Ok look: The fact that Des Harrison has already looked good at left tackle as an undrafted rookie, and so has Greg Robinson (as I had noticed myself) pretty much screams at Hue Lewis what he should do:
Put Harrison in there and move one of the best guards in the NFL back where he belongs.
As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, and Joel Bitonio pointed out more recently, left tackle is kind of a skill position requiring tight end-like agility to go with height and reach.
They're very hard to find, which is why around twenty teams are starting left tackles who are better suited to play guard, and why guys like Greg Robinson are drafted high in the first round and don't work out.
Listen to the reasons why Bitonio thinks Harrison can play left tackle (right tf now): He's tall. He can really move. He's an athletic freak.
That's the foundation Joe Thomas had. Joe had a lot more experience in college, and was close to a finished product as a rookie yes, but it was his athleticism that he built around; his feet and his balance.
Ask Bob Wylie: If you don't have the feet, you can't play that position. If you do, you can. Very few offensive linemen have the feet. This is why some of the best left tackles are former tight ends: Tight ends are used to blocking linebackers in space.
Hue is dithering about whether Harrison is "ready" yet. Well of course he's going to make mistakes until he gets some pelts on his wall, but he's already probably as good at left tackle as Bitonio is, because -snap-snap- Joel is a GUARD.
If you want your best five players out there, they ought to include one of the ten or eleven REAL left tackles in the NFL, even if he needs work, right?
He's got Big Joe, Bitonio, Bob Wylie, blocking tight ends, slide protections, a mobile quarterback, and an offensive coordinator who can "hide" and protect him as he learns and matures.
Maybe vs the Steelers Bitonio might be slightly better. Maybe. Slightly. But the week after, and the week after that? There's your under-over on how soon Harrison is clearly better than Bitonio.
And trust me: This is WHY Hue is hesitating on this; these first couple games!
Last season, Bitonio, Tretter, and Zeitler were together. A couple days after Bob Wylie calls Bitonio at tackle "plan Z", Hue moves Bitonio to left tackle!
THINK about that! Bob Wylie teaches other offensive line coaches how to coach! Hue overrode him! Bitonio is saying all the politically-correct things, and Wylie is keeping his head down, but they both think this whole thing was stupid.
Hue.......
Put last years three veteran starters inside back together; those are three of your five best. Don't worry about Corbett--he's playing new positions and learning.
Put Harrison at left tackle and use Greg Robinson (who did look good there in preseason and was a top five pick after all) as insurance (ie don't mess with Bitonio again).
This is what Bob Wylie would tell you if he could.
This from Captain Obvious:
Since Joel Bitonio was expected to make the Pro Bowl as a left guard in 2018, and can probably never become more than a slightly above average NFL left tackle, Joel should remain at left guard.
Since Desmond Harrison has rare physical traits which make him a prototype left tackle, and he has demonstrated that he is capable even now, and has Hall of Fame upside, then he should play left tackle now.
Since integration and chemistry is most important for the center and two guards, the center and guards should remain together if possible.
If Hue Jackson and Bob Wylie disagree about offensive linemen, we should assume that Bob is right, and Hue is wrong.
Some of you still don't get this: Todd Haley already expects the Steelers to target Bitonio, and is game-planning to protect him.
Plugging Harrison in won't change that!
No really: I know we all love Bitonio, but if you think he's a real left tackle, you're not thinking with your brain. Bitonio himself knows this. He can be the best left guard in the NFL, but moving him to left tackle is BAD for him!
Joel looks at Harrison and sees another Joe Thomas (well eventually). HE sees the differences between himself and guys like that, and tells us so!
Joel gets it. Bob gets it. Captain Obvious gets it. Hue doesn't get it. I can honestly say that Hue is an amazing Head Coach.
I take the unofficial Depth Chart for the Steelers game with a grain of salt, since Hue is in charge. Today, Bitonio is the left tackle, but Hue hasn't made up his mind yet. Dammit.
I can predict how this comes out:
I expect Hue to "stick with the status quo", partly because that's the WRONG choice, but also because if he does change anything now, he might be PERCIEVED as...
Such a long story here, but I got Hue nailed down, okay? And this is what happened:
1: Bob Wylie calls Bitonio to left tackle "Plan Z".
2: Hue Jackson executes plan z almost immediately, partly BECAUSE of what Wylie said (in fairness, there were other considerations which made actual sense--but I'm telling you, Hue made this move partly IN RESPONSE to what Wylie said! Hue felt threatened!)
Greg Robinson, at this point, had looked pretty good at left tackle. Shon Coleman and Austin Corbett disappointed. Des Harrison was injured.
Hue spazzed. Trust me: Bob Wylie (and probably Todd Haley too, not to mention Bitonio himself, and maybe Myles Garrett) were telling Hue to leave Bitonio alone and give Greg Robinson a shot at left tackle, and check out this freak Des Harrison later.
Hue marked his territory. He felt threatened again, so there ya go.
3: Desmond Harrison got healthy, and impressed everybody (including Hue) at left tackle, including vs the Eagles, and of course this includes Wylie, Joe Thomas, Bitonio himself, Haley, Myles Garrett etc., so...
4: In a moment of weakness, Hue LISTENS to them, and says maybe he'll change his mind.
But Hue is now conflicted, because he is first and foremost concerned with what other people will think of him, personally.
He probably regrets his moment of weakness (ie listening to EVERYBODY ELSE THAT MATTERS, and then admitting that he's considering making this change).
5: Now if he changes his mind, people might think he is indecisive, and if he goes with the advice he's getting from all the aforementioned people, he might be called "weak".
So he's probably going to stick with Bitonio at left tackle now, since this way he can both pretend to be open-minded, and also a leader.
Hue Jackson isn't a Head Coach. He's a politician. And he's not even good at THAT!
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