O-Line Edition: Free Agency and the Draft

[mooby]

Originally Posted by T.O.Killa

I am not sure why Jamal Brown gets bashed so much. He is a good RT, when healthy. I he can recover from the hip surgery, he still can have two or three years playing at a high level. I think we have more depth on the Oline, than we have had in ten years. Our back ups are Tyler Polumbus(26), Willie Smith(24), and Maurice Hurt(24). All young and still improving. The only time the Oline could not protect the QB was when Eric Cook was in at center(I cant stand him). Brown had no off season therapy last year and is now two years removed from the surgery. I would be happy with them picking a RT, but I don't think it is an emergency. If we had not got screwed with the cap situation we would have signed someone like Eric Winston. That would have been a luxury, it not a necessity. I would rather them pick a linebacker like Mykal Kendricks in third.

The problem is Brown hasn't been healthy in two years. I mean you can only give a guy so much time to get healthy. As far as Willie Smith goes, he was an UDFA last year. Occasionally picking up UDFA's work out, but more often than not they are stashed and given time to grow, meaning multiple seasons on the bench, before they are ready to start on a full time basis. Smith showed flashes last year but I would stash him some more and then give him a look in a couple more years. He's good enough to be a backup swing tackle right now though.