Maybe it's the coaching? We've had a number of talented-enough players drafted at those positions. You look at a line like NE who gets it done in dominant fashion with overachieving players and wonder why we can't.
Look at the sacks we allowed last year, and the yards Grant put up. The Giants D-line dominated everyone throughout the postseason. There really wasn't proof to suggest that we would struggle as much as we have this year. This is definitely a hindsight article.
"pack93z" wrote:
Hindsight is all we have at this point correct? We can only look at the production of this line in total.. even last year when we were effect running the ball.. one week up and one week down..
I have said it once I have said it a hundred times, the problem is really two fold.. we are taking college tackles and TE and trying to make them learn to play low and become a guard. Two, we haven't seen the development of talent across the line.. Coston should have been a player by this time.. he had the tools.. as well as Spitz.. but they aren't progressing as they should.. that points to coaching in my book.
Albeit, people bang on the scheme, which we run a hybrid of a cross between drive blocking and zone in the running game, and in the zone to be effective you have to stop the movement of the defender to allow the running lanes to form.. without cutting and being undersized.. that is a difficult task.
I personally hate the cut block.. as a defender you hate guys hitting around the knees and alot of times you have extreme stress on your legs in the first place.. cutting leads to injuries, and I am not in favor of it.
So, in the end, I agree that our modified version of a run scheme isn't effective with smaller lineman.. they just aren't stout enough to pull it off, then playing high without optimal leverage isn't helping either.
Campen nor Fontenot have ever ran the zone.. they are old school drive blockers.. but even there something is amiss.. these lineman are playing technique sound ball.
In the end.. it has to be one of the biggest priorities again this offseason.. time to "get our house clean" along the offensive front.
I will give this line this credit.. more so than not over the past three years, they have been an above average line in pass protection in general.. but there is more to football than passing the ball.
Defenses aren't respecting our run game and can feel comfortable in sending extra people crashing on most downs.. we are making their job easier..
"MassPackersFan" wrote: