Breaking Down The Packers : Offensive Line

NYPacker

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You are right about CM3.

The MM quote above said Bulaga would work at LT through the mini camp. He didn't say anything about training camp or beyond. If it turns out that Bulaga can play RT as the starter right away, I would go for it.

Why not put your best players on the field? If it turns out he needs to move to the left side later due to a Clifton injury and he is best backup at LT, then move him there.

I don't believe starting him at RT (if he is better than Tauscher) would stunt his development at LT. In fact, game experience would probably be helpful.

I wouldn't mind if that happened either. Joe Thomas, Jake Long, David Dhiel, Michael Oher and countless other tackles played on the right side before moving to the left.
 
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wizard 87

wizard 87

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Very simple gentleman the musical chair approach of offensive line coaching has not been successful in Green Bay.
So 2 reasons really first being there is no guaranteeing in any way shape or form that Clifton makes it 16 plus games... which leads to reason 2 protecting the franchises backside #12.
Behind number 12 is a huge drop off and frankly I won't bet the farm on anyone but Clifton or Bulaga there.
If Lang can't play LG(where he belongs IMHO) then he is backing up Tauscher at RT .
 

JBlood

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I'm a big supporter of Thompson and McCarthy, but my biggest beef with the coaching staff has to do with this. For the past three years, it has been nearly impossible for us (and apparently for the players) to know where they stand and where they are trying to go with the OL. There has been way too much shifting around of players and now even with Bulaga and Newhouse, nobody knows where they will fit and how they will get there.

Right now there are something like 12 OL in the mix and it is totally up in the air who will be starting and where, who will be backing up which positions, and where they are trying to go in the next few years.

Compare the Packer line from the 1990s with where they are today. During their run in the 1990s, it was very clear who would be playing where and who the starters were. Right now, things are totally in flux. Sitton is solid at RG and looks to be a fixture there for the next 10 years. Other than that, pretty much everything is up in the air.

I sure hope the staff clears things up during training camp.

Agreed 100%. The coaching staff has had years to decide who should play, and what position they should play. They can't make up their minds on either issue. Look at the Championship years of the early 60's: All young offensive linemen except for the center Ringo who was a veteran. Were they simply great players, or did the coaching staff make them great players? I think it's both, and I don't see our offensive line coaches producing great players. Of course, it's pretty hard to accomplish when they can't decide who should play where.
 

dtracy7

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Bulaga will be on the field soon enough at LT. Clifton will not last the season and once he gets injured and replaced by Bulaga the Clifton era is done. If Bulaga plays at Rt and gets hurt who do you have to replace Clifton? I dont think they want to chance the LT position. They need CC and BB healthy so one of them can be the LT. They have enough other guys for the others spots. Now if you want someone to play and move later its Lang you should have at LG and move him if MT gets hurt or 2011 which ever comes first. This will be a better line whatever they do. I think we see DCand MS traded about mid way through training camp. Once a team needs a G they will be gone. Barbre will get cut, Here is what I think will happen


Weeks 1-3

Clifton starts and Bulaga will be the back up. Clifton lasts until game 3 and Bulaga replaces him forever.

Lang starts at LG and Newhouse is his back up.

Wells starts and EDS is his back up.

Sitton starts and EDS and Newhouse are the back ups.

Tauscher starts and Lang and Breno are the RT back ups.

Weeks 3-8

Bulaga starts and Newhouse is his back up

Newhouse starts McDonald is his back up from the PS

Wells start and EDS is the back up

Sitton starts and EDS is the back up

Lang starts and Breno is the back up

CC and MT are on IR

They added Campbell to the PS when McDonald was added to the active roster.

Weeks 8-13

Only change Wells gets replaced by EDS and Wells becomes the back up for EDS

So here is how it ends the 2010 year

Bulaga/Newhouse
Newhouse/McDonald
EDS/Wells
Sitton/McDonald
Lang/Breno
 

JBlood

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Well, if you've got 2 rookies starting at the end of the year on the left side, Flynn is probably the QB after Rogers gets knocked out. I'm praying that Clifton and Tauscher have one last season in them, or we are in a number of blowout games where the young guys can get playing time early in the year so that if there is an injury you've got someone with a little experience to fill in. Who knows about Guacamole? Maybe something will make him a player in his 3rd year. There's obviously a problem evaluating these guys when the head coach sees someone as a guard, and the offensive line coach sees him as a tackle (Lang). Campen seems to me to be the weak link--but maybe it all comes together this season and we have 3 all-pros playing the line.

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DILLIGAFF

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IMO Newhouse is a project, and will not be like Lang in his first year being able to play effectively when called upon.

That said we will not know anything until the pads come out with any of these rookies.


When it comes to O-line, good players can move around and play multiple positions, they have to know what the guys are doing around them anyways. So play your best 5 guys on the field and make adjustments as injuries occur.

IMO the Packers moving people around in the past has been blamed for poor performance, when in reality it was poor ability, not moving around.
 

aaronqb

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IMO Newhouse is a project, and will not be like Lang in his first year being able to play effectively when called upon.

Too early to tell, but the odds are you are right on this one.

When it comes to O-line, good players can move around and play multiple positions, they have to know what the guys are doing around them anyways. So play your best 5 guys on the field and make adjustments as injuries occur.

I disagree here. Good tackles do not necessarily make good guards and vice versa. Leonard Davis was a bust as an OT and a Pro Bowler at OG (albeit on different teams). Colledge has been good (not consistently) as a OG and a disaster at OT.

Good coaches put players in a position where they can succeed and coach them up. I'm not convinced Campen has done this with the Packer OL. And the musical chairs approach - Colledge, Barbre and Lang moving between OT and OG is not working. I do, however, believe that you can move a guy from the right side to the left side at the same position (LT to RT or LG to RG) more easily than you can going from guard to tackle.

If Bulaga is our best RT, I will be beating the drum to start him there over Tauscher.
 

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So here is how it ends the 2010 year

Bulaga/Newhouse
Newhouse/McDonald
EDS/Wells
Sitton/McDonald
Lang/Breno
If this were to happen then we'd actually be in a BAD position. I know everyone wants Bulaga and Newhouse to find starting roles on the O-line ASAP, however I don't think year 1 is the best time for them. It's better for a lineman to sit back and watch the vets for a couple of games while rotating in from time to time. Just ask Joe Thomas, Jake Long and Michael Oher, it worked perfectly for them. The other reason why I don't like that starting lineup is because your completely diffusing the depth. If all our second strings become starters instantaneously, you have a hoard of unproven guys bumped up into the active roster. It's too resemblant of the CB situation from last year where we saw raw talent get moved up further and further up the chart. I'm also not ready to give up on Clifton. I know Tauscher has a history of not being able to finish a whole season but Clifton is different. He's like the Al Harris of the O-line. Over the last 3-4 years everyone thought Clifton was done after several knee and shoulder injuries yet he proved us wrong and came back playing a full 16 games.
 

PackersRS

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If this were to happen then we'd actually be in a BAD position. I know everyone wants Bulaga and Newhouse to find starting roles on the O-line ASAP, however I don't think year 1 is the best time for them. It's better for a lineman to sit back and watch the vets for a couple of games while rotating in from time to time. Just ask Joe Thomas, Jake Long and Michael Oher, it worked perfectly for them. The other reason why I don't like that starting lineup is because your completely diffusing the depth. If all our second strings become starters instantaneously, you have a hoard of unproven guys bumped up into the active roster. It's too resemblant of the CB situation from last year where we saw raw talent get moved up further and further up the chart. I'm also not ready to give up on Clifton. I know Tauscher has a history of not being able to finish a whole season but Clifton is different. He's like the Al Harris of the O-line. Over the last 3-4 years everyone thought Clifton was done after several knee and shoulder injuries yet he proved us wrong and came back playing a full 16 games.
Since 07 Clifton doesn't play a full 16 game season. Actually, he only had 4 full 16 games seasons. 07, 05, 04, 03. All the rest he missed time.

08 he missed 1 game, against Ten, and last year he missed 4, Min twice, Cle, Stl.

Chad Clifton
 

DILLIGAFF

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Since 07 Clifton doesn't play a full 16 game season. Actually, he only had 4 full 16 games seasons. 07, 05, 04, 03. All the rest he missed time.

08 he missed 1 game, against Ten, and last year he missed 4, Min twice, Cle, Stl.

Chad Clifton

And he did not finish the playoff game and would not have been available for the next one had we won.

I have the opposite view, I think Tauscher has a better chance at starting all 16 games.
 

olwig420

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IMO early in the season we need to have Vets on the field when the pressure is on and the young guys in the game when it's not to try and keep everyone as healthy and fresh as long as we can. At least until the the younger guys have proven themselves in game. The positions are not for our vets to loose they are for the young guys to win. We know we can do well with our vets when they are healthy and we can't afford another Barbre this year.
 

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