I'm not a big fan of EDS and was disappointed when TT didn't take one of the top 4 centers in last years draft. I felt Fredrickson, Jones or Schwenke had the ability to start right out of the gate. I didn't know much about Holmes, but he was getting a lot of national attention too.

 

During the off season it sounded like the Packers were moving forward with Bulaga, Sitton, EDS, Lang and Barclay across the line. Barclay seemed like a weak link, but the GB staff felt he progressed enough by the end of 2012 that they could develop him... yes, even under Campen. EDS took a lot of criticism last year and I was sure they would draft a center in the middle rounds. So when they drafted this kid, Bakhtiari, with the 109th pick I was pissed. He was projected to be a back up left tackle. That told me Sherrod might not be in the picture, but what concerned me was GB drafting a back up when the starting center position was a weakness.

 

Fredrickson was drafted in the 1st round, so obviously he wasn't in the picture for GB. Now Bakhtiari was taken with the 109th pick to be a back up at the time. No one knew Bulaga would go down, so I was pissed when they drafted a back up instead of potential starting centers that were taken with the 107th, 113th and 121st picks. And when Tretter was drafted much later and proclaimed to be a center of the future even though he didn't play there in college, I was really scratching my head.

 

But it turned out for the better when Bulaga went down and we discovered DB was a diamond in the rough. That will probably leave Barclay as the odd man out as one would think Bulaga is our future RT. What happens at center remains to be seen. 

Must be a typo.

DB did a decent job coming in last year and filling in in a pinch.  DB did the same this year but did a much better job.  I think DB is the better of the two and I'm not sure DB will even have a starting job next year.  They really need a S.

Let's not forget going into the season, the coaches changed nearly everyone's position.  It might not sound like a big deal going from LG to RG, but in order for all personnel on the line to work as one, it's a big switch.  How many people on this board were all pissed off, that we were moving our strongest G to a new position?  

 

Having one year under their belt at the new positions I think will help, and hopefully a solid BB back will strengthen the OL.  

X4 never forgets....plenty of kvetching here

 

https://packers.timesfour.com/t...e-up-ol-bulaga-to-lt

 

Turned out pretty well, moving way up in the rankings despite the injuries and shuffling

 

Must be a typo.

and despite being a C-minus center, our Oline was useless without EDS.

but that'll happen when Marshall Newhouse is anywhere but on the bench or unemployed.

As for Dietrich-Smith, Campen still sees a player with command at the line "that has room to grow."

Read more from Journal Sentinel: fixed the link

 

Which will happen first?  

 

1) Big Ern reaches "full potential"

2) Big Ern joins AARP

 

 

WRONG!  He's already maxed out.  Enjoy the blue plate specials.

link didn't work for me.  Here's the story:

 

Who will take center stage for Packers?

By Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel

Jan. 18, 2014

 

A Cornell graduate, Tretter scored 33 on the Wonderlic. Packers coaches did get a sense of Tretter's intelligence during his lost rookie season. He took the weekly tests with the linemen. On the field, offensive line coach James Campen said Tretter looked like "a guy who hadn't played football in a long time."

 

"But the same kind of guy we got when he was drafted here — confident, smart guy that knows his stuff," Campen said. "The kid has been in every meeting. Takes every test, every quiz and answers every question just like all of them do. He was prepared when he came back and that's why he was on the active roster."

 

Asked if Tretter is a realistic option at center for Green Bay, Campen said "Everyone on that board is a realistic option....There always will be a starting point, but from the first guy to the third guy that's on that chart, they all have an opportunity. It's what they do with it."

As for Dietrich-Smith, Campen still sees a player with command at the line "that has room to grow."

 

Tretter is going to prepare this off-season as a starter.

"Coming into this off-season, it's a new year," Tretter said. "Everybody should be preparing like a starter, no matter who's coming back, who's not. You're fighting for a job. Everybody is. So you prepare like you're going to be the guy and you just go from there.

 

"This is your job, your livelihood, you have to work hard this off-season. There's no taking a break and getting out of shape. You have to be ready to go."

 

Tretter assures he'll play anywhere coaches want him on the line. But he's also "confident" he could be the starter at center if asked. continue

 

 

Here's a couple of cool stats from packers.com on the GB offense and specifically the running game

 

Pretty impressive effort in 2013 and the OL surely had a hand in it

 

http://blog.packers.com/2014/0...-the-ground-in-2013/

 

Team, Rushing Yards (Per Game)
1. Philadelphia, 160.4
2. Buffalo, 144.2
3. San Francisco, 137.6
4. Seattle, 136.8
5. Washington, 135.3
6. N.Y. Jets, 134.9
7. Green Bay, 133.5
8. Minnesota sucks, 130.1
9. New England, 129.1
10. Kansas City, 128.5

 

 

 

That's a pretty even mix of good and bad offensive teams.  I assume the bad teams on that list had no passing game.

And some of those top 5 teams had a QB who contributed to those rushing stats.

pretty sure QB rushing stats don't count.

 

neither do long runs

Man, if this line can stay healthy next season...

       
       
That's why we go by Total QBR

Indeed

 

Look at what they did without Aaron for 1/2 season.

 

" The Packers generated 6,404 yards of total offense this season, the second most in franchise history behind only the 6,482 yards posted in 2011. Green Bay ranked No. 3 in the league in total offense with its average of 400.3 yards per game."

 

• The Packers ranked No. 6 in the NFL in passing offense at 266.8 yards per game, making them one of only three teams in the NFL (New England and Philadelphia) to finish in the top 10 in both passing and rushing offense this season.
• For Green Bay, it marked the first time since 2004 (No. 3 passing/No. 10 rushing) that it finished in the top 10 in the NFL in both categories.
• The Packers were tied for No. 8 in the NFL in scoring this season with an average of 26.1 points per game, the seventh straight campaign that Green Bay finished in the top 10 in the NFL in the category. New England was the only other team to do so over that span (2007-13).

 

 

With all of that statistical success, you have to wonder how they finished 8-7-1.  Red zone problems have been a growing thorn in this team's side.

If Tolzzzzzzzzzzzzzzien was not color blind the numbers would have been even higher

According to this link on cap space, Scott Wells may be available again as St Louis dumps veteran salaries

 

http://www.spotrac.com/premium...-team-cap-space-420/

 

 

I really like JC Tretter, I think he has a Max Unger quality about him. Unger was a LT only in college, switched to Guard and started his rookie season and moved to C. Now he's one of the best Centers in the NFL. Tretter has the qualities you want in an NFL lineman. He has great size (6'4" 305) with a strong build, great weight room strength, tested really well in all areas at the combine, high motor, and he's very intelligent. Really his only flaws as a player are that he has no experience at C and he's missed a whole season of play with an injury. I like Evan DS as a stopgap, but if his contract demands are anything beyond a couple million for this season then I would gamble on Tretter. If Tretter stays healthy, I think he will supplant EDS this season anyway. 

How is his butt height. 

Fairly decent I would say. Crotch warmth problem comes into play also as far as QB's are concerned. We need to also look at YPC of which Tretter has none, very concerning. 

Here's a short video from packernews.com on the OL

 

Wes Hodkiewicz and Erik Barancyzk talk EDS, Tretter and Bak

 

http://www.packersnews.com/art...1&nclick_check=1

 

Here is the review of the OL after the playoff game vs the niners from GBPG

 

Offensive line

Most of the time, the 49ers were rushing four and able to put heat on Rodgers. Against the run, they lined up with their safeties back and only seven in the box and never felt compelled to change.

If the Packers weren’t going to take chances throwing down the middle, the only other way to force the 49ers out of that two-deep look would have been to run the ball even more effectively. But the Packers weren’t good enough up front to turn the 49ers’ strength into a weakness.

Too often, Eddie Lacy had to juke and shrug off would-be tacklers at the point of attack. And with the line unable to root out the defensive linemen, the 49ers were able to do what they do so well: fly to the football and gang tackle. The Packers were getting a hat on a hat, but they weren’t able to consistently turn or buckle the 49ers’ front wall.

 

 

Here is PFF's take on the Free Agent Centers including EDS

 

https://www.profootballfocus.c...free-agents-centers/

 

Evan Dietrich-Smith

2013 Grade: +14.2
2013 Snaps: 1137

Summary: It is very possible when we look back from this group of free agent centers that Dietrich-Smith will be seen as the best of the group. In his only season as full-time starter, he managed to post a very strong overall grade of +14.2. Dietrich-Smith came into the league as an undrafted tackle out of Idaho State and the Packers tried him as a guard/center backup in 2011 and 2012 — when he started for them as a guard in 2011 he struggled, grading at -7.6 in only 322 snaps. The move to full-time center in 2013 was a good one for both player and team.

 

Dietrich-Smith will have a lot of question marks over his head, since he has only played 1,420 snaps at center. In the short time that he played the position in 2012 (155 snaps), he graded out as a league-average run blocker and in 2013 took a step in the right direction, finishing among the Top 15 centers in that regard. The upside of Dietrich-Smith is very high; if he can continue to improve every season he might the steal of the group.

 

Ross Tucker at SI with an article on how OL are graded by their position coaches and some of the nuances that we miss as fans

 

http://mmqb.si.com/2014/03/06/...sive-linemen-grades/

 

Also notes why left guards typically grade higher than right guards

Interesting that while acknowledging the limitations with a site like PFF, they pretty much call it the best resource that fans at home have for the time being.

With EDS signing with the Yucs, are we now looking at Lang playing center? Or is Tretter going to get the first crack?

 

Bakhtiari left tackle (Barclay backup?)

Sitton left guard

Tretter center

Lang right guard (Colledge backup)

Bulaga right tackle (Sherrod backup) 

 

This is getting interesting. 

Colledge ? ? ?

Colledge is available.  The Cardinals cut him to save $2.3M on the cap.

Maybe lambeausouth knows something he's not sharing.  Or too much weed.

I heard that! 

Forget Colledge, without him the Packers have 7 linemen. The Packers will at least want to carry one Rookie lineman. (deep draft for tackles this year) If they also retain any of their undrafted guys from last year then they are up to 9 o-linemen.

I saw Colledge listed in a comment on the JS online discussion about EDS, and thought we maybe grabbed him when I wasn't looking. Our O-line is a revolving door of backups, hard to keep them straight sometimes. 

The Colledge Experience returns!

 

Lang and Barkley both took snaps at center last pre-season.  If either of them get the job, they are going to have to work on their shotgun snaps.  It was an adventure, particularly with Barkley.

 

Regarding the Lang tweet, I suspect he is just spreading a little processed cheese for Sitton's consumption.

He's not being serious. Lang and Sitton are always jokingly taking jabs at each other

 

Right now Tretter is looking like the Center, but I wouldn't be surprised if GB signs a veteran this offseason.

and/or possibly draft another one