Yes zombie, the OL was a strength under Sherman, although it should be noted that all five starters were holdovers from the Ron Wolf era. All Sherman did was hang onto them. When Thompson came along, at least two of those players (Rivera and Flanagan) were getting past their primes, and Wahle was demanding an enormous contract.
Unfortunately, Thompson has not done a good job of replacing any of those guys, and what's compounded the problem this year is that Clifton and Tauscher appear to be in decline. I also have to wonder if part of the problem is the coaching. We've got some mid to high round picks who are not meeting expectations. I'm becoming soured on the zone blocking scheme. I wonder if our chance of success with that scheme pretty much went out the window when Jeff Jagodzinski got hired away by Boston College. He was the guy who had learned that scheme directly from the master, Alex Gibbs, when they were both in Atlanta.
A note on Tauscher: My sister hears some of the gossip around Green Bay, and she said that Tauscher is still a party boy. It just might be that he is now getting to the age where he can no longer get by on natural talent, and his lifestyle may be catching up to him. Players who are effective into their 30's almost always are in great physical shape. Take a good look at Tauscher. Whether or not the party thing is true, you have to admit that he is in lousy shape. With a physique like that, the odds are heavily against you being effective into your 30s.