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27 or 26 if you count this one.
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No, continuity is very important. The offensive line is a unit that works together and gathers trust in each other. It is enough when you have to replace due to injury. When you start shifting guys around, that is when the problems really escalate. Any major changes to the offensive line need to be made in the off season.
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Regardless of whether good guards are a dime a dozen (though prior to Trestman we havent had anywhere near a decent guard since... Ruben Brown?) it is always a gamble Do you want to risk messing up where we are currently successful?
This isnt madden, where you can see someone's rating and move them around with little to no consequence. It is guesswork as to how well the next guy up will perform, and it is guesswork as to how well Long will do at tackle. Let him excel at the position which he has gotten practice reps for the past year.
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I'm not advocating moving him there tomorrow. Your post is irrelevant. Also, FWIW Garza was a very good guard for the Bears. Lance Louis was also all the rage.
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It also matters how much value Kromer/Trestman really give that clean pocket vs outside protection. If they really think it is more important to have a clean view and place to step into for the QB, they may not make the change others would.
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The more one thinks about it, the better this sounds. Bushrods biggest asset is as a run blocker & it's clear as day. I can see him at RT. I think Mills should be a guard. I would love to see Long developed into a LT.
I can see why the Bears started Long as a Guard. He only had 5 starts in hi whole career coming out Oregon, where Mills had played multiple positions at Louisiana Tech. Mills started more games as a Freshman the Long started his entire collegiate career.
I would really like to see the Bears experiment with Long at one of the Tackle positions starting this offseason.
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Mills would be an awful guard IMO.
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Think so? I actually think Guard is the position he should play. I can't really much beyond that. It looks like his lateral footwork that kills him the most on the outside where he won't have to be as agile footed on the interior as he does on the outside. I do think he'd have to add strength to handle stronger interior D-Linemen though. If Long does move to tackle Mills will pretty much have to move to the interior unless the Bears add another Guard in the offseason.
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Also, I'll just say this in regards to Jordan Mills. We are currently facing the opposite issue we had during last season and coming into this season with him. Last year I don't think Mills was as good as people think he was and so far this year I don't think he's been as bad as people think either. Not many people expected a 5th round rookie to come in and play as well as he did last year so the evaluation was a little overblown by the "shock" of it all. As a result expectations coming into this year were too high for IMO. I think he's still the same solidly average tackle he was last year and will likely always be but people expected this tangible progression from him that may never come. Mills just doesn't profile like that. That's why he was a 5th rounder.
Is Mills a starting RT on a Super Bowl winning team? Maybe, but probably not. But he's a better OT than guys like Carimi, Webb, etc who are all still collecting paychecks and playing time in this league. I think long term Mills can be a very valuable and solid rotational tackle in the NFL for a pretty long time for some good teams. He can be a valuable swing tackle on good OL units.
Is Mills a starting RT on a Super Bowl winning team? Maybe, but probably not. But he's a better OT than guys like Carimi, Webb, etc who are all still collecting paychecks and playing time in this league. I think long term Mills can be a very valuable and solid rotational tackle in the NFL for a pretty long time for some good teams. He can be a valuable swing tackle on good OL units.
IMO Mills doesn't have the natural frame to pack on that weight needed and add the strength. I think he has problems with leverage which would kill him at guard.
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Brown went to the pro bowl at guard, so did Long. Did Garza or LL?
Either way, you are talking about there being a premium on good tackles, while ignoring that our system puts a premium on interior linemen. He is more valuable on the inside.
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Good call. Is that why the Bears signed Eben Britton and Matt Slauson to Bushrod money type deals?
This might be a shock to you but you can be a "decent" or even "good" NFL player and not make a Pro Bowl.
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A lot of zone blocking O-lines in the NFL do. The Bears are not unique in this aspect. This is a myth. Kromer expects more from his Guards. That doesn't make them more important than Tackles. If Long has the talent to be a good Tackle he's more valuable on the outside.
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Right. You forgot they're paying Bushrod more than every other starting lineman on the team combined if I remember correctly. If not it's pretty close.
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I think that was prior to the new Slauson deal possibly. It's very close still though.
Choisauce
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guards>tackles for Kromer
Therefore, elite guards>elite tackles in the current bear's offensive system/philosophy/scheme, whatever the **** you want to call it. Sure tackles are more valuable than guards for most teams, but this isn't the case with the bears and this offense.
Either way, the current bears staff values guards>tackles, so unless they find or draft a guard on par/better than long, i dont see them making this move. You cant just plug people in different positions and expect the same level of production.
Therefore, elite guards>elite tackles in the current bear's offensive system/philosophy/scheme, whatever the **** you want to call it. Sure tackles are more valuable than guards for most teams, but this isn't the case with the bears and this offense.
Either way, the current bears staff values guards>tackles, so unless they find or draft a guard on par/better than long, i dont see them making this move. You cant just plug people in different positions and expect the same level of production.
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Good call. Is that why the Bears signed Eben Britton and Matt Slauson to Bushrod money type deals? Why didn't they trade for Logan Mankins?
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Bushrod commands a higher salary because he could go to a different team for similar money.
And whether a player is good or not doesnt change the fact that Long performs at a probowl level at guard. I get that Mills is underperforming, but that can be fixed just as easily by bringing in a new FA, putting Britton at RT, or drafting a new one. If satisfactory guards are a dime a dozen, RTs are as well.
And you dont have to try and be condescending to make your point. Just makes you look like a jackass.
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I had thought about that. I originally posted that wasn't even close until I remembered the Slauson extension. Like you said it's still close either way.
Choisauce
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They pay players according to NFL market value, not team value.
WITHIN the scheme guards>tackles, i mean we all heard this from the coach's mouth, verbatim, what else do you need?
WITHIN the scheme guards>tackles, i mean we all heard this from the coach's mouth, verbatim, what else do you need?
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Why pay Bushrod according to any value?