We may have to come to the cold hard truth. If Walker Little cannot beat out Taylor it means Little just is not very good.

---

This team has not build out the oline in any of my recent or past memories. Just like TE, we do nothing and expect better results. I mean yes he drafted an ACL candidate that hasn't seen the field in any significant manner but the attention has not been there. It is one of a long list of grievances I have with the Front Office. I guess it is really a criticism of the owner as well.

11 draft picks spent on oline in the last 6 years along with 4 spent on tight ends. Not mention free agents, waiver claims, and trades. To say they haven't put attention there isn't accurate, they just didn't get good players for the effort.

They have certainly tried... and often failed. 

The thing that jumps out in their acquisitions and drafts to me is that they haven't drafted a 1st round tackle since Joeckel in 2013 and they haven't swung for the fences in FA on one in that span either. 

It seems they are due to draft or pay up for a tackle IMO. 

The Parnell deal in 2015 was a pretty good crack at finding a solid RT, and re-upping Cam this year may turn out fine, but if Taylor or Little don't emerge as legit answers at RT this season, I think they should earmark some capital for a tackle in the 2023 offseason.

---

I am going to have to eat crow in being down on Cam. I figured no big deal and why tag him, resign him? We had guys waiting in the wings right? oooff not so good I tell you. It does increase the misery thinking of the past decade of high draft picks and on field performance. I sure hope we got the right coaching and direction moving forward.

---

The Khan Years

Patience, Persistence, and Piss Poor General Managers.

LG and RT are my greatest concerns on the roster

I would also add WR to that list for the moment.

But those three areas are of major concern for me.

---

Offensive line is probably our worst position group which is concerning. Especially since our new RG hasn't played a full season in multiple years.

(Emphasis added)

When he is healthy, he is a clear upgrade.  But, if he's injured, we're screwed, especially given our lack of depth.

I'm thinking that much like we did last year with Malcolm Brown, we should target an interior OL at the end of the preseeason.

---

 

Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

I was listening to 1010XL this morning just after 10 and Carlyon was a guest on the show.

He opined that if he had to put a percentage to the RT competition, he thinks Jawaan Taylor would have a 52-48% lead on Walker Little. 

My heart sunk at the thought of that happening, even though Caryon's assessment doesn't make it official.

I can only hope for a few things.

I hope Carlyon is wring in his assessment.

I hope that if Carlyon is correct in his assessment, that somehow:

a.  The competition has somehow made Taylor a better player

b.  The new coaching staff has been able to get more out of Taylor than previous staffs.

A competent G that fits our scheme somehow becomes available relatively soon, either through camp cuts or by late trade.

A nauseating thought for me is for Trevor Lawrence to become the NFL's answer to Super Dave Osborne because we suck in pass protection.  Taylor has sucked in the past.  Bartch has been shaky, and Shatley has been disappointing in the move to LG, which is why he seemingly has been demoted back to backup C.  This seemingly is a best case scenario considering Fortner is a rookie, Robinson seems to be enjoying his strongest camp of his career, and Scherff can maintain his established level of play and remain healthy.

If any of those latter three players takie a turn for the worse, I shudder to think of the consequences.

I think Scherff is covering any blemishes the RT position has presently. I think it's more negative about Little than positive about Taylor to say he's winning the position battle.

I'll say this, though. If Taylor gets the nod at RT, I'd rather flip Little and Richardson as backups. Richardson has looked rough in his time on field, and that's been against backups.

---

LG and RT are my greatest concerns on the roster

Yeah, I was really hoping Bartch would take the position and run away with it from the start of camp.  And Little, is it me, or does the dude have kind of narrow shoulders?  Taylor hasn't missed a game due to injury, which is a rare feat, and has a great deal of experience - perhaps he's putting that experience to good use and holding off Little for a bit?  I certainly hope he doesn't get our QB killed too.

contract year for Jawaan, which gets me nervous. If he does play acceptably (not "good", necessarily), do they re-up him?

---

LG and RT are my greatest concerns on the roster

I would also add WR to that list for the moment.

But those three areas are of major concern for me.

---

I feel much better about the law firm of Jones, Jones and Kirk at WR than I feel about the swirling question marks around Shatley, Bartch, Taylor and Little.

---

I would also add WR to that list for the moment.

But those three areas are of major concern for me.

---

I feel much better about the law firm of Jones, Jones and Kirk at WR than I feel about the swirling question marks around Shatley, Bartch, Taylor and Little.

Nothing will compare to Searcywitz and Bosellitova

---

Last time I read a headline like this, Jags were linked to move to either LA or St Louis..

My heart sunk a bit at first too..

---

Let's see how they do tomorrow and go from there

If the Steelers play their defensive starters, they pose a stern test for our OL.

I welcome it, but if there is early and constant pressure, I might be inclined to settle for a lot of quick passes and screens...or trying to establish the run.

---

I would also add WR to that list for the moment.

But those three areas are of major concern for me.

---

I feel much better about the law firm of Jones, Jones and Kirk at WR than I feel about the swirling question marks around Shatley, Bartch, Taylor and Little.

I feel better about WR but not by much.

While the additions of Kirk and Jones make us improved from our roster last year, I think relative to the rest of the league, I don't see much improvement.  I still think it's a bottom 5 WR group in the league.

But OL is an even larger concern.  If we can't run block or pass block with any degree of proficiency, we're in trouble.

---

 

Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

Caught the same interview on my lunch break this morning. It's accurate though. By all accounts, apparently Taylor came into this camp ready to fight for and maintain his job. Which makes sense. He was drafted three years ago. He's in that make it or break it year. Is it frustrating? Sure. It means he was capable of playing better the whole time but it took up until Walker Little breathing on his neck and hearing publicly of a battle for his job outright in the making to do so.

Sounds like Bartch is also going to be the left guard. Which means we should end up with solid depth at Center with Shatley backing up Fortner or Fortner backing him up. I do have similar concerns with this group as well though. Robinson played his [BLEEP] off this camp at left tackle. Which is great. I just think maybe this team is not finished yet trying to bolster or improve the roster. I think they'll be more active in this regard this year.

Also, a good coaching staff and gameplan on offense can help mask some of these guys weaknesses. I trust Pederson and his staff to do this. If they're going to have Lawrence doing more of the RPO stuff and bootlegs like he showed early in that Cleveland game? I feel a bit better about the offensive line. They didn't showcase any real gameplan yet with twin back sets and twin tightend sets as well.

I don't expect Lawrence to drop back back 30 - 50 times a game this year either for us to win ball games. This is why it's great that they went out and addressed the defense as much as they could to limit opposing offenses for this year. The backfield is loaded with Robinson and Etienne. Conner and Armstead should also prove capable. The tight end group between Engram, Arnold, Manhertz & Farrell should also be solid.

Should be a lot of quick, three step drops and get the ball out passing plays this year with Lawrence. So, we'll see. I'll remain optimistic for now.

---

"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 was listening to 1010XL this morning just after 10 and Carlyon was a guest on the show.

He opined that if he had to put a percentage to the RT competition, he thinks Jawaan Taylor would have a 52-48% lead on Walker Little. 

My heart sunk at the thought of that happening, even though Caryon's assessment doesn't make it official.

I can only hope for a few things.

I hope Carlyon is wring in his assessment.

I hope that if Carlyon is correct in his assessment, that somehow:

a.  The competition has somehow made Taylor a better player

b.  The new coaching staff has been able to get more out of Taylor than previous staffs.

A competent G that fits our scheme somehow becomes available relatively soon, either through camp cuts or by late trade.

A nauseating thought for me is for Trevor Lawrence to become the NFL's answer to Super Dave Osborne because we suck in pass protection.  Taylor has sucked in the past.  Bartch has been shaky, and Shatley has been disappointing in the move to LG, which is why he seemingly has been demoted back to backup C.  This seemingly is a best case scenario considering Fortner is a rookie, Robinson seems to be enjoying his strongest camp of his career, and Scherff can maintain his established level of play and remain healthy.

If any of those latter three players takie a turn for the worse, I shudder to think of the consequences.

You seem to be more influenced by the hosts’s gloom and doom routine than by what Hays said.  First off, in response to the gloom and doom on the o-line Hays’s theme was that it wasn’t that bad.  His specific quote in response to a demand for a gloomy assessment was, “believe me, I’ve seen much worse.”

He agreed that Little had failed to beat out Taylor clearly but was very clear that Taylor has been practicing very well.  Little, it seems, isn’t a dead set pro-bowler like many here hoped, but Hays also thinks Taylor may have improved and argued a player of his experience can.  Do I, personally, think Taylor will keep it up during the season?  It’s a contract year, so yes.  Little will get 30% of the play time this year and beat him next year after Taylor signs a big, fat starting RT contract.

As to Bartch, he said that Bartch offer definite improvements in strength and athleticism and the coaches must feel that’s more valuable than experience.  That was it.  All he said.  My personal guess is that Fortener has done well enough that the coaches feel they can run with Bartch and give up the on-field coaching.  Remember, before the season this was Bartch’s spot to lose and now it appears he has retained it.  Isn’t this a good thing?


The hosts were also at pains to credit any success that the line may have to Lawrence’s scrambling ability.  Perhaps.  Personally, I think Lawrence leaves the pocket too easily and would reduce pressure more with decisive, accurate throws than he would with a reputation to scramble easily. We’ll see how that has developed in week one.

---

Caught the same interview on my lunch break this morning. It's accurate though. By all accounts, apparently Taylor came into this camp ready to fight for and maintain his job. Which makes sense. He was drafted three years ago. He's in that make it or break it year. Is it frustrating? Sure. It means he was capable of playing better the whole time but it took up until Walker Little breathing on his neck and hearing publicly of a battle for his job outright in the making to do so.

Sounds like Bartch is also going to be the left guard. Which means we should end up with solid depth at Center with Shatley backing up Fortner or Fortner backing him up. I do have similar concerns with this group as well though. Robinson played his [BLEEP] off this camp at left tackle. Which is great. I just think maybe this team is not finished yet trying to bolster or improve the roster. I think they'll be more active in this regard this year.

Also, a good coaching staff and gameplan on offense can help mask some of these guys weaknesses. I trust Pederson and his staff to do this. If they're going to have Lawrence doing more of the RPO stuff and bootlegs like he showed early in that Cleveland game? I feel a bit better about the offensive line. They didn't showcase any real gameplan yet with twin back sets and twin tightend sets as well.

I don't expect Lawrence to drop back back 30 - 50 times a game this year either for us to win ball games. This is why it's great that they went out and addressed the defense as much as they could to limit opposing offenses for this year. The backfield is loaded with Robinson and Etienne. Conner and Armstead should also prove capable. The tight end group between Engram, Arnold, Manhertz & Farrell should also be solid.

Should be a lot of quick, three step drops and get the ball out passing plays this year with Lawrence. So, we'll see. I'll remain optimistic for now.

(Emphasis added)

This team better get the running game going if they don't expect/want TL throwing 50 times a game to win.  But you raising the issue makes me question:

1.  Are our RBs healthy/sturdy enough to carry the load?
2.  Are our OLs capable of run blocking well enough to enable the RBs to do so effectively?
3.  Are our WRs capable enough to win a shootout where it takes 50 passes from TL to win?
4.  Are our OLs capable enough to protect TL sufficiently to win those 50 pass shootouts?

I hope like hell the answers to all of those questions are yes.

---

 

Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

Bottom line, this isn’t a pro-bowl offensive line. It has an all-star which the Jags bought. It has two young players which may offer years of quality service. The Jags are not a very good team but they have the potential to build. Look for them to not utterly suck this year and improve a lot over the next few. And it’s been quite a while since the Jags haven’t utterly sucked in a season. These fantasies of playoff content and .500 seasons are just setting people up for disappointment and missing the flowers which do bloom.

---

I was listening to 1010XL this morning just after 10 and Carlyon was a guest on the show.

He opined that if he had to put a percentage to the RT competition, he thinks Jawaan Taylor would have a 52-48% lead on Walker Little. 

My heart sunk at the thought of that happening, even though Caryon's assessment doesn't make it official.

I can only hope for a few things.

I hope Carlyon is wring in his assessment.

I hope that if Carlyon is correct in his assessment, that somehow:

a.  The competition has somehow made Taylor a better player

b.  The new coaching staff has been able to get more out of Taylor than previous staffs.

A competent G that fits our scheme somehow becomes available relatively soon, either through camp cuts or by late trade.

A nauseating thought for me is for Trevor Lawrence to become the NFL's answer to Super Dave Osborne because we suck in pass protection.  Taylor has sucked in the past.  Bartch has been shaky, and Shatley has been disappointing in the move to LG, which is why he seemingly has been demoted back to backup C.  This seemingly is a best case scenario considering Fortner is a rookie, Robinson seems to be enjoying his strongest camp of his career, and Scherff can maintain his established level of play and remain healthy.

If any of those latter three players takie a turn for the worse, I shudder to think of the consequences.

You seem to be more influenced by the hosts’s gloom and doom routine than by what Hays said.  First off, in response to the gloom and doom on the o-line Hays’s theme was that it wasn’t that bad.  His specific quote in response to a demand for a gloomy assessment was, “believe me, I’ve seen much worse.”

He agreed that Little had failed to beat out Taylor clearly but was very clear that Taylor has been practicing very well.  Little, it seems, isn’t a dead set pro-bowler like many here hoped, but Hays also thinks Taylor may have improved and argued a player of his experience can.  Do I, personally, think Taylor will keep it up during the season?  It’s a contract year, so yes.  Little will get 30% of the play time this year and beat him next year after Taylor signs a big, fat starting RT contract.

As to Bartch, he said that Bartch offer definite improvements in strength and athleticism and the coaches must feel that’s more valuable than experience.  That was it.  All he said.  My personal guess is that Fortener has done well enough that the coaches feel they can run with Bartch and give up the on-field coaching.  Remember, before the season this was Bartch’s spot to lose and now it appears he has retained it.  Isn’t this a good thing?


The hosts were also at pains to credit any success that the line may have to Lawrence’s scrambling ability.  Perhaps.  Personally, I think Lawrence leaves the pocket too easily and would reduce pressure more with decisive, accurate throws than he would with a reputation to scramble easily. We’ll see how that has developed in week one.

Trust me, the "doom and gloom" was far less influenced by the hosts than it is my own eyes and experiences watching Taylor at RT over the past 3 years and Bartch over the last two.

Having "seen far worse" than Taylor does not mean Taylor's level of play is sufficient to give adequate protection for TL.

As for Bartch, having maintained a starting position over a career backup on a team with offensive line problems since 2018 does not inspire confidence.

As I indicated before, perhaps the new coaching staff is managing to coax better play out of these guys.  If so, great!  I'll take it.

But I've got to see it first.  Not just against our guys, but against the better DL and edge rushers in the league.

---

 

Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

Bottom line, this isn’t a pro-bowl offensive line.  It has an all-star which the Jags bought.  It has two young players which may offer years of quality service.  The Jags are not a very good team but they have the potential to build.  Look for them to not utterly suck this year and improve a lot over the next few.  And it’s been quite a while since the Jags haven’t utterly sucked in a season.  These fantasies of playoff content and .500 seasons are just setting people up for disappointment and missing the flowers which do bloom.

I think to a certain extend, we catch a break with our schedule.  IIRC, it's like 26th in strength of schedule, and it looks like we may catch a break with Chase Young being out.  But the fact is, even with the schedule ranking 26th, our opponents this year still offer some capable defensive linemen/edge rushers that could be problematic.

We play the NFC East this year.  They offer

Dallas-Micah Parsons
NY Giants-Kayvon Thibideaux
Philadelphia-Jordan Davis and Fletcher Cox inside
Washington-Jonathan Allen, DaRon Payne and Montez Sweat

We also play the AFC West, which features

Las Vegas-Maxx Crosby
Denver-Bradley Chubb and Randy Gregory
Los Angeles Chargers  Bosa and Khalil Mack
Kansas City-Chris Jones, Frank Clark and George Karlaftis.

This is aside from our divisional opponents

The loathsome and detestable tacks?  Harold Landry and  Jeffery Simmons
Ubdy offers Ngakoue, Deforest Buckner, and Kwity Paye.
Houston seems manageable, but Mario Addison can get some pressure.

We aren't talented enough anywhere just yet to overestimate out OL's abilities or to underestimate an opposing defense's ability to win in the trenches against us.

---

 

Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

It appears that 4 incumbent players on the offensive line have improved so far this year and that is a positive thing for the team.

---

Respect the game.  Play with a sense of urgency. 


1.)  Take care of the ball.  Win the turnover battle.

2.)  It's all about 3rd down.  Win on 3rd down to win the game.

3.) Playmakers make plays.  The only reason that you put your uniform on is to make plays. In order to EARN your paycheck, you must make plays.  

Learn from the great collapse of 2023.  

It appears that 4 incumbent players on the offensive line have improved so far this year and that is a positive thing for the team.

That's based primarily on going against our own personnel (which has been among the very worst in the league based on record), and one quarter of a preseason game against a Cleveland team not playing its best players.

While I sincerely hope you are absolutely right, respectfully, that assessment might be a little premature.

---

 

Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

From all I've seen this past few weeks Little is actually worse than Taylor... Maybe he will get better but I wouldn't be so hopeful.

So much for "If Little didn't get injured he would have been a top 10 pick, we got a steal there!"

---

"Treyvon Wallet is elite run defender and better overall than Aidan Hutchinson" 11/11/23

From all I've seen this past few weeks Little is actually worse than Taylor... Maybe he will get better but I wouldn't be so hopeful.

So much for "If Little didn't get injured he would have been a top 10 pick, we got a steal there!"

From what I can tell, Little has had some issues with power.  There were a couple of times it looked as if he was driven back into the QB.

The main reason I am being a bit more patient with Little on your closing point is he still doesn't have muhc playing experience.  He missed pretty much his last two years of college, didn't play much last year, and is switching positions this year.

But we can't wait for him to develop too much longer before the dreaded "bust" speculation will creep in.

---

 

Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!