Exactly how bad are we?

[John from Riverside]

Why do people insist on making up revisionist history about Mike Gandy....

 

Mike Gandy is not a pro bowl player...fine I agree with that but the fact is there are very few of those guys on ANY team....

 

I thought Gandy equitted himself very well.....I just think that he is better suited to RT, LG or RG

 

BUT

 

If were able to put a quality player next to him I wouldn't feel that badly going into the season.....having a TE that can actually block every once in a while and someone who can get open quickly would greatly help this team.....

[Bill from NYC]

For those of us that feel that it all starts and ends with the quality of each line, ours are woefully lacking.

 

To get to a point where the lines are a strength of this team, it will take at least a couple of years. Others are correct in pointing out that we only have 1/2 of a starting defensive line in Schobel and Triplett. Denney and Kelsay would be good backups, but at this point nothing more. We'll probably fill one of these holes in the draft, but to complete a foursome that can dominate will probably take another off season.

 

The offensive line is such a question mark I don't even know how long it will take.  But the fact of the matter is that we haven't a single player that could even take a sniff of the Pro Bowl. Fowler? He might, might, be a serviceable center, but we don't know. Villareal could be solid if he could stay healthy. Peters could be solid if he takes another step forward this year. Gandy is average, maybe solid on a good day. And our LG position is a blank slate.

 

For this group to reach a dominant state, it will take years. We don't really have anyone that looks like they can step up this year to become Pro-Bowl-caliber, although I could be surprised. It's hard to project if any of those positions is really solidified for the long-term. Fowler and Peters probably give the best potential for this, but who knows.

 

It will take this draft and another off season or two to get where we need to be.

657342[/snapback]

 

Your post is 100% correct, and explains perfectly (imo) why we should not waste important resources on Huff nor Davis.

[tennesseeboy]

No one on this thread, from the most optimistic to themose pessimistic is in disagreement that our number one need on the lines is defensive tackle. The biggest weakness (and I mean that we don't even have a BAD tackle to throw in with Triplett.) on the entire team is defensive tackle. We have the opportunity to draft the best defensive tackle in the entire draft (I think Ngata, some think Bunkley) at 8. Go for it. We also have a chance to shore up the other areas where we have a critical need, offensive tackle and gaurd. We can go a long way toward solving the line problem with this draft. We can address other weaknesses next year or in the remaining available free agents.

[Mark VI]

I seem to recall that Gandy play well in the last 8 games of the season.  I wish people would stop using him as TD's whipping boy.

656997[/snapback]

 

I agree. Not a star but did play well as the season wore on. Very long arms and moves good in pass protection.

 

The biggest problem was the interior of the line. Signing Fowler at Center was a start. Solving both Guard positions is most important for the OL.

 

Another DT is obvious. Wish we could also find another pass rushing DE but we need more than one off-season to fix this.

[Sisyphean Bills]

One of the real unknowns here is Gibson.  When players are given a second chance they sometimes make the most of it.  I find it very interesting that he had his best season under Jauron in Chicago.  This is truly a wildcard signing.

 

Having said this I still believe that we need one or two decent picks on the offensive line early on in the draft.  Like most people will tell you it all starts up front (OL and DL).

657122[/snapback]

 

But Gibson is horrible. The guy's only attribute is HUGENESS. Being ginormous got him through college, but in the NFL you actually need a thimble or two of skill and the desire to work hard. Aaron Gibson is totally lacking in those areas.

[colin]

2 quality interior linemen will make our O line solid (say drafting 2 high round guards, or signing one and drafting one).

 

2 DTs who can play will make our D line solid.

 

we aren't very good, but most teams in the NFL including a lot of playoff teams have bad lines (TB and washington have bad Olines, seattle has tiny D line of not very highly rated guys, carolina had a HORRIBLE O line that is now middle of the pack, and so on).

 

the only way we are going to win as many games as we lose this year (even if we pump up the lines) is if we have very solid QB play. either JP turns into what many posters here think he can be, nall ends up being the steal of the year, or we draft someone and that someone tears it up.