https://x.com/Ihartitz/status/1825611002702156041

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No Fun

https://twitter.com/Ihartitz/status/1825613714780991840

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It still makes me nervous. The second half of last season has scarred me.

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It still makes me nervous. The second half of last season has scarred me.

It is not all bad. Look at it this way. 

Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory... lasts forever.  (Shane Falco)

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A new broom always sweeps clean.

Y'all worry too much! I mean they signed a new C, resigned EC and BH, reworked BS contract, then drafted an OT in the 4th round. How does that not fix a bad OL?? Yes, I know, they basically only brought in 1 new starter from last year but the Jags have the best WR group they've ever had! UGH!!!

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Cam was suspended for first four games last year and Bartch was playing a lot of LG early. Fortner is really bad, but the O-Line needs health to have a chance to be adequate.
Second half of the season was not so much about O-Line but about WR. Kirk got injured vs. Bengals, and also T-Law, then Zay Jones played only 6 games and the passing game was just not there. True that they could not run the ball as well due to the O-Line but this is a passing league.

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Y'all worry too much! I mean they signed a new C, resigned EC and BH, reworked BS contract, then drafted an OT in the 4th round. How does that not fix a bad OL?? Yes, I know, they basically only brought in 1 new starter from last year but the Jags have the best WR group they've ever had! UGH!!!

Jimmy Smith and Kennan McCardell will never be surpassed.

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What sucks is on our starting 5, you really can’t point to someone and say they’re below average. Maybe Cleveland?

Cam - average to above average
Ezra - average to slightly below
Morse - some places had him as a top ten center
Scherff - still at least average
Anton - above average

They are somehow worse than the sum of their parts. Makes you question scheme.

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What sucks is on our starting 5, you really can’t point to someone and say they’re below average. Maybe Cleveland?

Cam - average to above average
Ezra - average to slightly below
Morse - some places had him as a top ten center
Scherff - still at least average
Anton - above average

They are somehow worse than the sum of their parts. Makes you question scheme.

Ummm, Cleveland was a top 10 guard before he got hurt last year and he was the 3rd best guard available in free agency this past season. A big if, but if he's healthy now then he's probably the best player on the line this season.

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“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”. - Plato

What sucks is on our starting 5, you really can’t point to someone and say they’re below average. Maybe Cleveland?

Cam - average to above average
Ezra - average to slightly below
Morse - some places had him as a top ten center
Scherff - still at least average
Anton - above average

They are somehow worse than the sum of their parts. Makes you question scheme.

The truth is usually in the middle of it all. I don't think it's so much as scheme as it is durability and cohesiveness. 

Last year was a cluster [BLEEP] of line-up issues with this unit. Started bad right off the block with Cam's suspension, and then, he comes back and gets injured for a little bit. You then had Bartch / Little / Cleveland at the left guard position. You had, the weakest link "holding it down" in the middle there in Fortner. You then had Scherff, who, he probably fought and played through a lot of injuries, which, again, that's par for the course for his career. 

That then left Anton Harrison, a rookie RT that we traded back for that ended up also playing the entire season on a bum left or right shoulder, but, he played respectfully for a rookie out there. I don't recall him getting his [BLEEP] beat or getting flagged for as many penalties as the guy he replaced in Kansas City did last year. 

There's some hope with this unit. Morse being the biggest hopeful along with Robinson and Cleveland starting the year off together on the left side. 

It all boils down to the running game and short yardage situations in 2024. That's the big difference we're needing to see from last year going into this year. Our offense can get away with a little bit more time for Lawrence in the pocket, if, IF... the defense has to actually respect and account for a strong running game. If Etienne, Bigsby and Johnson can give us a similar set of production that we saw out of, for comparison sake, the 2017 rushing offense?

This team will [BLEEP] start shooting for the moon in overall output. It's as simple as that for me. It's there, we're on the cusp. Just need more out of the running game to tie it altogether. 

2017 gave us 2,262 rushing yards with 18 TD's and an average of 4.3 yards per attempt. (That's with Ivory, Yeldon and Grant accounting for 883 yards to tag along with Fournette's 1,040 and Bortles' 322).
2023 gave us 1,646 rushing yards with 17 TD's and an average of 3.6 yards per attempt. (That's with Lawrence being the 2nd leading rusher with 339 yards and 4 TD's, the two back-up RB's did [BLEEP] all for the offense).

That's the difference man, literally ONE [BLEEP] yard difference per attempt on average. That's what haunt and plagued this team last year. The amount of chump change failed attempts, with Lawrence trying to superman his way across the LOS at times when he went rogue, because he KNEW he couldn't rely on this line to push for that ONE yard? That's the difference. We could have been probably a 10 or 11 win team last year DESPITE the amount of line-up issues, injuries to Lawrence and the WR room. 

So, that's really my take on all of this. I know I can depend on Lawrence. I can depend on Kirk. I can depend on Engram. I know we have some promise now in Davis, Thomas Jr., Washington and Duvernay. I know that Etienne is going to give it his best with a pack of wolves staring him down. It also appears Bigsby, he's pretty much gone the way of Etienne, less hesitant, more driving forward, hitting a hole and looking for a fundamental [BLEEP] up from the initial snap to see a lane to hit, etc. 

We're trending in the right direction. Just have to see the big five shine at least 75% of the time.

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"What do I know of cultured ways, the gilt, the craft and the lie? I, who was born in a naked land and bred in the open sky. The subtle tongue, the sophist guile, they fail when the broadswords sing; Rush in and die, dogs - I was a man before I was a king."

What sucks is on our starting 5, you really can’t point to someone and say they’re below average. Maybe Cleveland?

Cam - average to above average
Ezra - average to slightly below
Morse - some places had him as a top ten center
Scherff - still at least average
Anton - above average

They are somehow worse than the sum of their parts. Makes you question scheme.

Ummm, Cleveland was a top 10 guard before he got hurt last year and he was the 3rd best guard available in free agency this past season. A big if, but if he's healthy now then he's probably the best player on the line this season.

I think Anton is by far their best Olineman.

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https://twitter.com/apmarklong/status/18...915L-t18Xg

Yea….

I am all for cutting Fortner already, or, finding some way to trade him. I really believe there's a better Center out there in free agency to be had. No bull [BLEEP].

Yeah I gave him this year's camp to come in stronger, but I was over him as soon as it was reported he was struggling with the sled at the beginning of camp.  Get him out of here and away from my quarterback.  I was embarrassed for him watching him get consistently instantly pushed a couple of yards into the backfield at the snap by any sort of bull rush last year.

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Ummm, Cleveland was a top 10 guard before he got hurt last year and he was the 3rd best guard available in free agency this past season. A big if, but if he's healthy now then he's probably the best player on the line this season.

I think Anton is by far their best Olineman.

He’s a gem, no doubt. But is he being as challenged on the right side as much as the left side?

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Ummm, Cleveland was a top 10 guard before he got hurt last year and he was the 3rd best guard available in free agency this past season. A big if, but if he's healthy now then he's probably the best player on the line this season.

I think Anton is by far their best Olineman.

I also agree with this. Anton is young, physical and well balanced. He'll probably be our LT in 2025.

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I think Anton is by far their best Olineman.

He’s a gem, no doubt. But is he being as challenged on the right side as much as the left side?

Think he had Chris Jones, Myles Garrett and T.J Watt work him last year. He held up decently. Put it to you this way. Out of this starting line-up? Anton is the LEAST of my concerns.

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I am all for cutting Fortner already, or, finding some way to trade him. I really believe there's a better Center out there in free agency to be had. No bull [BLEEP].

Yeah I gave him this year's camp to come in stronger, but I was over him as soon as it was reported he was struggling with the sled at the beginning of camp.  Get him out of here and away from my quarterback.  I was embarrassed for him watching him get consistently instantly pushed a couple of yards into the backfield at the snap by any sort of bull rush last year.

He just doesn't have it. I hate to say it, but, it's glaringly obvious that he doesn't have it. Whether it's due to strength, bad reads or poor technique. He [BLEEP] the bed entirely too much for a 5th year senior out of the SEC when he left Kentucky. It's truly a shame, that, they didn't invest another draft pick on a Center to develop this year or last year when they had the chance. 

flsprtsgod already cited it here or somewhere earlier, it's a shame they didn't spring the money for Connor Wiliams as another insurance policy. As BAD as they were at Center last year? They should have doubled down with Morse and another decent veteran like Williams. They opted to draft Jordan Jefferson in RD4 instead of Tanor Bortolini or Sedrick Van Pran as well. That could prove to be costly down the stretch.

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"What do I know of cultured ways, the gilt, the craft and the lie? I, who was born in a naked land and bred in the open sky. The subtle tongue, the sophist guile, they fail when the broadswords sing; Rush in and die, dogs - I was a man before I was a king."

I think Anton is by far their best Olineman.

He’s a gem, no doubt. But is he being as challenged on the right side as much as the left side?

I definitely think so. Last year, he went up against Will Anderson, Watt, Chris Jones (who took his lunch), Nick Bosa, Ed Oliver and Leonard Floyd. Tons of pass rushers and different style pass rushers.

He did all this with a shoulder that wasn't 100%.

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What sucks is on our starting 5, you really can’t point to someone and say they’re below average. Maybe Cleveland?

Cam - average to above average
Ezra - average to slightly below
Morse - some places had him as a top ten center
Scherff - still at least average
Anton - above average

They are somehow worse than the sum of their parts. Makes you question scheme.

Ummm, Cleveland was a top 10 guard before he got hurt last year and he was the 3rd best guard available in free agency this past season. A big if, but if he's healthy now then he's probably the best player on the line this season.

Making my point more. Why is a line that is solid individually sucking playing together.

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Ummm, Cleveland was a top 10 guard before he got hurt last year and he was the 3rd best guard available in free agency this past season. A big if, but if he's healthy now then he's probably the best player on the line this season.

Making my point more. Why is a line that is solid individually sucking playing together.

How well does an archway stand if the keystone is dust? It all comes down to fortitude in the middle.

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Ummm, Cleveland was a top 10 guard before he got hurt last year and he was the 3rd best guard available in free agency this past season. A big if, but if he's healthy now then he's probably the best player on the line this season.

Making my point more. Why is a line that is solid individually sucking playing together.

• ZBS scheme laden w/ too many bells and whistles - looked like keystone cops last year trying to figure out assignments
  
• Emphasis on athletic ZBS linemen left us unable to run gap plays effectively to convert simple 3rd and shorts (i.e. not big and strong enough individually or collectively) 
  
• Constant rotating cast at LT and LG last year
  
• Scherff is still an above average pass protector but is weak in the run game unless he's pulling
  
• We aren't going to know what we're really getting from Morse+Ezra until the guard is healthy and they start a couple of Reg season games together to gel. Might be better than we think right now. Will likely take time to iron out. Unfortunately, we just have to wait and see on that. 
  
• Timing.  This is part of the first bullet point, but this current line has to play together enough to get their collective timing right to execute the run blocking being dialed up by our offensive braintrust. Hopefully it is somewhat simplified this season compared to last. Doug hinted it would be. 
  
• You're probably right to question Rauscher at this point. Maybe the F.O. have dealt him too many duds, but there has to be a way to get more out of the current unit than last year's debacle and he needs to be accountable. If this unit ranks near the bottom in run block win rate again this year, he better not be given the chance to print up cute t-shirts for his players to wear during camp. He needs to go. 
  

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Well, for one thing...that line has NEVER played together.

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“An empty vessel makes the loudest sound, so they that have the least wit are the greatest babblers.”. - Plato

https://x.com/dandgriffis/status/1825894...88831?s=46

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