Collins RT or LG?

[dfense]

G. He gets beat by speed rushers and he can't stay with them. Draft or sign a RT.

 

[gjkoeppen]

Yes, it is kinda what they said. I think the real scenario is that Smith refused surgery.

As someone who has worked in neurosurgery 30 years I look for this to be a recurring problem unless Smith surgically repairs the area of nerve pressure causing the pain. Non surgical intervention rarely fixes the problem and physical impacts aggravate the problem . In this case 2+2 probably does = 4.

I've read a couple of different articles right after the Cowboys last game that Smith will be having that surgery and has either already had the surgery or will have it very soon. I thought one of the articles said he planned to have it the 2nd week in January which would have been this week so he'd be ready for the off season programs.
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[gjkoeppen]

Yes, it is kinda what they said. I think the real scenario is that Smith refused surgery.

As someone who has worked in neurosurgery 30 years I look for this to be a recurring problem unless Smith surgically repairs the area of nerve pressure causing the pain. Non surgical intervention rarely fixes the problem and physical impacts aggravate the problem . In this case 2+2 probably does = 4.

I've read a couple of different articles right after the Cowboys last game that Smith will be having that surgery and has either already had the surgery or will have it very soon. I thought one of the articles said he planned to have it the 2nd week in January which would have been this week so he'd be ready for the off season programs.
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[nightrain]

To tell you the truth I don't remember but I also don't remember Smith having 3 different injuries during the 2016 season to come back from or having any surgery to correct any injury he had from the 2016 season. Until it's proven otherwise I'll go with what those who are closest to the situation say over speculation by fans.
.

I can't get past the notion that those who are close to a situation, whatever the situation may be, will have a tendency to spin a brighter scenario than may be the reality.

 

[McKDaddy]

RT ......... he only gave up 5 sacks all year and he went against a murderer's row of DE and OLB

You couldn't be more right. Was there a premier pass rusher he didn't face?? And he largely shut them down especially as the year wore on. I think if you asked opponents who faced him, they would say he is a very solid RT whose arrow is headed upwards.

I honestly don't know how anyone can say he was a great LG. If the job had been decided on merit, he would never have beaten out Leary. We will never know but i'm not sure that even with more development at LG that he would have been that great at it. He just never seemed to be comfortable with all the things a G has to do at the pro level.

Bigger question for me now is if Tyron's health issues continue, could they flip sides? Not sure if LC has that ability but if TS can't return to elite level we have problems both on the field & with the cap. So, smart coaches would be looking at options ....

 

[OmerV]

True, but his is far more dominant at guard than he is at tackle.

I don't know - he had some dominant individual moments at G, but he had his struggles too. But even so, it's about the collective quality of the O-Line, so it's a matter of whether the combo of Collins at LG and John Doe at RT fit better than Collins at RT and John Doe at LG.

 

[DallasDW00ds0n]

You don't think RT was broken when Free retired?

It was broken when we decided to put a guard at RT. Collins wasn't terrible, I am of the opinion he was just better at G.

 

[OmerV]

It was broken when we decided to put a guard at RT. Collins wasn't terrible, I am of the opinion he was just better at G.

Maybe he was, although he had some struggles early on a LG too. But regardless, the team couldn't just ignore RT, and they had to recognize that the collective O-Line group is more important than a single position. Accordingly, you have to consider what leaving Collins at LG would have done to the O-Line group as a whole? Would we have been stuck with Chaz Green at RT? Would we have had to draft a RT and maybe pass on Lewis or Awuzie?

 

[Point-of-the-Star]

Leaving Collins at LG might have saved Smith's back some. He tried to help early on in the season with the poor LG play and thusly was out of position some with contact. Look at it this way ... at least the Left side of the line woulda been beastly especially in the run game. As it was the whole line became somewhat mediocre with LG struggles and Collins struggles at RT.

 

[condoin125]

Leaving Collins at LG might have saved Smith's back some. He tried to help early on in the season with the poor LG play and thusly was out of position some with contact. Look at it this way ... at least the Left side of the line woulda been beastly especially in the run game. As it was the whole line became somewhat mediocre with LG struggles and Collins struggles at RT.

I think Collins was just OK at LG, but that's much better than what I see from him at RT but I kind of agree with your point at the end. I think people don't really understand that we simply could not run this season at all behind the LG positions or RT positions....our run game became more predictable than usual. Slide Collins back to LG and he will run block more effectively there (and much better than Cooper) as he'll face a less athletic Dlineman whom he can just maul without having to worry about footwork and speed. Find someone else to play RT and honestly the line improves tenfold.

 

[Verdict]

I don't know - he had some dominant individual moments at G, but he had his struggles too. But even so, it's about the collective quality of the O-Line, so it's a matter of whether the combo of Collins at LG and John Doe at RT fit better than Collins at RT and John Doe at LG.

True.

 

[GenoT]

Play Collins 100% at RT so he can focus on one position. Then draft the best LG at a reasonable point (say, round 3-4?) and coach him up. Meanwhile, bring in a medium-priced vet FA to hold down the position while you get the rookie up to speed.

 

[fairviewfarmer]

Speaking of Lael, when is his contract up?

 

[DallasDW00ds0n]

Maybe he was, although he had some struggles early on a LG too. But regardless, the team couldn't just ignore RT, and they had to recognize that the collective O-Line group is more important than a single position. Accordingly, you have to consider what leaving Collins at LG would have done to the O-Line group as a whole? Would we have been stuck with Chaz Green at RT? Would we have had to draft a RT and maybe pass on Lewis or Awuzie?

Of course, the obvious is draft a RT.

 

[armadillooutlaw]

Let's just move him to 1T.

 

[OmerV]

Of course, the obvious is draft a RT.

I don't think it's that obvious. It's easy to just talk about drafting a position, but you have to consider the quality of the players. If drafting a RT means getting a lower level player than the team could get if they drafted a LG then the overall product may not be as good as if they drafted a LG and kept Collins at RT. The entire unit has to be considered, not just where one player fits best.

 

[DallasDW00ds0n]

I don't think it's that obvious. It's easy to just talk about drafting a position, but you have to consider the quality of the players. If drafting a RT means getting a lower level player than the team could get if they drafted a LG then the overall product may not be as good as if they drafted a LG and kept Collins at RT. The entire unit has to be considered, not just where one player fits best.

That's just where we disagree, I believe you play your players where they play best.

 

[OmerV]

That's just where we disagree, I believe you play your players where they play best.

There is a reason why Larry Allen played 3 different positions in the 1900's. Obviously not all 3 could be his "best position", but he had the ability to succeed at multiple positions, so he moved to whichever position would make the overall O-Line the strongest. I'm not saying Collins is Larry Allen's level, but he is versatile, and he his versatility can be beneficial the way it was with Allen. Bottom line for me is you do things in the way that best solidifies the entire O-Line. Creating a huge weak link in order to play Collins in a particular spot would be counter productive.

 

[Corso]

Speaking of Lael, when is his contract up?

Old boy just signed an extension at the beginning of the year. He no go nowhere no time soon...

 

[Corso]

Lael was so good at LG he was replaced for the year by a guy the team let go in free agency without a second thought.
I don't know...