Which RT solution do you you hope for?

[junk]

I'd sign Gragg, let him start the season and tutor Pettiti. If you spend $2 million on Gragg, he solidifies the line and teaches the youngster a thing or two about being a RT in the NFL, then it is money well spent.

I am usually against bringing in an older vet when you have a young guy you can bring along, but in this case, I think it needs to be done. Not having a cohesive line can stunt the development of everyone offensively.

I don't think bringing in a guy like Gragg will put this team over the top. But it might help enough in other areas to make next year more of a possibilty.

Julius is still learning the game. If he can't run right, that isn't going to help his development. Witten is still learning the game. Crayton too. If they don't get an opportunity to catch the ball because RT is holding you hostage, it hurts the team long term.

 

[Hostile]

No hestitation at all. I say let's go with Rob Pettiti at RT. The only other "solution" is to move LA over to RT and I don't see that happening with Peterman not playing well enough. I'd rather keep LA where he is and let Pettiti stake his claim. Give him this chance and by mid season he'll be comfortable and an anchor on this line for a decade.

 

[noshame]

No hestitation at all. I say let's go with Rob Pettiti at RT. The only other "solution" is to move LA over to RT and I don't see that happening with Peterman not playing well enough. I'd rather keep LA where he is and let Pettiti stake his claim. Give him this chance and by mid season he'll be comfortable and an anchor on this line for a decade.

Pettiti is my first choice also, and although I believe he has some serious potential, I think the learning curve may be a bit longer. Alot of that has to do with the OL coach, and I'm not completely sold on Spardano(sp)

 

[DallasEast]

#3: sign a vet. At this stage, good depth and experience at the position are just as important as having a solid player. Rogers is not serviceable. Vollers is backup material. Petitti may be the real deal, but he needs a mentor right now. Thank goodness I'm not the head coach because I have lost all faith in Tucker. Right now, at this VERY second, Mark Tuinei could be a better option at RT than Tucker.

Oy!

 

[Chuck 54]

I don't care who the RT is, unless he's brought in immediately, I think we'll still be going with Tucker/Pettitti the first few games. Guys sitting at home are 1) not in football shape, especially the linemen; 2) don't know our offense or our line calls; 3) have "0" continuity with the rest of the line.

It's not like bringing in a CB and saying "man on these calls and zone on these calls" or a WR who has to learn the terminology to know which route to run.

I may be overstating it, but you can't bring in a RT the week before the season starts and expect anything good from him in the first few games, can you?

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I don't care who the RT is, unless he's brought in immediately, I think we'll still be going with Tucker/Pettitti the first few games. Guys sitting at home are 1) not in football shape, especially the linemen; 2) don't know our offense or our line calls; 3) have "0" continuity with the rest of the line.

It's not like bringing in a CB and saying "man on these calls and zone on these calls" or a WR who has to learn the terminology to know which route to run.

I may be overstating it, but you can't bring in a RT the week before the season starts and expect anything good from him in the first few games, can you?

You nailed it Wayne. Guys are looking for a "quick fix" and there is no such thing at this point. We sink or swim with the guys we've got.

 

[JackMagist]

No hestitation at all. I say let's go with Rob Pettiti at RT. The only other "solution" is to move LA over to RT and I don't see that happening with Peterman not playing well enough. I'd rather keep LA where he is and let Pettiti stake his claim. Give him this chance and by mid season he'll be comfortable and an anchor on this line for a decade.

I absolutely agree Hos. If we move LA then we are pinning our hopes at LG on Peterman who is little more than a rookie and has not been showing that well in camp so far. Pettiti, from all I've heard has been making great strides in his development and is improving at a faster pace than Peterman.

Also, Parcells has said that Bledsoe's biggest weakness is pressure up the middle. Why would we take the Pro Bowler from the middle and install a shaky rookie there just to fill in for a different shaky rookie on the outside when the greatest vulnerability is in the middle? LA is NOT an option IMO.

I say go with Pettiti and see how it goes. If it proves to be a problem after the first regular season game we can bring in a vet and not be committed to him for the entire year. That way Pettiti has a lot of practice and then if he needs it we can get him a few weeks of developmental time behind a vet. This scenario keeps more options open for us.

 

[LaTunaNostra]

Gosh it's a dilemma...the RT position is critical not just because of who the starting QB is, but because that 'trickle down effect' would extend to the D not getting the time it will need to gel.

The O has to carry the D in the early season. Not just hold its own.

Tho I'd like to see Rob starting by mid season, I don't want to see him thrown to the wolves. I was for LT Shelton being signed (funny, but he did manage to get in some facsimile of shape) because I thought we need a swing tackle more substantial than Vollers, in case of a long term injury to Flo, not just because of the issues at RT.

I don't know that Gragg tho, is any more than a marginal upgrade to Kurt, or that at this point, with the getting in game shape factor already mentioned, he could bring much more to the table than Vollers or even Tucker those first critical weeks.

The Rogers injury situation has really hurt..not just because he is lost for yet another year, but because his high draft status, along with Tucker's confounded "measurables", apparently dissuaded Bill and Jerry from pursuing a quality RT like MacKenzie in the offseason. Or maybe Rivera was the full extent of line FA targeting no matter what.

The wait and see what Rob and Torrin do the next two weeks solution (specially considering Gragg, if brought in now, will mandate a year of vet salary) seems the lesser of the evils. But the extra money spent on signing a Gragg type now might be offset by the three weeks he'd have to get game shape ready and famiiar with his linemates.

I do think Rob will be up to speed sometime this season. Tucker too could just suddenly click (took Gragg a FULL five years in NY to stop being a human penalty machine), but I wouldn't want to hang the early season on it.

A true dilemma....good luck, Tuna.

 

[AsthmaField]

I'll almost always say go with the talented rookie and let him take his lumps. I think they grow into the position fast because of the trial by fire. The key is you have to think the rookie has a lot of talent and potential. I'm not advocating just sticking any Tom, Dick, or Harry in there... he has to have the ability.

If he does though, I'll always say stick him in there and let him grow.

QB being the one exception to that.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Gosh it's a dilemma...the RT position is critical not just because of who the starting QB is, but because that 'trickle down effect' would extend to the D not getting the time it will need to gel.

The O has to carry the D in the early season. Not just hold its own.

Tho I'd like to see Rob starting by mid season, I don't want to see him thrown to the wolves. I was for LT Shelton being signed (funny, but he did manage to get in some facsimile of shape) because I thought we need a swing tackle more substantial than Vollers, in case of a long term injury to Flo, not just because of the issues at RT.

I don't know that Gragg tho, is any more than a marginal upgrade to Kurt, or that at this point, with the getting in game shape factor already mentioned, he could bring much more to the table than Vollers or even Tucker those first critical weeks.

The Rogers injury situation has really hurt..not just because he is lost for yet another year, but because his high draft status, along with Tucker's confounded "measurables", apparently dissuaded Bill and Jerry from pursuing a quality RT like MacKenzie in the offseason. Or maybe Rivera was the full extent of line FA targeting no matter what.

The wait and see what Rob and Torrin do the next two weeks solution (specially considering Gragg, if brought in now, will mandate a year of vet salary) seems the lesser of the evils. But the extra money spent on signing a Gragg type now might be offset by the three weeks he'd have to get game shape ready and famiiar with his linemates.

I do think Rob will be up to speed sometime this season. Tucker too could just suddenly click (took Gragg a FULL five years in NY to stop being a human penalty machine), but I wouldn't want to hang the early season on it.

A true dilemma....good luck, Tuna.

I guess that's where I differ from many folks... I don't look at it as just this season but 2006, 2007 and so on. I think Petitti has the talent let's see if he can perform to an acceptable level. If so our problems are solved for a long time without tossing millions of dollars at the problem. This isn't a SB contender, but it can be an important building block to a SB contender.

 

[Cbz40]

Tough decision but as for me I would go with Rob. We are at the very least 1,2 3 ,4, or 7 players away from a SB so go w/Rob.

 

[big dog cowboy]

We are at the very least 1,2 3 ,4, or 7 players away from a SB so go w/Rob.

I'm telling Mr. Jones that YOU said that. :laugh2:

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I'm telling Mr. Jones that YOU said that. :laugh2:

That "quick-fix" stuff set this franchise back for several seasons. Go with a plan and stick too it. I've seen too many "Joey Galloway/Dat Dude" experiments take a big dump.

 

[LaTunaNostra]

I guess that's where I differ from many folks... I don't look at it as just this season but 2006, 2007 and so on. I think Petitti has the talent let's see if he can perform to an acceptable level. If so our problems are solved for a long time without tossing millions of dollars at the problem. This isn't a SB contender, but it can be an important building block to a SB contender.

Regardless of whether a team is SB primed or not, a quality vet swing tackle on the roster is imo, as important as a quality backup QB.

I have no issues with not throwing big money at the few MacKenzies available, tho I would have done just that over throwing big bucks at a much older guard in Rivera, no matter what the immediate need.

The Rogers health issue confused things..and the one silver lining in that surgery decision was one less "what if" has been eliminated from the equation.
You have to constantly develop some young linemen to offset FA signings and the mega injuries that tend to come at the position.

But the guy you can COUNT on to hold the fort at either end while a Pettiti is absorbing the technique and playbook, or a Flo is dinged up, is a must in any scenario, imo.

Vollers isn't that guy evidently, so Shelton made sense.

There isn't a better security blanket on a team than a savvy old vet swing tackle.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Regardless of whether a team is SB primed or not, a quality vet swing tackle on the roster is imo, as important as a quality backup QB.

I have no issues with not throwing big money at the few MacKenzies available, tho I would have done just that over throwing big bucks at a much older guard in Rivera, no matter what the immediate need.

The Rogers health issue confused things..and the one silver lining in that surgery decision was one less "what if" has been eliminated from the equation.
You have to constantly develop some young linemen to offset FA signings and the mega injuries that tend to come at the position.

But the guy you can COUNT on to hold the fort at either end while a Pettiti is absorbing the technique and playbook, or a Flo is dinged up, is a must in any scenario, imo.

Vollers isn't that guy evidently, so Shelton made sense.

There isn't a better security blanket on a team than a savvy old vet swing tackle.

B. I think a vet swing tackle is a luxury. Our SB/playoff teams never had a decent swing tackle on the roster. I'm thinking we're going to be needing every ounce of cap space come next year for QB and WR.

 

[LaTunaNostra]

B. I think a vet swing tackle is a luxury. Our SB/playoff teams never had a decent swing tackle on the roster. I'm thinking we're going to be needing every ounce of cap space come next year for QB and WR.

A luxury if you never need to use him..a necessity the second your luck changes.

Whether it's an expansion team like the Texans a few years back, taking in the quality of Tony Boselli and Ryan Young, only to find both's knees stunk, or a team taken down on a playoff run..I like to see that guy there.

It's about protecting your QB, and for most teams, that's your investment. Even when he's a developing QB.

It's one of my bee in the bonnet issues, I guess. Age gets discussed a lot, and the right mix of it..but if there is one spot I want to see some old nasty warhorse, it is there. Especially at a position where a reliable one can play pretty late.

I am not as concerned at RT as at possible injury to Flo.

And I do think because #11's past 'up-the-middle' has been such a concern of Bill's, certain folks who can relieve his mind a bit there will be sticking around when in reality, it's both ends that need attention.