The Atlanta Falcons Offensive Line Starters

by Dave Choate on Feb 10, 2012 8:01 AM EST in Falcons Talk

So we're starting this Friday off with a bit of a discussion post.

When the Falcons enter the 2012 season, who will be starting along the offensive line? For the purposes of this discussion, you can assume any trades, free agent signings or shuffling, so long as you back it up with your own logic.

My personal list goes something like this:

LT Will Svitek
LG Carl Nicks
C Todd McClure
RG Justin Blalock
RT Tyson Clabo

Why that line? Svitek is coming back and the Falcons probably won't splurge on a big-name left tackle. They also don't have a first round pick, so there isn't a starter coming in on day one to steal the job away.

Nicks is going to be a target for the Falcons, and I think they've got a decent shot at getting him. Also, I'd love to have him here.

McClure should be back for one more season. He's played at a high level and it would be awesome to see him retire as a Falcon.

Blalock will be bumped to right guard if Nicks signs, where he should be a force of nature once he adjusts. You can't bench one of the team's best linemen for the last three seasons running.

Despite his penalties and mistakes, Clabo was remarkably solid in 2011 and may be the team's best run-blocker. He'll start at right tackle.

So there's my line. What's yours?

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Comments

Mine is similar

If not Nicks then hopefully Grubbs from the Ravens. I really hope we don’t try and just draft an O-lineman to start this year when we already have young prospects.

by J_Cod on Feb 10, 2012 8:59 AM EST reply actions

yea i hope

by c_hass_2 on Feb 10, 2012 9:03 AM EST via mobile reply actions

Mine is...

LT Jared Gaither
LG Justin Blalock
C Joe Hawley
RG Mike Johnson
RT Tyson Clabo

I’d love for us to get Nicks but his pricetag could be astronomical. I think Mike Johnson will step up big time in 2012. I’m really hoping we get Gaither. The guy was imovable last year in San Diego.

by leonw92 on Feb 10, 2012 9:08 AM EST reply actions

I'm thinking something similar

Though I’m predicting Demetrius Bell at LT. With Johnson, Hawley and Jackson all as interior line prospects, I don’t foresee us breaking the bank on Nicks. I like Svitek, and think he could do the job, but I view him as more of a great backup than decent starter. And i personally think that Hawley made enough progress last season to give the front office enough hope that he can hold down the center spot, and save the team a few extra bucks in regards to not re-signing McClure.

by Sewanee Braves on Feb 10, 2012 9:44 AM EST up reply actions

Sorry guys

Comp is messing up. I wrote a long response, but suffice it to say I have the same line except with Demetrius Bell at LT

by Sewanee Braves on Feb 10, 2012 9:46 AM EST up reply actions

like the list...

But I say we fill RG internally, and sign Demetrius Bell at LT.

by wh00578 on Feb 10, 2012 9:21 AM EST reply actions

Thing is

Svitek actually held up pretty well at LT where as no one was good at then other Gaurd spot this year. A new Guard is definately a bigger priority then LT from a currently on the roster stand point.

by RANewton on Feb 10, 2012 9:23 AM EST up reply actions

new RG is the priority

but I agree with wh00578 that we can find that new guard internally, thus saving the team some cash to go fill other needs.

by Sewanee Braves on Feb 10, 2012 9:46 AM EST up reply actions

The problem with wh00578 is that

we tried multiple people who were on the team at RG. The only one that didn’t get a chance is Johnson and I’m not too sure I want to hang my hat on him. I think we still should draft someone for RG and make it competition between him and Johnson.

by Fear Me on Feb 10, 2012 9:55 AM EST up reply actions

opps I meant to say "the problem with wh00578's idea is that"

No disrespect meant there.

by Fear Me on Feb 10, 2012 9:56 AM EST up reply actions

Johnson was the reason we let Dahl walk

He didn’t get a chance to solidify himself in 2011. I just don’t see us finding a starting caliber RG in the draft to compete with him.

by leonw92 on Feb 10, 2012 9:58 AM EST up reply actions

So I read your case for Johnson that you wrote about 8 days ago

and you have some points but I still think we need to draft a RG high in the draft. And in the third round you can find a very good OG that can step in, at least by mid season. So I think there should be competition for Johnson. He still didn’t beat out Reynolds who was working at RT in 2010 and 2011. He was switched to guard once they re-signed Clabo.

The silver lining to this discussion is that we’re not talking about blowing up the whole line. We’re saying we need just one player for us to get over the hump.

by Fear Me on Feb 10, 2012 1:41 PM EST up reply actions

Johnson had a series of 3 injuries

beginning with a concussion in pre season,a knee injury in September and ending with a foot injury in November that put him on IR.None of the injuries in themselves were that serious but,the combination and timing of them made the decision to put him on IR a no brainer.He’ll be ready to go by OTAs

I agree that guard is a place to look in the draft.Reynolds still needs to add 20 solid pounds to that tall frame.The lockout offseason set him back in that regard.You are also correct that it is not blowing up the the work that has been done.Good work has been done.But,the lack of an organized off season set back Hawley and Johnson and Reynolds(all 24 years old or younger),then the injury set Johnson back further.

The specifications for this offseason are 2.Sing it….pass protection,pass rush,pass protection ,pass rush,pass protection ,pass rush,pass protection,pass rush……………………..la la la la la laaaa

by dawg1060 on Feb 10, 2012 9:28 PM EST up reply actions

Demetrius Bell

has appeared in more than eight games just once in four years. Not sure we want this guy as anything more than a backup. He can’t stay healthy enough to be depended on for 16 games.

by Kushion on Feb 10, 2012 9:35 PM EST up reply actions

I like Svitek.

I think he’s done well as a starter even with little help on his side. If we get Nicks that might make him even better. I think he’s a guy we are talking about as an impact guy next season.

Rule #1: Double tap.

by Ball Hawk on Feb 10, 2012 9:24 AM EST via mobile reply actions

LT- Svitek
LG- Blalock
C- MCClure/Hawley
RG- Ben Jones (3rd round pick)
RT-Clabo

by Fear Me on Feb 10, 2012 9:53 AM EST reply actions

line goes like this

LT- Svitek/ Gaither/Bell if signed (brick ferguson or ryan clady in trade)
LG- Blalock
C- MCClure/Hawley
RG- Mike Johnson/ Grubbs if signed/draft pick
RT-Clabo

LT could be ok with Svitek if Koetter runs 2 setback offense (Ryan Grant/Turner) and chip blocks the DEs. With some clever run blocking schemes, Turner can still get 1K a year.

by mice2 on Feb 10, 2012 10:01 AM EST reply actions

I think this line is the most likely...

… of course, you have an unfair advantage because you listed so many names! :P

Don’t forget Marcus McNeill on that LT list. I really like the idea of bringing in an extremely talented veteran LT with an injury history (that lowers his price) like McNeill, Gaither, or Bell and let him compete with Svitek. If the injuries rear up again, we just go back to Svitek and we’ll be “okay.” If the injuries don’t resurface, we just got a bargain veteran talent at LT.

Agree with you on RG, in that I think we’re going to have to draft someone at the position to at least compete, if not start. Yes, there are a handful of talented gaurds on the market that might hit free agency, but most of them have very high price tags… will be interesting to watch.

by bischoje on Feb 10, 2012 11:49 AM EST up reply actions

stronger in the middle

I would like to see us get bigger at center around 310-315lb guy,if they sign a LT
they could move clabo to RG an let svitek play RT,or if they choose to sign a RG im fine
with Svitek staying at LT in 2012,he may need alittle help here and there but we could get by with him we really need to get bigger in the middle,I believe Ryan cant stand pressure in the middle and its clear he cant move around to much

by TFalcon on Feb 10, 2012 10:52 AM EST reply actions

I'm going

LT Nate Potter (2nd round selection out of Boise State)
LG Blalock/Hawley
C Todd McClure (resigned for 2 years)
RG Ben Grubbs
RT Tyson Clabo

Stop me if you've heard this before. An Atlanta team chokes in the postseason...

by Beachy Keen on Feb 10, 2012 11:54 AM EST reply actions

Potter is being compared to Sam Baker in scouting reports

That really scares me

by leonw92 on Feb 10, 2012 11:57 AM EST up reply actions

im afraid

Of a Sam Baker 2.0 as well. Id stay away from potter and if we use a 2nd rd pick on a o-lineman, it ought to be at center or guard. We can’t afford a miss at LT again

by wh00578 on Feb 10, 2012 12:46 PM EST up reply actions

Sam Baker & scouting reports

I don’t want to rehash the nerd rage I got into in another thread about this, but I think fans’ assumptions about Sam Baker’s pre-draft status, arm-length and that he was a “reach” are all greatly misunderstood and inflated. In other words, it’s been repeated so often it’s become “true” even though there’s not much basis for those beliefs (other than the “internet told me so”).

Sam Baker was a four year LT starter for USC during the Leinhart / Reggie Bush years. He was projected to go top 10 in the draft before his injury in college. Pretty sure he was a multiple time all-american. Taking him in the bottom half of the first round was not crazy, stupid, or a reach. It was a calculated gamble on a player with an injury history. Does Potter have an injury history that would lead him to a fall where we could draft him? If not, I don’t see the comparison. The more apt one is the FSU LT who was injured this past year. Draw that analogy, and we can debate shopping in the injured player bargain bin.

by NB on Feb 10, 2012 2:29 PM EST up reply actions

Thank you, my thoughts exactly

I thought trading up for Baker was a worthy gamble that went poorly, as simple as that. Expecting the same result to happen when picking Potter is foolish IMO. I have heard results that he could slide into 3-5 round range so waiting on him might be a better option than grabbing him in the 2nd.

Stop me if you've heard this before. An Atlanta team chokes in the postseason...

by Beachy Keen on Feb 10, 2012 3:07 PM EST up reply actions

Baker was a 1st team all American 2005-2007 and all PAC 10 2005-2007

Along with numerous other accolades from magazines coaches etc…

Really shocking just how bad he’s been.

by aces666high on Feb 10, 2012 3:22 PM EST up reply actions

There are A LOT of

players on this team that are being blasted because of poor play due to crappy coaches. How many coaches are returning for this upcoming season? I think Baker, if he’s on the team, will di much better with the new OC and OL coach.

by mwalex on Feb 10, 2012 5:03 PM EST up reply actions

that looks like the d-line

Atlanta will win a championship....someday

by maxxj3 on Feb 10, 2012 1:37 PM EST reply actions

it is the D-line

by Fear Me on Feb 10, 2012 1:42 PM EST up reply actions

We have a good line OL up...

… not perfect, mind you but far from the worst this club has seen.

I would suggest that this website commission an award for the best and worst O linman… with the worst being named to honor one particularly memorable name: William Bryant #66.

Bryant was good for at least two holding penalties per game… and always at critical times when you can’t keep your job by drawing them yellow zebra fleas. But somehow, someway… he held on to his job with the Falcs just wayyy to long.

"There's nothing wrong with Florida that a rise in ocean level wouldn't cure."

by Redoubt on Feb 10, 2012 3:03 PM EST reply actions

Heres My thoughts

LT Gaither/Mcneil/Svitek(as back up to either of those guys)
LG-Justin Blalock (easily our best olinemen)
C. Hawley or Mcclure
RG Nicks,Grubbs or Johnson
RT Clabo
I think if we find a get either grubbs,nicks and gaither or mcneil our line will see a huge boost plus our new oline coach is apparantly really good

by Nedk23 on Feb 10, 2012 3:20 PM EST reply actions

ATL might sign one of those guys

at one of those positions but that’s it. They aren’t going to tie up money in replacing the LT and RG with high dollar FA’s.

by mwalex on Feb 10, 2012 5:04 PM EST up reply actions

Forgive my ignorance on Gaither

But is he really that good? I mean, are a handful of games for the Chargers enough to assess him on? What about his entire pro career before that, where he was deemed not good enough by powerhouses such as the Chiefs, as recently as a few months ago?
If getting cut by them was some sort of wake-up call and he’s turned it around, I’m glad for him. But what does that say about his attitude? And what will his attitude be if/once the Falcons hand him a fat contract?

by dom on Feb 10, 2012 4:36 PM EST reply actions

Ravens

The Ravens let him go before the Chiefs. I’m a bit more leery / cautious on Gaither than others.

by NB on Feb 10, 2012 4:41 PM EST up reply actions

Just been reading a bit more about him

On some fan forums. The words that keep cropping up are “head case” and “lazy”. That would fit with the inconsistency of his performances with Chargers and Chiefs. Do the Falcons want to gamble Ryan’s health on that? Which Gaither will we get?

by dom on Feb 10, 2012 4:46 PM EST up reply actions

The worst that can be said about Gaither

is that he came back from injury slower than the Ravens expected.Their sheer numbers of Olinemen gave them the luxury of cutting him at little cost to the cap and in cash and use the roster spot for someone else.The Chiefs cut him in what can only be described as a typical Todd Haley temper tantrum after he commited a penalty at a critical point in a game.

He signed with the Chargers and began to kick the ass of everything that stepped in front of him,almost immediately.So in a nutshell,the Ravens can consider giving up on Gaither to be a minor inconvenience.The Chiefs made a catastrophic mistake in cutting him rather than just sitting him and that mistake will haunt them for several years to come.And,the Chargers were handed their starting LT for the next half decade or longer by the stupidity of a team in their own division.

by dawg1060 on Feb 10, 2012 10:03 PM EST up reply actions

Unfortunately,Gaither will never come to market

Too bad.It would be grea to have him.

by dawg1060 on Feb 10, 2012 10:04 PM EST up reply actions

Am I the only one who noticed,

that not one of the Falcons young offensive linemen made significant gains under Mike Mularkey and o-line coach Boudreau? Fact is, our entire O-line seem to have reached a ceiling and the inability to replace Harvey Dahl with anyone who even resembles an NFL quality guard all suggest a lack of coaching.

I’m also not sold on the thought that Todd McClure played at an “extremely high level”. The Falcon’s lack of protection/push was evident all year long and IMO, McClure being in or out of the game had very little impact in regard to this problem.

We have a lot of needs, very little cap room and someone like Nicks could break the bank. I’m not sure I want to spend the money on Nicks if it means we have to pass on the chance to get OSI.

That said, the Falcons have a new OC, OLC and entire off season to coach-up and scheme this line into a more productive unit.

just my 2 cents.

by BlackBirdBlitz on Feb 10, 2012 8:26 PM EST reply actions

Here goes

LT – Demetrius Bell ( FA – Buffalo Bills)/ Svitek (backup)
LG – Blalock
C – Hawley ( or a 2nd round pick)
RG – Nicks
RT – Clabo

by Whyte Bler 000 on Feb 10, 2012 9:32 PM EST reply actions

Gonna go out on a limb and say we stand pat on the OL

I think the FA dollars will be spent on a FS, and bringing back our own FAs

by FLA_Falcon on Feb 10, 2012 10:08 PM EST via mobile reply actions

line with no FA

I see no FA starter on the line next year. I just hope the line we have can step up better than last year. Not to say that most centers had a bad day against Tuck last year but Todd McClure had a really bad day against him. Just hope we can solidify the middle of the line .

by Rippers on Feb 10, 2012 10:25 PM EST reply actions