Re: Zach Strief: Erik McCoy is on his way to becoming one of NFL’s top centers
 

Re: Zach Strief: Erik McCoy is on his way to becoming one of NFL’s top centers
 

Re: Zach Strief: Erik McCoy is on his way to becoming one of NFL’s top centers
 

Now you are being ridiculous. Anderson never said every position is completely interchangeable. But, there is enough latitude between certain positions that putting the five best athletes out there on the offensive lines is perfectly doable.

Re: Zach Strief: Erik McCoy is on his way to becoming one of NFL’s top centers
 

Hey I agree here. Moving a OT to OG or vice versa isn’t easy, and it’s rarely the solution. It's not as seamless as some may think.

Some of our former O lineman out there should chime in with their thoughts :p.

Re: Zach Strief: Erik McCoy is on his way to becoming one of NFL’s top centers
 

:confused:

That doesn't explain what relevance the slot at which a player was drafted has after the fact. It is what it is so who should care? Does it matter that Colston was picked in the 7th round? No. The only thing that matters is what he did on the field. Does it matter where Ryan Leaf was selected? No. It only matters that he sucked.

Re: Zach Strief: Erik McCoy is on his way to becoming one of NFL’s top centers
 

I definitely agree with you about putting your best five out there Guido. As I understand it McCoy was having trouble with the line calls at center his rookie season. I believe that the Saints drafted Ruiz to be the center moving forward because that is what he excelled at in college. After his second year McCoy may may have been better making the calls at the line of scrimmage with more experience under his belt. The front office thought that McCoy would be moved to RG last year while Ruiz took over the center position but an abbreviated season shut that down.

The center is a position where an undersize guy with good technique and high intelligence can do well. That pretty much describes Ruiz' draft profile. He's had a year in an NFL weight training program and is stronger now. I expect to see Ruiz at center with McCoy at RG that can slide over if necessary.

Re: Zach Strief: Erik McCoy is on his way to becoming one of NFL’s top centers
 

Of course it's not easy, but when the athlete is talented enough it happens quite often, especially during the transition from college to the pros. I am sharing the opinion of one of the most respected offensive line coaches in the history of the game. The discussion was putting your five best OL players on the field as being the optimal plan. Not playing an elite LT at center. That would be asinine.

Re: Zach Strief: Erik McCoy is on his way to becoming one of NFL’s top centers
 

Saints ask their players to be able to handle multiple positions. Ruiz will rotate from Center to Guard, probably. Can he play LT too? We do have Mr. Glass there, even if he's been less injury prone of late.

Re: Zach Strief: Erik McCoy is on his way to becoming one of NFL’s top centers
 

I will say this. As hard as I (rightfully) say I am about them being unable to address the LB position, I will give them credit along the OLine development... and yes that includes Peate.

Re: Zach Strief: Erik McCoy is on his way to becoming one of NFL’s top centers
 

Spot on... New Orleans develops offensive lineman like no other team. Armstead is aging, but is still a stud, Peat is injury prone which is a definite concern, but even inclusive of those concerns, I’ll take our five over any other five in the league,

No doubt about it.