So where are we at with the offensive line?
I didn't get to watch the game tonight, but I have been completely underwhelmed with the "revamped" offensive line and the offense in general. In the small sample size we saw, Reiff looks okay at LT...but Remmers has really struggled in pass protection. The interior seems to be undecided on who is going to ultimately play where. I really would like to have seen less spots up for competition and more cohesiveness by just picking a starting 5 (not unreasonable out of training camp) and letting them play in the preseason. To me there is just zero familiarity going into the season and I think that is going to be trouble.
I'm going to give my take on the line I would like to see:
LT- Rashod Hill: The coaches have been high on his ability and he has shown pretty well in the game action he saw last year and so far this preseason. I think you have to put your 5 best players on the field and that might include Hill. Give the kid a shot and let him sink or swim. It's worth the risk because it can strengthen the line as a whole if he is able to hold down the job.
LG- Alex Boone: I have been luke warm on Boone since he came over. Seems to always be dinged up and can get beat. With that said, he is a veteran who gives the line some attitude and size. If he doesn't revert back to the player he was...his time as a Viking might be short because Easton is coming.
C- Pat Elflein: The kid has maybe been the best player along the line this preseason. Moves well and is stout in pas protection. 3rd round pick should start right away.
RG- Mike Remmers: Yeah we are paying him tackle money, but Spielman mentioned when he signed that he had the ability to kick inside to guard. I don't know how much we have experimented with that in training camp, but I think he might be better inside. He moves people in the running game, but has struggled in pass protection at tackle which was his MO coming over from the Panthers. If it comes down to starting Hill or Remmers at one of the tackle spots....I'm taking Hill right now.
RT- Riley Reiff: I loved the Reiff signing, but his best position is still probably at RT. He has been injured so we really haven't seen much of him to assess him at the LT position. I think he is a really solid player at RT....not so sure on the other side.
I agree with your tackles and Center, but I think Easton has already shown more than Boone's ceiling on occasion, and needs playing time to develop the chemistry with Elflein and Hill. No time like the present, especially since as you mentioned, Boone is likely gone soon. Not sure about kicking Remmers inside. I haven't been too disappointed with Berger, and from most accounts, Isadora might be a year away from starting. Remmers and Boone seem like a backup quality at this point.
I'll tell you what I saw in this game since it was the backups.
Kerin - stood out most of the night. I do not understand why he is not in the mix for the starting job at C. He hits hard and quickly off the snap, he forms the double team block with the guard right out of the text book. He does not get to the next level very easily as the MLB can get a step on him, but tell me who we have that can do that?
Clemmings - kinda up and down. He had some good blocks and then he had some misses. Getting late in the game to be so up and down like he is. He did not get the push in the running game like I thought he should have. That was disappointing.
Beavers - very good footwork, very good. Moves well and pass blocks pretty good. Does not engage the DE though and that allows the DE to make a secondary break on the play. I think Beavers is a keeper and with a little more work, a good OT.
Isadora - feisty OG that plays very hard. With Kerin as his blocking mate, they double teamed the NT extremely well. When he was one-on-one, you could see that Isadora needs to get stronger, but he latches on to his man and gives him a battle no matter what. This guy is an All-Pro in the making if he spends more time in the weight room, but he is not a starter right now.
Hill - I liked his blocking although he was not dominant, just steady. He will surely make the team and is the LT of the future.
Shepherd - does not move well at OG, has some power but he looks stiff and can be side-stepped fairly easily. His NFL career is coming to an end.
I did not see Collins. Will have to re watch again to scout him.
Wasn't Hill the worst lineman in the niners game?
A combo I wish they would have tried this pre season would have been, I know it's unlikely to have better results, but I think we probably only have two long term guys in this group.
LT Reiff
LG Berger/Easton
C Elflien
RG Remmers
RT Boone
Lots of "chatter" on the airwaves that Boone may not make the roster at all. I refuse to believe that, minimally he is very valuable depth if he's supplanted as a starter. Not a great FA pick-up.
Clemmings? Not sure he makes the roster again, although he looks better @ OG to my untrained eye vs T. I don't get the Isadora love. That said, I do think he makes the final 53 and might be a competent OG in another year.
@"purplefaithful" said: Lots of "chatter" on the airwaves that Boone may not make the roster at all. I refuse to believe that, minimally he is very valuable depth if he's supplanted as a starter. Not a great FA pick-up.Clemmings? Not sure he makes the roster again, although he looks better @ OG to my untrained eye vs T. I don't get the Isadora love. That said, I do think he makes the final 53 and might be a competent OG in another year.
No way Boone is cut. Won't happen, no matter what his play may be like currently. I happen to think he's a 'lesser than' player, overrated. But to your point, this line isn't nearly deep enough for that kind of bold move.
The line is what we all thought it would be. Better but still the team's weak point. Reiff is a league average pass blocker, a little better than that as a run blocker. Boone is a league average left guard who talks a better game than he plays. The Elflein and Easton competition has resulted in the development of two solid young interior linemen with bright futures. Berger is Berger. Remmers is a league average run blocker and a below average and an inconsistent pass blocker, who, like most right tackles, struggles with speed off the edge. He'll need help as defenses will target him and overload his side, ala the 49ers. But I'm sure Shurm already knows that.
I'm expecting a little better pass blocking this year as they gel and much better run blocking. Depth is better as well, as this unit is, for now anyway, completely healthy, and players like Hill, Sirles and Clemmings are on the bench instead of on the field.
Hopefully they are moving forward. Guess they waited until the end of the preseason to figure out exactly who the starters were going to be.
@"StickyBun" said:@"purplefaithful" said: Lots of "chatter" on the airwaves that Boone may not make the roster at all. I refuse to believe that, minimally he is very valuable depth if he's supplanted as a starter. Not a great FA pick-up.Clemmings? Not sure he makes the roster again, although he looks better @ OG to my untrained eye vs T. I don't get the Isadora love. That said, I do think he makes the final 53 and might be a competent OG in another year.
No way Boone is cut. Won't happen, no matter what his play may be like currently. I happen to think he's a 'lesser than' player, overrated. But to your point, this line isn't nearly deep enough for that kind of bold move.
Doh!!! I guess never say never applies to us both lol!
Just curious.....Are ANY OL that Saint Richard drafted between 2010 and 2016 still on the team?
(Not an arbitrary time frame, it's THIS decade. And, no, I'm not including 2017, because it typically takes RS 3 years to admit a mistake outside the 7th round. Plus, its ridiculous to judge any rookie before he plays a single down in an actual NFL game)
@"purplefaithful" said:@"StickyBun" said:@"purplefaithful" said: Lots of "chatter" on the airwaves that Boone may not make the roster at all. I refuse to believe that, minimally he is very valuable depth if he's supplanted as a starter. Not a great FA pick-up.Clemmings? Not sure he makes the roster again, although he looks better @ OG to my untrained eye vs T. I don't get the Isadora love. That said, I do think he makes the final 53 and might be a competent OG in another year.
No way Boone is cut. Won't happen, no matter what his play may be like currently. I happen to think he's a 'lesser than' player, overrated. But to your point, this line isn't nearly deep enough for that kind of bold move.
Doh!!! I guess never say never applies to us both lol!
lol. I give the Vikings all the credit in the world for this move. It was the right one, but tough.
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