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Tom Sykes -> RE: Free Agency 2021 (3/24/2021 10:57:01 AM)
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ORIGINAL: TJSweens
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ORIGINAL: Bill Johanesen
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ORIGINAL: Bill Jandro
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ORIGINAL: Pager
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ORIGINAL: Bill Jandro
At this point LT has to be the #1 priority. I know we do have some options for moving O'Neal or Ezra over there.
A trade for Orlando Brown appears to have stalled due to balt's asking price.
I think a Slater or Darrisaw will fall to #14 but that's a bit of a gamble.
I view LT exactly the same as I did after the draft last year. I would be very ok if we didn't trade for a T, sign 1, or draft one in the first two rounds.
Same reasons why I thought we should cut Reiff last year prior to the season. I don't want the cost of a vet T, or to give up draft picks/players. We still have to resign Oneill, and while getting through this and next year caps crisis, spending a lot money on LT isn't worth it to me.
We have Ezra - athletic skills and showed progress out of position (imo) at guard. We have ONeill, former LT, and we have Udoh. If Ezra was inserted at LT and bombed (unlikely imo) we have Hill on the roster whose shown he can be at minimum "not a train wreck". Or if Udoh shows he can handle RT, there's another option (moving Oneill to LT).
We still have literally nothing at guard. Hyperbole, I'd like to see Udoh given a chance at RG, and curious to see Hinton but it's not much of an exaggeration AND have no safety net (like Hill at T).
I view Guard, Safety, and DE as bigger needs than LT. I really hope we don't give up assets for Brown Jr (or trade for a T) and then have to sign him to a massive extension.
But it's the Vikings which means they'll do something exactly along these lines.
LT is not a position to be toyed with nor fall asleep on. Not having a competent LT can derail a season by itself (see 2016) or TJ Clemmings.
I was wondering why Ezra wasn't given a chance to play LT week 17 when Reiff was put on covid list. This seemed liked a huge missed opportunity. Why play Hill a career backup?
This either was a complete oversight on our coaching staff or they have zero plans on playing Cleveland at LT. The evidence seems to point to this so we are either moving O'Neal over to LT or our future LT isn't on the roster yet.
Not playing Erza for just the last game doesn't mean they have zero plans for him at LT. He would have had like two days practice at LT which is nothing. What realistic development or analysis can you get from that.
Plus RG would have been manned by..... nobody?
Yep. Putting him in at LT after he had practiced exclusively at G all season would have been setting him up to fail. What pisses me off is that the Vikings should know at this point if he is going to be their LT or not.
They probably have a 'firm' idea of their flexible plan, we just have no clue.
('plan' relative to our Vikings and not, say, other teams with decent OLs).
It's not like we have Tice anymore spilling every last proprietary detail of the regime's thought process.
The 'plan' has to be reworked every time a FA target wants too much or signs elsewhere, a draft target gets taken before our pick, etc. so it's possible they might be on plan C or X by now, we just don't know it.
Cleveland should give us flexibility to sign or draft an OT or G we rate highly and use him (Cleveland) for the other position ... but for all we know they liked him/didn't like him at G / they only view him as a T long-term, etc.
Regardless, there is still one completely vacant Guard starter position with no possible solution on the roster. I can see Rick and his perverted OL draft approach taking a G or T in the draft and then waiting until June or later to pick up a scrub.
Frustrating.
EDIT: GZUZ I see Bill covered this stuff.
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