Right Tackle

[Southpaw]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

Wow, talk about exaggeration. Jansen has NEVER made the pro bowl. He's a decent RT. He gets overrated when it comes to talent because he's such a stand-up guy. But he's no all-star.

Wade stepped in last year during the Giants and the Saints games and the offense didn't miss a beat. His pass protection was phenomenal, facing some serious pass rushers in Strahan and Will Smith/Charles Grant in those games.

A healthy Wade is no downgrade from Jon Jansen. If Wade can't play with that shoulder, then you've got no choice but to go to Heyer. But on Sunday, Heyer showed that he plays too high and too often gets pushed back into the QB on a bull-rush. Do you feel comfortable with him facing Jevon Kearse & Darren Howard without TE help? If so, you don't know much about line play. Heyer has adequate footwork to stay in front of defenders well enough, but he doesn't keep himself low enough to prevent the bull rush. He hasn't proven he can hold up against a bull rush, and the team felt that they needed to use Cooley to help him on Saturday.

Wade has proven he can stand up to solid pass rushers; he did so last year. Unless you want Cooley to finish with numbers circa Brandon Lloyd in 2006, they you need to go with Wade. I just can't understand why people would say Heyer is the choice.

I thought Jansen had made a Pro Bowl, but apparently not. I retract that comment, but as far as everything else I said, I stand by it.

Jansen is at the very least, above average. If Wade was on par with Jansen as far as ability, he'd be starting somewhere. And suggesting that the only reason Jansen is highly regarded is because he's a "stand-up guy" is a little ridiculous. If Gibbs and Bugel actually thought that Wade was a better tackle than Jansen, Wade would've been the opening day starter, but instead, he wasn't even on the active roster. I don't understand why some people feel they're better talent evaluators than the coaches...

As far as Heyer, his performace was very strong for a true rookie. Blocking too high is a fixable problem. And he did happen to be blocking arguably the best defensive end in the league, so I'm willing to cut him a little slack on his technique. And I never said that Heyer should be the starter. I actually think that Wade should be the starter against Philly, but I won't be surprised if Heyer gets a bit of playing time. Coach Gibbs didn't immediately name Wade the starter against Philly, so at the very least, he was considering Heyer.