Just Don't Get Andre Gurode

Teague31

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Help me out on this one- he is a Campo holdover not a BP guy. Al was drafted by BP in the second round and started all 16 games last year. Gurode was benched cause he couldn't handle the mental part of guard and yet he is now first team center??? I just don't get it............
 

Dawgs0916

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Look at the size difference in Gurode and Johnson and you'll get it. Then when your done with that check out the weight room and see who is benching more, since thats all that matters.:rolleyes:
 

Champsheart

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Teague31 said:
Help me out on this one- he is a Campo holdover not a BP guy. Al was drafted by BP in the second round and started all 16 games last year. Gurode was benched cause he couldn't handle the mental part of guard and yet he is now first team center??? I just don't get it............

What is there to get?

It is pretty evident Gurode has done some good things at Center, and at this point the coaching staff has a competition going. May the best man win!

Being a Campo hold over has nothing to do with anything.
Gurode's main problem was false starts, which is pretty hard to do at Center, and assignments, which it sounds as if he is more comfortable at Center.

We will see! He has won nothing yet, but looked better than Al did last night.
 

Teague31

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Look at the size difference in Gurode and Johnson and you'll get it. Then when your done with that check out the weight room and see who is benching more, since thats all that matters.
__________________

Why don't we just bring in the Big Show from WWE if size is all that matters......
 

ratpower

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MichaelWinicki said:
Gurode was a very decent center for us his rookie year.

Size does matter against those big nose tackles and Al got pushed around last year too. The key is if AG can make the calls for the O-line....
 

Chuck 54

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It's actually pretty simple:

somewhere between 95-99% of the OG's in the NFL are better athletes and linemen than the Centers are...except for the occasional freak of nature who is drafted in the first round to play Center and makes all pro for many years, most centers aren't in the same class as most starting guards.

If gurode can play Center, it should be no surprise that he'd give a full time center competition.

Does the name Kennard mean anything to you? That was one big big man who eventually got to fat and slow to play guard, so he became a pretty good starter at Center for us for a couple of years.
 

NeOn_KoWbOy_88

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Teague31 said:
Help me out on this one- he is a Campo holdover not a BP guy. Al was drafted by BP in the second round and started all 16 games last year. Gurode was benched cause he couldn't handle the mental part of guard and yet he is now first team center??? I just don't get it............

its like parcells said dont look into him starting over Al, its preseason buddy
 

AdamJT13

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Champsheart said:
We will see! He has won nothing yet, but looked better than Al did last night.

I'd be astounded if Gurode graded out anywhere near what Al Johnson did. Aside from the holding penalty that cost us a third-down conversion, Gurode had numerous blown assignments, whiffs and plays where he looked lost. If he did block someone on a play, he usually handled them, but that was an iffy proposition. On the other hand, I didn't count a single blown play by Johnson. He was knocked down once (which had little or no bearing on the play), but he was pulling and got blind-sided by a defensive tackle who should have been cut-blocked by the tight end, Tony Curtis. But Curtis didn't move at the snap, so the defensive tackle had a free run into the backfield and happened to collide with Johnson.
 

Yakuza Rich

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It's pretty simple. Parcells knows what he has with Johnson at center. Gurode is still trying to make the team and if he winds up being a pretty decent center, he can keep him on the team because he has versatility.

He started Gurode because you really can't gauge how good of a center he'll be if he's going against 2nd and 3rd stringers.

I really don't think Gurode ever had a shot at being the starting center.

Rich.......
 

dbair1967

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Teague31 said:
Help me out on this one- he is a Campo holdover not a BP guy. Al was drafted by BP in the second round and started all 16 games last year. Gurode was benched cause he couldn't handle the mental part of guard and yet he is now first team center??? I just don't get it............

BP claims for everyone not to read into it, but it was obvious to me after wathcing the two (now twice I've seen the game) that Al Johnson isnt a shoo-in for the starting job...Gurode had a holding call but his blocking seemed much more sound than Johnson, who was driven back badly several times Satursday, and those were backups he was blocking

David
 

Next_years_Champs

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AdamJT13 said:
I'd be astounded if Gurode graded out anywhere near what Al Johnson did. Aside from the holding penalty that cost us a third-down conversion, Gurode had numerous blown assignments, whiffs and plays where he looked lost. If he did block someone on a play, he usually handled them, but that was an iffy proposition. On the other hand, I didn't count a single blown play by Johnson. He was knocked down once (which had little or no bearing on the play), but he was pulling and got blind-sided by a defensive tackle who should have been cut-blocked by the tight end, Tony Curtis. But Curtis didn't move at the snap, so the defensive tackle had a free run into the backfield and happened to collide with Johnson.

You evidently watched the same game I did, the worst blocking (both pass and run) took place with Gurode at center. Now I will give him credit that the Cardinals were using stunts and blitzes, and teams don't usually see that in the first preseason game. The offensive line looked confused and out of sync while Gurode was playing.

I also read comments about how Gurode was a decent center his rookie year, but Dallas gave up 54 sacks in 2002 I believe that is either a team record or very close.

I'm glad that Parcells is making a competition at center and may the best man win. I will support either once the season begins, but my eyes and my experience tell me the best center is Al Johnson. While I can't begin to say what Parcells is thinking, I would bet MY money on Al Johnson. Andre Gurode might be a strongman but on the field he is often over matched and outwitted and that was displayed Satuday night while he was in the game.
 

AdamJT13

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dbair1967 said:
Gurode had a holding call but his blocking seemed much more sound than Johnson, who was driven back badly several times Satursday, and those were backups he was blocking

OK, so name one play when Johnson was "driven back badly" while blocking someone.
 

Rush 2112

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All it takes is one to watch the JJ highlight videos or any of last year's games in slo-mo to see all his good runs were off the hip of Flo, LA, or AJ. Trust me, AJ had way more than his fair share.
 

speedkilz88

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I thought I was the only one that saw how awful Gurode played last night. Whenever he had to pull he would get in position to block his man and somehow not block his man. I don't see how Al Johnson doesn't start this year.
 
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