Broaddus and Vela on Arkin

[honyock]

Broaddus' is just a couple of responses on Twitter and Vela's is more detailed, with a set of stills to break down one of his better plays from the other night.

First, Broaddus, who continues to sound bit by bit a little more positive on Arkin,

@DonHeyer: Has Arkin improved enough to where he could be the starting RG?”
@BryanBroaddus2hHe is a much better player at any point in career. Nice 2 see.

@DonHeyer Arkin's ceiling = "approximately Kyle Kosier". Agree?” @BryanBroaddus2hThere you go.

Vela: longer article about impressions of the game, with one section focusing on Arkin. Generally positive, noted two negative plays in the first half where he got pushed back (I think I saw three), but noted his effectiveness in zone blocking and thought the good much outweighed the bad plays. Nice still-by-still breakdown of one play.

http://www.cowboyszone.com/2013/08/back-to-work-cowboys-go-back-to-oxnard.html

-- David Arkin. He's getting singed for a couple of bad plays in the first quarter of the game. Arkin was popped on a red-zone run where he got too high. Staying low has been his challenge in camp. When his technique is poor, he looks bad. He also gave up a QB pressure on Dallas' first drive.

That said, those were the only bad plays I saw from him in the first half. I saw a lot more good ones, especially on running plays. Yesterday, I cut up a Phillip Tanner run to Arkin's side which gained thirteen yards.

Here's Arkin's best play of the night, a text-book zone blocking charge which sprung Tanner for an even bigger gain.

Arkin looks like a decent zone-blocking guard. He's never going to be Larry Allen as a pass protector, but his first half performance was hardly as bad as it's been portrayed by some. He's definitely worth a second look against Oakland.

 

[Staubacher]

Arkin is showing some growth. Fighting hard for a spot on the team. Can at least be a capable backup, maybe more

 

[Bowdown27]

With livings and Bernie sucking and hurt. I see Leary and arkin at the guard spots come week 1

 

[AmishCowboy]

I would love it if Arkin turned out to be Kyle Kosier!

 

[TheRomoSexual]

A young Kyle Koiser would be fine with me.

 

[Zimmy Lives]

This may come as a shock to TheRomoSexual but I am starting to believe. Maybe Arkin can be a dependable, if not solid, starter.

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

I would be absolutely giddy, like ten year old girl at a Bieber concert giddy, if Arkin can actually hit Kosier level and take that starting job from Berny.

 

[Idgit]

One thing I'll say positive about Arkin: he's done a nice job staying on the field.

I like the way he gets around the field in run blocking, too. I can see why the team likes him. I just need to see a lot more consistency in pass protection before I can consider him a serious candidate. I even have issues relying on him in a backup capacity, honestly.

 

[Deep_Freeze]

One thing I'll say positive about Arkin: he's done a nice job staying on the field.

I like the way he gets around the field in run blocking, too. I can see why the team likes him. I just need to see a lot more consistency in pass protection before I can consider him a serious candidate. I even have issues relying on him in a backup capacity, honestly.

Well I have no problem with him being a backup, as a starter right now we would probably be better off with Berny though. Some Linemen take a while to develop, and I see Arkin as this type of guy. From his background, we had to know it would take a while for him to contribute, so it will take patience (something that fans just don't have most of the time).

I would like for Arkin to have another season of lifting, without having to play week in and week out. It would make him a better player next year if he uses another year of just strength training, cause he is real close at this point.

 

[TheRomoSexual]

One thing I'll say positive about Arkin: he's done a nice job staying on the field.

I like the way he gets around the field in run blocking, too. I can see why the team likes him. I just need to see a lot more consistency in pass protection before I can consider him a serious candidate. I even have issues relying on him in a backup capacity, honestly.

Yes, Arkin will occasionally be pushed back on a bullrush. But I much prefer that to a complete whiff a la Livings and Bern.

 

[21Savage]

Prior to this last game, and being a Bernadeau fan-one of the few who felt he was better than Livings last year-I would've said Bernadeau will get the job back. But I love what I saw from Arkin.

There was a sequence of plays in the first quarter where he gets to the 2nd level with impressive quickness on one play and then gets pushed back by a DE. As bad as I felt the second play was, the first play was so impressive that it made me optimistic.

Not to mention, in a ZBS you usually find at least one lineman like Arkin who's more athletic than strong. The Commanders have played with some linemen like that. You need that guy who can fly to the second level and cut off on the backside. Not to mention we can afford those kinds of players (he and Free) with 3 other brute force players in Fred, Leary and Tyron (also the best athlete).

 

[Zordon]

A young Kyle Koiser would be fine with me.

An old kyle kosier would be fine too.

 

[burmafrd]

An old kyle kosier would be fine too.

honestly a Kyle Kosier with one foot in the grave would have been better than what we had last year

 

[FiveRings]

Killer K going down is the best thing that could have happened to Arkin. Would not be surprised at all if he's a week 1 starting guard

 

[21Savage]

Killer K going down is the best thing that could have happened to Arkin. Would not be surprised at all if he's a week 1 starting guard

Truth be told, when Leary and Livings came back Killer was who moved to the 2nd string; Arkin kept his job, which means he'd already been showing something.

 

[Zordon]

honestly a Kyle Kosier with one foot in the grave would have been better than what we had last year

I never want to see those scrubs Livings/Bernie in a Cowboys uniform again.

 

[TheRomoSexual]

Prior to this last game, and being a Bernadeau fan-one of the few who felt he was better than Livings last year-I would've said Bernadeau will get the job back. But I love what I saw from Arkin.

There was a sequence of plays in the first quarter where he gets to the 2nd level with impressive quickness on one play and then gets pushed back by a DE. As bad as I felt the second play was, the first play was so impressive that it made me optimistic.

Not to mention, in a ZBS you usually find at least one lineman like Arkin who's more athletic than strong. The Commanders have played with some linemen like that. You need that guy who can fly to the second level and cut off on the backside. Not to mention we can afford those kinds of players (he and Free) with 3 other brute force players in Fred, Leary and Tyron (also the best athlete).

Very well put. Now, I'm not saying Arkin will be the agile type you referenced, I just think he has the potential to be.

 

[InmanRoshi]

Prior to this last game, and being a Bernadeau fan-one of the few who felt he was better than Livings last year-I would've said Bernadeau will get the job back. But I love what I saw from Arkin.

There was a sequence of plays in the first quarter where he gets to the 2nd level with impressive quickness on one play and then gets pushed back by a DE. As bad as I felt the second play was, the first play was so impressive that it made me optimistic.

Not to mention, in a ZBS you usually find at least one lineman like Arkin who's more athletic than strong. The Commanders have played with some linemen like that. You need that guy who can fly to the second level and cut off on the backside. Not to mention we can afford those kinds of players (he and Free) with 3 other brute force players in Fred, Leary and Tyron (also the best athlete).

Also, everyone makes a big deal about "pushed into the backfield", but that's isn't necessarily a negative for the outside zone stretch. If the defender wants to rush upfield, you use his momentum to wash him out of the play and it creates a natural running lane as long as the other linemen have cut off the backside persuit. If the RB gets tripped up by this defender, that's his fault for not reading the play. The big no-no in the outside zone stretch is sitting there in the gap grappling with the defender and clogging everything up. Which is why when the defense plays against the outside zone stretch they preach about being disciplined and staying in their gap responsibilities.

 

[honyock]

Prior to this last game, and being a Bernadeau fan-one of the few who felt he was better than Livings last year-I would've said Bernadeau will get the job back. But I love what I saw from Arkin.

There was a sequence of plays in the first quarter where he gets to the 2nd level with impressive quickness on one play and then gets pushed back by a DE. As bad as I felt the second play was, the first play was so impressive that it made me optimistic.

Not to mention, in a ZBS you usually find at least one lineman like Arkin who's more athletic than strong. The Commanders have played with some linemen like that. You need that guy who can fly to the second level and cut off on the backside. Not to mention we can afford those kinds of players (he and Free) with 3 other brute force players in Fred, Leary and Tyron (also the best athlete).

Nicely said. Arkin's athleticism could be a nice complement to the strength on the left side of the line. It was his plays on the move, in pulling and at the second level, that impressed me on Sunday and that still give me hope about him.

I agree ith something Vela said in his article, that for Arkin, technique becomes even more important, he's got less margin for error on his technique than someone like Leary who is naturally stronger. He may be, like someone else said in this thread, someone that just needs longer to develop than most of us fans like to give a player. If he could turn out to be a serviceable starter this year (or even a dependable backup) with the possibility that he keeps getting stronger next year, I'd be really happy with that.

 

[Doomsday101]

I would love it if Arkin turned out to be Kyle Kosier!

Myself, Kosier was a solid player that you could count on to do his job.