(04-29-2020, 10:08 AM)TheDogCatcher Wrote:

(04-29-2020, 07:07 AM)Talented Kalamari Wrote: Linder has no command or leadership ability over the line. He just watches as they fold every play. If you want to be a great center, you need command over your guys. He doesn’t have that.

Supposedly he's good at making line calls, but the proof is in the pudding. Maybe in watching film Gruden determined that Minshew was holding the ball too long and/or many sacks/pressures were schematic. Maybe it's more of an average pass-blocking line, or a passable pass-blocking line if the ball comes out quickly. 

Gruden made Dalton look like a top 15 QB at one time, and Kirk Cousins's production in his offense fooled Minnesota into giving him a huge contract. I'm optimistic. That doesn't excuse that Cann and Cam have no legit competition.

I recall Peyton Manning's lines were often comprised of no-names. Polian didn't draft too many O-linemen high from what I remember because he counted on Peyton to get the ball out quickly or drop to the ground in fetal position if a sack was imminent.

Manning's magic was conducted at the presnap phase though. No other QB that I can think of ever did all of the gimmicks, dummy calls, audibles, formation changes, etc. the way he did. He had I think at his disposal some type of set-up where he had three - five different plays with whatever initial formation was called and it was completely up to him to read and react to what the defense was showing him. 

We all knew who called the shots in Indy. It was made clear when Dungy sent the punt team out and Manning told him to [BLEEP] off and kept the offense out there on 4th down and converted it. That's BALLSY. Brady never pulled that type of [BLEEP] with Belichick. That's for sure. It's amazing that guys like Manning haven't thought about getting into coaching or management of within an actual franchise because he CLEARLY has the intelligence to pull it off.

Polian invested a lot around him though when it came to the skill positions on offense. You have to remember in 1997 though before Manning was there he invested in two tackles in Glenn and Meadows early. In 1998 he took Manning and then two receivers and a center in the next three rounds. Then you had guys like Edge at RB, Harrison and Wayne at WR, Pollard and Clark at TE, Gonzalez I think was a late RD1 guy? Addai at RB was a late RD1 guy?

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