game right now. Huge talent, huge upside, but a sure thing starter? Not even close.
I believe Ducasse will be the opening day starter at LG, but I wouldnt be shocked if Slauson gets serious consideration or wins the job. I mean Callahan obviously knows him very well from his time at Nebraska and then a whole year here now with the Jets. He knows him very well, so if Callahan thinks Slauson can get it done, I trust him and am willing to see how it shakes out. In a perfect world, I imagine the Jets would like to see Ducasse take the LG spot this year after a tough battle with Slauson in training camp, play well and get experience, then next year take over the RT job from Woody while Slauson steps in at LG.
Ugh. I try to do justice to conversations about the offensive line. If you're going to throw percentages at me, I have to fact check like an obsessive compulsive vampire. Of the offensive linemen selected in the first round in the past five years, 19 out of 24 have started as rookies on opening day (about 79%). Those that didn't: Alex Barron, Davin Joseph, Ben Grubbs, Gosder Cherilus and Andre Smith (Smith only started one game as a rookie; all others started multiple games). In other words, every offensive lineman selected in the first round in the past five years has started as a rookie. Of the offensive linemen selected in the second round in the past five years, 12 out of 24 have started as rookies on opening day (50%). Of the players that didn't start on opening day, 10 out of 12 started at some point in their rookie season. In other words, roughly 92% of offensive linemen drafted in the second round in the past five years have started as rookies. I boo your false stats.
