Yes he is, and Garner wants to be here. He said as much after the season, hoping the team would offer him a contract.
Nothing to do with starter vacancy. He is your #1 reserve utility guy and valuable at that since he can play all 5 spots, with LT his least preferred. One less hole to fill in the draft this year. Focus on replacing him next year or the year after.
I think it's a nice move. About the same as if we'd of gotten Reinhart. You can never have enough depth on the OL as everyone should know.
I like Garner as a backup swing guy. It is not everyday you have a guy that can play all five positions on the oline.
He has been hurt some true, but I will never forget that Carolina game where he played all across the line, center, guard, tackle.
Flexible. Can backup both guard spots and RT. Would have been positively rated by PFF this past season if not for a horrible NE game.
I am not a fan of him as a back up. He is fine when he knows he is going to start, however both times last season when he was asked to come off the bench, he did so bad that it would have been just as useful to put a rooster in the game.
This has been the master plan all along. Brilliant!!! Who needs Long?! they need to do something else. If they are banking on one of the top 3 OTs in the draft, there goes this year's draft. If they trade up and lose a 2nd or 3rd round pick - I will be sorely disappointed. I'd love to have Lane Johnson, but even using the #12 pick will be very disappointing.
I've made no secret of the fact that I want Tavon Austin at 12, but if we do go OL, I'd as soon take Jonathan Cooper, insert him at LG, move Richie to RG, and Jerry out to RT, where he would compete with Yeatman and Garner for the starting job. Yeatman could be an ace in the hole and the surprise breakout player this season. When he got to play last preseason he displayed some very sound footwork and athleticism IMO...
This is a great signing. He is a great guy to have on your team. Can play every position and is a capable fill-in starter if needed. Does it solve our starter problem, no, but it gives you a terrific back-up.
I'm the first one to yell about not drafting playmakers early in the draft and using your mid round picks for linemen but with what the fins did in free agency I'd hope and expect them to either go CB or OT with their 1st rounder. I'd prefer they go CB but if they grab a top tackle I wont complain. You aren't seriously saying our draft will be ruined if we have to take a tackle 1st are you?
You are NOT forced to read it or participate in the thread if it seems a waste of time and space to you. Garner has been a member of the team since 2008. IMO, there is not a gawd damn thing wrong with a thread dedicated to just his resigning.
I think the fact that we're jumping on Garner rather quickly now might mean that we're interested in Vollmer (perhaps at LT) and want some insurance against any possible back issues.
Some of them are. Not me though. I'm watching lesbian porn and giving my little friend John Henry a workout this morning.
