OL on thin ice .

[Honoring Earl 34]

I think the next time we can't convert on a 3rd and short , it's time for White or Studdard to play .

I'm thinking in a battle of wills , our guards may lack in that area .

I think Mike F left his best years in Green Bay .

I am almost of the mindset , actually I've always have been ... there still is some weeds in the garden . Meaning there's only a few players from that 2-14 team I'd keep .

Any ideas on this or Dayne is just slow as molasses in the south pole and can't hit the hole .

[eriadoc]

Dayne is an elephant who thinks he's a gazelle.

Center is a problem, and left tackle could be shored up. The other three spots are not bad. Unfortunately, it only takes one player to make the entire unit look bad.

The O-line definitely has a bulk of the blame for not being able to pick up that short yardage when we need it...

At the same time, Having Dayne back there didn't help...

[threetoedpete]

Originally Posted by Honoring Earl 34

I think the next time we can't convert on a 3rd and short , it's time for White or Studdard to play .

I'm thinking in a battle of wills , our guards may lack in that area .

I think Mike F left his best years in Green Bay .

I am almost of the mindset , actually I've always have been ... there still is some weeds in the garden . Meaning there's only a few players from that 2-14 team I'd keep .

Any ideas on this or Dayne is just slow as molasses in the south pole and can't hit the hole .

Well I've beat on him prety good this week. If it's rust, ok. But we just might be getting close to the Petey zone with our centers. They don't like playing rookies as a rule. If we see White, it's prety bad.

[Vinny]

Dayne is a marginal back who is barely in the league and not fit to start....other than needing Green to come back and needing a nasty center with a mean streak, this offense is good enough to win their share of battles. The other guys get paid to win too.....you win some, you lose some....but it's hard to win your battles when you are missing all your skill guys and you roll into the game with a washed up Center.

[infantrycak]

Originally Posted by threetoedpete

They don't like playing rookies as a rule. If we see White, it's prety bad.

This is White's 2nd year.

Dayne is living proof of bigger doesn't mean better at short yardage. At three different clubs now (with three different OL's) he has failed to demonstrate any knack for short yardage or goal line situations.

[threetoedpete]

or Studdard to play

Ooops my bad.

[Double Barrel]

Originally Posted by real

The O-line definitely has a bulk of the blame for not being able to pick up that short yardage when we need it...

At the same time, Having Dayne back there didn't help...

Word. Even Winston said after last game that not converting 3rd and short is on the offensive line.

I think we'd have more luck just letting Schaub throw for it in these situations. At least give him the chance half of the time. It can't be worse than what we saw last week - three and out way too often.

[michaelm]

Originally Posted by threetoedpete

They don't like playing rookies as a rule.

Did you get this inside scoop from Mario, DeMeco, OD, Spencer, Winston and Wali Lundy last year, or Amobi and JJ this year???
And if your answer is that those guys played out of necessity, well... answer the door, necessity's knocking...

[badboy]

How have Mike Sherman's guys done so far (former Packer players)?

[Goldensilence]

Might be time to look at if it's third and short .....pass for the first down. You'd ideally like to run to be able to get those but it's looking like right now our running game isn't where it needs to be. Schaub is looking more and more like the right decision at QB for now and the future might as well let him engineer a way to get those critical third and shorts...if it means passing fine. I really could care less just those third and shorts are not things that should be consistently stalling drives.

[Honoring Earl 34]

I see a problem in situations that win games ( 3rd and 1 yd ) . These are things good teams do .

My hunch is Chester is a wishy washy player . Am I crazy or did he not block anyone on that screen .... I think he was the lead blocker .

In my mind , this is a problem that's been going on for awhile . It's a talent vs production thing that'll kill you if you hang on ( I did'nt mention Carr ) .

[Runner]

Originally Posted by Vinny

but it's hard to win your battles when you are missing all your skill guys and you roll into the game with a washed up Center.

True - I don't think this is all on the players. The coaches, who have made some astute personnel moves, have also made some questionable ones. Entering the season with (arguably) one NFL caliber player at center and running back is one of the latter.

[Rex King]

I disagree on this one. How would any team do if they had the injuries we did? Say the Colts lost Addai, Wayne, and Harrison? Or the Titans lost Brown and whatever scrub receivers they've got there now? Do you have any confidence in Lendale White or Chris Henry?

We had a lot of holes to fill. There were only two running backs worth taking in the draft. Besides AP and Marshawn Lynch, none of the others have close to 100 yards rushing total thus far. So Okoye or Lynch? I think it's a no-brainer. In free agency, Ahman Green was the consensus top RB. It wouldn't make sense to blow their wad on two free agent RBs. Last, street free agents? No viable veteran options. They did pick up the consensus top UDFA RB. Perhaps keeping Dayne over another back wasn't the best decision, but he was very productive at the end of the season running behind McKinney and Leach. But I suspect that if Chris Taylor hadn't gone down, he would have become the no. 2 back. Perhaps they could have traded for a back, but again we still need more draft picks, not less.

Flanagan is clearly on the down side of his career, but he's still serviceable. And that's what most back-ups are. They also pointedly kept Chris White on the roster as a project guy.

I'm not sure what else they could have done in those two departments with a limited cap and no extra draft picks to play with.

[infantrycak]

Originally Posted by Rex King

In free agency, Ahman Green was the consensus top RB. It wouldn't make sense to blow their wad on two free agent RBs. Last, street free agents? No viable veteran options. They did pick up the consensus top UDFA RB.

I like the Green pick-up but can't agree here. Travis Henry was available (yes you have to consider his recent situation)--but he was younger and stellar last year, Thomas Jones for a song, Chris Brown for a song. There were other options--of course at the time they were probably thinking Chris Taylor would be the #2 and Gado off the team, but that has to be chalked up to bad luck. It would have made great sense to bring in Green and then Brown.

[Vinny]

Originally Posted by infantrycak

I like the Green pick-up but can't agree here. Travis Henry was available (yes you have to consider his recent situation)--but he was younger and stellar last year, Thomas Jones for a song, Chris Brown for a song. There were other options--of course at the time they were probably thinking Chris Taylor would be the #2 and Gado off the team, but that has to be chalked up to bad luck. It would have made great sense to bring in Green and then Brown.

just to correlate a bit....look what the Pats did with their WR problem....they didn't just fix it, they made sure they didn't get caught like we did with our backs....some people questioned their wisdom about signing so many WR's but hell, look at their passing game now.

[nunusguy]

Didn't the Pats flip a pass to Vrabel in the EZ the other night vs. Cinci when they couldn't run it in after a couple of shots from inside the 5 ?
Unless Kubiak is set on emulating Woody Hayes, why doesnt he get off of this "3 yards and a cloud of dust" mentality ? He's suppose to be an offensive guru, remember ? We've got TEs with good hands, a FB who can run or catch the ball, etc. C'mon Kubiak, use your offensive-oriented head you're being paid for instead of trying to make some kind of statement about being stubborn.

[Vinny]

Originally Posted by nunusguy

Didn't the Pats flip a pass to Vrabel in the EZ the other night vs. Cinci when they couldn't run it in after a couple of shots from inside the 5 ?
Unless Kubiak is set on emulating Woody Hayes, why doesnt he get off of this "3 yards and a cloud of dust" mentality ? He's suppose to be an offensive guru, remember ? We've got TEs with good hands, a FB who can run or catch the ball, etc. C'mon Kubiak, use your offensive-oriented head you're being paid for instead of trying to make some kind of statement about being stubborn.

He's had Schaub throw to the TE and the FB earlier for TD's in the early part of this season....just because we couldn't run the ball in once he is all of a sudden trying to be stubborn?

[Rex King]

Originally Posted by infantrycak

I like the Green pick-up but can't agree here. Travis Henry was available (yes you have to consider his recent situation)--but he was younger and stellar last year, Thomas Jones for a song, Chris Brown for a song. There were other options--of course at the time they were probably thinking Chris Taylor would be the #2 and Gado off the team, but that has to be chalked up to bad luck. It would have made great sense to bring in Green and then Brown.

Okay, I admit I didn't know the contract situation of Jones. But all those guys you mentioned are starting - Henry and Jones went to situations where there was a clear void at RB, just as Green did. I have some doubt they would have signed with us with Green already on board (or vice versa). I also didn't rate Brown very much, though he's doing great this year. Their stringent policy on character possibly precluded them from considering Henry.

[nunusguy]

Originally Posted by Vinny

He's had Schaub throw to the TE and the FB earlier for TD's in the early part of this season....just because we couldn't run the ball in once he is all of a sudden trying to be stubborn?

Wasn't it our first offensive series of the game when he ran Dayne up the middle 3 straight times and had to punt ? Why do we want to try that strategy again from around the 5 ? It seems to be real obvious by then.
Kubiak seems to be fond of saying you should be able to get a yard in this league when you need it, or something along those lines. I say you do what you have to do from around the 5 to get into the EZ, whatever that is.