O-line present and future

The future, as well as the present, is looking pretty bright for our offensive line.

[ol]- Of the current starters, Flory is the oldest at 33. I think Scott still has at least two or three years of elite football left in him.

  • Perrett and Bourke are in their late '20s and keepers both. Both tackle spots are secure.
  • In his first full CFL season, Woodruff has done an outstanding job at left guard, to the point where I believe Paul Lambert is now expendable if he even wants to return.
  • LBJ has been a revelation at center. Remember all those pass-protection issues? The high snaps? The disturbingly high number of sacks? No? Well, neither do I. :stuck_out_tongue: Since LBJ took over from Lambert, the line play has stabilized tremendously. Luc clearly has a head for making protection calls at the line, and his snaps are almost always clean. Always nice to see a local boy make good.[/ol]

With Steenburgen and others waiting in the wings and Seagraves as a versatile insurance policy, I'd say our line is in great shape. Best of all, we're avoiding a situation where we suddenly have to rotate a bunch of new guys in at the same time.

Credit, as usual, to Jim Popp for recognizing that a good offense lives and dies on the strength and continuity of its offensive line, and for making sure that we're all-Canadian across the line, freeing up import spots elsewhere. It doesn't matter how many star receivers you have, or even how good your QB is, if the big boys can't pass-block and open up running lanes.

Generally agree with you on that (big surprise, hey?). . . with one little exception. . . I agree Woodruff had a good season, but he wasn't at his best in the Grey Cup game. . . LBJ looked like a fish out of water at guard, but he's been lights out at centre.

Yep, Woodruff struggled in the Grey Cup game (though all-Canadian Scott Flory also struggled, an indication of just how much pressure the Riders were bringing on D). I too hated LBJ at guard but moving to center has made all the difference.

Don't forget Kristian Matte who's signed until 2012 (option year).

I do think we can all agree that the offensive line is not something we need worry about at all this offseason.

Kicker, kick returner, free agents, that's where Mr Popp will be devoting his attention I'm sure.

I feel the team wasted an import spot this season when Seagraves (basically a 6th o-lineman), was inserted when Lambert went down. This meant we couldn`t use Hawkins who adds a different dimension to the offense.

Hopefully Steenbergen or Matte can become the 6th man next year. If not, although I know hes not popular on this board, I would welcome back Paul Lambert. Ive always liked his character.

As far as free agents, one name came up this week when player agent Darren Gill on his Team 990 segment said that Calgary free agent CB Dwight Anderson (a client of his), would be a good fit for the Als.
He is a Diamond Ferri type, lots of great plays, but also untimely penalties. But I would like to see him here.

Il y a une chose qu’Anderson a et qui ne figure pas dans les plans des Alouettes : un assez gros ego qui le pousse à manqueer de respect pour l’adversaire. Dwight Anderson pourrait être une solution pour une partie des problèmes de la tertiaire, mais il devra apprendre à faire passer l’équipe avant lui et à respecter un peu plus les gars d’en face. Une trop grosse commande?

True. I can’t imagine Trestman tolerating Anderson shouting or calling out teammates on the sidelines on a regular basis.

La ligne offensive s'est solidifiée à la venue de Luc Brodeur-Jourdain au centre. N'oublions pas qu'il était le substitut de Chiu à cette position en 2009, et curieusement, lorsque Chiu a été blessé, ce n'est pas lui qui a comblé le vide, mais Lambert.

Après la blessure de Lambert, la ligne offensive a progressé constamment. C'est comme si la présence simultanée de Luc Brodeur-Jourdain ET d'Andrew Woodruff avait donné de l'organisation à une ligne auparavant erratique. C'est une perspective très prometteuse, et l'équipe a encore Matte et Bomben comme canadiens en réserve.

Je crois que Popp va faire de gros efforts pour solidifier la défensive cet hiver. Il avait déjà apporté certains éléments intéressants (Fontaine, Charlton, Brown) mais on doit s'attendre à quelques embauches de ce côté.