Post by Funkytown on Aug 9, 2021 17:09:34 GMT -6
We have a few other OL threads, but it's probably time to make one a little more current. It'll be all of the same frustrations, of course, but you get the point. lol.
Striving for mediocrity: The story of the Vikings offensive line in 2021 by Arif Hasan
...
Some other notes:
- Among the backups, Blake Brandel has stood out. He’s struggled a bit in one-on-ones but has overall looked competent in team drills, especially considering how often he’s had to take first-team reps because of injuries to Hill and Darrisaw.
- When he was healthy enough to participate, Wyatt Davis struggled early in padded sessions, even against players who likely won’t make the team. In later practices, he improved significantly, especially in pass protection. On balance, the net result of his work thus far has been more worrisome than confidence-inspiring, but he’s on a good trajectory to improve on that.
- Zack Bailey and Evin Ksiezarczyk have had their moments, but both have largely struggled. Cohl Cabral has had very few practices but hasn’t looked bad and has won a number of his one-on-ones while looking competent in team drills against the third-string unit. Mason Cole has had some issues snapping the ball, as expected from his scouting report, and has had less success against the second-team defensive line — though, in fairness, that group is filled with starting-caliber talent.
- Dru Samia has a good shot to make the roster, but he might be one of the most disappointing players in camp thus far.
- Also struggling is Kyle Hinton, who doesn’t quite look like he’s taken the development step he needs to after a year on the practice squad. Hinton’s upside is tremendous, so the Vikings might want to give him another year on the practice squad to work things out but as it stands, he might not be the game-day backup they’re looking for.
Link:
theathletic.com/2760848/2021/08/09/striving-for-mediocrity-the-story-of-the-vikings-offensive-line-in-2021/
Striving for mediocrity: The story of the Vikings offensive line in 2021 by Arif Hasan
The perennial issue for the Vikings has been their offensive line. It has been a decade since Vikings fans have felt confident in the lineup they have up front. Last year, they invested a second-round pick on the line and followed it up this year with a first- and third-round pick.
But after cutting a high-priced free agent and having a series of padded practices without either of the rookies — not to mention that second-round pick playing somewhere other than his college position — fans have reason to remain worried.
Those padded practices have given us insight into how the offensive line has developed over the offseason, and there are some lessons we’ve learned that might give us a preview of how the line will perform.
The 10,000-foot view after nearly a week of padded practices is that the offensive line looks better — that’s despite not being able to play Christian Darrisaw in team drills because of lingering injury concerns. Darrisaw’s injury recovery has been “one step forward, two steps back” according to Mike Zimmer, so Vikings fans should buckle in. Expect Rashod Hill to start at left tackle in Week 1.
One big concern with that is Hill’s durability. Every year in camp, Hill misses several practices due to injury. The other concern, of course, has to do with his level of play. He’s been a backup tackle for his entire career save for a few starts before Brian O’Neill took over the right tackle position.
But Hill hasn’t played too poorly in his NFL stints, nor has he looked out of place in camp. He played over 100 snaps last year and didn’t give up a sack or a hit, allowing just two quarterback pressures. He’s held his own, relatively speaking, against Danielle Hunter, D.J. Wonnum and Stephen Weatherly.
While it’s clear that it would be much better for Darrisaw to get healthy as quickly as possible and hop into the starting lineup, the prospects at left tackle with Hill in for a couple of games don’t look disastrous yet. Things may change once joint practices (or the preseason) start.
Left tackle is the biggest concern, but as training camp began, left guard was almost as questionable. Ezra Cleveland, however, has looked like a completely different player from last year. Part of the reason could be that he has so much more experience with left-sided footwork than right.
“I think it’s been really good,” Cleveland said. “Getting back to the left side — I was there in college — it’s just really comfortable for me. I feel like I can use more of my tools in my toolbelt when I’m on the left side. Being on the right side, I used some muscles that I wasn’t really used to using, and back on the left side it’s just like muscle memory.”
Garrett Bradbury noticed the difference, too. “He was a left tackle in college so he’s used to that kind of hip mobility,” he said. “I think he’s a little more comfortable at left guard.”
Cleveland looks bigger and more powerful, too. His work in team drills stands out. His wrestling matches with Dalvin Tomlinson have created some space in the running game, while he has also been solid protecting the pocket. He could do a better job securing the second level, but as a base blocker, he has been doing well.
It hasn’t been perfect for Cleveland, and his record in one-on-one drills hasn’t been the best — so there’s room for improvement — but he looks much more developed than last year.
At center, Bradbury has neither looked impressive nor worrisome. His movement ability stands out and he has done an excellent job of blocking down the candidates for the third linebacker job, though he has struggled to keep players like Eric Kendricks at bay.
But after cutting a high-priced free agent and having a series of padded practices without either of the rookies — not to mention that second-round pick playing somewhere other than his college position — fans have reason to remain worried.
Those padded practices have given us insight into how the offensive line has developed over the offseason, and there are some lessons we’ve learned that might give us a preview of how the line will perform.
The 10,000-foot view after nearly a week of padded practices is that the offensive line looks better — that’s despite not being able to play Christian Darrisaw in team drills because of lingering injury concerns. Darrisaw’s injury recovery has been “one step forward, two steps back” according to Mike Zimmer, so Vikings fans should buckle in. Expect Rashod Hill to start at left tackle in Week 1.
One big concern with that is Hill’s durability. Every year in camp, Hill misses several practices due to injury. The other concern, of course, has to do with his level of play. He’s been a backup tackle for his entire career save for a few starts before Brian O’Neill took over the right tackle position.
But Hill hasn’t played too poorly in his NFL stints, nor has he looked out of place in camp. He played over 100 snaps last year and didn’t give up a sack or a hit, allowing just two quarterback pressures. He’s held his own, relatively speaking, against Danielle Hunter, D.J. Wonnum and Stephen Weatherly.
While it’s clear that it would be much better for Darrisaw to get healthy as quickly as possible and hop into the starting lineup, the prospects at left tackle with Hill in for a couple of games don’t look disastrous yet. Things may change once joint practices (or the preseason) start.
Left tackle is the biggest concern, but as training camp began, left guard was almost as questionable. Ezra Cleveland, however, has looked like a completely different player from last year. Part of the reason could be that he has so much more experience with left-sided footwork than right.
“I think it’s been really good,” Cleveland said. “Getting back to the left side — I was there in college — it’s just really comfortable for me. I feel like I can use more of my tools in my toolbelt when I’m on the left side. Being on the right side, I used some muscles that I wasn’t really used to using, and back on the left side it’s just like muscle memory.”
Garrett Bradbury noticed the difference, too. “He was a left tackle in college so he’s used to that kind of hip mobility,” he said. “I think he’s a little more comfortable at left guard.”
Cleveland looks bigger and more powerful, too. His work in team drills stands out. His wrestling matches with Dalvin Tomlinson have created some space in the running game, while he has also been solid protecting the pocket. He could do a better job securing the second level, but as a base blocker, he has been doing well.
It hasn’t been perfect for Cleveland, and his record in one-on-one drills hasn’t been the best — so there’s room for improvement — but he looks much more developed than last year.
At center, Bradbury has neither looked impressive nor worrisome. His movement ability stands out and he has done an excellent job of blocking down the candidates for the third linebacker job, though he has struggled to keep players like Eric Kendricks at bay.
The right guard position has earned the most coverage in camp, and it’s no accident. What initially looked like a countdown to Wyatt Davis’ eventual crowning as the starter instead turned into a position battle between Oli Udoh, a sixth-round tackle, and Dakota Dozier. Dozier’s presence on the team is a product of his longtime experience with Rick Dennison’s system, but his time on the field during the season has been worrisome.
Dozier started camp taking the first-team reps. While this clearly didn’t make Vikings fans all too happy, it wasn’t too long before the coaches decided to mix things up by adding Udoh to the competition. He’s been doing well, which is good news — especially with Davis missing a number of practices due to injury.
The coaches haven’t been shy in their praise of Udoh. Zimmer casually listed Udoh among the starters along the offensive line before adding that they need more competition among the backups. Offensive line coach Phil Rauscher did the same.
When former Vikings offensive lineman — and current coaching intern — Mike Harris transitioned to guard to fill a need, Zimmer brought up that Harris overcame the challenges that come with a tall player moving into the tighter space of the interior offensive line. But with Udoh, neither he nor Rauscher see it as a significant impediment.
“For some guys, (his length) would be a challenge,” Rauscher acknowledged. “But for (Udoh), he is a very good athlete and he understands leverage and angles. He’s a very smart player and he has the ability to get to the second level. And not everyone is the same. Not everyone takes the same angle. (Udoh) understands the angles that work for him, and when he gets to the second level and gets his mitts on you, he’s going to block you.”
Dozier, on the other hand, hasn’t looked great in team drills or one-on-ones, even struggling at times against backups. It should be noted that Dozier has done well in drills requiring communication and chemistry, something that the backup offensive line has struggled with significantly. That said, Udoh isn’t bad at sliding off of his assignment to pick up a new one.
Dozier started camp taking the first-team reps. While this clearly didn’t make Vikings fans all too happy, it wasn’t too long before the coaches decided to mix things up by adding Udoh to the competition. He’s been doing well, which is good news — especially with Davis missing a number of practices due to injury.
The coaches haven’t been shy in their praise of Udoh. Zimmer casually listed Udoh among the starters along the offensive line before adding that they need more competition among the backups. Offensive line coach Phil Rauscher did the same.
When former Vikings offensive lineman — and current coaching intern — Mike Harris transitioned to guard to fill a need, Zimmer brought up that Harris overcame the challenges that come with a tall player moving into the tighter space of the interior offensive line. But with Udoh, neither he nor Rauscher see it as a significant impediment.
“For some guys, (his length) would be a challenge,” Rauscher acknowledged. “But for (Udoh), he is a very good athlete and he understands leverage and angles. He’s a very smart player and he has the ability to get to the second level. And not everyone is the same. Not everyone takes the same angle. (Udoh) understands the angles that work for him, and when he gets to the second level and gets his mitts on you, he’s going to block you.”
Dozier, on the other hand, hasn’t looked great in team drills or one-on-ones, even struggling at times against backups. It should be noted that Dozier has done well in drills requiring communication and chemistry, something that the backup offensive line has struggled with significantly. That said, Udoh isn’t bad at sliding off of his assignment to pick up a new one.
- Among the backups, Blake Brandel has stood out. He’s struggled a bit in one-on-ones but has overall looked competent in team drills, especially considering how often he’s had to take first-team reps because of injuries to Hill and Darrisaw.
- When he was healthy enough to participate, Wyatt Davis struggled early in padded sessions, even against players who likely won’t make the team. In later practices, he improved significantly, especially in pass protection. On balance, the net result of his work thus far has been more worrisome than confidence-inspiring, but he’s on a good trajectory to improve on that.
- Zack Bailey and Evin Ksiezarczyk have had their moments, but both have largely struggled. Cohl Cabral has had very few practices but hasn’t looked bad and has won a number of his one-on-ones while looking competent in team drills against the third-string unit. Mason Cole has had some issues snapping the ball, as expected from his scouting report, and has had less success against the second-team defensive line — though, in fairness, that group is filled with starting-caliber talent.
- Dru Samia has a good shot to make the roster, but he might be one of the most disappointing players in camp thus far.
- Also struggling is Kyle Hinton, who doesn’t quite look like he’s taken the development step he needs to after a year on the practice squad. Hinton’s upside is tremendous, so the Vikings might want to give him another year on the practice squad to work things out but as it stands, he might not be the game-day backup they’re looking for.
All in all, the Vikings offensive line situation looks more precarious than it probably is, with the caveat that Darrisaw should be coming back sooner than later. Udoh’s surprising performance thus far at guard to go with Cleveland’s comfort on the left side of the line might mean more stability in the middle than Vikings fans are used to. If they get something useful from the tackle positions the rest of the season, they might get closer to average than they’ve been in a long time.
Link:
theathletic.com/2760848/2021/08/09/striving-for-mediocrity-the-story-of-the-vikings-offensive-line-in-2021/
... and neither is this Chris guy.