Link: http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/blog/wrightstuff.html From Scott Wright's blog: I, personally, like Scott Wright. I know several people here don't. Interesting to me were these notes: -- absolutely worthy of being the # 1 pick in the draft -- 3-4 OLBs are a dime-a-dozen (not sure I agree with him there if you're talking about good ones) -- average age of our line is just over 24 years old - YES!!! -- not completely convinced that LT is his best position in the NFL -- nonetheless a franchise cornerstone -- VC is a better fit at RT -- Congrats, Miami! (he did not say that last year, if anyone remembers - I do)
He makes some good points. LT is an EXTREMELY important position that teams rarely (if it all) fill through FA. Until I see Jake fail at LT Im gonna stick to my guns and say he'll be fine there. Sparano is an excellent line coach and it'll be fun to see Jake progress under him.
Exactly. Under Sparano our LT needs to be as good at run blocking as he is at pass blocking, and Jake is a run destroyer. I think his pass blocking is getting very underrated by many people because of one bad game against Gholston. They guy gave up like 2 sacks his entire career, thats impressive! Hes also about as penalty free as you can be, a huge huge plus for him. And Tony is a guy who knows how to coach linemen. I think he, Tuna and Ireland are good talent evaluators when it comes to the OL and think they have made a good choice here. As said, until he fails Im convinced hes a LT for us.
How can anyone not put their faith in guys like Parcells, Sparano and Maser when it comes to selecting and training a LT? i have absolute faith in those three men, and feel like Jake will be an awesome LT for us for the next 12-15 years. Our offense under Henning, with Parcells' influence, will be smashmouth-run it down their throat football, and Jake is perfect for that type of game, his pass blocking skills will get plenty of attention and will come easier when the opposing D is looking for run every down.
Wright's been advocating Jake Long for a while so it doesn't surprise me that he's totally for the deal. Though I do believe him when he says 3-4 OLB's are a dime a dozen. There are a number of good OLB's that could be had for a steal in the middle rounds (Bruce Davis, Shawn Crable, Bryan Kehl). It's the MLB's that are a premium.