Could Mixing It Up Improve the Saints Offensive Line?

I think you may be on to something, but like you, I have no clue what the potential issues could be. Like how different are the positions on the O-line, and how much would moving people effect their individual play.

I have seen guys who were terrible tackles turn out to be pretty good guards so i would hesitate on doing the reverse of that and switching sides on the line is very difficult especially if you have only ever played one side. Add to that our interior line depth would go to zero. Its to late in the game to try something this drastic.

Tackle is a position that highlights footwork, where guard highlights hands, so while they’re both on the O-line they have severly different skill sets required. Slow tackles can make good guards, but it’s hard to kick an interior lineman outside.

It seems a little risky / late in the preseason to shift around three players on the OL.

if it works there I say put it in against the Packers. At the very least it will confuse them.

This all sounds really good on paper, but it wouldn’t work. Bushrod, Nicks, and Tennant would have to relearn the playbook. For a LT going to RT, the plays are usually opposite. Footwork is something that takes time. Bushrod and Nicks would have to get that down pat in just over two weeks. Left tackle is hands down the hardest offensive line position, and sure Nicks has experience, but not at a pro level. Horrible idea Dave.

Courtesy of that “garbage” line… Come on Dave….

Tackle and guard are just so radically different. Guards can be big fat boys that hold the gut against fat DT/NT and guards are usually great at run protection (holding their block and then moving up the field). At LT, he’d be Brees blind spot and be forced to move really quickly, and would face some of the fastest guys who can get lower than he can at 6’5" and either spin their way out of the block (Dwight Freeny for example) or just use their speed to outrun him to Brees.

Though tackles can move inside, (and because older tackles who lose their speed, can still have great blocking skills) it’s much harder for a guard to move outside. At least, imo. It’s certainly doable, but I’d rather have the best guard tandem than risk arguably the best guard in the league on a tackle experiment that doesn’t have a high chance of success.

Leave the line as it is (for now), and run with two tight ends as a base formation, with both tight ends chipping pass rushers as necessary.

Think about it: you’d have Colston, Henderson/Meachem/Moore, Graham, Thomas, and Ingram/Thomas/Sproles in the route tree. That’s a pretty damned good group of targets for a heavy formation.

I do not know how many offensive line experts we have on the site, but one would think that you could entertain your idea to a certain extent.

The main difference i would see between a guard and a tackle is this:
A guard blocks paraell and side to side to the football field
A tackle main job is sealing the edge.
I would think that a probowl guard would do half way decent in a tackle position.

I am hoping that I am wrong, but I think our offensive line and our passing game is in for a rude awaking this season.
There is nothing wrong with a run-first offense.
I just hope Peyton gets that message, and puts down the NFL madden playbook this year.

I would seriously give thought to moving people around but I really don’t think we have given the O line a chance to get their chemistry together just yet. I’ve never really been a Bushrod fan and didn’t agree with with the Jammal Brown trade although I know he was expensive and the draft picks would help. I would have liked to seen Brown, Nicks, and Evans all playing together at the height of their abilities.

I kinda question signing Kreutz-he may be great but I suspect bringing him in has thrown-off the O line’s chemistry…let Tennant start and Kreutz back him-up this season!

How’s that G/T Allen looking? He’d be a great pick-up if he pans-out…also, what about Butler? I’d rather see him signed-over Ingram…

As former O-line man and a coach of the position for ten years, I can say you are over reacting just a bit. Though I am not sold on Bushrods ability to play left tackle.

Keep the inside three where they are. You need continuity at the position. You have to know what the person next to you is doing and who he is blocking. That is why you see them pointing and making line calls. Not to mention they are three of the meanest, nastiest people to play their positions.

 Bushrod needs a jump rope, so he can improve his foot speed, and hang cleans to simulate popping out of his stance quickly in pass pro. He needs to improve on his technique.

 He leans on people instead of moving his feet to keep them in the proper position. I also see him kick and turn his shoulders to soon. He should be kicking back a step or two(depending on drop of QB) and setting up on the DE’s mid line with his outside foot. He should also be punching a lot better to disrupt the forward momentum of the DE. However, when you are slow out of your stance and have to make up for that you tend to turn your shoulders and run at the DE, opening up a short corner to the QB. If the De feels that he will wait until you are off balance and counter back inside.

  I would feel better if we picked up a tackle or two after the first cuts are made. I think Black could be an answer as well. Brown is a year away and needs to stay healthy to get the reps needed.

Just my opinion, I’m sure the coaches know what they have and are working on the solution as we speak.

Let’s just put it this way… it is possible to do this and make it work.

It’s not, however, easy to pull off. You need the right players, the right scheme, and you also need TIME to develop the new line alignment. We might have the first two, not sure on that, but we clearly do NOT have the time at this point.

But it’s still not impossible. True, there are a lot more examples where a crappy tackle moves in to guard and becomes a pretty good guard. But there are ALSO situations in which a great guard has moved out and become a decent tackle (or, more rarely, even a good one).

I suspect that Nicks COULD do it if we were desperate. But I also would rather us just find a decent tackle somewhere. Better yet, I’d prefer somebody already on the roster to shape up enough that we don’t have to go shopping for one.