Sitton is sure.
Every other OL player on the roster has questions. Some won't evolve/develop/come back and some might. I wish I could be optimistic. But I can't.
Oh, a couple will probably be sufficient to the team's needs and anchor two other positions; some of the existing "potential" will be realized. But whether it is center, the other guard, and/or tackles, there are going to be a couple starters who are going to be weak/mediocre, and the depth is going to be weak/mediocre pretty much across the board.one of the other four positions. I simply don't think the current roster has enough for the problems to be solved.
There are more problems on defense -- the offensive side problems are only on the line whereas the defense has problems in line, at linebacker, and in the backfield. But there were substantial issues on the offensive line at the end of the season last year, and there are substantial issues on the offensive line now. I think that confidence that the current roster is going to improve its performance enough is misplaced confidence.
Back in the days when I used to rant about Colledge,Spitz, Moll, et al, we had one player of serious quality (Tausch) and one player whose best years were behind him (Clifton), and a lot of potential and a lot of expected development/growth/return from injuries. Now we have one stud (Sitton), players that provide some small grounds for optimism (Lang, Dietrich-Smith, Bulaga returning) and a lot of unproven pro "potential" (Sherrod, Baktiari, Tretter).
Free agency and trades for stud OL is simply not going to happen under TT. And now, clearly, there are multiple big needs on defense (DT, ILB, SS/FS, OLB/DE) that are likely to dominate the high draft picks. So we're looking at, what, at most, late-round draft picks?
I don't see how anyone can be surprised that Rodgers went down for multiple games this year. Given the performance, so far, of OL personnel not named Sitton, I think it will be luck if it doesn't happen again.
A solitary ace can draw or bluff on the river to a winning hand from time to time. But most of the time you're just going to be relegated to ranting about the unfairness of the game (the equivalent of "injuries") or complaining about the dealer ("bad calls by the ref") as you go home again. Broke. Again. Because mostly you're playing a hand that should have been folded on the flop or earlier.
OL-wise, the Packers enter this off-season the way they have entered every offseason since Ted Thompson and Mike McCarthy came to town. Whether because of hubris, skills decline, or salary cap hell, pick whatever reason you want -- 2005 and 2006 found the Packers without Wahle, Rivera, and Flanagan, and watching. They needed a lot better OL performance than was on likely with the current roster then....and they still need it now.
So for me, in the end, it doesn't much matter which five you pencil in as starters or where. I don't think the current OL roster has enough to get the level of performance that a championship contender needs.
Bleh. Thinking about the Packer's likely OL in 2014 is just to depressing. Might as well go back to work.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:2 (NKJV)