Verba offered deal from Texans

[SACTOBILLSFAN]

Furthermore, last year's OL pass coverage started out awful and got better, but this was against cellar dweller teams in the second half of the season. When it counted against legit teams, the line folded badly (yes, Drew was a big part of this problem too).

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A lot of the improvement in pass protection was due to the fact that a running back who couldnt block my grandmother was replaced by a terrific pass blocking back.

[IDBillzFan]

Something that really struck me last year was when they decided to put J.P. in the New England game. Bad move, right? He got slaughtered. Embarrassed. On the road. In the home of the Super Bowl champions. He got fed to the wolves. But I've always believed this was Mularkey's way of making the game slow down faster for J.P. I bet the gamed slowed down a helluva lot by the next morning. The faster the game slows down, the more productive he'll be, obviously.

 

Maybe the coaches realize this year won't be the year we really do anything but get in shape for next year. And having a weak LT like Gandy on the cheap NOW will slow the game down even faster for JP so when we DO get a good LT next year, JP's ready to go because he'll be so good at fearing his left, that after two or three preseason games/scrimmages, he'll trust his game and from that point, everyone will look like they're standing still.

 

It's all an evil plot to speed up JP's learning curve as fast as possible for as little as possible, so next year, he kicks the crap out of everyone and we have money to burn.

 

(Sometimes I write these things just to piss off Ice. Even when he's not around.)

[HurlyBurly51]

Funny, most Bears observers felt he was a pretty serviceable OG who's biggest negative was an inability to stay healthy.  He was always nicked up and that was the reason for his release, not his performance.

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Guess it depends who you talk to. Every Bears fan I come across right here in Chicago felt he sucked, before and after his release and subsequent signing by the Bills. It was of course ratcheted up when they found out he went to the Bills, so that's all taken with a grain of salt. The serious conversations though were like "I hope he was a depth signing." He also got lambasted during his time here on local sports radio. With that said, however, I can say that I base my opinion on my own observations. Also, he was released when other injured players came back and was a victim of a numbers game, indicating he was at the bottom of the barrel.

[Sound_n_Fury]

Also, he was released when other injured players came back and was a victim of a numbers game, indicating he was at the bottom of the barrel.

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He was released to make way for an underperforming number 1 draft pick, Marco Columbo. Not much you can do about that as a 3rd round pick.

[MartyBall4Buffalo]

One could make the argument that last year's OL was just mediocre in the run game, and that Willis would have been even more productive if he wasn't hit in the backfield so often.

 

Furthermore, last year's OL pass coverage started out awful and got better, but this was against cellar dweller teams in the second half of the season. When it counted against legit teams, the line folded badly (yes, Drew was a big part of this problem too).

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Thank you for speaking the truth. To me YPC are directly reflective more so of the offensive line than the ability of the runningback. Willis created a lot of his own yards after 1st contact, and was hit repeatedly behind the los. It's more a testament to his skills that he had 7 100 yard games than to the oline. Another example of this would be Sd's Ladanian Tomlinson who finished with only 3.9 ypc but 6 100 yard games. This oline got medicore to below average push in the run game. I can't recall any games where the line just completly pushed opposing defense backwards. Now obviousily I don't expect us to have the oline of the chiefs, but it would be nice to see some different colored jersey's go backwards when we're running the ball.

 

The pass protection is the weakest part of the oline. Maybe it had a lot to do with Bledsoe, but they have to get better at picking up blitzes up the middle, but I believe this will come with more commitment to the run game, especially off tackle runs, and sweeps, mixed in with plenty of play action and a solid safety valve, and short routes . Weaknesses can always be covered up, but this oline is in no way anything to write home about.

[ganesh]

MBD, I for one do not "write off" Gandy, but it is NOT unreasonable to be skeptical of a LEFT TACKLE who was cast aside by a team with such a poor OL that a shrunken, washed up Ruben Brown is a member of.

 

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Wasn't Chris Villarial part of that same stinking OL ?

[ganesh]

 

There's nothing wrong with our offensive line that a decisive QB can't fix.

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I remember the 99-2000 seasons when the OL looked like gold when

Flutie played and looked a stinker when RJ played behind the same line.

 

It is imperative that we have a solid OL...but the QB and RB make a

big difference as to how that OL performs.

[HurlyBurly51]

He was released to make way for an underperforming number 1 draft pick, Marco Columbo.  Not much you can do about that as a 3rd round pick.

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Exactly my point. Columbo has been a huge disappointment, but they kept him over Gandy. Now if Gandy had shown anything in the years that he had an opportunity, they would have kept him. It's not like Gandy was an unknown anonymous 3rd rounder with no experience going up against a first round pick. In that case, yes the 1st rounder gets the nod. But Gandy had plenty of playing time under his belt and if he had shown enough they wouldn't cut him over Columbo just because Columbo was a 1st rounder.

 

Enough of the rationalizations. Gandy is just plain not very good. We'll see after about the 1st preseason game whether or not JMac can turn him around if Verba's phone suddenly starts ringing.

[Sound_n_Fury]

Exactly my point.  Columbo has been a huge disappointment, but they kept him over Gandy.  Now if Gandy had shown anything in the years that he had an opportunity, they would have kept him. 

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What universe are you living in? GMs get fired for keeping first round picks on the bench. No way Columbo was going to ride the pine with his contract. I'm not thrilled by Gandy, but your arguments are getting suspiciouly weaker and weaker....

[Bill from NYC]

Wasn't Chris Villarial part of that same stinking OL ?

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Sure was, and he played out his option and ran out of there as if he was in a junk yard getting chased by a German Shepherd.

[The Tomcat]

Nevertheless, I think we fans are banking too much on Drew as THE problem and McNally as THE solution.

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Drew may not be THE problem....but McNally IS THE SOLUTION!

[Lori]

The only thing Donahoe is guilty of on that front is not getting rid of Ronnie Vinklaidiot after his first season (which was probably hard considering we had a 4300 yard passer, two 1200 yard receivers, and a 1400 yard rusher - so the OLine must have totally sucked ) .  He's remedied that by hiring one of the 3 most respected OLine coaches available.

 

As far as the "projected starters" not being popular, the Patriots offensive line through their SB run has been regularly populated with the exact same kind of players.  Go take a look at their current depth chart heading into the season.  2 drafted players and a slew of "where's Waldo's."

 

There's nothing wrong with our offensive line that a decisive QB can't fix.

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Gotta call you on this one, Darin - Vinky's first season was the 3-13 disaster in 2001. (He got a free pass for that one, because everybody blamed Rob for all the sacks.)

To TD's/GW's credit, they did dump Vinklarek after the 2002 season, even with all the mad stats you referenced....

 

Your other points are dead on.

[dave mcbride]

Exactly my point.  Columbo has been a huge disappointment, but they kept him over Gandy.  Now if Gandy had shown anything in the years that he had an opportunity, they would have kept him.  It's not like Gandy was an unknown anonymous 3rd rounder with no experience going up against a first round pick.  In that case, yes the 1st rounder gets the nod.  But Gandy had plenty of playing time under his belt and if he had shown enough they wouldn't cut him over Columbo just because Columbo was a 1st rounder. 

 

Enough of the rationalizations.  Gandy is just plain not very good.  We'll see after about the 1st preseason game whether or not JMac can turn him around if Verba's phone suddenly starts ringing.

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1 problem with your argument - the bears let him go midseason after he got hurt in the final year of his contract. letting him go cleared a roster spot. he was out for the season anyway and his contract was up, and unless the bears were going to make him a transition or franchise player, they had no leverage to keep him around the following year. the point is that the bears had no rational reason to keep him and a rational reason unrelated to his talent to let him go. i wouldn't read too much into the bears letting him go other than to say it's clear he wasn't a transition or franchise level player. the bills didn't think jonas jennings was either, as it so happens.

[Sound_n_Fury]

the point is that the bears had no rational reason to keep him and a rational reason unrelated to his talent to let him go. i wouldn't read too much into the bears letting him go other than to say it's clear he wasn't a transition or franchise level player.

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I agree. My point was the Bears were NOT going to let Columbo sit, so the decision to cut Gandy was more a numbers game than a reflection that he was "the worst of the worst." Is he Pro Bowl material? Obviously not. Is he the kind of mid-career vet that might blossom into an effective replacement for JJ for a very reasonable price? We'll know in about four weeks.

[Alaska Darin]

Maybe it had a lot to do with Bledsoe

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Maybe? Watch some Cleveland Browns' games sometime. The difference between their offensive line when Kelly Holcomb was out there vs just about any other QB was night and day. Did they suddenly start to suck or was there a greater force at work?

 

2 Weeks before they played us Holcomb went 30-39 for 413 yards and 5 TDs. Think we'd have played the same style of defense against him we did and McNown? Nope.

 

Drew's inability to reinvent himself or learn from his mistakes is the reason the possible HoFer is heading for his third team. It's also the reason teams continually stacked the box with 8 or more defenders on first and second down, while doubling Eric Moulds at the very same time. "Beat us some other way" was the standard challenge. Drew rarely could.

[Guest BackInDaDay]

As concerned about our left side as anyone, I don't want Verba.

We're developing a "bust your ass", "band of brothers" chemistry here, and Verba is bad medicine. Let the Raiders pay him. I'm sick of bums I wouldn't have a beer with, wearing my team's colors.

[JoeF]

So let's look at the alternative paths here.

 

1) The Bills could have shown Jonas the money. Gotten the 12 games a year of Jonas healthy..a serviceable left tackle who will give up 4 to 5 sacks, be average to slightly above average in the run game. All this for the low, low price of 6 to 7 million a year.

 

2) We could have signed one of this crop of free agents...Lonnie Shelton, Anthony Clement, Ross Verba, Tom Ashworth, Barrett Brooks, Ethan Brooks, Anthony Davis, Jerome Davis (now in the CFL); Joaquin Gonzalez; Scott Gragg; William Henry; Ben Johnson; Adrian Klemm; Stockar McDougle; Kareem McKenzie; Fred Miller; Victor Riley; Victor Rogers; Oliver Ross; Marcus Spears; Chris Terry; Bob Whitfield--maybe a few others...nice cast of characters. Combination of old, questionable character; underachievers and system guys except for maybe a few.

 

3) Traded two #1's for Orlando Pace or Walter Jones...next number 1 pick is then 2008...and have about 20% of our cap space tied up in OT's -- not a realistic choice.

 

4) Drafted one of the top 3 tackles--none of whom is at the level of the Tackles available the last couple of years.

 

Maybe signing Gandy and staying put isn't the right thing...but there is not a flood of experienced highly regarded talent out there this year at this position. I still believe we need depth--but before we talk about how !@#$ing stupid it is to be in this position going into camp--realize that the alternatives were not that great.

[HurlyBurly51]

What universe are you living in?  GMs get fired for keeping first round picks on the bench.  No way Columbo was going to ride the pine with his contract. 

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Hmmm...guess the Bears didn't get that memo, as they're already warming up Columbo's reserved spot on the bench with Tait and Fred Miller as the starting tackles.