Some additional thoughts on the OL

Yeah, we can't change what has happened to this point - especially the injuries that the OL has experienced.  I'm just trying to look at the situation realistically to understand where we are at right now - and try to envision what the remaining healthy players can do for the team this year.  Obviously, it's a bad situation.  But we can't redo the draft or FA.  It's over.  This is our team for 2023.

I can see that Davis has rust to knock off, but at the same time I can see a player there who had decent but not great talent.  If we had 5 like him on the OL we'd be in pretty good shape this year - once the rust is knocked off.  Of the 3 interior offensive linemen playing right now, Davis is clearly the better of the three.  And it's not even close if you watch them work.  Whitehair is done.  Good guy but I don't see much left there.  Patrick?  LOL.  Dude isn't even backup material.  Davis?  If you actually watch his play - every single snap he played in that game - you will see obvious rust issues that can be cleaned up.  He CAN clean them up due to the fact the guy has obvious talent.  He moves well.  Hhe is powerful.  He is (at least) competent/average.  But again, he (like Brax... I include him in this "rust" category) needs to knock some rust off and settle in.  Forget the "how we got here" thing.  We are here.  This is our team.  We can't change that.  Next year Poles needs to do a permanent fix of the offensive line.  He of all people understands that now. 

Yes he does and yes the C position remains a problem for the 3rd straight season.

It's too late of course but yeah if you could turn back the clock, you'd have not made the Claypool desperation trade last season and instead used that pick to draft Joe Tippman.  I wanted him for us soooooo bad in this draft and was sick when he went in the early-2nd before we had a shot at him.

Re Davis, sorry Butkus but you're about the only one who thought Nate was good (or even decent) last week.  What I saw and everything I have read and seen from other observers said that he sucked hard.

Was is just "knocking off rust"?  Well, I hope so or we just wasted $30m on a bust FA.  And why was he so rusty?  Cuz he was AWOL the entire offseason program.  Not gonna rehash the details but the guy hasn't exactly shown dedication to his craft since being a no-show at OTAs back in June.  He's been a total PITA DIVA who apparently doesn't think he needs to practice.  I too read the reports that Vrabel hated him and MV is a HC I think highly of, especially with regard to line play.

There's stuff they aren't telling us about him and his "personal problem".  I'd wager a lot of money that's a bullshit cover story for his crappy work ethic.

He sucked on Sunday and he needs to be way better to change the evolving narrative about him which isn't good.

Re Davis, sorry Butkus but you're about the only one who thought Nate was good (or even decent) last week.  What I saw and everything I have read and seen from other observers said that he sucked hard.

Was is just "knocking off rust"?  Well, I hope so or we just wasted $30m on a bust FA.  And why was he so rusty?  Cuz he was AWOL the entire offseason program.  Not gonna rehash the details but the guy hasn't exactly shown dedication to his craft since being a no-show at OTAs back in June.  He's been a total PITA DIVA who apparently doesn't think he needs to practice.  I too read the reports that Vrabel hated him and MV is a HC I think highly of, especially with regard to line play.

There's stuff they aren't telling us about him and his "personal problem".  I'd wager a lot of money that's a bullshit cover story for his crappy work ethic.

He sucked on Sunday and he needs to be way better to change the evolving narrative about him which isn't good.