Day 1 of minicamp is in the books. Which means that day one of the Alex Gibbs era, the return of Barbaro, the likely immolation of Jacques Reeves, and a whole host of other stuff. Mmm…tastes like chicken, err, football.
Anyway, most of the quotes coming out after today’s workouts were what you’d expect. The rookies were wide-eyed and thrilled to be there; the team looks good, but has to shake off some rust; everyone’s goal for minicamp is just to improve and get comfortable with the new pieces and plans; blah blah blah.
One thing jumped out, however–that BFD’s fear seems likely to come to fruition. At least if take Kubes at his word.
(on how T Duane Brown looked) “Well, I’ll have to go back and see but, you know, we’ve got to see how far we can bring this kid in the next month and so we put him right in there with the first group today. And I know it was very tough on Ephraim (Salaam), and y’all know I have a great deal of respect for Ephraim and I can understand why it was tough, but as I explained to him, I’ve got to see how far I can bring this young man. But I know Ephraim’s going to do his job and I’m expecting good things from him, but we felt like we had to put this kid to work right away.
(on if T Duane Brown is first on the depth chart) “Yes, he’ll be working with the first group, and that’s the only way we’re going to find out if this kid’s going to get to where we want him to go and how quick he can get there. You draft these kids in the first round to come in and play and that’s nothing against Ephraim (Salaam), as I said, and we’ve had this conversation. But I understand the difficulty in that, but we as coaches feel like we have to put this kid to work right away.”
Hmm…what to make of this? I’d say (a) Gibbs wants his guy to play and he wants it NOW, (b) Kubiak realizes that the better half of Black Salaami isn’t all that good, and (c) Duane Brown really is the archetype ZBS LT that we need. Plus, there is probably a little (d) “tell the fanbase the kid is a bona fide #1 just to keep the natives from becoming restless” in there as well. Lord knows no one wants restless Houstonians running around.
At this point, I am inclined to believe that Brown will be the opening day starter at LT. Now, I understand the fears of him being eaten alive by the various monster RDEs in the AFC South, but there are two things that make me think he’ll be okay if he is the starter from dia una (takes large swig of the Kool-Aid):
First, I am just telling myself (over and over and over) that, Gibbs’ pet or not, he will not be the starter until he can really be the starter. By which I mean, trial-by-fire only goes so far, especially when you are talking about the guy who is protecting the blindside of your franchise QB’s surgically repaired shoulder. So he is only going to get this LT gig if he can really do it. Will he struggle against KVB, et al? Possibly. But the question is not can he stop KVB on every single down; the question is can he stop KVB (or whomever) more consistently than Salaam can? If the answer is yes, then by all means, throw him in there and let him show me that I was wrong when I broke the TV remote after his selection.
Second, though, I am taking some comfort in this little snippet from BRB:
In his first game at right tackle he faced none other than Mario Williams. At his post-draft press conference, Duane was asked to comment about his encounter with Williams.
“I remember that night like it was yesterday. I was two weeks into the position; it was the opener and a night game at NC State. (Mario Williams) is a very intimidating figure. I held my own that night and it was the beginning of my transition. Being able to go against him in practice, he is one of the best defensive ends in the league. I think practicing against him will be great for me and will help me.”
He started at right tackle for two full seasons before moving over to left tackle in his senior year. In those three years, Brown racked up 42 consecutive starts.
In his senior season, Brown boasted an outstanding 89% blocking consistency average. By comparison, the overall first pick in the 2008 NFL draft, Jake Long, had an 88% blocking consistency rating in his final year at Michigan.
As we all remember, Mario was a bad motor scooter in college. If Brown really did hold his own against Super Mario in his first ever game as a tackle, then he has some serious natural-born talent hidden away in there. And, for all the effort he gave us last year, that is something that Ephraim Salaam just doesn’t really possess.
Of course, if I am wrong to optimistic now (and, conversely, right to have been pissed on Draft Day), I reserve the right to give him a horrible nickname and point out again and again that we already had a ZBS LT on the roster in Eric Winston. I’m a fickle mofo like that.
Why we won’t draft a LT in the first?
by bigfatdrunk
First, h/t to Eric for the reminder.
Oh, I am a stats geek. Back in the 70s - which few of you outside of stacy even know - I was a sabrematrician. That’s right, bitchez, I am a baseball geek, and I think there’s a HUGE progression to be made with football. So, let’s hit it.
At footballoutsiders.com, they have broken down offensive line play. And what do their vicious computers say? They say that, *gulp*, or offensive line don’t suck so much. In fact, we were the best team about getting positive yards from the run, and we were the 10th best team at avoiding the sack. There’s a lot to like from these stats. AND, when you consider that we did all this with Ron Dayne (and a cloud of meringue) as our leading rusher, then we look all the better.
Now, am I saying that we have the best offensive line evar!!!!~!~!~111~!? Well, no. Obviously, we could stand to use a little work. Tenth, after all, ain’t first. And if you ain’t first, you’re last (or something). I do, however, think it’s another data point in that we won’t be looking LT with our first pick (#18). Putting Alex Gibbs in control, alone, should put us up the scale a notch or two. If, and I pray to Barbaro’s Alp0-ed ass every day, our own Barbaro, Charles Spencer can come back, then we might bump up a couple more notches on the o-line rankings.
At this point, with a history of passing on offensive lineman early in the draft, and a focus on the system rather than the specific player, I again hypothesize that we do not go o-line with our pick. I just don’t see it, and yet, it doesn’t concern me. We will go defense, even if we trade down.
Allow me to end this post by saying that I am doing nothing more than self-gratification here - I have been married for 13 years, so I am used to it - and I could be wrong. And I oh-so-want to be proved right. But, you know, my ego ain’t that important, and I am mostly talking from the logical side of my brain. Anyway, it’s either this, or I can talk about all the super important people I talk to. Why, the other day, my mail-lady told me about…
Give yourself 100 bonus points–redeemable for absolutely dick–if you recognized the quote without Googling it.
Last week: 11-4
Season: 146-85
Week 17 Picks
New England @ New York Giants. So, I’ve been thinking–I have been vocally in favor of the Pats going undefeated all season, just to piss off Indy fans and to shut up the decrepit old fucks from the ‘72 Dolphins. These things please me. At the same time, the idea of Bill Simmons crowing non-stop about how great this team is makes my skin crawl. My hatred for the Colts still outweighs everything here, so if push comes to shove and I have to choose, I’m backing the Pats. IF, however, the Colts lose before they play the Pats, put me firmly in the “lose, you bastard New England shitbags!” camp. Pick: New England
San Francisco @ Cleveland. Bah. Piss on you Derek Anderson. All you had to do was win and Sunday’s Colts/Titans tilt would be meaningless. I hate you for this. Pick: Cleveland
Detroit @ Green Bay. Speaking of choke jobs, how about that thrashing Chicago put on Green Bay last week? Who saw that coming? Certainly not this guy. I am hoping that it was the wake-up call the Pack needed in order to have their collective minds right when it comes time to beat the ‘girls. God, I hate the Cowboys. Fucking homos. Pick: Green Bay
New Orleans @ Chicago. If you are the Bears, are you kicking yourself more for keeping the wrong running back or for not trying to actually develop Kyle Orton over the past years? Or maybe that botched negotiation with Lance Briggs that is going to cause him to walk this offseason. Pick: New Orleans
Jacksonville @ JUGGERNAUT. What’s that old saying…dance with the fat bitch you rode in on? Something like that. Pick: Houston
Carolina @ Tampa Bay. Hello, Vegas? Yes, can put $200 on “David Carr and Jeff Garcia will go together to Georgie’s Alibi in St. Pete?” Thanks. Pick: Tampa Bay
Buffalo @ Philadelphia. This is one of those games where you can make a strong argument for either team. I’ll save you the tedium of reading that, however, and just say that I prefer wings to cheesesteaks. Oh, I also prefer long-suffering fans to insufferable pricks. (But I loved it when they cheered Michael Irvin’s injury. I am fickle like that.) Pick: Buffalo
Cincinnati @ Miami. It is an accomplishment, albeit a dubious one, when you can be the absolute least interesting game in a week of uninteresting games. Congrats, losers. Pick: Cincinnati
Seattle @ Atlanta. Unless my calculations are off, losing this game would lock Atlanta into the second spot in the draft, while a win could have them as low as fifth or sixth. Because life hates Arthur Blank, I’m going with the Falcons to win convincingly. Pick: Atlanta
Minnesota @ Denver. Strange but true fact: I grew up in a town that had a population of 72 people. Which has nothing to do with this game, but is nearly as interesting as the current Broncos team. Pick: Minnesota
Pittsburgh @ Baltimore. Baltimore’s offense is like Natalee Holloway’s killers. They have to exist, you are pretty sure you know the players involved, but no one seems to be able to find them. Now, I’m not suggesting that he did it, but…has anyone questioned Ray? Pick: Pittsburgh
Dallas @ Washington. Joe Gibbs has his best player murdered, his starting QB lost for a chunk of the year, and faulty offensive and defensive lines, and he still has his team on the brink of the playoffs? Now, either he’s the greatest coach ever or the NFC really is that much easier right now. I’m going with B. Pick: Washington
Kansas City @ New York Jets. HERM BOWL!!!! Pick: Kansas City
San Diego @ Oakland. You have to figure that LDT will play little, if at all, in this game, but will get almost all the carries in the postseason. That being the case, Michael Turner is basically getting a chance to make the last image anyone has of him prior to his free agency a positive one. If he gets close to 200 yards, that $6MM/year pricetag is going to seem awful reasonable to someone. And it’s going to have yours truly listening to the Musa Smith talk and trying to convince people that Felix Jones is really that good.
St. Louis @ Arizona. That thing I said earlier about Cinci and Miami being the least interesting game? This was its closest competition. Unless you are a fan of either of these teams, I can’t think of a single reason to watch this one. Hell, even if you are a fan, you might want to consider flipping back and forth between this one and a real game. Pick: Arizona
Tennessee @ Indianapolis. It’s pretty well-documented that both this blog and BRB are not fans of Albert Haynesworth. With any luck, he could be playing his last game as a Tennessee Babyeating-Sisterfucker. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather hate him once every three years than twice a year. Now, if he could just end Peyton’s career on his way out the door, we’ll have some nice parting gifts waiting. Pick: Indianapolis
Perhaps my favorite part of going on vacation is having time to read whatever I want. I read really freakin’ fast, so I can usually plow through five or six books on a typical vacation (including flight time). Over the last few trips, I have lucked into a number of really good books. So, when my buddy Ren recommended a book, I figured this trip would be a good time to check it out.
Thus, yesterday, as the plane taxied away from Little Rock Not-Even-Remotely International Airport, I cracked open “The Blindside: Evolution of a Game” by Michael Lewis.1
The book is really three stories in one: First, Lewis tackles how Lawrence Taylor forced offenses to change by virtue of being a more dominant outside rusher than anyone had ever seen. Prior to LT, the common belief was that all offensive linemen were fungible and that no one position demanded any more skill or attention than the other four. Taylor’s dominance as a pass rusher, however, immediately illustrated that the same fat lump playing right guard did not possess the skills to be a left tackle against this new breed of linebacker/defensive end.
Second, the book talks about the development of the West Coast offense as a means to get the most out of the least–an offense that was greater than the sum of its parts, but also one that with the right parts could be unstoppable. Bill Walsh (and, to a certain degree, Don Coryell) decided that timing and precision could make a sub-par quarterback seem good (and a good QB seem great, and a great QB seem like Joe Montata, etc.). The problem faced by this offense, however, was that such gameplans required the QB to have enough time to let the WRs hit their windows–and men like LT and Chris Doleman were adept at shortening the time the QBs remained upright.
Third, the author paints the picture of Michael Oher. It’s an amazing story, to say the least. Son of a crack-addicted mother, unable to read at 15, Oher could have gone the way of so many inner city kids. Instead, he found a family who took a sincere interest in him. Oh, did I mention that Oher is a freak of nature–6′6″, 340, 4.9 40 (even faster in the 20), incredibly nimble, etc? Based on every measurable dimension, Oher seems destined to be mentioned in the same breath as Orlando Pace and Jonathon Ogden.
Lewis weaves the three main stories masterfully and still allows the reader to draw his own conclusions as to the purity of the adoptive family’s motives. Whatever you think of them, though, the book is a fantastic read. More importantly, however, if you are a Texans fan, is the idea that Oher will likely come out for the draft in 2008 after completing his junior year at Ol’ Miss. I have stood up for the offensive line as much as anyone… but I would be pissed if the Texans didn’t draft Michael should the opportunity be there.
1 Yes, the “Moneyball” guy.
