In the "Does Daniels make Raji expendable" thread, you posted "EDS is a good back up (or is he now 'well more than that?'), and could even be good if he wasn't a complete misfit for our system." When asked how is he a "complete misfit", you posted, "His strengths don't play well to our system" and "the fact remains that he is a poor system fit".
I then asked you, "What specifically makes him "a complete misfit" for the the Packers' system? (And if he were, wouldn't we see glaring problems in the running and/or passing game due to the "misfitting" of the OC?) What do you view as his strengths that don't play well in the Packers' system?” And you didn’t answer. Now you are saying the Packers adjusted OL play to help EDS.
If you have an idea of how EDS is a complete misfit for the Packers system, and how his strengths don’t play well to the Packers system, and now, how the OL play has been adjusted I would sincerely appreciate reading them. What you are posting about EDS is more than he's just not that good, etc. But just saying something over and over again doesn’t make it true.
In that Daniels thread, I never once said EDS was a bad player, I did not say he was a bad player in this thread. I haven't said EDS is a bad player since the first few games of the season. I maintain that EDS is a
very good player, and I want you to quote me on that. Once again so there's no confusion or misinterpreting, EDS is a very good football player.
EDS has average athleticism and below average strength, but ironically enough excels at the second level and has incredibly good drive skills. I still don't like his linecalling, but I personally feel he has improved in that aspect as the season has gone on and will continue to improve. Part of that may be how complex our linecalls are. He doesn't hold the point well and his anchor isn't really strong, but he's a fighter and wily enough to frustrate DTs. In short, he's a slight pass block minus, and a run blocking plus. His lateral movement skills are only average as well, and he's better at moving guys backwards than he is at moving them sideways, but he'll clear anybody he sees in front of him when he pulls or when he peels off to the second level. We, as you were the first to point out, have added a lot more drive blocking, and even a bit of trap blocking (thanks IMO to the promotion of Hilgenberg) which is much better suited to the guys on the right side of our line. And to answer your parenthetical, not necessarily, especially considering Center is a position that you can make due with an average guy; and, as I once again affirm, because EDS is N-O-T a bad player. He deserves a new contract, and while I prefer that it be a short one, it should still be around 3 mil per year.
Would like to tangent here and add that Lang is the man, having to sit between EDS and Barclay (both of which have needed combo blocks throughout the season, Barclay more than EDS) and complimenting them well with his violent hands has been a great pleasure to watch. Don't get me wrong, he's missed his fair share, especially early on this year (the 49ers game where he left the block before EDS got there, essentially just chipping the DL, sticks out in my mind), but he and Sitton have been phenomenal this season, and a riot on twitter too. We are freaking lucky to have them! Bakhtiari has been great too, and should solidify our left side when he picks up strength and fills his anchor this offseason. Barclay will be a solid backup G/RT. Sherrod can't be worse than Newhouse, and with a season at C under his belt Tretter should be better than GVR.