one of our best offseason moves (1 Viewer)

[Saints382]

i can't believe Jacox is still playing....as a starter.

he's with the fins'.

 

[natedogg02]

Remember how scared everyone was of J Brown moving to the left side? Man he really stepped up this year and showed he is one of the best tackles in the NFL.

 

[Nevimeister]

How did we ever win games 2 years ago with Wayne Gandy, Kendyl Jacox and Victor Riley starting?! The revolving door Gandy was a top 5 paid tackle (2nd highest paid position in the NFL bahind QB) before we got rid of him and unless he was allowing pressure or a sack he'd be false starting or holding. There's that story of Payton showing up to the locker room and asking whose lounger chair was it in front of a locker? It was Gandy's and he was shown the door pretty quickly. How sweet that you can improve your side and worsen a rival with one transaction!

 

[VinSaint]

I'm not entirely sure the problem with Gandy, or even Jacox was the talent (or lack thereof). More than anything, I think it was coaching. Case in point is our O-Line this year.

Before this season started:
- Most experts agreed that it would take Brown at least a full season before being able to transition from RT to LT. It took 2 games.
- Stinchcomb was mostly a bust who was injured and couldn't crack the starting lineup.
- Faine was considered a good backup at C.
- Evans was a rookie. Nuff said.
- Nesbit was a journeyman with a rather uneventful career.

Individually, each of these guys has overachieved this season, including one Pro Bowler at the toughest spot on the line and what many experts believe wasn't even the best one on the line. Collectively, they've been downright dominant most of the time, especially in pass protection. And as evidenced by the second half of the season, they aren't too bad in run blocking either.

So how did this happen? I believe it was the solid coaching of both Payton and Doug Marrone, who not only taught good technique (evidenced by the success they've had) but taught it in a positive way that each guy could respond to (evidenced by how quickly they were able to grasp it all).

Credit must also be given to the offensive system we use, game planning and play calling as well, such as the use of 3 step drops and quickly developing plays that would minimize the time these guys needed to hold blocks. Again, that's a credit to Payton as well.

In the past under Haslet, we may have had one or two of these attributes but due to poor coaching, nothing that could be counted on consistently. Not having a stable QB obviously hurt as well but the point is, the coaching is arguably the biggest piece that's been missing more than anything. Again, I'm not sure that somebody like Gandy doesn't thrive under these guys just like Stinchcomb or Nesbit or Brown has.

Having said that, I wouldn't change a damn thing with the guys we have today. On a team loaded with positives, this may arguably be the best positive of all because of how much of our success offensively depends on it. It was easily the biggest question mark coming in to the season and may end up being the best O-line in the game. It can't be because their talent blossomed that way in a matter of months. It's because of coaching and quality guys around them.

 

[Saint Tex]

I also give a lot of credit to the coaching. Not just the teaching part, but the refusal to play favorites--remember during training camp Nesbitt was told that if he played well enough to win the job it was his. (Okay, I'm typing this and it seems obvious, but that's not what we had in the past.) Teaching, no favorites, and being held accountable has inspired this line to make the most of their abilities and has molded them into a unit.

Having a qb who gets rid of the ball quickly and a coach who gives the o-line some help by designing and running plays that take advantage of the qb's ability to make quick decisions is also a big factor.

 

[Tigerholic]

was to get rid of wayne gandy im so glad we dont have some guy with a plastic facemask who doesnt know the snapcount on our oline this year

Your right, I forgot about all of the false starts from our oline. Talk about frustrating...

 

[dninc]

Best offseason move was getting rid of AB, Haz, Venturi, and and more than 50% of the roster and putting in winners.

 

[geauxboy]

Having a qb who gets rid of the ball quickly and a coach who gives the o-line some help by designing and running plays that take advantage of the qb's ability to make quick decisions is also a big factor.

As you and several others have stated, I must agree totally. Quick release playcalling and a quick release QB will make any oline look better than they really are. I'm not knocking the oline, just stating that it makes their job SO MUCH EASIER when the ball is released on time and not shuffling backwards looking for the -5 yard screen pass as you shuffle into the sack.