I'm happy with OL

Guys, anyone who knows me over the years knows I don't do draft stuff. Let me know whom we pick and I'll start checking them out.

So, I have nothing to say about our new LOT and C. However, I will say some generic things.

First, we needed OL so damn bad. I have been repeatedly befuddled by people--professional pundits AND posters!--who have gone on and on about edge rushers and LBs and either never mentioning OL or leaving it as a distant afterthought. This is, to me, nuts. We have been playing with virtually no depth behind an aging OL. Whit is nearing 40, fer cryin' out loud. Don't even try to tell me that a guy that old isn't far more vulnerable to injury than a guy in his late 20s. Sully is aging and Saffold is getting there, and both have injury histories. Given what we had 2 days ago, we were 1 injury away from a serious breakdown of the offense. And that doesn't even look at next year and beyond.

In my opinion, our OL needs were vastly greater than at any other position. You can find guys to play alongside of and behind our DL. But OL? We don't go anywhere without OL, and we DESPERATELY needed depth behind our greybeards.

I suppose that opens the BPA/need/reach can of worms. OK. And as I say, I can't tell you that these are the guys.

But, I am very pleased that the FO recognized and jumped on its greatest need. Last year, they spent the off season systematically addressing team needs. This year, they're doing it again. They aggressively made the splash moves early, and now they face the task of making moves with grunts to fill in the remaining gaps. By going OL in their 1st 2, very late picks, they tell me that this FO understands the football needs of its squad. They continue to make the right strategic moves--we'll see about the player selections--and I trust them more and more. Each time they make the team stronger, I get a stronger sense that they see the gaps and WILL address them according to a plan. I really, really like that. If you want to fall that drafting for need, I am A-OK with it.

But, does drafting for need lead to reaches on individual guys? That's a different question. And when we respond to draft picks, we do so from our own instincts and perspectives.

Apparently, Noteboom was not a name that was very high in the discussion. OK, that can matter. But then, we need to see this in context. The guy was picked almost into the 4th round. And, he's an OL. The chances of him being a flash pick are pretty dang low. A C in the 4th? Even more so. I am personally not impressed one way or another by the absence of the wow factor. But then, maybe that's just my approach to draft picks. SOME of your picks have got to be solid grunts who get overlooked, but then do solid work for years to come. A team needs stars, but it needs MORE grunt. Especially on the OL.

You know, OL is funny. Good OL are not easy to find. But, on the other hand, it is one of the positions that can be learned by tough, heady, focused players. I played OL and TE in HS and small college. I was never very big or strong and only a mediocre athlete. But, I LEARNED blocking techniques and played well over what I should have been able to do. I could never have done it at a position requiring athletic excellence. But, on the OL, I could.

My career was played about 20 levels below the NFL. But I think the principle holds. If you are tough, heady, and disciplined, you can LEARN to play OL, even if your athletic gifts are less than elite. All we have to do is remember Greg Robinson to get clear on the fact that athletic talent is no OL guarantee. And then we look at Hav and see a somewhat limited guy who has figured out how to play solidly in the NFL.

I doubt Noteboom will ever be Orlando Pace. If he were, he'd have gone in Round 1. He may well be limited. But there are plenty of guys who play at least decent OL who aren't Orlando Pace. I don't need to be wowed by these 3rd and 4th round OL. I just need to see indications of talent and potential for development. From what I read, I see that.

So, I am hopeful. I can't tell you they are winners. I do think they show a smart, strategically sound FO making good choices, at least insofar as we can tell today.

And given that, I expect this FO to keep working on the OL. They have prioritized in other areas, but clearly now it's time to bear down there. It may take multiple picks, draft and/or FA, but they WILL transition to a younger OL that is more viable over time.

I really like that.