Start: Who Should Start at Center, Right Guard, and Right Tackle?
by Brandon on Jun 15, 2010 8:00 AM CDT
in Green Bay Packers Analysis
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PrintWe discussed the left side of the Green Bay Packers 2010 offensive line last week, and since this discussion involves a number of the same players, I'm condensing the rest of the o-line into a single post. Here's how the votes came out last week:
LT Chad Clifton. Apparently the consensus is that's it's just too early for LT Bryan Bulaga (or there's no way they'll bench a high-priced veteran). I wouldn't expect either of them to play anywhere else.
LG T.J. Lang. I was a surprised that the votes went heavily in Lang's favorite. I'm not disagreeing that he's the best of the bunch (although it's debatable) but I just wouldn't expect him to start over either veteran LG Daryn Colledge or C/G Jason Spitz. That eliminates Colledge from further consideration since he's never played at center or on the right side, but Spitz remains an option elsewhere.
Center. Scott Wells returns after starting 15 games at center in 2009. He was sent to the bench at the start of last season, but he took over after Spitz was lost with a back injury. While not a liability, he was decidedly average last season according to Pro Football Focus. He appears fundamentally sound, but sometimes he can be overpowered. They could decide that Spitz can do better though he's coming back from surgery to remove a herniated disk. Don't be surprised to see C Evan Dietrich-Smith to make the roster again in 2010 because he can provide depth as the 3rd center and backup at guard. If he's healthy, it seems likely that Spitz will take over in 2010.
Right Guard. RG Josh Sitton started all 16 games last season and was quietly their best offensive lineman. It will take an injury to unseat him.
Right Tackle. RT Mark Tauscher was re-signed for starter's money (he's set to receive $3.9 million with incentives if he is the starter in 2010 and about $3 million if he isn't). While Lang and OL Allen Barbre (help us) could compete for the job, his closest competition appears to be rarely used 3rd year RT Breno Giacomini. Unfortunately he was given a legitimate opportunity to win the starting job last season but he couldn't beat out Barbre. I can't imagine him outplaying Tauscher if he can't outplay Barbre. I'm also keeping Lang out of the discussion at this position since we voted that he should be the starting left guard. Even if Lang is an option, it seems unlikely Tauscher won't be the starting right tackle based on his experience, his decent 2009 season (his pass blocking was OK until the playoffs), and his new contract.
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Right OL
Is this even a question? I mean its clear who the best players are at each position, so really don’t quite know the point… Not a fan of Wells, but he’ll be the starter this season w/ Spitz coming back from his back injury. Sitton is the man. Tauscher is the grizzled old vet who is fighting father time…
Couple things…. Lang will come into play at RT. He’ll be the backup RT for sure since he had the versatility needed of the backups on the game day roster. I don’t think Giacomini is ready to beat out Tuascher yet. Like his upside, but he still needs to learn to play lower.
I think the only question is Spitz's health
If he recovers well and is healthy, Spitz will start. If Spitz has a slow recovery and/or doesn’t get near 100%, Wells will start.
If Spitz DOES start,
it will be at LG, beating out Colledge (in spite of last week’s poll).
-
The glass is more than half-full.
If Breno pans out to be a backup this year I’ll be happy with him. If he can’t pan out that much then he’d better be on the street.
by PackApologist on Jun 15, 2010 10:39 AM CDT up reply actions
Spitz, Sitton, Tauscher
C- Jason Spitz is too good to be on the bench. He didn’t get much of a chance last year, but in the games he did play, he performed well. He’s not a savy veteran that Wells is, but he doesn’t get bullied around either. I won’t be upset if Wells wins it, just feel that Spitz is the future there and can/will play the position just as good if not better than Wells.
RG- Not even a question. Josh Sitton hands down.
RT- Mark Tauscher. Breno hasn’t even had a chance to show what he’s got. While he may indeed be the future there, we haven’t seen enough of him to make him a starter yet. Meanwhile, we know what Tauscher brings to the team. At this point, I’d say Tauscher is the starter. For backup, I’d like to see Breno earn the RT backup role if he proves he is better than Bulaga. If Breno isn’t ready yet, then I would prefer to have Bulaga be the primary backup OT for both sides. I want the best players on the field at all times.
"No player is greater than a team."
-Vince Lombardi
Spitz’s back injury is no joke. If he’s able to overcome it, great. But it’s not something a guy should count on or assume or plan around until it’s actually happened.
I see this year as one where the starting line-up late in the season could be very different from what we start out with (with strong challengers at C and both T possitions), but, for now, you start the guys who have proven themselves. That means Wells & Tausch.
(although, if Lang and Bulaga come on strong at LG & LT, we could have something really special there. …like, almost to the level of what Hutchinson and Jones were in Sea a few years ago. I gotta’ say, I’m fighting the urge to be really psyched about it. After all, one major inury can ruin everything, so…)
Hutch and Jones?
Are you kidding? Seriously… Bulaga is going to be good and will instantly be an upgrade over Clifton as a run blocker, but its not likely he’ll ever be a Pro Bowl LT… Just too many other good ones. Lang vs Hutch… LOL Hutch might be one of the best LG of all time! Lang could be good, but right now we don’t even know if thats his position! You do know that the Packers have him backing up Tauscher don’t you? It was announced after the draft he’ll be the RT behind Tausch, so he won’t be playing LG, unless Colledge and Spitz fail there…
Breno is a RT only, which is why he hasn’t been active on game days… THe primary backups MUST be versatile. Spitz is the best option as a backup at LG, C, RG. ANd Land is the backup at RT and LT. Spitz’ back could derail those plans tho… So Breno, while I like his potential, has to be the starter to see the field. Hope he continues to get better and can be the starter next year!!!
The more I think about it, the more I see your point with backups being versatile
I think the big question is if the staff believes Breno is the future at RT. Is he or isn’t he? If he performs well this Preseason, we can’t afford to put him on the practice squad.
With that said, lets look at the projected starting OL:
LT- Clifton
LG- Colledge
C- Wells
RG- Sitton
RT- Tauscher
Now the backups:
OT- Bulaga
OG/OT- Lang
OG/OT- Newhouse
OG/OT- Barbre
OG- Spitz
OT- Giacomini
I don’t see how we can only keep 7 guys on the roster from the OL. Bulaga, Lang, and Spitz have guaranteed roster spots as backups. That brings our OL depth to 8. Newhouse and Giacomini are both players we are all curious about. That brings it to 10. I think Barbre is the one in trouble, although I like him projected at OG. However, considering our aging starting OT’s, we have to go over the 7 guys you and perhaps the team would like and maintain with 10, just until our OL is set in the future with younger guys.
"No player is greater than a team."
-Vince Lombardi
I could have sworn it was Stroh that said we should have only 7 Offensive LInemen
Now i need to go back and see where i saw it.
"No player is greater than a team."
-Vince Lombardi
7 OL
On the game day roster… Yeah I said it… On the 53 man roster we’ll probably carry 10 or 11 OL… One the roster you get 53 players, but on game days you can only activate 45, I believe…
I definately see your point and support it when we can afford to do it
However, considering how we have 2 aging OT’s, we need more linemen until they retire and our OL is set.
"No player is greater than a team."
-Vince Lombardi
more OL
Than 10 or 11 on the roster, or the 7 OL on game days?! I actually think our OL is pretty set for the future. Just need to find the right spot for the right player!
Bulaga and Clifton – LT
Colledge, Spitz – LG
Wells, Spitz and maybe Deitrich Smith – C
Sitton – RG
Tauscher, Lang, Giacomini RT
Just need to fing a spot for Newhouse… Backup at RG, maybe a starter at LG or could he play RT? Lang could be move to LG if Giacomini pans out in a year or so. Only other thing is Spitz’s back… We’ll need more depth in a couple years when Clifton and Tauscher retire and maybe if Colledge hits FA or is traded.
I think 9 on the 53-man, and 7 or 8 on the 45 man active
At the end of last season it seemed like it was only 7 active with Barbre and Giacomini inactive, but early in the season when Clifton was hurting it might have been 8.
geez…Lang and Bulaga vs Hutch and Jones…we are talking about one of the better LT/LG sets ever assembled there. I can’t see these guys ever coming close to being THAT good. They might be a nice tandem (if Lang ever ends up in that position) but yikes…lets set the bar to an achievable level.
Okay, yah, maybe that was a bit much. I did say “almost to the level”, but, yeah… you’re right. I agree. Hutchinson is one of the best players of the last 15 years, I would say.
I’m just saying I think they could really maul some people. Bulaga’s footwork is GREAT. The kid’s a natural. And the way Lang stepped in to be very solid as a rookie at RT, he could be really good long-term at the less-demanding G position as he gets more experience. I guess the only point of comparison I was making to SEA is that when you’ve got one side of the line that’s really solid and you can hang your hat on, then the team starts to dominate. And, once that starts happening, it starts to build on itself, and, before you know it, you’ve got a rushing champion on your hands. Because, remember, Shaun Alexander actually wasn’t very good. Not at all. O-line is the key, and ours is looking very, very good.
When was the last time you can remember being comfortable with a couple guys at each O-line position, and being concerned that we would have to cut some quality guys just because we didn’t have roster spots for all the good ones we had? I’m telling you, barring a rash of injuries, we’re going to have a top-notch O-line this year.
by Curly Lambeau on Jun 15, 2010 1:19 PM CDT up reply actions
top-notch
Well that much I can agree w/ you on… ANd even more so in the future… I think we now have legit players almost 2 deep at every position. Depending on Spitz back problems and the development of Giacomini… Will still need to find another OL or two in the next couple years but the starting jobs should be on board now, except maybe at Center.
Its taken some time but the OL is quickly becoming a strength, IMO…
You are right about the OL becoming a strength.
I don’t know. Good OL play helps your running back play and your QB play. Bad OL play drags down all three.
So where were the Packers last year? I think they were the only team to feature a 4,400+ yard passer, a 1200+ yard rusher, and a pair of receivers with over 1000 yards receiving. Despite these offensive stats, the pass protection was HORRIBLE in the early going. The 50 sacks tarnished what would be considered a highly successful season by many Packer fans.
by OBrienSchofieldismyHero on Jun 15, 2010 7:53 PM CDT up reply actions
For this year, Tauscher.
Our OL situation this year is kind of tricky. I think Lang deserves a starting spot either at LG or RT but with he likely won’t be fully healed in time for the season opener. If that’s the case, then I think we go Clifton-Spitz-Wells-Sitton-Tauscher. Though, I’d actually prefer Spitz over Wells at C to go with a bigger line. Only problem there is, then Colledge has to start at LG, and who knows how he’ll perform.
?
Spitz is better than Wells, why is he in second place to him?
He should be suspended. That is a flat-out, absolute disgrace to the umpiring profession, what this guy has been doing. West doesn’t care. -Hawk
Because he’s a f—-ing a—hole, that’s what he is. - Ozzie
2ND AT C
Right now I think Wells is the no. 1 Center… I would say that party due to Spitz coming off back surgery and we don’t know for sure if he’ll be ready or able to stand up to the pounding of OL… Other part is, I think Wells actually outplayed Spitz. I know Spitz only played a couple games at Center before the injury, but Wells seemed to make a difference when he took over. Hard to say, but Spitz, IMO, didn’t make the OL calls and audibles for the OL as well as Wells did… The audibles and OL calls are an extremely important part of playing Center. Just as important as executing his blocks, IMO…
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