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The Offensive Line: Let's Review

[U]CURRENT STATUS OF THE O-LINE:[/U]

Okay, the picks and UFA's are in. I suspect that we will not be adding any new lineman from other teams cuts (I could be wrong but I get the feeling that we will go to camp with what is currently on the roster). So what does our line look like for next year?

As I preface: I, for one, have been harping on the O-Line since last year. Preliminarily (yes, this is preliminary to my preface), when healthy, I think our starters are a good, borderline great, line. Given the age of our starters (all over 30), however, it is my opinion that I would expect two starters to be unavailable for an extended period of time during the 2008-2009 season. In light of that, I believe we will need some quality depth and I was just curious as to what we looked like after the latest roster additions.

[U]THE STARTERS:[/U]

[B]G Thomas, Randy [/B](9 yrs.; Turned 32 Jan. 19th) 6-5, 317.
[B]G Kendall, Pete [/B](12 yrs.; Turns 35 July 9th) 6-5, 292.
[B]C Rabach, Casey [/B](7 Yrs; Turns 31 Sept. 24th) 6-4, 296.
[B]T Jansen, Jon [/B](9 Yrs; Turned 32 Jan 28th) 6-6, 297.
[B]T Samuels, Chris [/B](8 yrs.; Turns 31 July 9th) 6-5, 310.

As I said, solid across the board, and other than Kendall, they have been together for Four (Five (?)) years.

[U]THE TOP BACK-UPS: [/U]

[B]OL Fabini, Jason [/B](10 yrs.; Turns 34 Aug. 25th) 6-7, 309: I was not thrilled with him early on, but warmed up to him as the season wore on. IMO, he gives us solid depth and fresh legs that can step into the rotation as a 6th starter.

[B]OL Wade, Todd [/B](8 yrs.; Turns 32 Oct. 30th) 6-8, 314: Needless to say, the TW as left guard failed. He had a lot of hype going into camp last year but I didn't see much when he played.

[B]T Heyer, Stephon [/B](1 yr.; Turned 24 Jan. 16th) 6-6, 320: Looks like he could be a keeper. Not sure he will be a starter anytime soon, but if he progresses, who knows.

[U]THE ROSTER FILLERS:[/U]

[B]OL Sampson, Kevin [/B](4 yrs.; Turns 27 June 19th) 6-4, 312: (From Scouts Inc.) He played effectively as a fulltime, first year starter this season but then the injury bug hit and he was eventually placed on injured reserve. He also had some issues in 2005, so his overall durability is a concern. He is a tough, blue-collar player that will compete. He is not overly strong, but he will battle inline. He is smart and gives excellent effort. He does need to add some bulk to his frame. He has good height and solid arm length, but he is not very thick in his upper or lower body. He is a little top heavy and that hinders his ability to play with consistent knee bend. He does show good enough athletic ability to play the right offensive tackle position. He can slide and move his feet well laterally. He can maintain contact with an above-average initial punch. He can mirror well after he makes contact. He shows solid foot and hand coordination when sliding with an edge rusher. Most of his limitations are in the area of strength. He does not have very good right offensive tackle bulk. He is not a very physical run blocker at the point of attack. He can make solid initial contact, but he falls off too many of his run blocks and struggles to maintain contact and finish. He is not very explosive in his first few steps. He lacks the upper-body strength to grab and control the defender. He can be a little upright as a run and pass blocker which hinders his power. It also makes him have trouble with power players that can get up underneath his pads. He needs to be stronger with his hands and punch. His upright style in pass pro gives him trouble handling double moves. He does not re-direct consistently versus double moves. Overall he is a young offensive tackle that played well at times this season. He has had issues staying healthy, which is why we have not given him an arrow up as an ascending player even though he has some tools to work with.

[B]OL Geisinger, Justin [/B](3 yrs.; Turns 26 May 24th) 6-3, 322: (From Scouts Inc.) Geisinger only appeared in two games in 2006. He is a depth offensive linemen at this point of his career who would be a liability as a starter. He is very smart and has an excellent understanding of the game. He is capable of playing several offensive line positions, but is at his best at guard. He also is very strong and this is particularly true in his upper body. When he gets his hands on defenders, he is usually able to manhandle them effectively in tight quarters. He is tough, aggressive and plays hard. However, Geisinger is a marginal athlete with noticeable stiffness. He struggles with his lateral agility, isn t real quick or explosive and has a hard time recovering when initially beaten. He isn t much of a factor in space or as a pulling guard. He plays the game too high, which can diminish his weight room strength. As he becomes more accustomed to the league, Geisinger has a chance to become a solid reserve linemen due to his toughness, size and intelligence, but you will not get much more from him.

[B]OL Washington, Tavares [/B](1 yr.; Turned 25 April 20th) 6-3, 320: (Nothing on the guy)

[U]THE NEW MEAT (Please pardon the plagarism):[/U]

[B]G/T Chad Rhinehardt;[/B] (Rookie, 3rd Round Pick) 6' 5", 311-pound, Right Tackle/Guard. Love this pick (Have I said that already?). Smart, versatile mauler with good attitude. Not sure where he will end up on the line, but where ever it is, IMO, he is gonna be a long term starter for us.

[B]G/T Shannon Boatman; [/B](Rookie, OFA) 6-5, 315-pound Right Tackle. He also played some guard for Florida State, so he has some versatility. He started two years and is thought to be a good developmental prospect. Boatman was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 17, but he has been able to keep the disease in check.

[B]G Kerry Brown;[/B] (Rookie, OFA) 6-5, 305-pound guard from Appalachian State. He started four years and was a Division I-AA All-American. He is regarded as a tough, physical lineman who needs to fine-tune his technique.

[B]T Devin Clark[/B] (Rookie, OFA) 6-3, 305-pound offensive right tackle from New Mexico. He is expected to move inside to guard at the pro level, though. He participated in national Olympic-style weightlifting competitions, so he is a strong, stout player. He may have been bypassed in the draft due to recent ankle surgery.

[B]C Kyle DeVan[/B] (Rookie, OFA) 6' 2", 300 lbs. Played mostly center at Oregon State. He was a three-year starter and registered 232 knock-down blocks overall. He stands at 6-2 and 300 pounds.

[U]THE OUTLOOK:[/U]

So, outside of the Starters and Fabini (I think Wade is gone) there is a lot of youth to be developed here. Sampson and Guesinger look like journeymen who make stick around if none of the OFA's make it. Say we keep 9 linemen - the five starters, Heyer, Fabini, Rhinehardt and one or two of the OFA's, throw in Lorenzo Alexander and that's some solid youth being developed.

Going through all this, I feel better about our depth and our youth. Mind you, I am not saying that these young guys are all world beaters and that a line of OFA's is ideal. But, I think we have some good stuff to work with here. Also, unless I am mistaken, there is another draft next year and a mid-round pick or two on a guard or tackle could be made then.

Essentially, we have about six or seven young OFA's and UFA's competing for one or two slots. I can live with that and foresee much practice squadding.