OL

[politicalfootball]

Why did we let a good OL turn into what it is. IMHO we must get an older vetren OL who can play T or G ASAP

[obiken]

That's fine TP but OL don't grow on trees. This is why we should have spent some FA dollars and draft picks to get more now we gots what we gots as they would say in Hillbilly land.

[NorthHawk]

That's fine TP but OL don't grow on trees. This is why we should have spent some FA dollars and draft picks to get more now we gots what we gots as they would say in Hillbilly land.

All we can do is hope they play better than the sum of their individual talents would suggest.
There also might be some late cuts that might help, but it's a questionable way to build an OL worthy of a championship team.

[burrrton]

We have one of, if not *the*, best OL coaches in the league.

This, apparently, is how this team operates, and we were no more confident in the condition of our o-line any of the last 3 seasons in which we've averaged 12 wins.

Wait until we see the wheels coming off before panicking.

(That said, the pessimist in me is getting a bad feeling about this season right now- hope to see something out of our O tonight to set my mind at ease)

[NorthHawk]

There was improvement from game 1 to game 2, so maybe we will see another step forward.

Regarding Cable, I would rather he get an already good Lineman and make him a All Pro than a DL and make him an average at best OL.

[RiverDog]

Why did we let a good OL turn into what it is. IMHO we must get an older vetren OL who can play T or G ASAP

It's been a long time since we've had a 'good' OL, but I get your point. The answer appears to be that compared to other areas of the team, Pete establishes a low priority to the offensive line as he has devoted very scant resources to the OL when compared to other areas of the team. I'm not sure I always like it, but I can't argue with the results... over the last three years, we've had the best W/L record in the league including 2 SB appearances, and 1 Lombardi.

Cable seems to like linemen that can play multiple positions, so I'm sure we'll be watching the waiver wire as teams start cutting their rosters down towards the mandatory 53. So stay tuned. Your wish may come true in a matter of days.

[NorthHawk]

I was watching the Jags game the other night and it was mentioned that their last years starting Center who was beaten out by Wisniewski will be tried at Guard and they think he could also play Tackle. He's the type of player Cable wants, but I doubt he gets cut with his versatility.
That being said, I think it's sad that I'm envious of the Jags in any aspect.

[politicalfootball]

We definently need some more help in protecting Wilson. He may say everythings is fine but getting caught even once is too many. I think Wilson should be more of a pocket passer who can and often does but not out of desperation roll out.

[monkey]

I am not worried.
It's pre-season, and in each of the games, the line has looked better and more and more cohesive.
I watched and re-watched this last game specifically looking to see how Gilliam, Nowak and Britt looked (all new to their positions) and what I saw actually surprised me.
First Britt made one VERY bad whiff on a pass block, and missed pretty badly on a run block, but otherwise, was really pretty darned good. Good enough that he may have had the three best blocks of the whole game. His run blocking is super.
Gilliam looked terrific. I saw one real mistake that was apparent, otherwise, he more than held his own, and did MUCH better run blocking.
Nowak...I gotta say it, Nowak looks like he could become an all pro center for a long time. I'm not joking, or exaggerating. I REALLY like what I see from him!!

Overall, I see a group that's not as bad as people seem to think, not even close, and one that is coming together quite nicely.

[Futureite]

If it makes you feel better (prob won't) our starting RG and RT graded out as the worst in pro football. Then again, we are expected to suck. So no one will be surprised.

[burrrton]

Like Monkey, I was somewhat encouraged by what I saw of the line's play on Saturday.

I was, too, but only somewhat, and we have the Rams DL in less than two weeks.

[MackStrongIsMyHero]

Can we be somewhat encouraged by the fact that our O-line has to go up against the likes of Bennet, Avril, Clark, Mebane, and Irvin? I only ask since I'm not entirely sure how often that match up happens in practice.

[burrrton]

Can we be somewhat encouraged by the fact that our O-line has to go up against the likes of Bennet, Avril, Clark, Mebane, and Irvin? I only ask since I'm not entirely sure how often that match up happens in practice.

Short answer is yes, of course, just like our receivers get the benefit of facing the LOB every practice.

Another cause for cautious optimism, but still...

[RiverDog]

I am not worried.
It's pre-season, and in each of the games, the line has looked better and more and more cohesive.
I watched and re-watched this last game specifically looking to see how Gilliam, Nowak and Britt looked (all new to their positions) and what I saw actually surprised me.
First Britt made one VERY bad whiff on a pass block, and missed pretty badly on a run block, but otherwise, was really pretty darned good. Good enough that he may have had the three best blocks of the whole game. His run blocking is super.
Gilliam looked terrific. I saw one real mistake that was apparent, otherwise, he more than held his own, and did MUCH better run blocking.
Nowak...I gotta say it, Nowak looks like he could become an all pro center for a long time. I'm not joking, or exaggerating. I REALLY like what I see from him!!

Overall, I see a group that's not as bad as people seem to think, not even close, and one that is coming together quite nicely.

It's been bad in years past, but this season is different. This season's OL looks more than just bad. They suck. It sucks so bad that I'm picking us to lose to the Rams in our opener. Unless the defense scores on a turnover/sets up the offense in the red zone, or Lockett returns a kickoff/punt for a TD, I don't see this offense putting up more than 10 points on the board.

About the only hope would be for Russell to work his magic, scramble for 100+ yards like he did against the Redskins.

Are there any decent OL's likely to be released when teams cut down to their 53?

[Vegaseahawk]

I disagree RD, given the changes, I liked what I saw against the Chargers. I'm not saying that our line is stellar by any stretch, but they are holding their own. Cable seems to think so too.
(For some reason, this link didn't post as a link. You'll have to copy & paste it to see the article)

http://www.seahawks.com/news/2015/09/01 ... tom-cable-“really-confident”-about-offensive-line?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=seattle-seahawks

As for the position group overall, there are reasons why todays Olines are not what they were in the past. It's a league wide problem.
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/writer/pete-prisco/25285796/preseason-musings-why-the-quality-of-o-line-play-in-the-nfl-is-putrid

[c_hawkbob]

This year's O-line could (and I hope will) be better than last year's. The big issue is going to be how well we replace Max and how soon the young guys gel as a group.

[NorthHawk]

We all hope this years OL will be better than last year, but they have a longer way to go from pre-season than last year just to be acceptable.
I hope we see some big improvement the last game or we will be in big trouble against both the Rams and Packers.

As far as Cable goes, does anyone think he would say they are terrible and shouldn't be playing in the NFL?
I know that's a wide gap from what he said, but coaches never say what they really think and we aren't going to hear many coaches bad mouthing their team at this point in the season.

[MackStrongIsMyHero]

That article lends credence to Cable taking on defensive linemen to convert; if even the college o-linemen are practically starting from the ground up in the NFL, why not go for the guy with the raw, physical tools? Doesn't make the development and performance any less frustrating, but it does put things in perspective. Pretty sure there was an article with Cable saying the same things that Bentley and Boselli were saying, as well.

[NorthHawk]

That article lends credence to Cable taking on defensive linemen to convert; if even the college o-linemen are practically starting from the ground up in the NFL, why not go for the guy with the raw, physical tools? Doesn't make the development and performance any less frustrating, but it does put things in perspective. Pretty sure there was an article with Cable saying the same things that Bentley and Boselli were saying, as well.

I read the exact opposite from the article.
Coaches don't have enough time as it is, so having to spend time on the basics is going to put you further behind someone who at least knows footwork and angles.
They may not be taught how to play with their hand in the dirt, but that's a far cry from teaching a former DL how he has to use his hands (a post game comment was that one of the Seahawks blockers was putting his hands together with his elbows out and trying to block that way). The article also says that with so little time they should be focusing on the finer aspects of line play. With someone who has never done it, you can't.

It's a lot quicker to hit the ceiling when starting with a high floor than a low floor.

[MackStrongIsMyHero]

I'm not advocating never drafting offensive linemen nor am I saying the article validates a wholesale approach to converting defensive linemen as an o-line building solution. I'm just saying, from Cable's perspective, if he knows he's got a lot to work on anyway, where is he losing out on teaching a college defensive lineman drafted in the 6th or 7th round? He doesn't see the floor being that much higher, so his willingness to take this on has merit.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12872 ... damentally

[RiverDog]

This year's O-line could (and I hope will) be better than last year's. The big issue is going to be how well we replace Max and how soon the young guys gel as a group.

The center position is what concerns me most. How long do you think it's going to take this Nowak guy to learn the ropes, make most of the blocking calls, identify and make adjustments to blitzes, learn the strengths and weaknesses of the players around him? We have what is arguably the toughest two games ahead of us, going on the road and having to deal with crowd noise, Robert Quinn, Clay Mathews..ugh, I hate even thinking about it. It'll be a miracle if we start out 1-1.

[NorthHawk]

I'm not advocating never drafting offensive linemen nor am I saying the article validates a wholesale approach to converting defensive linemen as an o-line building solution. I'm just saying, from Cable's perspective, if he knows he's got a lot to work on anyway, where is he losing out on teaching a college defensive lineman drafted in the 6th or 7th round? He doesn't see the floor being that much higher, so his willingness to take this on has merit.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/12872 ... damentally

I can see what you are saying, but if that's the case, why aren't all teams converting players to play on the OL?
I think it's because they can take a player that already has a base of knowledge about OL play and fine tune them rather than taking a raw player whose only quality is athleticism and try to make him into an O-Lineman. Considering the limited time coaches can practice with today's CBA, it appears a lot of teams think it's better to start with someone who knows a little about what they are doing.
From what we've seen, our OL is at best staying the same and at worst losing ground over the last few years, and there are teams whose OL's have got better over that same time period, so somebody has a better idea than us how to build an OL. Maybe we should see what they have done and try to copy it.

[Vegaseahawk]

Now, even if you take into consideration that Cable is going to tow the company line, he goes above and beyond in this article.
My personal opinion is that, while there's always room for improvement, the Seahawks line isn't as dysfunctional as some on this forum believe it to be. Watch the Oline play in the Raider game tonight. You just might see some of the things he sees
http://espn.go.com/blog/seattle-seahawks/post/_/id/14220/tom-cable-offensive-line-could-be-best-group-ive-coached-here

[NorthHawk]

I sure hope he's right.
Play like we've seen so far isn't anywhere near adequate against teams like the Rams or Packers.

[Vegaseahawk]

It may take half a season for them to gel. This line by Cable was funny.
Inside, (the Oline), you’re in a bar fight every snap.

It reminds me of Mora's quote about having "Dirtbag" linemen.

[Vegaseahawk]

How about this theory?
PC calls Cable into his office & tells him to completely make an astounding statement about his line. This will fuel the competition for the line to perform as their coach advertised, bringing their play to a higher level. Sounds like something PC would do.

[SalmonBB]

I was watching a documentary - believe it was "A Football Life" - the other day about the Cowboys line that Emmitt Smith ran behind. In all these shots, these guys seemed huge. For some reason, it seems there are no huge lines anymore. Its as if everyone is going smaller ... and I'm not so sure that's a good thing. Who knows, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it was that "NFL Films" type of drama on the screen that made these guys SEEM bigger.

Anyway, I liked Monkey's post on his observations. Sometimes my cousin and I will actually spend time watching the line. Amazing the difference one sees when you actually just watch them, as opposed to judging them for the results of the guys they support.

GO SEAHAWKS!!!