Offensive Line Discussion

[gzubeck]

Tillery the Tackle...has a nice ring to it...the idea has merit...

Might be sad if he could beat out Tevi as a O tackle. If he can't penetrate maybe he can be a solid o wall. LOL!

[AK47]

Tillery came in as a Tackle for ND but was asked to switch to DT. ND is more known to produce NFL O-line talent than Defensive line talent. Wait a minute...is our franchise LT playing the wrong position LOL!!!

[WindsorUK]

Has Kelvin Beachum been mentioned here as a possible LT?
We've obviously got money left to bring in someone. Or are we waiting to see what happens in camp?

[Topcat]

Tillery came in as a Tackle for ND but was asked to switch to DT. ND is more known to produce NFL O-line talent than Defensive line talent. Wait a minute...is our franchise LT playing the wrong position LOL!!!

If we switch Tillery from the D-line to the O-line, it won't be the first time this has happened on the Bolts. Does the name Kris Dielman ring a bell?

[sonorajim]

Has Kelvin Beachum been mentioned here as a possible LT?
We've obviously got money left to bring in someone. Or are we waiting to see what happens in camp?

That's my guess. They have a LT development prospect they like who got 3 starts+ 10 games in spots as a rookie last year and who is getting a new, well respected vet coach and some tweaks to the OL blocking scheme.
...Plus other depth like Lamp & Norton they can't be sure of.

[sonorajim]

If we switch Tillery from the D-line to the O-line, it won't be the first time this has happened on the Bolts. Does the name Kris Dielman ring a bell?

Loved Kris. Marty made that call with a backup / practice squad DL. Tillery was a 1st rd pick. I doubt that move will happen in 2020 but if he's mediocre at DL again, maybe. Let's see where he practices. I'm betting DL.

[Topcat]

Loved Kris. Marty made that call with a backup / practice squad DL. Tillery was a 1st rd pick. I doubt that move will happen in 2020 but if he's mediocre at DL again, maybe. Let's see where he practices. I'm betting DL.

Agree...I hope Tillery steps it up at DT this year...

[chargeroo]

I remember Sid Gilman drafting an OT and moving him to DT. He didn't fare well at DT so the next year they moved him back to OT. That was Russ Washington who went on to have a very good career as an OT. Some can be switched others can't.

[powderblueboy]

From a BFTB article on Bulaga:





Michael Peterson
@ZoneTracks
#Chargers OT Bryan Bulaga on OL Coach James Campen: "He is a hell of a coach and a great guy." Mentions that "Campy" allows players to be themselves and will turn their weaknesses into strengths.

further from Peterson:

"The main themes I keep hearing about Campen as a coach is that he
1.) Allows players to be themselves and doesn’t force them into specific techniques and
2.) He will assuredly turn their shortcomings into their strengths.

For a team that’s looking more and more like their going to trot out a youngster at left tackle in 2020, those things should be music to fans’ ears. His coaching style allows his players to have freedom inside of their own path of progression. It’s what makes him a coach that players really want to play for."

https://www.boltsfromtheblue.com/202...an-bulaga-2020

[sonorajim]

Campen's history as a player and as a coach in the NFL is one of success and Championship. The endorsement of his character and coaching by a Pro Bowl vet that played in Campen's program is cool. In addition to being an upgrade in quality at RT and an example to the young OL, Bulaga aids a smooth buy in by other OL.
There is little question that the OL as a group will be more effective in 2020.
LAC's C- RG- RT starters are PB vets.
What Campen is able to do with the LT- LG candidates is the question. The raw material looked exactly that last year - raw.
That aside (), they gained experience and now have gained Coach Campen, Bryan Bulaga and Trai Turner.

[wu-dai clan]

From a BFTB article on Bulaga:





Michael Peterson
@ZoneTracks
#Chargers OT Bryan Bulaga on OL Coach James Campen: "He is a hell of a coach and a great guy." Mentions that "Campy" allows players to be themselves and will turn their weaknesses into strengths.

further from Peterson:

"The main themes I keep hearing about Campen as a coach is that he
1.) Allows players to be themselves and doesn’t force them into specific techniques and
2.) He will assuredly turn their shortcomings into their strengths.

For a team that’s looking more and more like their going to trot out a youngster at left tackle in 2020, those things should be music to fans’ ears. His coaching style allows his players to have freedom inside of their own path of progression. It’s what makes him a coach that players really want to play for."

https://www.boltsfromtheblue.com/202...an-bulaga-2020

Yes. Yes. Campen said these things himself in the Hayley interview.

As an example, I can picture Campen really helping Feeney. The are some things that Feeney does that are quite useful. And there are some things that are complete dog shit.

[Steve]

If we switch Tillery from the D-line to the O-line, it won't be the first time this has happened on the Bolts. Does the name Kris Dielman ring a bell?

Dielman bounced around and never really found a position in college. He started off as a TE and then moved to OL under IU, then Chargers coaches Cam Cameron and Hal Hunter. When they left, his new coach moved him to DT. The Chargers tried him at DT at first, but when he didn't make the team and they wanted to move him to OG, they had a sloppy roster that they could afford to let Dielman sit and learn for a season. We had a high draft pick who was playing fairly well at Fanoti (sp?) ahead of him.

Tillery is a very different deal.
1) TIllery is a modern #1 pick, while Russ Washington was a 1st round pick back in 1968. Back in 1968, teams really didn't have scouting into the process that it is now. Often teams would draft high players sight unseen, because in the late 1960's, scouting staff's were pretty small. A lot of 1950's and 1960's players got moved around when they were drafted. Now it is exceedingly rare.

2). If you look at Tillery's PFF grades (game by game), it is not that he is just plain dreadful, which is what pff hints at with his overall grade. His game by game breakdowns show that he flashes some ability as both run stuffer and pass rusher. He was inconsistent, which is not exactly unheard of for rookies, especially those who didn't practice much in the offseason.

If we turn him back into an OT, after playing his college career at DT, it is the first sign that the front office made a huge mistake in drafting him. IF he had been unable to play both run and pass defense, then switching him might be an option. But it hasn't, flashing some ability in both run D and pass rushing. Tillery is just inconsistent and unable to put enough good plays together.

3). We have a pretty loaded roster, so the idea of taking a guy and letting him sit all year while he learns a new position seems unlikely.