Despite injuries, Saints offensive line built to run over competition

AsylumGuido · 06-29-2017, 01:18 PM

Despite injuries, Saints offensive line built to run over competition

Max Unger expects to return during the preseason, and Terron Armstead will be back eventually. But the Saints will be fine in the meantime.

by John Sigler Jun 29, 2017, 1:01pm CDT

LENDALE, AZ - New Orleans Saints offensive lineman Andrus Peat (75) buries an Arizona Cardinals defender as Saints running back Mark Ingram (22) carries the ball at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been the worst June in memory for many New Orleans Saints fans: linebacker Dannell Ellerbe was held out of minicamp practices with a foot injury, center Max Unger was sidelined after undergoing surgery, left tackle Terron Armstead tore a labrum in his shoulder during a freak accident in practice, and defensive tackle Nick Fairley is taking a year off from football after a lifelong heart condition worsened.

The issues with Unger and Armstead have drawn most fans’ ire. Two starters on the offensive line being out for at least the rest of the summer is a huge concern, but it’s almost a familiar situation for the Saints. Per the Advocate’s Nick Underhill, Armstead played just 34.5-percent of snaps last year. His lack of availability goes back throughout his career: Armstead has seen 85-percent or more of snaps in 34 of 52 possible games since entering the starting lineup.

That’s the flip side to being an elite athlete. Armstead effectively topped out at 17.4-miles-per-hour at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine. That’s insane athleticism for a 304-pound person, and it’s helped him play like a top-five left tackle. But that has a cost: the body is not built to move 300-plus pounds at 17-plus miles-per-hour. The sheer kinetic energy that expends does damage to the muscles, tendons, and bones that hold us together.

If Armstead is going to continue playing at that weight, he’ll probably continue to have sporadic injuries throughout his career. But he is just 26-years old, and the Saints would carry $16.8-million against the 2018 salary cap if they cut him. Waiting to let him recover from this and maybe develop a unique training program for his body would be worth it.

But that’s enough about Armstead. The Saints have built their offensive line to withstand a couple of injuries.

More here ...

hagan714 and dam1953 like this.

06-29-2017, 01:18 PM	#1
AsylumGuido 10000 POST CLUB Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bossier City, LA Posts: 26,574	Despite injuries, Saints offensive line built to run over competition Despite injuries, Saints offensive line built to run over competition Max Unger expects to return during the preseason, and Terron Armstead will be back eventually. But the Saints will be fine in the meantime. by John Sigler Jun 29, 2017, 1:01pm CDT LENDALE, AZ - New Orleans Saints offensive lineman Andrus Peat (75) buries an Arizona Cardinals defender as Saints running back Mark Ingram (22) carries the ball at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports It’s been the worst June in memory for many New Orleans Saints fans: linebacker Dannell Ellerbe was held out of minicamp practices with a foot injury, center Max Unger was sidelined after undergoing surgery, left tackle Terron Armstead tore a labrum in his shoulder during a freak accident in practice, and defensive tackle Nick Fairley is taking a year off from football after a lifelong heart condition worsened. The issues with Unger and Armstead have drawn most fans’ ire. Two starters on the offensive line being out for at least the rest of the summer is a huge concern, but it’s almost a familiar situation for the Saints. Per the Advocate’s Nick Underhill, Armstead played just 34.5-percent of snaps last year. His lack of availability goes back throughout his career: Armstead has seen 85-percent or more of snaps in 34 of 52 possible games since entering the starting lineup. Twitter That’s the flip side to being an elite athlete. Armstead effectively topped out at 17.4-miles-per-hour at the 2013 NFL Scouting Combine. That’s insane athleticism for a 304-pound person, and it’s helped him play like a top-five left tackle. But that has a cost: the body is not built to move 300-plus pounds at 17-plus miles-per-hour. The sheer kinetic energy that expends does damage to the muscles, tendons, and bones that hold us together. If Armstead is going to continue playing at that weight, he’ll probably continue to have sporadic injuries throughout his career. But he is just 26-years old, and the Saints would carry $16.8-million against the 2018 salary cap if they cut him. Waiting to let him recover from this and maybe develop a unique training program for his body would be worth it. But that’s enough about Armstead. The Saints have built their offensive line to withstand a couple of injuries. More here ... hagan714 and dam1953 like this.
	“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston Churchill

LinkBacks (?) LinkBack to this Thread: https://blackandgold.com/saints/83257-despite-injuries-saints-offensive-line-built-run-over-competition.html
Posted By	For	Type	Date	Hits
Despite injuries, Saints offensive line built to run over competition	This thread	Refback	06-29-2017 01:49 PM	2
The Latest New Orleans Saints News \| SportSpyder	This thread	Refback	06-29-2017 01:46 PM	9