WhoDat!656

The New Orleans Saints have an interesting positional battle coming up in OTA’s and training camp when rookie Terron Armstead takes on Charles Brown for the right to protect Drew Brees from the left tackle position.

Brown has been with the team for a few years now but has had to deal with injuries while sitting behind starter Jermon Bushrod. Armstead joined the Saints this offseason courtesy of the No. 75 overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft and is set to leapfrog Brown for multiple reasons.

Head coach Sean Payton has stressed how uneasy he is about the left tackle position in New Orleans all offseason long, and Brown has obviously read the quotes. As he told Nakia Hogan of NOLA.com, he’s ready to compete and win the starting job:

”It’s definitely time for me to step up and prove myself and prove that I can protect Drew back there,” Brown said Wednesday night at Ben Grubb’s charity softball game at Zephyr Field. The Saints’ defense beat the offense 10-2 in the game.

“It’s going to be really exciting,” Brown said. “Right now I’m just trying to get out there and be the best I can and perfect every play and just stay out there.”

Unfortunately for Brown, his battles with injuries and the raw potential of Armstead are not good signs for his chances of getting and holding onto the starting job.

Payton and Co. grabbed Armstead in the draft for a reason. If the staff had the utmost confidence in Brown, Armstead wouldn’t have been selected. Heck, the front office wouldn’t have picked up one of the biggest busts in NFL history in former second overall pick Jason Smith either.

Armstead is the right choice at left tackle based on his athleticism. At the NFL Scouting Combine, he ran a 4.7-second 40-yard dash and recorded a 34 ½-feet vertical leap. This is the type of athleticism the Saints need at the position in order to keep Brees on his feet.

The fact of the matter is, Brees has a habit of making his offensive linemen look better than they really are thanks to his exceptionally quick reads and release. With Brees at the heal, Armstead can rely on his raw athleticism to shut down pass-rushers just longenough for Brees to get rid of the ball. This will also allow him to develop in live action rather than while sitting on the bench and only seeing reps in practice.

Brown isn’t a horrible backup by any means, but Armstead should have a tight grip on the starting left tackle job by the time the regular season rolls around.

New Orleans Saints: Terron Armstead is Better Option at LT Than Charles Brown - Who Dat Dish - A New Orleans Saints Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

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hagan714

lmao. man i love this time of the year. reporters just board and looking for anything to report

even if terron starts i pray for drews health back there

jeanpierre

Armstead's raw measureables are there - off the charts...

The three questions are...

Can the new offensive line staff coach him up to play this year?!?

Can he develop chemistry quickly with the other offensive linemen?!?

Can he handle the transition to the NFL level of talent?!?

dizzle88

I think he will be the starter, Payton will get the coaching staff on his case every practice to demand great things out of him

homerj07

I don't think he will start. But he may take over some time during the season

TheDeuce

Starting a rookie at LT scares the hell out of me.

thefifthwall

Should be ready to take over by the bye week. Til then Brown.

dizzle88

Jahri evans started at RG as a rookie, got to trust the decision SP makes

thebdj

Agreed the stories are ridiculous at this time of the season.

I don't think we should be scared at the potential of any rookie starting any position. At the end of the day Matt Kalil started at LT for the Vikings last season, he was a rookie and he was superb! Now you may argue he was drafted much higher but at the end of the day if the coaches see the right traits in the player in the pre-season, where they were drafted and whether or not they are a rookie is irrelevant.

Not convinced that we will see him take over in the middle of the season. There's no point starting Brown and assuming Armstead will come in at some point. You may as well let him play!

And I do very much agree with the comment about not drafting him if we were not worried about the LT position. We had a limited board of picks and we were in no position to use a 3rd rounder just to 'generate come competition at camp'. I think we have drafted the guy with the genuine belief that he is absolutely going head to head with Brown and has every shot at starting.

Let's not forget either that nobody is questioning Brown's ability, just his durability. The guy can play. He just struggles to stay healthy.

Rugby Saint II

Let's not count Smith out so quickly. He was a 1st rounder for a reason.......I know he's been a bust but he's here and will get as much of a chance as either one of those two to start. I didn't know anything about him before he came here but he has potential and this might be the place for him........we do wonders with retreads. I'm pulling for the big guy. Hell, I'm pulling for all of them.
Now, let's address the RT!