AsylumGuido

saintsfan1976

Ramczyk
Jordan
Demario
Taysom
Mathieu
Maye

Potential restructures that get us in the black with room to spend.

Michael Thomas is gone.
Does Lattimore get traded?
Cut Hurst and save $4MM.

AsylumGuido

My only question would be cutting Hurst. While he's nothing special, he is versatile. There is a glaring shortage of offensive linemen across the league. There isn't a team in the league that that isn't struggling to field a full quality line these days.

Andrew Whitworth shares great insight on what's causing NFL's declining offensive line play

As for what’s causing the regression in offensive line play, Whitworth credits defensive linemen, but he also says linemen don’t have to block in college the way they have to in the NFL.

“I think there’s a lot of things. Really, you look at it, the mixture of D-linemen we’re seeing are more and more athletic. They’re bigger, they’re stronger – in the sense that they’re not worse competition, but that may be some of your offensive tackles that are now playing D-tackle or defensive end in a 3-4 that could’ve been left tackles,” he said.

He continued: “The college system isn’t anything like the NFL system. These guys barely have to block, so I just think they’re coming in unprepared.”

The NFL has an offensive line problem — and help is not on the way

The league has an offensive line problem, according to longtime lineman Andrew Whitworth.

The Super Bowl LVI champion and current Amazon broadcaster made an appearance on ESPN’s “This is Football with Kevin Clark” to discuss what Clark labeled a “crisis.” When asked if 2023 was a low point for offensive line play, Whitworth wholeheartedly agreed.

“Oh, that’s for sure,” said Whitworth, who spent 16 years in the league. “I mean I think it’s definitely not the quality of what we’ve seen. I think there’s some really good football players out there. That doesn’t mean there’s not some guys that are dominating at the offensive line position. But if you went in the totality, it’s rough. There’s a lot of weeks where you go, ‘Man, I don’t know how we can’t find another guy, or another three or four guys who are better than this.’”

Why Are so Many Offensive Lines Struggling in the NFL?

There are a ton of factors but I want to point out three that I believe are the most impactful. First, the current CBA is centered around player safety which is great. They are decreasing the number of practices allowed in an effort to keep players healthier. The downside of this is the offensive line does not get a chance to practice their skills as much. They spend a handful of practices actually in pads blocking actual defenders coming at them. Even in that setting, the defenders are still letting up at the end so as to not injure their own quarterback. These players need more practice due to the many skills needed for the position.

This goes directly into my second point. The offensive line is one of the most difficult positions to play. It isn’t about lining up and blocking a player. Proper footwork, angles, hand play, leverage, balance, and patience all factor into the equation. It isn’t enough to just be big and athletic. Look at former second-overall pick Greg Robinson. The Rams took him as analysts gushed over his athletic skills. It wasn’t enough. He was never able to get the myriad of other skills and skilled pass-rushers exploited his deficiencies.

The final factor is the college football landscape and how offenses are run. While the spread offense isn’t as prevalent as it was a half-decade ago, the NFL is different from college football. The players are different in college football. 99% of the players will not be going to the NFL so being big and athletic is usually enough. Coaches don’t have to worry about the technical side of it when their player is simply bigger and faster than the person on the other side.

Other mentions of the problem:

Why one of the NFL's most crucial position groups is in crisis

The NFL's Offensive Line Crisis Has No Single Diagnosis

Lack of Offensive Line Development in NFL Falls on League, Coaches

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston Churchill

Rugby Saint II

Maybe. Just maybe our new coaches know how to teach and develop the skills the players haven't been taught yet. Teaching concepts is essential for a team transitioning offensive philosophies. Penning always had that lost look in his eyes when he was on the field. I don't think he understood how to execute his assignment on the field. These new coaches might actually be competent!

vpheughan

WILL THE CRISIS AFFECT A?

IF NOT:

A IS TRUE BECAUSE B IS TRUE

A= $150 million in 2025. That is over a 36% increase in revenue.. It matters not if the team goes 20-0 or 0-17 they all get equal shares of the revenues.

YET

B=The league has an offensive line problem GO BACK TO A

AsylumGuido

Once in awhile I "un-ignore" this guy just out of curiosity thinking that maybe he actually posts something that makes some sort of sense.

Does anyone here understand what any of this has to do with the price of tea in China?

BakoSaint

I do agree with you here. Maybe he is arguing that you can't call poor offensive line play a 'crisis' for the league because it does not affect league profits. But I think you meant it was a crisis for offenses across the league trying to score points and protect their QB, not for profits. And what the hell does A is true because B is true mean? Is he saying the league is profitable because oline suck?

BakoSaint

My take-

Ram - The worst restucture ever if we do it. He might retire before week 1 if things go bad for all we know. We can't be pushing that money to 2028.

Jordan - Probably have to restructure him. Bad contract but his 2024 salary is guaranteed.

Demario - Would be nice not to restructure. He had a career year but at his age and position the cliff is steep and bound to be coming. But not the worst restructure since the decline has not already happened.

Taysom - Would be nice not to restructure. Similar to Demario except you can also question value. For all he does, there is a strong argument that a solid oline starter who is on the field every down would help the offense more than scripted runs here and there.

Mathieu - Probably will restructure him. Productive. Not super expensive.

Maye - Should be a candidate to cut for youth movement, our depth is better.

Thomas - He is gone because he burned the starting QB on social media. It is just as likely we bring back BOTH Joe Horn and Willie Roaf as assistant coaches with adjacent offices than that we retain Michael Thomas.

Lattimore - I favor trading him for a youth movement. The reliability is lost, the ability has started to decline, the cliff is coming, and he deserves a chance to play for a contender before he is done. But he is still ok so not the worst restructure ever.

Hurst - We should not cut him. $4 million is cheap. Paying Carr an injury settlement would not be.

AsylumGuido

Kind of agree with most, not all, but if the team believes the surgery (deemed successful) can extend Ramczyk then by all means restructure. Offensive linemen are extremely hard to find and Ramczyk is one of the best we've had recently.

Sinner

“Once in awhile I "un-ignore" this guy just out of curiosity…”

LMFAO 😂