The Raven

You got that right. That's music to an olineman's ears.

I don't know if anyone say Juice's tweet about Zuttah joining him in San Fran, but it alluded to the "#widezone." I think that's a clear as day indication that we're moving far, far away from the stretch zone.

He can do it, no doubt, but his skill set is much, much better suited to a 4-3 tampa 2 style.

You're damn right. We're starting this weekend's festivities early! Drinks all around!

Well, okay.

Multiple reporters have said it and the team's website even has it. I don't think the team's website would post this unless it were true, do you?

As much as Ozzie and Harbs say Alex Lewis is staying at LG, I don't know if I totally buy it. If I remember correctly they said similar things about Kelechi, that he was going to stay at RT and then that he would stay at LG. It might be the plan to keep Lewis at LG but who knows how it'll work out?

Why waste time and money buying used tires when you're in the market for an all new car?

Not necessarily, but in this case, yeah. Offensive line is about moving people. Zuttah is the kind of guy that gets moved. Stronger and more physical is frequently a good thing so long as they aren't total plodders. Y'all underestimate just how much Zuttah hamstrung our run game. People like to say Zuttah wasn't bad, he wasn't always getting blown up. But here's the thing: If you aren't moving someone, you're in the way, and if you're in the way, you're a liability in the run game. Get that word straight: liability. And center is the one position you can't afford to have a liability in the run game. He never got any kind of push. If not getting blown up is the criteria for not being bad, then good offensive line play can finally be declared dead in the NFL. Zuttah's pass protection wasn't bad, really, so I'll give y'all that, but Gino Gradkowski is probably the only center I've seen in the NFL that was worse at run blocking.

I'm cautiously excited about not having a backup plan at center. Maybe it'll light a fire under Ozzie's butt to go out there and actually get a real solution at center, like he did last year with Ronnie Stanley at LT. It gives me cause for concern, but maybe he'll be more aggressive in finding a solution, if there is no fallback option.

Yeah. Heard that we really like him. Gross. Urschel is a Zuttah clone.

Maybe my view is biased by my overwhelming frustration with Zuttah's inability to contribute in any meaningful way at all, but I think this is addition by subtraction. For those saying we don't have a plan, we have two in-house stop gaps. Urschel looked just as good in limited time at center at the end of 2015. Jensen is a possibility, too, and I think Jensen fits the mold of what we want going forward. Whether he's the guy, I don't know, but he'll compete for this job. He's strong and physical.

I guess it's true what they say. Dreams really do come true.

Yeah, Wesley's gotten so few meaningful snaps I can't really say how he is. From what I remember, I was really impressed with his mobility and burst but he seemed to struggle with anchoring against a bull rush.

I wouldn't call it a "glaring hole." Matt Judon -- who actually got more snaps than Doom in 2016 -- says hi. Replacing Suggs, to me, is the bigger issue on the edge.

Dude I'm all about that move. Perfect fit at this point in time. He's potentially the perfect veteran stop gap RT that lets us worry about fixing center before right tackle. Him and Yanda on the right side could be money. What I'd give to watch them collapse the right side on a power play... Sign me up. He's at least a solid insurance policy if Deondre Wesley -- who I do think is the current frontrunner for RT -- craps the bed. I think that the FO is banking on Wesley starting next year unless we find a pleasant surprise somewhere.

Your piece is actually what got me thinking on this. I thought it, like much of your work, was solid analysis.

I haven't put much thought into how we'll use him, but from the sounds of things (and as I just said in the other thread), it sounds like this guy could be the prototype "dimebacker," filling the role we probably envisioned for Elam and used Levine for.

I'm curious about Webb's role here if he comes back. Nickel safety? Don't want to see him back at corner, and I doubt he'd take a starting safety job. Since Weddle and Jefferson aren't really the kind of guys you want to see as a single high, maybe Webb does come back to be that single high nickel safety. Maybe Jefferson is also coming in to be a more full time "dime backer" like Levine was last year. If Pees continues to use the dime, we could have a hell of a back seven with Mosley at LB, Jefferson at dimebacker, Webb deep, and Weddle roaming,

Uh hard pass

Wow, you get worked up pretty easy.

I don't think so unless we're pulling a Travis Frederick type pick at center.

If we didn't have Suggs in the picture, I'd be all for Barwin.

I'm talking about his ten yard split, his burst off the line, his short shuttle, his 3 cone. I forgot that I need to write things out in specific for you. It's not that black and white. Gino Gradkowski had 29 reps at his pro day and a 28.5 vert -- solid numbers for a center -- but got thrown around like a toy. He lifts strong but doesn't play strong. By comparison, Weston Richburg had 25 reps and a 25.5 vert. Who's the better center? But I don't think I can convince you otherwise, so I'll let it rest It's not the motor. I can distinguish talent and motor. It's what I see with my eyes on the tape. What I see as the primary problem is his pad level.

I'm not talking about his 40 time. It's irrelevant to his position. And actually, some guys do play stronger on the field than their weight room stats show. Some guys are workout warriors but get bullied on the field. Having actually played the game, I can verify that it happens. It's really a common thing.