Ross Tucker of NFL Radio is a former journeyman offensive lineman, and one of the sharpest analysts they have--especially on anybody in the trenches.
He said that right guards are often isolated one-on-one in pass-blocking. Defenses tend to shade tackles and nose tackles to the center's left; much closer to the center than to the left guard. They seek to hit the center as his right arm is back and useless to him, and penetrate before the left guard can get leverage on him by getting in front of him.
The center is thus engaged by design, islolating the right guard on another passrusher, often with "too much space" on both sides of him.
This is a big reason why Luavao was abused last season.
Tucker said he vastly preferred center and left guard to right guard for that reason. Ross could move people, but knew his limitations, one of which was his ponderous footwork.
Peter is right about John Greco and Luavao being stronger drive blockers, and about the right guard normally being the road-grader, but I guess he didn't have a chance to hear this really smart ex-lineman talk about the position.
Pinkston, a former left tackle who could probably play right tackle here if needed, has a better chance of dealing with an athletic passrusher in space than the other guys. And although it's not saying much, Pinkston is the most mobile of the bunch, with the best chance to get out ahead of screens and such.
Another factor is the nature of the defenses the Browns must face; notably the 3-4's of Pittsburgh and Baltimore. Rather than trying to drive back a defensive tackle, Pinkston is more likely to be trying to nail down a slippery linebacker in space when he's run-blocking, so the road-grader right guard is less in demand for this particular team.
Now, Terry Pluto of the PD made a rare mistake in saying that Jordan Norwood was not a deep threat. Norwood has excellent speed, and can go deep. He's been clocked at under 4.4.
Last season, he was used almost exclusively in the slot, and ran almost exclusively short quick-hitters on the rare occasions when he was given a chance to play (because somebody else was injured). He got open quickly and didn't drop any balls, and they needed him to do exactly that.
But now with Devone Bess here, Gregg Little becoming ever more reliable, and Cameron coming on strong, Norwood should stick around, and if he does get more chances, he'll be allowed to run deeper if the cornerback crowds him. I don't believe that in Squarepeg Shurmer's offense he was ever allowed to.
Also, Terry was there to actually watch the camp and I wasn't, so I'm at a disadvantage. Plus, I'm loathe to disagree with Pluto on general principles. Still...
Well, I just think he was a little hard on the tight end position. He said that Cameron has made some nice leaping catches and that Barnidge has "had his moments", but that the tight end position still looked thin. I wish he'd explained that.
It's possible that Terry has fallen for it. It's like the fullback thing. Norv Turner loves tight ends, right? Therefore, the tight ends should get thrown to a lot, right? Sounds like an assumption to me.
They're trying to put a new offense on the field. The priority right now might be to develop chemistry with the wide receivers. The tight ends run shallower inside routes and rely more on physical mismatches than precise routes. The wide receivers are farther away, smaller targets, and there's much less room for error on those routes and those throws.
If I'm right, this is the smart way to develop this QB and this corps. Focus on the most precise, dangerous stuff first. Don't take the easy throw to the big guy if there's a little fast guy deeper. That's how you bring a Weeden along.
I reeiterate that if Cameron remains healthy, he will kick butt (and I mean in blocking too), and that Barnidge is massively underrated as a receiver.
Nice article by Mike Florjancic of Cleveland Browns.com on Mitchel Schwartze's development. Wow, he gets to practice against Kruger, Sheard, and Mingo!
Kruger will use leverage more--Mingo speed and hands. Schwartze should be ready for anybody!
Well, I just can't leave this page without taking somebody to the woodshed, so I'll copy/paste a couple questions Tony Grossi got on "Ask Tony", and answer them myself:
Hey Tony: I spent some time watching Barkevious Mingo's highlight reels on YouTube and I from what I see I don't think he has the potential to be great in the NFL. He looks like a smaller version of the Browns 2006 first round pick Kamerion Wimbley with similar one dimensional skills as a situational pass rusher. While he's maybe a bit more scrappy on the field than Wimbley, I don't think he's big enough to be a dominant force in the pass rush or an effective run stopper. Prediction, Mingo is the first bust of the Lombardi era. My question is, do you agree with my assessment and if not why? Please tell me I'm wrong.
Hey dumbass: Mingo is MUCH faster than Wimbley, with better reach. Wimbley was a DE here, then turned into a pretty damn good linebacker, though he never lived up to his draft status. But the two players are much different.
Mingo has a variety of passrush moves already, which is partly why he was such a hot commodity.
The YouTube tapes are of him at DE vs. a dangerous running quarterback, and he had containment on him. He did his job, which in this case was making sure the guy couldn't scramble upfield to his right. He wasn't going for sacks. He was waiting for the QB to run.
Hey Tony: I've been reading that Josh Gordon's attitude has taken a downward plunge and this is blamed, in part, on the hard line the front office and coaching staff has taken with him. Is all of this true? Do you see Gordon being on the team long-term, assuming there is no additional suspensions? It seems to me that this is heading to a bad conclusion. Do you agree? It's too bad because I love Gordon's talent and the Browns haven't had many players like him in last 20 years. Thanks.
Hey black helicopter guy: Gordon is dinged up, but the coaches have been talking about his sincere effort and work ethic. Do you think they were lying? Is this like Watergate to you?
See my last post: He pulled up at least once before completing a route and got yelled at. It's very, very possible that his knee was hurting and he was trying to work through it just like Chud said. He was probably frustrated and angry.
I personally react to pain with aggression. That's not uncommon. If I'm hurting and somebody is yelling at me, I'm not very diplomatic myself.
Stop trying to make mountains out of molehills. Crap I've already read posters saying they should cut Gordon!
Welcome to Cleveland.
No comments:
Post a Comment