Quality left tackle won't be easy for Green Bay Packers to find
With Clifton on decline, Lang may step in; draft, free agency other options
By Tom Pelissero tpelisse@greenbaypressgazette.com October 24, 2009
If it were Chad Cliftons choice, hed probably be a Green Bay Packer in 2010 and a couple of years beyond, finishing his career in the same place hes been a starter the past decade.
But there will come a time perhaps as soon as March, when Clifton is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent the Packers will have to move on at one of the games most important positions. Considering Cliftons age (33) and extensive injury history, as well as Packers General Manager Ted Thompsons youth-first philosophy, that time probably is coming sooner than later.
So, how will the Packers fill the void at left tackle for the future?
Theyll get a look at one option Sunday afternoon in Cleveland, where rookie T.J. Lang is expected to make his first NFL start because of Cliftons recurring ankle injury.
Then, theres the start of free agency in March, the draft in May and, depending on Cliftons status, perhaps another training-camp competition in August.
For what the Packers will be looking is one of the rarest commodities in football: a consistent, athletic, dominating big man to guard the quarterbacks blind side, as Clifton has done well for much of his 10-year tenure in Green Bay.
Youre looking for a premium athlete at that left tackle spot, Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin said this week. If youre doing draft work and youre evaluating 45 linemen coming out, youre looking for the cream of the crop, in terms of balance, quickness out of the stance, length. You want to see a guy that can really stay on his feet, whether it be run or pass.
Some of the great linemen that you see and Ive been around, they can almost leave the game and their pants arent even dirty. Thats not a bad thing sometimes, because theyre playing the game on their feet and upright, and that doesnt mean theyre not run-blocking guys it just means theyre not flailing around out there in space. But thats the premier position on the offensive line, so youre looking at a lot of good physical attributes.
The combination of which can prove extremely hard to find.
Core position
Many scouts consider left tackle a core position not only on offense, but on a team as a whole, because that player must hold his own against one of the opponents best athletes week-in and week-out.
In most cases, you draw the defenses best rusher, Packers offensive line coach James Campen said. Certainly, you just have to be so fundamentally sound.
Look at a list of NFL sack leaders in recent years, and nearly everyone either is a 3-4 right outside linebacker the position played by this years early leader, Denvers Elvis Dumervil (10), and last years, Dallas DeMarcus Ware (20) and Miamis Joey Porter (18) or a 4-3 right end such as Minnesotas Jared Allen, Indianapolis Dwight Freeney or Carolinas Julius Peppers.
Teams try to counter a threat with a threat, so the left tackle must be athletic enough to set against those players in pass protection and strong enough at the point of attack to both anchor and generate movement in the run game. He also must fit the physical description perhaps most important, the arm length (preferably 34 inches or more) to excel in pass protection and be tough enough mentally to excel on an island.
Its obviously severely critical, said longtime NFL executive Michael Lombardi, now a columnist for nationalfootballpost.com.
If you dont get one in the first round, theyre always tough to find in later rounds. Theyre hard to find as free agents. Typically, youve got to draft them early.
Eight NFL teams Atlanta (Sam Baker), Baltimore (Michael Oher), Cleveland (Joe Thomas), Denver (Ryan Clady), Houston (Duane Brown), Jacksonville (Eugene Monroe), Kansas City (Branden Albert) and Miami (Jake Long) have gotten their left tackles via first-round picks in the past three drafts.
Six others Carolina (Jordan Gross), the New York Giants (Dave Diehl), Philadelphia (Jason Peters), Pittsburgh (Max Starks), San Francisco (Joe Staley) and Tennessee (Michael Roos) have re-signed theirs to big-money contract extensions in the past 18 months.
Some are locked into large contracts with players in their 30s (Dallas Flozell Adams, Detroits Jeff Backus, Minnesotas Bryant McKinnie, Seattles Walter Jones, Washingtons Chris Samuels) or trying to fit a high-priced guard to the edge (Cincinnatis Andrew Whitworth).
Others are in much the same position as the Packers, with questions about injuries, inconsistency, age and unproven young players looming large.
Filling the void
In an interview last week with the Press-Gazette, one NFL personnel director rated Tampa Bays Donald Penn and San Diegos Marcus McNeill as by far the best among five starting left tackles coming up on their second contracts, though its probably a long shot either will hit the open market in March.
Almost any team with a franchise-type left tackle either works out a multi-year deal in advance of free agency or, failing that, uses the franchise tag, which for offensive linemen this year was $8.451 million.
Penn, 26, wasnt even drafted out of Utah State in 2006 and failed to make the Minnesota Vikings roster that summer. On the smaller side at 6-foot-5 and 305, Penn didnt play at all as a rookie after Tampa Bay signed him off the Vikings practice squad, but he became a starter in Week 5 of 2007 and hasnt missed a start since. The Buccaneers gave him the high restricted tender of $2.792 million on a one-year contract deal this past offseason.
Hes really played well, said Lombardi, who mentioned Penn first when asked about the best left tackles in the NFL.
Hes got long arms. Hes athletic. Hes played on a bad team, but I think hes really good.
McNeill, 25, is a 6-foot-7, 336-pound behemoth who fell to the second round (50th overall) of the 2006 draft in part because of concerns about his injury history. But hes been durable with the Chargers, missing only two of 53 possible starts in four seasons, and has been a Pro Bowl alternate each of the past three seasons.
Fifth-year veterans Jammal Brown of New Orleans and Alex Barron of St. Louis also are experienced starters, but there are red flags on both.
Brown, 28, wont play at all this season after undergoing sports hernia surgery in August and hip surgery in September. Though he was the Saints best lineman before the injury, it would take a lot of faith to invest any sort of significant money in a 313-pound man coming off two such surgeries. Hes perhaps most likely to reach free agency, because third-year pro Jermon Bushrod is playing well in his place.
Barron, 27, has been durable but hasnt performed consistently at left tackle, leaving some thinking hes a better fit on the right side, if anywhere.
A fifth current starter, Indianapolis Charlie Johnson, 25, hasnt allowed a sack this season but seems somewhat miscast at tackle and might be better suited for the long term at guard.
Its possible none of the five even will have the ability to become unrestricted free agents, because if a new collective-bargaining agreement isnt struck before the new league year begins, players would need six seasons to become unrestricted instead of four.
That would leave McNeill, Penn, Brown, Barron and Johnson as restricted free agents assuming their old teams dont re-sign them first and put Clifton, injuries and all, as probably the best option available on the open market.
The only other starting left tackle scheduled for free agency is Arizona veteran Mike Gandy, 30.
Reality check
All of which could be moot for the Packers if Lang plays well in Cliftons place and Packers General Manager Ted Thompson sticks with his philosophy of developing starters rather than buying them.
The rookie played 20 snaps Oct. 5 at Minnesota and 19 snaps in last weeks win against Detroit and performed well, save for allowing one sack to Allen when he overplayed a fake stunt. Though the vast majority of current starting left tackles were first- or second-round picks 23 of 32 on current depth charts, plus several others who are injured the success of Starks (third round), Gandy (third), Diehl (fifth) and Penn shows its possible to find a gem in later rounds or rookie free agency.
He seems to be a pretty steady guy, Philbin said of Lang, a fourth-round pick (109th overall) out of Eastern Michigan who also worked at right tackle and both guard spots in training camp.
You dont see him getting real up, real down he kind of keeps working. Youre impressed with that. Hes got good feet, good balance. He has some depth on his set, which I think is a positive, and hes battled. Hes battled well when hes played in the ballgames. Hes got a good work ethic, hard-working guy. Hes making progress.
If Lang doesnt sell himself, then perhaps the best option is dipping back into the draft and with higher picks than usual by Thompson, who has used no first-round picks and only one second-rounder (in 2006 on left guard Daryn Colledge, who struggled in two starts at left tackle this season) in five drafts with the Packers.
The early word on the 2010 class is it may be light on tackles, with only Oklahoma States Russell Okung and Oklahomas Trent Williams considered surefire first-round picks at college footballs midway point.
Okung (6-foot-8, 299 pounds) is an all-Big 12 performer on the left side, while Williams (6-5, 306) played his first three college seasons at right tackle and might be a better fit there as a pro. Converted tight end Charles Brown (6-5, 285) of Southern California is considered another rising player, and several other left tackles including Iowas Bryan Bulaga, LSUs Ciron Black, Abilene Christians Tony Washington and Miamis Jason Fox could shoot up draft boards in the coming months.
Its also too soon to count out Clifton, who felt rejuvenated in camp after undergoing arthroscopic surgery to clean out both knees and shoulders. Hes playing lighter (a little under 320 pounds) than in recent years, hoping extend his career by easing the strain on his knees, and is only two years removed from his 2007 Pro Bowl season.
But Clifton sprained an ankle Sept. 20 against Cincinnati, missed two games and then reinjured the ankle last week against Detroit, a game in which he also was flagged for four penalties. Tack that on to a 2008 season in which he had team highs in sacks allowed (7) and penalties (nine) while battling knee, shoulder, hamstring and thumb trouble, and it wouldnt be a stretch to question how much he has left.
The question is, how soon can the Packers find a reliable alternative?
Im sure theyre going to try to find a way to get a young guy in there at some point, Lombardi said. But unfortunately, its never easy.