One More Reason Spitz Should Play Center
By PackerAaron
Thrown in as almost a non-event in Pete Dougherty's overview of the offensive line is the following:
Spitz is a good bet to beat out incumbent Scott Wells at center after moving among both guard spots and center in his first three seasons. Spitz’s most natural position probably is center, and Wells is coming off a serious injury (torn labrum) that sidelined him all offseason, which puts him in a hole. Also, McCarthy is looking to get a little bigger and more physical on the offensive line, and Spitz is a little taller (6-4 to 6-2) and heavier (307 pounds to 300).
The key here is "Spitz’s most natural position probably is center".
I know Philbin has said Wells is not to be counted out, but that's just coach-speak. There's something else working against Wells' return and that is, quietly, Spitz' less-than-stellar play at guard in the passing game. Everyone likes to talk about Daryn Colledge's deficiencies while Spitz gets a pass, and I'm not sure why. Going back and watching Spitz exclusively over the course of the 2008 campaign, I was shocked just how many poor plays Spitz was directly responsible for, especially in the screen game. (This is not from last season, but check out the 6 min mark and try not to cry...)
I also wish I could show you the screen to Brandon Jackson at the end of the Tennessee game where Spitz completely blows his block, thus ruining the play and ending the Packers' chances for what would have been a winning touchdown. Unfortunately, it's not a 'highlight' and therefore unavailable on NFL.com.
Also not available is a play at Minnesota that completely captures why Wells is not up to the job. Spitz, for all his limitations, is much better when it comes to recognizing blitzers and pressure. On this particular play, Rodgers rolls right and the line, by design, shifts with him in what is sometimes referred to as 'moving the pocket'. While Rodgers scans down-field, a Minnesota linebacker, recognizing that his assignment, the running back, has stayed in to block, comes flying in from around the end of the pocket. Wells, the closest man to him, completely blanks and lets him fly right by, the linebacker almost killing Rodgers.
The other point that Dougherty mentions regarding size can not be discounted either. The offenses' failures in short yardage are a team failure, but a line made up of Spitz, Sitton and either Barbre or Lang will be much more powerful and able to get that tough yard. For all his athletic limitations, Spitz has shown the ability to become a mauler when asked to and this, along with his slight size advantage, only helps his case in starting over Wells.
Overall, what we've seen as a foregone conclusion all summer may be just that, for a plethora of reasons.
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Comments (21)
July 24, 2009 at 11:00 am
Nice post. Who would be the back-up center in case Spitz gets injured? Probably Duke Preston? His signing makes all the more sense now. If Clifton gets injurred, move Colledge over to LT and put Preston there as well. It does not look good for Wells. I just hope the Vikings don't pick him up if GB cuts him.
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You and the packer fan from England are inspiring me to start recording games. Does anyone know if it's possible to upload your TiVo records to your computer so they can be burned onto a DVD?
PackerAaron
July 24, 2009 at 11:19 am
My guess is that was the thinking in brining in Preston. And yes, I think if Clifton goes down you'll see Colledge kick out and Preston in there as well. I just don't see Wells on the final roster, even after the extension they gave him a few years ago.
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Anything's possible when it comes to recording games. It's hard to recommend certain methods over others due to hundreds of variables in equipment. For myself, I use a combination of DVRd games, NFL Game Rewind and DVDs I order online here: http://greatgames77.tripod.com/packers.html
July 24, 2009 at 12:20 pm
I suspect Wells will make the team over Duke Preston.
PackerAaron
July 24, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Doubtful. Wells won't be playing guard, Preston can play all 5 spots on the line.
July 24, 2009 at 01:02 pm
In the Giant Championship game the interception in overtime Grant came out of the backfield and was wide open for an easy first down it was 2nd and 8.
PackerAaron
July 24, 2009 at 01:21 pm
ctpack - Everybody was open on that play. Except Driver. Ev.Ry.Bo.Dy.
July 24, 2009 at 02:29 pm
Asshalo - Glad to see I'm already famous : )
July 24, 2009 at 02:31 pm
I will be the first to admit that Colledge has gotten more flack over the years than Spitz, and maybe not-so-deservedly so. Colledge was the higher draft pick, and his struggles early on seemed to be far more glaring...primarily because his gaffes were penalty-based, whereas (as you point out, Aaron) Spitz just whiffs and gives up big plays.
Now, Colledge is being touted by some as the best (or, at least, the most consistent) lineman we have. And we enter another season of an offensive line shuffle with open tryouts for unproven players. Would be nice one of these years to at least get 3-4 of those positions nailed down solidly.
PackerAaron
July 24, 2009 at 02:45 pm
LA - Agreed on the need for the line to get settled. As for Colledge, I would only draw attention to Mike Whale, who was just about as bad as could be his first couple years. Of course, the position switch really helped...
July 24, 2009 at 03:27 pm
Sitton is big and nasty and if he can stay healthy and play well he is really an improvement over last year. Sitton also allows Spitz to play center which appears to be an upgrade over Wells in terms of size and ability. Colledge at LG is going to take a big step forward this year. He's been slapped around in the past but I think he showed at the end of last year that he understands the game and has the ability to do well in this league. He has also added some size and it seems he is finally coming into the right size and strength for his position in the NFL. I'm not saying these three will be great but they have a chance at being consistently solid and that is at least a big improvement over last year.
July 24, 2009 at 03:27 pm
Actually, none of TT's Oline picks has performed at even an acceptable level to this date. Sporadic would be the word that best describes their performance. This year at least four of TT's picks must come forward, take control and perform consistently week after week. Without that, the Oline could be this year's Achiles Heal.
Right Tackle, Left Guard, Right Guard, and Center need desparetly to be stabilized. Consistent very good performance is required each and every game. To make it worse, if Clifton falls off due to age or inury add one more player who has never played at a high level of competence in their time ion the NFL.
Have some of TT's boys shown potential? I guess so. But they have rarely, if ever, put three solid performances in a row together. That's the mission for MM, Philbin and Campen this year. Let's hope it comes together ASAP.
July 24, 2009 at 03:32 pm
Wells could even be released early in camp just to give him a chance to latch on to another team... ....Seems like PackFans year in & year out fret about the OL only due to the shuffling. Line play can't be that bad on an offense that was ranked 7th in 2008. ...Here's a good look at a stat analysis of all OLs in 2008.
http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Article.php?Page=1024&Category=2
July 24, 2009 at 03:44 pm
GBs offense ranked 7th in 2008 but yet none of the OL has performed at an acceptable level ?? ...I doubt the other 6 players on the field can offset a lousy OL.
GB is spending their $$$ more on the skill positions than their OL. You're never going to get 2 or 3 pro-bowlers off their roster.
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Does it even matter ?? Pitts & Indy had two of the worst OLs in the NFL in 2008.
July 24, 2009 at 04:03 pm
Actually it was Clifton and Taucher who anchored the line in the early season. Center and both guards were rotated and benched and rotated again to try and beef up the line's performance. Name one of the players in that mix who played consistently and stood out as a starter.
When Tauch went down and Clifton was playing hurt, just how well did that go? Not saying it can't happen that the line will stabilize. Just saying that it is not apparent who will step up and do the job. Every Olineman on the current Packer roster has a big question mark attached.
July 24, 2009 at 04:34 pm
Ron, I think letting the guys settle into one position rather than moving them around all the time will go quite a ways toward helping them improve their play. I'm high on some of the guys they drafted this year too, btw. Meredith and, what's the other guy's name, Lang? I think they've got potential.
July 24, 2009 at 08:04 pm
I do hope you're right Nerd, but it was Philbin and MM who couldn't seem to develop any confidence with the guys they were using. Over 16 games that's not a good situation. Someone should have stepped up and they didn't. Lang and Meridith are rookies. Meridith is also pretty small by NFL standards. but he can add weight. We'll just have to wait and see.
July 25, 2009 at 11:47 am
Clifton was actually one of the worst players on our line last year. He gave the most sacks. (there's the fact that he played against the opponent's best pass rusher, but...)
Some stats from last year:
Tauscher was the 4th best RT last year in PP with 2 sacks. Clifton was the 24th LT, with 7.5 sacks. Colledge was the 25th LG, with 6. Wells was the 28th C with 3.5 (Preston was the 11th with 0.75). Spitz was the 4th best RG with 1 sack given. Of course, those are only pass protection stats, but we are a passing team. In the same chart, Herrera is the worst RG... http://www.boltsfromtheblue.com/2009/5/15/874775/offensive-lineman-pass-...
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Of course, both Tauscher and Clifton were injuried, and the line shifted a lot. But I would say the best formation for us would be Clifton, Colledge, Spitz, Sitton and Lang. (If Lang wins the job, it means the best prospect is ready enough to be on the field. Or it could mean that the competition sucked) We're going to miss Tauscher a lot, and we should sign him if he's healthy. Clifton will be cut if not this year, next for sure. The reason he should start playing is that, like Ron said, Meredith needs to add weight, and is not ready. Spitz should be on the field all times. Preston will be the #1 backup both at G and C.
July 27, 2009 at 08:55 am
Ron La Canne is absolutely right about the o-line-- definitely a less than stellar bunch. For how great TT is at bringing in talent, I'm a little disappointed we're still waiting for the O-line to blossom.
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Woody is also right about still being able to have a good offense with a less than steller o line. Despite how poorly they performed last year, our offense was still pretty good. Imagine if they blow less blocks and commit less penalties. Small differences in performance will make a major impact.
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AdaminEngland, haha, you mean you didn't already know?
July 27, 2009 at 06:48 pm
For those of you who think Mc Ginn is the jounalistic Potentate of the Packer Press Corp this link will give you reason for O line nightmares.
http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/51749592.html
The Packers are entering the 2009 season with an untried and inexperienced O line. Much of the talent has yet to show itself outside of Philbin and Campman trying to be optimistic. The 22 sacks given up last year were the most in many years. Admittedly Rodgers caused a few of those by holding the ball too long.
This is the most tenuous part of the team this year. It deserves close scrutiny in the coming practices and pre-season games.
July 27, 2009 at 09:26 pm
Or you can read from CHFF & get a statistical analysis of all the OLs of all 32 NFL teams in 2008.
http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Article.php?Page=1024&Category=2
July 27, 2009 at 09:43 pm
Ron
You need a more thorough statistical analysis of the OLs of all 32 NFL teams in 2008. Your dire concerns for the OL may not be warranted. Although it's difficult to grade out OLs statistically, it can be done to a certain extent. It's better than strictly opinion. Try this.
http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/2_1024_Final_2008_Offensiv...