For 1 more season
let's see if the injuries did affect his development before we make any rash moves.....
look at how they changed how we view JMS-he ain't been the same since the tush push
kinda sad huh-we cant even get the tush push right
sheeeeesh
RE: RE: Well Schoen's GM career may hedge on what he does this off season
Writting Neal off wrote Thomas off. The same dumb asses who now think Thomas and Dez are all pro level guys who then say DG was the worst GM ever. This place has more Alzheimer's patients than a rest home
When they are right they post on it all the time and always leave all their busshit posts which were wrong conveniently forgotten.
Neal getting hurt two years in a row bothers me. Maybe he is a G. Maybe he's it even an NFL starter. One thing for sure. The quick to jump on the guys sucks crowd here is alive and well
Like to read your observations but the Thomas comparison as a comparable career trajectory simply doesn’t hold up. It’s time to try guard Probably next to Thomas . If he turns out to be a great guard , that’s a win for Schoen. Zack Martin makes his presence felt for the Cowboys .
And maybe a new OC in 2024 too, so it’s hard to tell.
To my untrained eye, it appears Neal’s feet / foot movement is too slow to play tackle at the NFL level. In my view, he will either become a serviceable guard for the Giants or will become an NFL journeyman, bouncing from team to team after the Giants don’t pick up his 5th year option and he leaves via free agency.
+1
+2
We absolutely need to get a veteran RT in free agency and draft an OT and OG.
Maybe a C/G type too.
I’d also be in favor of changing the coach.
Way to many young lineman who have not progressed.
Lets get a new O-Line coach, draft a tackle and see what happens
We saw Tyre Phillips improve after a few months under a different O-line coach in Philly. Let's get a new O-line coach. Let's draft a tackle. Neal will be given a chance to compete for the job next year regardless of what any of us think. Guys with his size and speed are not easy to come by. It's too soon to give up on him. If he becomes our swing tackle or if we convert him to Guard then so be it. We have 4 picks in the first 3 rounds coming up. They need to be QB, OT, OG, Edge in an order similar to that.
That's the best way for him to stay in the league. Move him to the left side to play between AT and JMS. Give him a new OL Coach and away we go.
He might still be able to succeed at RT, but based on what we've seen it's best to put him inside and let him do his thing there. He's a powerful guy that gets put on skates too often at RT. It's become embarrassing actually. Reddick from the Eagles embarrassed him in the playoffs. He'll do so again if they matchup in Philly in about 4.5 weeks. Let him play RT for the rest of this season, but after that, no mas.
+1
Don’t love the idea of Thomas babysitting Neal over on the left side.
From the beginning I thought his issues were just bad coaching, that he was playing too much in his head and not reacting quickly.
But his footwork is really bad. Maybe that's because he has been injured since he started here.
But if injuries aren't the reason for his bad footwork, I am concerned that they assume he can just start at OG and be productive. OGs have to be nimble too.
Think it could depend on how the draft and FA plays out..
We clearly need to improve on the line but things can’t be forced. If we end adding a good guard he could stay at tackle. If we add a good tackle then maybe he kicks in to guard.
The bottom line is we need to improve. You can hide a subpar linemen, even a tackle. What you can’t do is hide several
Neal has played like crap, but there are other OLs on this team, including those who are starting right now, who are playing just as poorly.
Giants fans oddly seem to be piling on Neal but not the other culprits. I suspect it's because of his draft standing.
I would take issue with comparing Neal to the other poor performers on the line. I have been paying close attention and Neal is a turn style at the right corner, it doesn't help that he's a high first round pick because they will be reluctant to pull the plug on him (Remember Erik Flowers).
RE: RE: Well Schoen's GM career may hedge on what he does this off season
He is going to be the RT next year. This guy for an entire year was considered in a group of players being the No 1 overall pick when he came out
The problem is his bad has been terrible. He shows some good
The Giants OL coaches have developed no one in years going back to the end of Coughlin
You can’t keep throwing more 1’s at the OL - every NFL team other than the Giants can find guys to play G in the draft
The best Giants OL the last 25 years had a 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 2 UDFA
Just look at the difference of what the Dallas interior OL did against Wash vs the Giants the week before. Martin can handle any DT 1-1 and that leaves the LG/C to deal with the other DT. They killed the Giants and did nothing against Dallas
They have the LT and I think they have the C and I think Neal will still be a good RT. find some guys to play G
RE: RE: Well Schoen's GM career may hedge on what he does this off season
At QB and RT. Are you betting your GM career on Evan Neal at this point?
Not sure what you mean by "at qb". The Giants have a very good qb and it appears they may have a good back up, so the qb question is solved.
we have a mediocre QB at best and a TBD at QB. It is a virtual certainty that the Giants pick a QB in this draft within the first 3 rounds and I hope in the first.
that Neal's ankle injuries are caused by bad footwork. Don't know what to make of his future at RT. Many posters pointed to the Andrew Thomas rule for rookie and second year OL, that they need time to be good. From what I have read the Cleveland Browns rookie 4th round pick Dawand Jones has been pretty good in pass pro. I guess the Andrew Thomas rule doesn't apply to the Browns.(sarcasm off).
that Neal's ankle injuries are caused by bad footwork. Don't know what to make of his future at RT. Many posters pointed to the Andrew Thomas rule for rookie and second year OL, that they need time to be good. From what I have read the Cleveland Browns rookie 4th round pick Dawand Jones has been pretty good in pass pro. I guess the Andrew Thomas rule doesn't apply to the Browns.(sarcasm off).
Think Sy said part of issues were injuries, not that his poor footwork caused the injuries, although not having proper balance causes off center lunges (cause or effect or both?). Neal has slower than optimal footwork and bad balance because he leans forward. Think he will have one more offseason to improve or be moved inside.
Honest question: how come the Giants coaches don't see....
Don't know if it is bad luck or coaching. Neal was regarded as top OT coming out last year. Two OT drafted later, Abraham Lucas and Braxton Jones (picks 72 and 168) played much better in pass pro as rookies, than Neal.
or realize Neal’s feet / foot movement is too slow to play tackle at the NFL level.
I hear this criticism, over and over again by fans who admit that they have an untrained eye ( not just Trainmaster).
Seriously, if this is the issue... how come the trained eyes don't see it and adjust?
They probably want to give him time to improve before switching his position. Willie Anderson even said, he probably wouldn't click until later in the year. It's unfortunate the guy's season has largely been derailed by injury, starting with missing the Lions practices.
+ a veteran swing tackle that can fill in if he gets hurt (which he's shown he will). Tyre Phillips can probably fit that bill but I would love to see that positon upgraded. Not an easy thing to do given the state of OL play across the league.
If Neal shows little to no improvement after 2024, you decline his 5th year option and let him compete at G for 2025.
But with that level of investment, you need to give him more opportunities.
or realize Neal’s feet / foot movement is too slow to play tackle at the NFL level.
I hear this criticism, over and over again by fans who admit that they have an untrained eye ( not just Trainmaster).
Seriously, if this is the issue... how come the trained eyes don't see it and adjust?
They probably want to give him time to improve before switching his position. Willie Anderson even said, he probably wouldn't click until later in the year. It's unfortunate the guy's season has largely been derailed by injury, starting with missing the Lions practices.
Is the attribute "too slow moving feet to play the position" improvable? It seems to me, the way it is characterized, if you have slow moving feet, then you cannot play Tackle in the NFL.
relatively static,for the rest of this season.
Do we trade down and draft another OL in the first?
Chase the hot QB and reach for that, or find a way to get a playmaking WR ala Marvin Harrison Jr
RE: Daboll moves OL around more than any coach I've seen
They led the league in different starting lineups last year. McKethan at tackle in camp then guard, Ezeudu at tackle and guard, Pugh at tackle and guard, Phillips at tackle and guard, Bredeson has started at every interior position. 2nd rounder Cody Ford at Buffalo they moved all over.
I think Neal still has a chance to be the week 1 RT, obviously how free agency goes will tell us a lot more, but I strongly believe we see Neal at guard a good deal in preseason to get a sense how he looks.
__________
I don’t think you can waste the next preseason experimenting. Either you keep him at RT for one more chance or commit to a position change. You have to consider his contract in your decision.
RE: RE: RE: Honest question: how come the Giants coaches don't see....
or realize Neal’s feet / foot movement is too slow to play tackle at the NFL level.
I hear this criticism, over and over again by fans who admit that they have an untrained eye ( not just Trainmaster).
Seriously, if this is the issue... how come the trained eyes don't see it and adjust?
They probably want to give him time to improve before switching his position. Willie Anderson even said, he probably wouldn't click until later in the year. It's unfortunate the guy's season has largely been derailed by injury, starting with missing the Lions practices.
Is the attribute "too slow moving feet to play the position" improvable? It seems to me, the way it is characterized, if you have slow moving feet, then you cannot play Tackle in the NFL.
I hear you. I guess the simplest answer is they have not concluded that his feet are too slow for T. Then again, there are politics at play with a top 10 pick. There are specific longterm plans with high draft picks with tons of evaluation going into it. Some org's are more reluctant than others to change the trajectory of their premium resources.
For me? I don't care where he plays, as long as he's good. But I didn't draft him. I think G's are critical in today's interior pressure NFL. I think he'd hold up better in pass pro 1on1, but his issues picking up stunts and blitzers wouldn't magically go away.
Why do slow feet make a player a better guard prospect than a tackle
In fact, it is often somewhat like jumping off a cliff.
Giants should definitely come into training camp with EN at RT on the 1st unit. We should also have a Plan B, which does not involve our #1.
No national scout that I am aware of, questioned whether EN had the feet to play OT, although reports did mention that his foot quickness was not elite.
Prospect? Tell me what about Neal makes him a good guard.
I assume this is a serious question.....you are not operating in space as an OG. So it would minimize the amount of movement. Sure, he still has to move - just not as much.
Right now, teams are torturing him a bit with wide alignments, stunts and blitzes where they're trying to force him to move laterally. Again - he's still going to need to pick up stunts and blitzers well at OG, but he won't be in space. That's the idea behind him being a good G. He's got excellent straight line movement ability too so he'd be pretty good in a zone running scheme (like they used at Alabama). IMO.
RE: Learning to do something well is often not steadily linear
In fact, it is often somewhat like jumping off a cliff.
Giants should definitely come into training camp with EN at RT on the 1st unit. We should also have a Plan B, which does not involve our #1.
No national scout that I am aware of, questioned whether EN had the feet to play OT, although reports did mention that his foot quickness was not elite.
Bob, he skipped all his movement workouts so how would they really know? He had balance issues at T in college, as Sy pointed out. For the people questioning what evidence there was he'd be a good G .... do people realize he played G for a year at Alabama? He was good, and it was part of the reason he was such a sought-after draft pick. (Versatility.) The common theme around Neal was, if he flopped at T, he'd make an excellent G. (Similar to the Brandan Scherff and Robert Gallery reports.)
Given that, there is no shame in moving him to G. The key is getting quality play. And this is coming from someone who is OK letting him develop at RT, as he looks like he's improving, and he's playing within an OL/offense that is obviously poorly coached.
RE: RE: Learning to do something well is often not steadily linear
Bob, he skipped all his movement workouts so how would they really know? He had balance issues at T in college, as Sy pointed out. For the people questioning what evidence there was he'd be a good G .... do people realize he played G for a year at Alabama? He was good, and it was part of the reason he was such a sought-after draft pick. (Versatility.) The common theme around Neal was, if he flopped at T, he'd make an excellent G. (Similar to the Brandan Scherff and Robert Gallery reports.)
Given that, there is no shame in moving him to G. The key is getting quality play. And this is coming from someone who is OK letting him develop at RT, as he looks like he's improving, and he's playing within an OL/offense that is obviously poorly coached.
Scherff was prototype size for a guard at 6'4 1/2", 319. He ran a very good 40y at his combine (5.05). As noted above, Neal is a full three inches taller, not the prototype.
Gallery was 6'7" but, even more so than Scherff, a combine star, even superstar. His sub-5 40y (4.97) at his size was astounding, and he tested very well in the agility drills (3-cone and shuttle).
Gallery moved to guard in his fourth season and was just OK, not a roaring success.
Neal has shown nothing to indicate he has the movement ability of Scherff and Gallery. For all we know, if he had submitted himself to the 40y drill, he might have run a 5.5.
Bob, he skipped all his movement workouts so how would they really know? He had balance issues at T in college, as Sy pointed out. For the people questioning what evidence there was he'd be a good G .... do people realize he played G for a year at Alabama? He was good, and it was part of the reason he was such a sought-after draft pick. (Versatility.) The common theme around Neal was, if he flopped at T, he'd make an excellent G. (Similar to the Brandan Scherff and Robert Gallery reports.)
Given that, there is no shame in moving him to G. The key is getting quality play. And this is coming from someone who is OK letting him develop at RT, as he looks like he's improving, and he's playing within an OL/offense that is obviously poorly coached.
Scherff was prototype size for a guard at 6'4 1/2", 319. He ran a very good 40y at his combine (5.05). As noted above, Neal is a full three inches taller, not the prototype.
Gallery was 6'7" but, even more so than Scherff, a combine star, even superstar. His sub-5 40y (4.97) at his size was astounding, and he tested very well in the agility drills (3-cone and shuttle).
Gallery moved to guard in his fourth season and was just OK, not a roaring success.
Neal has shown nothing to indicate he has the movement ability of Scherff and Gallery. For all we know, if he had submitted himself to the 40y drill, he might have run a 5.5.
I’m honestly not sure what your point is. Moving inside would minimize his weaknesses and maximize his strengths. That’s my opinion. I brought up Scherff in particular as a top 10 pick that was considered a T/G and found a home at G. Zack Martin is another example, although slightly outside the top 10. You think DAL cares he ended up at G?
RE: RE: RE: RE: Learning to do something well is often not steadily linear
I’m honestly not sure what your point is. Moving inside would minimize his weaknesses and maximize his strengths. That’s my opinion. I brought up Scherff in particular as a top 10 pick that was considered a T/G and found a home at G. Zack Martin is another example, although slightly outside the top 10. You think DAL cares he ended up at G?
If you're unclear why we disagree, I suggest reading my post upthread. Guards need to move their feet; they need to be agile; that's one reason guards are generally smaller than tackles.
The other reason guards run smaller than tackles is that high center of gravity is not an advantage in the interior OL.
Zack Martin is 6'4" 308, again prototype size for a guard. Neal doesn't remotely resemble that.
Quote:
At QB and RT. Are you betting your GM career on Evan Neal at this point?
Not sure what you mean by "at qb". The Giants have a very good qb and it appears they may have a good back up, so the qb question is solved.
Who is this "very good quarterback" who you speak of?
Quote:
At QB and RT. Are you betting your GM career on Evan Neal at this point?
Not sure what you mean by "at qb". The Giants have a very good qb and it appears they may have a good back up, so the qb question is solved.
Someone baked more than pies for Thanksgiving
let's see if the injuries did affect his development before we make any rash moves.....
look at how they changed how we view JMS-he ain't been the same since the tush push
kinda sad huh-we cant even get the tush push right
sheeeeesh
Quote:
At QB and RT. Are you betting your GM career on Evan Neal at this point?
Not sure what you mean by "at qb". The Giants have a very good qb and it appears they may have a good back up, so the qb question is solved.
Hey, it's 4:00. Murder, She Wrote is on.
When they are right they post on it all the time and always leave all their busshit posts which were wrong conveniently forgotten.
Neal getting hurt two years in a row bothers me. Maybe he is a G. Maybe he's it even an NFL starter. One thing for sure. The quick to jump on the guys sucks crowd here is alive and well
Like to read your observations but the Thomas comparison as a comparable career trajectory simply doesn’t hold up. It’s time to try guard Probably next to Thomas . If he turns out to be a great guard , that’s a win for Schoen. Zack Martin makes his presence felt for the Cowboys .
But who knows about next season - he needs to get back on the field this season first.
Quote:
And maybe a new OC in 2024 too, so it’s hard to tell.
To my untrained eye, it appears Neal’s feet / foot movement is too slow to play tackle at the NFL level. In my view, he will either become a serviceable guard for the Giants or will become an NFL journeyman, bouncing from team to team after the Giants don’t pick up his 5th year option and he leaves via free agency.
+1
+2
We absolutely need to get a veteran RT in free agency and draft an OT and OG.
Maybe a C/G type too.
I’d also be in favor of changing the coach.
Way to many young lineman who have not progressed.
He might still be able to succeed at RT, but based on what we've seen it's best to put him inside and let him do his thing there. He's a powerful guy that gets put on skates too often at RT. It's become embarrassing actually. Reddick from the Eagles embarrassed him in the playoffs. He'll do so again if they matchup in Philly in about 4.5 weeks. Let him play RT for the rest of this season, but after that, no mas.
+1
From the beginning I thought his issues were just bad coaching, that he was playing too much in his head and not reacting quickly.
But his footwork is really bad. Maybe that's because he has been injured since he started here.
But if injuries aren't the reason for his bad footwork, I am concerned that they assume he can just start at OG and be productive. OGs have to be nimble too.
But who knows about next season - he needs to get back on the field this season first.
He's a HUGE issue. He hasn't been good yet.
Neal can try to win a starting guard spot....but he gas lost the right to be "given a spot".
Good question...when is he due back??
We clearly need to improve on the line but things can’t be forced. If we end adding a good guard he could stay at tackle. If we add a good tackle then maybe he kicks in to guard.
The bottom line is we need to improve. You can hide a subpar linemen, even a tackle. What you can’t do is hide several
Quote:
Will Neal even be back this season from injury?
Good question...when is he due back??
It’s the question the team hasn’t and won’t answer. Starting to think he might not be back this season.
Quote:
In comment 16299821 NJBlueTuna said:
Quote:
Will Neal even be back this season from injury?
Good question...when is he due back??
It’s the question the team hasn’t and won’t answer. Starting to think he might not be back this season.
Uh oh
Giants fans oddly seem to be piling on Neal but not the other culprits. I suspect it's because of his draft standing.
I would take issue with comparing Neal to the other poor performers on the line. I have been paying close attention and Neal is a turn style at the right corner, it doesn't help that he's a high first round pick because they will be reluctant to pull the plug on him (Remember Erik Flowers).
Quote:
At QB and RT. Are you betting your GM career on Evan Neal at this point?
Not sure what you mean by "at qb". The Giants have a very good qb and it appears they may have a good back up, so the qb question is solved.
classic. didn't even need to see who the poster was to know who it was that wrote that
The problem is his bad has been terrible. He shows some good
The Giants OL coaches have developed no one in years going back to the end of Coughlin
You can’t keep throwing more 1’s at the OL - every NFL team other than the Giants can find guys to play G in the draft
The best Giants OL the last 25 years had a 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 2 UDFA
Just look at the difference of what the Dallas interior OL did against Wash vs the Giants the week before. Martin can handle any DT 1-1 and that leaves the LG/C to deal with the other DT. They killed the Giants and did nothing against Dallas
They have the LT and I think they have the C and I think Neal will still be a good RT. find some guys to play G
Quote:
At QB and RT. Are you betting your GM career on Evan Neal at this point?
Not sure what you mean by "at qb". The Giants have a very good qb and it appears they may have a good back up, so the qb question is solved.
Think Sy said part of issues were injuries, not that his poor footwork caused the injuries, although not having proper balance causes off center lunges (cause or effect or both?). Neal has slower than optimal footwork and bad balance because he leans forward. Think he will have one more offseason to improve or be moved inside.
I hear this criticism, over and over again by fans who admit that they have an untrained eye ( not just Trainmaster).
Seriously, if this is the issue... how come the trained eyes don't see it and adjust?
Getting him out in space exposes his weaknesses and minimizes his strengths.
He does seem to be getting better at RT, but I can't shake the feeling he'd be a kickass G. And we desperately need 2 of them.
I hear this criticism, over and over again by fans who admit that they have an untrained eye ( not just Trainmaster).
Seriously, if this is the issue... how come the trained eyes don't see it and adjust?
They probably want to give him time to improve before switching his position. Willie Anderson even said, he probably wouldn't click until later in the year. It's unfortunate the guy's season has largely been derailed by injury, starting with missing the Lions practices.
If Neal shows little to no improvement after 2024, you decline his 5th year option and let him compete at G for 2025.
But with that level of investment, you need to give him more opportunities.
But looking to either of them to seriously compete for a starting job is a fool's errand.
Quote:
or realize Neal’s feet / foot movement is too slow to play tackle at the NFL level.
I hear this criticism, over and over again by fans who admit that they have an untrained eye ( not just Trainmaster).
Seriously, if this is the issue... how come the trained eyes don't see it and adjust?
They probably want to give him time to improve before switching his position. Willie Anderson even said, he probably wouldn't click until later in the year. It's unfortunate the guy's season has largely been derailed by injury, starting with missing the Lions practices.
Is the attribute "too slow moving feet to play the position" improvable? It seems to me, the way it is characterized, if you have slow moving feet, then you cannot play Tackle in the NFL.
Do we trade down and draft another OL in the first?
Chase the hot QB and reach for that, or find a way to get a playmaking WR ala Marvin Harrison Jr
I think Neal still has a chance to be the week 1 RT, obviously how free agency goes will tell us a lot more, but I strongly believe we see Neal at guard a good deal in preseason to get a sense how he looks.
I don’t think you can waste the next preseason experimenting. Either you keep him at RT for one more chance or commit to a position change. You have to consider his contract in your decision.
Quote:
In comment 16299903 KingBlue said:
Quote:
or realize Neal’s feet / foot movement is too slow to play tackle at the NFL level.
I hear this criticism, over and over again by fans who admit that they have an untrained eye ( not just Trainmaster).
Seriously, if this is the issue... how come the trained eyes don't see it and adjust?
They probably want to give him time to improve before switching his position. Willie Anderson even said, he probably wouldn't click until later in the year. It's unfortunate the guy's season has largely been derailed by injury, starting with missing the Lions practices.
Is the attribute "too slow moving feet to play the position" improvable? It seems to me, the way it is characterized, if you have slow moving feet, then you cannot play Tackle in the NFL.
I hear you. I guess the simplest answer is they have not concluded that his feet are too slow for T. Then again, there are politics at play with a top 10 pick. There are specific longterm plans with high draft picks with tons of evaluation going into it. Some org's are more reluctant than others to change the trajectory of their premium resources.
For me? I don't care where he plays, as long as he's good. But I didn't draft him. I think G's are critical in today's interior pressure NFL. I think he'd hold up better in pass pro 1on1, but his issues picking up stunts and blitzers wouldn't magically go away.
Giants should definitely come into training camp with EN at RT on the 1st unit. We should also have a Plan B, which does not involve our #1.
No national scout that I am aware of, questioned whether EN had the feet to play OT, although reports did mention that his foot quickness was not elite.
At least he won't get put on roller skates inside like he does outside.
I assume this is a serious question.....you are not operating in space as an OG. So it would minimize the amount of movement. Sure, he still has to move - just not as much.
Right now, teams are torturing him a bit with wide alignments, stunts and blitzes where they're trying to force him to move laterally. Again - he's still going to need to pick up stunts and blitzers well at OG, but he won't be in space. That's the idea behind him being a good G. He's got excellent straight line movement ability too so he'd be pretty good in a zone running scheme (like they used at Alabama). IMO.
Giants should definitely come into training camp with EN at RT on the 1st unit. We should also have a Plan B, which does not involve our #1.
No national scout that I am aware of, questioned whether EN had the feet to play OT, although reports did mention that his foot quickness was not elite.
Bob, he skipped all his movement workouts so how would they really know? He had balance issues at T in college, as Sy pointed out. For the people questioning what evidence there was he'd be a good G .... do people realize he played G for a year at Alabama? He was good, and it was part of the reason he was such a sought-after draft pick. (Versatility.) The common theme around Neal was, if he flopped at T, he'd make an excellent G. (Similar to the Brandan Scherff and Robert Gallery reports.)
Given that, there is no shame in moving him to G. The key is getting quality play. And this is coming from someone who is OK letting him develop at RT, as he looks like he's improving, and he's playing within an OL/offense that is obviously poorly coached.
Bob, he skipped all his movement workouts so how would they really know? He had balance issues at T in college, as Sy pointed out. For the people questioning what evidence there was he'd be a good G .... do people realize he played G for a year at Alabama? He was good, and it was part of the reason he was such a sought-after draft pick. (Versatility.) The common theme around Neal was, if he flopped at T, he'd make an excellent G. (Similar to the Brandan Scherff and Robert Gallery reports.)
Given that, there is no shame in moving him to G. The key is getting quality play. And this is coming from someone who is OK letting him develop at RT, as he looks like he's improving, and he's playing within an OL/offense that is obviously poorly coached.
Scherff was prototype size for a guard at 6'4 1/2", 319. He ran a very good 40y at his combine (5.05). As noted above, Neal is a full three inches taller, not the prototype.
Gallery was 6'7" but, even more so than Scherff, a combine star, even superstar. His sub-5 40y (4.97) at his size was astounding, and he tested very well in the agility drills (3-cone and shuttle).
Gallery moved to guard in his fourth season and was just OK, not a roaring success.
Neal has shown nothing to indicate he has the movement ability of Scherff and Gallery. For all we know, if he had submitted himself to the 40y drill, he might have run a 5.5.
I still maintain hope he can develop into a tackle,but his versatility is a major plus as we continue to develop the OL
Quote:
Bob, he skipped all his movement workouts so how would they really know? He had balance issues at T in college, as Sy pointed out. For the people questioning what evidence there was he'd be a good G .... do people realize he played G for a year at Alabama? He was good, and it was part of the reason he was such a sought-after draft pick. (Versatility.) The common theme around Neal was, if he flopped at T, he'd make an excellent G. (Similar to the Brandan Scherff and Robert Gallery reports.)
Given that, there is no shame in moving him to G. The key is getting quality play. And this is coming from someone who is OK letting him develop at RT, as he looks like he's improving, and he's playing within an OL/offense that is obviously poorly coached.
Scherff was prototype size for a guard at 6'4 1/2", 319. He ran a very good 40y at his combine (5.05). As noted above, Neal is a full three inches taller, not the prototype.
Gallery was 6'7" but, even more so than Scherff, a combine star, even superstar. His sub-5 40y (4.97) at his size was astounding, and he tested very well in the agility drills (3-cone and shuttle).
Gallery moved to guard in his fourth season and was just OK, not a roaring success.
Neal has shown nothing to indicate he has the movement ability of Scherff and Gallery. For all we know, if he had submitted himself to the 40y drill, he might have run a 5.5.
I’m honestly not sure what your point is. Moving inside would minimize his weaknesses and maximize his strengths. That’s my opinion. I brought up Scherff in particular as a top 10 pick that was considered a T/G and found a home at G. Zack Martin is another example, although slightly outside the top 10. You think DAL cares he ended up at G?
I’m honestly not sure what your point is. Moving inside would minimize his weaknesses and maximize his strengths. That’s my opinion. I brought up Scherff in particular as a top 10 pick that was considered a T/G and found a home at G. Zack Martin is another example, although slightly outside the top 10. You think DAL cares he ended up at G?
If you're unclear why we disagree, I suggest reading my post upthread. Guards need to move their feet; they need to be agile; that's one reason guards are generally smaller than tackles.
The other reason guards run smaller than tackles is that high center of gravity is not an advantage in the interior OL.
Zack Martin is 6'4" 308, again prototype size for a guard. Neal doesn't remotely resemble that.