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Bill Polian on Sirius NFL Radio RE: Offensive Lineman

jlukes : 4/8/2013 10:56 am
Polian and Tucker were discussing offensive lineman this morning and it was really an interesting conversation.

Polian stated that you can't just rely on scouting reports for offensive lineman to determine value - you have to evaluate the evaluater. For instance, he said that because the Colts offense was centered around Peyton Manning, he based his olineman evaluations on pass blocking being wieghed much more heavily than run blocking.

Polian stated that in today's NFL, he did not understand why any team would take an interior offensive lineman in the Top 20 picks.
anoter tid bit he mentioned is he hated being active in  
jlukes : 4/8/2013 11:17 am : link
free agency because the agents set the market early. He liked waiting until a week or two free agency started before looking at signing players.
Lukes  
Lionhart28 : 4/8/2013 11:18 am : link
I heard that this morning as well. It's a great argument and point. Historically, the Giants have also evaluated this way. I think the only way we take a Warmack/Cooper is if they are hands down the best player on the board. I don't think you take the 4th best pass rusher who you see as maybe a starter in a few years over a guy at a "less important position" who you view as a perrenial probowler.
I agree  
StrahantoHOF : 4/8/2013 11:25 am : link
I agree with Polian on that... I'm not taking a Guard in the top 20 unless my team is set in most of the important areas
A OG is a luxury pick IMO
Giants need to get a starting caliber guard  
Lionhart28 : 4/8/2013 11:29 am : link
out of this draft. The entire middle of the OL is over 30 and don't get me started on Snee and Baas' contracts.
It's funny, I heard a contradictory point of vie  
barens : 4/8/2013 11:41 am : link
From Scott Pioli on Sirius a couple of weeks ago. He said he was in the process of doing a research report while with the chiefs, that tracked how the top teams in the NFL had put a premium on their guards. The Giants with Snee, the Pats with Mankins, NO had 2 excellent guards...and how he thinks the NFL is trending that way.
If DTs are important to the defense --  
Pete in VA : 4/8/2013 11:45 am : link
stopping the run, pushing the pocket etc. -- there's no reason why OGs shouldn't be just as important to the defense.From what I've read and seen, Warmack and Cooper really are exceptional.
Correction  
Pete in VA : 4/8/2013 11:46 am : link
* no reason why OGs shouldn't be just as important to the offense*
think 99% of the time that's the right call  
ghost718 : 4/8/2013 11:47 am : link
but Jonathan Cooper might be in the 1 percent.

A few weeks ago Polian made another good point about the draft.It was about value and how so called draft experts grade the picks.I believe the example he used was Pat Angerer.He took him a little earlier than expected and some of the draft guys were in an uproar.Saying it was not good value at the time.Polian's argument was he might not be there if he had waited another round to take him,and he didn't feel comfortable taking that chance.

Whenever people go back and look at drafts.Never do you hear "Man,that was a good pick,but not the best value". It's always very simple,was either good or bad.
I think if you have a pocket passer  
English Alaister : 4/8/2013 12:03 pm : link
then your OGs are pretty important as you want him to be able to step forward into the throw.

If your QB is Russell Wilson and he can't see over the LoS whatever you do and 40% of his throws happen on the move then yeah, I take the point.
when you're a team that struggles in the red zone  
GIANTSr01 : 4/8/2013 12:05 pm : link
taking a guard in the middle of the first that can help move the pile makes sense too
EA makes the point re Eli...  
bob in tx : 4/8/2013 12:12 pm : link
think back to NYG games when teams get a strong push up the middle and Eli is forced to roll out, as opposed to by design. I think a very strong interior OL for a pocket passer is critical.
Peter in Va  
rvwnk : 4/8/2013 12:23 pm : link
Peter,

Lets look at the fantastic job Sean Locklear did shoring up our offensive line. How likely would it be for us to pick up a free agent defensive lineman of similar age and similar track record, who could deliver similar value to the Giants at defensive lineman as Sean Locklear did for the offensive line.

The offensive line is mainly about protecting the quarterback on the pass while occasionally opening holes on running plays. If your opponent doesn't sack Eli, you are mainly doing your job.

Defensive lineman have more opportunities to distinguish themselves. Helping close the pocket, and making a couple of extra tackles has a huge effect. The differences between top defensive lineman and average defensive lineman is easier to see, because instead of mainly protecting the quarterback, they are out there aggressively trying to make plays.
There is a huge difference  
Lionhart28 : 4/8/2013 12:44 pm : link
as an OL between not giving up a sack and doing a good job. Making a qb uncomfortable and throw before he is ready or off-balance (which we saw a lot) is the goal of a pass rush, not just getting sacks but making the passer uncomfortable. Eli is great at getting rid of the ball but we need to invest in the guys who protect the single most important player in the franchise.
Actually in this case both sides are right  
Semipro Lineman : 4/8/2013 1:03 pm : link
I have always railed against the idea that you should use a 1st to draft an defensive tackle but not to draft the guy blocking him. In order to get the most value out of your skillmakers you need to have a good line.

But, there are always excellent guard prospects available in the second round. So I wouldn't grab a first round guard unless I was convinced he was special enough to be a bigger different maker than the other guys available. (I know I keep harping on that point.)
Guards  
stretch234 : 4/8/2013 3:42 pm : link
Snee was a 2nd rd pick, Mankins was the last pick in the 1st round and NO 2 all pro guards were 4th & 5th rd draft picks.

The league has drafted 1 G in the last 12 years higher than 18th. The league has not changed their evaluation on G
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