Ladies and Gentlemen.......

.....we have an offensive line. All they are going to do is get better. The maturation process is fun to watch, especially after games like the Rams game today. Joseph and Sears are well on their way to establishing themselves, but Trueblood has been under scrutiny and his talent has been in question. He jumped leaps and bounds today with a game MVP type performance. His pass blocking was above average today, and his run blocking was off the charts.

Davin was his usual self, just blowing up defensive linemen, and de-cleating linebackers. When I see Joseph pulling around the end, I cringe in fear for the poor defender that is about to be crushed. One of the biggest things I love about Joseph, is he is always looking for someone to hit. He'll hit anyone within striking distance until the whistle blows. I love when there is a pile of tacklers gang tackling our guys, and there is always some unsuspecting defender hanging around watching his teammates try to bring down the ball carrier when all of a sudden he's just bashed into oblivion.

John Wade had his best game in three years. While I consider him the biggest weakness on our offensive line, some think the Center position is not important and will play up to the level of the Guards around him. That's certainly possible, but I'm not buying it. I'm tending to lean more toward his knee being 100% finally. With that being said, if Wade can elevate his game to match today's performance for the rest of the season, our run game may be unstoppable inside.

Aaron Sears, probably our best draft choice in two years. This kid like a raging elephant. I tend to liken Joseph to a Rhino because he's faster, Sears is large and unstoppable when he gets off the line. He can move for a big boy too, when he gets out in front to lead block. He's like a stone wall in pass protection. I'd like to see him concentrate better to avoid false start penalties, but this kid is on his way to stardom along with his other Guardmate.

Luke Petitgout is only edged out by Cato June as our best free agent acquisition. He's given us something we haven't had at the left tackle position since Paul Gruber. He's a better pass protector than a run blocker, which ironically was the case with Gruber also. But he has solidified, at least for the short term, a continual weakness.

If today was a glimpse of the future, even the immediate future once our young guys learn the ropes, and the unit gels as a whole, they will be unstoppable. They face a tough test next week in Carolina, and this will be a nice defensive unit to gauge their progress. Another performance like today, and the Panthers will be looking up at us in the standings early on.

Petitgout___Sears___Wade___Joseph___Trueblood..........I love these guys.
...JJC/ABuccsFan