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Leonard Davis best FA available OL?!

Imatexanfan

Imatexanfan

Hall of Fame
Since our season is over and it looks like we have already started the what if post of the offseason. I'll run this up the flag pole and see if anybody salutes it. :yahoo:

We need a better O-line. We drafted 2 in the 3rd round last year. Now most football people say that it takes a year or two for an O-lineman to get ready for the NFL. The 2007 season will be year two for Winston and Spencer. IF we draft another one high in the draft we will have no guarantee that he will catch on quick enough to start. We are not sure if Spencer will be back. Can we really afford to take a chance on another rookie and hope everybody else steps up?! My answer is NO. :shades:

How about we sign Leonard Davis. He has only missed 5 games in 6 years. He is still young at 28. He is massive at 6-6 and 366lbs. He went to UT so that MAJOR requirement is taken care of. He makes good money so that could be a problem, but IF we could add him to our line that might be a real bonus. :ok:

Look guys, Davis is a massive tackle that the Cardinals can’t afford to lose to free agency, but it seems likely that they will.

The Arizona offensive line is already suspect, and losing Davis would be a huge step in the wrong direction, but the team may have to let him go and find a replacement. Davis has shown the ability to simply be a wall of protection for his quarterback and while teams might not line up for the chance to sign him, anyone looking for a tackle will have him high on the list.

And WE, as of WE I mean the Texans of course, should be the first one there, IMO.:yes:
 
I don't care who we sign in FA to upgrade our O-line, as long as we sign someone who is

A) Young
B) Abover-average to good

Which would automatically make him an upgrade over anyone we've had on the line before.
 
I believe that even if the Cardinals lose Leonard Davis to FA, and even if he does lower his salary demands and all of that, I do not see him coming to the Texans. His size leads to the perception (correct or not) that he does not move as well as the smaller linemen that the Zone Blocking System is geared toward. I think, if anything, he will stay put. Either that or go to the Raiders.
 
Imatexanfan said:
Since our season is over and it looks like we have already started the what if post of the offseason. I'll run this up the flag pole and see if anybody salutes it. :yahoo:

We need a better O-line. We drafted 2 in the 3rd round last year. Now most football people say that it takes a year or two for an O-lineman to get ready for the NFL. The 2007 season will be year two for Winston and Spencer. IF we draft another one high in the draft we will have no guarantee that he will catch on quick enough to start. We are not sure if Spencer will be back. Can we really afford to take a chance on another rookie and hope everybody else steps up?! My answer is NO. :shades:

How about we sign Leonard Davis. He has only missed 5 games in 6 years. He is still young at 28. He is massive at 6-6 and 366lbs. He went to UT so that MAJOR requirement is taken care of. He makes good money so that could be a problem, but IF we could add him to our line that might be a real bonus. :ok:

Look guys, Davis is a massive tackle that the Cardinals can’t afford to lose to free agency, but it seems likely that they will.

The Arizona offensive line is already suspect, and losing Davis would be a huge step in the wrong direction, but the team may have to let him go and find a replacement. Davis has shown the ability to simply be a wall of protection for his quarterback and while teams might not line up for the chance to sign him, anyone looking for a tackle will have him high on the list.

And WE, as of WE I mean the Texans of course, should be the first one there, IMO.:yes:
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Leonard Davis is a snail. He would be terrible in our zone blocking scheme. The Bronco's Oline averages at about 305 to 310 pounds.

Yes I know Spencer is huge to 350 or whatever. But he is very athletic Davis is not.
 
Espn's scouting report on Davis. Or atleast the important part of it.

From Espn

He has played guard and is somewhat versatile. But Davis lacks ideal athleticism for the left side and has yet to play up to his potential. He never has been dominant and seems to lack the motor and nasty edge to be truly great. He has chances to finish and simply doesn't. He isn't a great technician. He lacks explosiveness and change-of-direction skills. He can have trouble with double moves and getting depth on seven-step drops
Click to expand...
 
Pitts would be a better LT than Davis, particularly in our system. The only reason the Cardinals might not resign him is he ain't that good--11 penalties and 8 sacks given up last year from the QB's non-blind side. The grass is not always greener.
 
Bubbajwp said:
Leonard Davis is a snail. He would be terrible in our zone blocking scheme. The Bronco's Oline averages at about 305 to 310 pounds.

Yes I know Spencer is huge to 350 or whatever. But he is very athletic Davis is not.
Click to expand...

That's what I heard too! And he's coming from an O-line as bad or worse than the Texans! Remember, they took Milfred Brown from us last year in FA as an upgrade to their guard position.

I've heard Davis is the best LT in FA this year, so that's kind of an indication there ain't much there, at that position, in FA. It's like I've said before in other threads, teams don't let their good LT's get away in FA because they know how valuable they are. So, if you see a LT out there in FA, you gotta ask yourself, what's wrong with this guy that his team isn't trying to resign him? I'll say no thank you to getting Davis. JMHO!
 
If the best you can find in FA offensive linemen is Leonard Davis then that's "the gods" telling you that you should probably just re-sign your own people and then try to improve through the draft.

If you think reaching in the draft is bad try comparing it to reaching in free agency. It's ten times worse because on top of probably failing to get what you need you also overpay for the privilege.

Pass on this guy and don't look back.
 
Ummm... I don't know much about the guy, but I do know the Cardinals Oline SUCKS. And they're going to let him go if he's that good? Sorry, but I'm not buying him.
 
Leonard Davis is a pretty solid mauling OG, not sure why they moved him to LT other than it was a desperate attempt to find someone that could provide some pass protection for their QB and he was their most talented lineman. That said, he isn't a good fit for our system, otherwise I'd look at him. I personally think the Cards should move him back to OG and have a nice big duo with him and Deuce Lutui on their interior line, after they get a real LT (Joe Thomas is a lock for them if he ends up falling to #5) their line should be pretty solid in run blocking. However if the rumors are true that Mike Sherman is headed there, he will likely install some semblance of a zone blocking scheme on offense which could seal Davis' fate there.
 
waht do you guys think about signing that Steinbach guy( I think he's a guard) and moving Pitts back to LT ..IF...Spencer doesnt come back 100%?

I've heard people saying lots of good things about him and IF Spencer comes back healthy enough that could be a pretty good line imo!!!

LT-Spencer...LG-Pitts...C-McKinney...RG-Steinbach...RT-Winston

Thoughts?
 
SLO Texan said:
waht do you guys think about signing that Steinbach guy( I think he's a guard) and moving Pitts back to LT ..IF...Spencer doesnt come back 100%?

I've heard people saying lots of good things about him and IF Spencer comes back healthy enough that could be a pretty good line imo!!!

LT-Spencer...LG-Pitts...C-McKinney...RG-Steinbach...RT-Winston

Thoughts?
Click to expand...

I don't think they have any intention of moving Pitts back to LT, but I think Steinbach would be a pretty good fit for us. I'd also prefer to see Weary at C as opposed to McKinney. Being able to relocate veterans like McKinney, Flanagan, and Weigert to the bench where they can provide solid playing time in an emergency and provide good leadership to the younger guys but keep them off the field and hopefully stay healthy can only make this line better. I wouldn't mind seeing them bring in a more capable backup OT somewhere in there too so we're not forced to play Ephraim Salaam if someone gets hurt, but a late round pick (maybe Brandon Frye from Virginia Tech, although I haven't looked into OT prospects much yet) or a free agent would be nice.
 
Davis's biggest problems are more mental than phsyical.

First off, he is very complacent. Instead of working hard to get better and to improve his weaknesses, he instead relies on his strengths and thinks those will be enough. I'd call him lazy, but that seems too harsh. Instead, I'll use the "lacks motivation" card.

Also, when he makes mistakes, instead of brushing them off, he seems to let it dictate the pace of how he plays for the remainder of the game.

I think it's fitting that the Cardinals, who have probably one of the weakest offensive lines in the NFL, have made no concentrated efforts to even begin negotiations with him.

If I had to pick an OT, I'd take Max Starks over Davis.. That's just me though.
 
leanord davis would be the left tackle equivelent of todd wade and might not even be better than salaam ... along with costing a LOT more than he's worth. if spencer doesnt come back, i'd feel more comfortable with pitts or winston starting at LT than i would with davis. from the few times i've seen him and his reported performance, davis has no legs and is a serious underachiever (and by his weight and what i've read he's lazy & unmotivated). we need to upgrade the offensive line, not throw way too much money at someone who likely wont be better than what we already have. if this is our best option through FA at the tackle position, lets just focus more effort on drafting tackles (which would be ideal anyways).

i dont watch many bengals games so i cant comment directly on steinbach, but i've heard and read nothing but good things about him. he's very versatile and would probably be an upgrade at both guard positions, center, and LT (if spencer doesnt come back). i dont like the shuffling that this signing would cause, but IMO it'd be worth it if we could get a young and talented player solidifying our weakest area on offense. he'd be a building block for our offense and deffinately someone we should persue at (almost) all costs.

when did max starks become available? i doubt that he'd be a good fit here because he's not the most mobile of right tackles, but he's someone i'd put some research into.
 
MorKnolle said:
I don't think they have any intention of moving Pitts back to LT, but I think Steinbach would be a pretty good fit for us. I'd also prefer to see Weary at C as opposed to McKinney. Being able to relocate veterans like McKinney, Flanagan, and Weigert to the bench where they can provide solid playing time in an emergency and provide good leadership to the younger guys but keep them off the field and hopefully stay healthy can only make this line better. I wouldn't mind seeing them bring in a more capable backup OT somewhere in there too so we're not forced to play Ephraim Salaam if someone gets hurt, but a late round pick (maybe Brandon Frye from Virginia Tech, although I haven't looked into OT prospects much yet) or a free agent would be nice.
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Like were you are going with this. I would like to add that if Steinbach is not an option Kris Deilman from the Chargers is. Now I doubt the Chargers or Bengals dont pursue these two very good guards, but if we could bring one of them in it would do alot for the line. I prefer Dielman since he is more accustomed to ZBS, plus he is a RG. I am definately hoping for one impact player on both sides of the ball in FA.
 
Bubbajwp said:
Espn's scouting report on Davis. Or atleast the important part of it.

Quote:
From Espn

He has played guard and is somewhat versatile. But Davis lacks ideal athleticism for the left side and has yet to play up to his potential. He never has been dominant and seems to lack the motor and nasty edge to be truly great. He has chances to finish and simply doesn't. He isn't a great technician. He lacks explosiveness and change-of-direction skills. He can have trouble with double moves and getting depth on seven-step drops
Click to expand...

The rest.

Davis is massive and powerful, and he moves well for his size. He is the league's strongest left tackle. He can engulf defenders and wear down pass-rushing ends in the run game. He is effective in pass protection against power and straight-line rushers. He will set, absorb and latch on. He has remarkably strong hands and uses them well. Once he latches on, in the run game or pass protection, it's over. He rarely gets walked back in pass pro. He has an effective short set and will use his long arms to force defenders wide. He has played guard and is somewhat versatile.
Click to expand...
 
Bubbajwp said:
Leonard Davis is a snail. He would be terrible in our zone blocking scheme. The Bronco's Oline averages at about 305 to 310 pounds.

Yes I know Spencer is huge to 350 or whatever. But he is very athletic Davis is not.
Click to expand...

I think he moves pretty well considering his size, but ya he does not move like Spencer, if he lost some wieght, I think that would do him wonders. I played at 315, then dropped to 290 and that made a world of difference.
 
The Cards have largely considered Davis a disappointment. His best position so far has been that of LG, according to some Cardinal fans I talk to. He's been atrocious at tackle most of the time. As an added bonus, he has more false starts since 2002 than Chester Pitts - a pretty high number.

Think about this - if Davis is not available in free agency, then some other tackle will have the moniker "best tackle in free agency" placed upon them. Do we then start chasing that guy?

PS - from what I understand, the whole "played at UT" thing is not really a good thing when it comes to offensive linemen. Most of them have underachieved at the NFL level. This is just something I've heard, so anyone with concrete evidence to confirm or refute, please provide. Thanks. Edit To Add - OK, since 1995, five Texas OT's have been drafted. They are, in descending order: Jon Scott, Mike Williams, Leonard Davis, Jay Humphrey, and Blake Brockermeyer. Brockermeyer had a decent career.
 
Johnny Utah said:
The rest.
Click to expand...

From Espn

He has played guard and is somewhat versatile. But Davis lacks ideal athleticism for the left side and has yet to play up to his potential. He never has been dominant and seems to lack the motor and nasty edge to be truly great. He has chances to finish and simply doesn't. He isn't a great technician. He lacks explosiveness and change-of-direction skills. He can have trouble with double moves and getting depth on seven-step drops
Click to expand...
Like I said the important part.
 
Johnny Utah said:
The rest.
Click to expand...

Davis is massive and powerful, and he moves well for his size. He is the league's strongest left tackle. He can engulf defenders and wear down pass-rushing ends in the run game. He is effective in pass protection against power and straight-line rushers. He will set, absorb and latch on. He has remarkably strong hands and uses them well. Once he latches on, in the run game or pass protection, it's over. He rarely gets walked back in pass pro. He has an effective short set and will use his long arms to force defenders wide. He has played guard and is somewhat versatile.
Click to expand...
It says moves well for his size. Not his position. It also doesnt say he moves well. The key here is For His Size.
 
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