Brayton, Janikowski....

[Angry Pope]

5/12/2006

By Steve Corkran
Contra Costa Times


Barry Sims has settled in at left guard now that third-year player Robert Gallery has supplanted Sims at left offensive tackle. In turn, Langston Walker has moved from left guard to right tackle as part of new coach Art Shell's makeover of an offensive line that struggled for most of last season. Sims is versatile enough, quick enough and smart enough to make a seamless switch. He has played guard in the NFL before but only in a handful of games. His biggest adjustments figure to be playing with blockers on either side of him and being asked to handle bigger rushers in defensive tackles. Still, this is a move that figures to make Oakland's line stronger. Walker's return to the lineup after missing most of last season while recovering from surgery to stop abdominal bleeding also is expected to bolster Oakland's offensive line. He is back at his natural position after spending a year inside so that Gallery and Sims could play tackle. Walker is an immense player who appears ideally suited to playing right tackle, where he isn't apt to see as many speed guys. . . .

Shell let it be known to K Sebastian Janikowski that anything less than a bounce-back season is unacceptable. In fact, Shell said he told Janikowski that he expects to see Janikowski in the Pro Bowl as the AFC's kicker. To that end, Shell has instituted a rule where his players have to run whenever Janikowski misses a field goal in practice. Janikowski finished with the worst percentage for field goals made among kickers with at least 10 attempts. There isn't any simple explanation for Janikowski missing one-third of his 30 attempts last season. The Raiders are hopeful that it was just an off year for a player who they expect to be on every year.

SCOUTING REPORT: Tyler Brayton looked like a player without a position the past two seasons. However, he now is back at defensive end and playing out of a three-point stance. That is just the way he likes it. Yet, he tried to play linebacker and some variations of that position and defensive end the past two seasons as part of defensive coordinator Rob Ryan's seeing where his players fit best in his scheme. That now appears to be defensive end, Brayton's natural position and one he performed at well his rookie season. Brayton has a shot at unseating incumbent veteran Bobby Hamilton if he develops into the player the Raiders envisioned when they drafted Brayton in the first round. He has the size, speed and strength to success. Now he has the experience and is being put in a position to succeed. Perhaps his lone downside is his lack of a go-to move on pass-rushing downs, though he is working on that with line coach Keith Millard.

POSITION BATTLE: Outside linebacker proved a huge trouble spot for the Raiders last season. The emergence of rookie Kirk Morrison solved part of the problem that stemmed from the Raiders trying converted DEs Tyler Brayton and Grant Irons at outside linebacker. Now, the Raiders are seeking a complement to Morrison among a trio that features veteran Sam Williams and rookies Darnell Bing and Thomas Howard. Williams gets the edge based on his experience, but not by much because he has been hurt each of his three NFL seasons. He is tall, fast and versatile, someone talented enough to succeed in playing the role of spy on Atlanta Falcons QB Michael Vick in one game. He is most vulnerable against the pass and in open space. Even so, he holds the title as the leading candidate. Howard is an extremely fast player who needs work on his consistency. He tends to make an eye-opening play on one play and then get out of position on the next. Still, as a second-round draft pick, he is going to get a long look. Bing has the speed, demeanor and hitting prowess to play linebacker. Now it's a matter of doing it. He played safety in college and needs to put on 10 pounds or so without losing much, if any, speed. If two or more of the aforementioned three candidates shine in training camp, the Raiders would have the added luxury of using two of them as starters, along with Morrison, and replacing veteran Danny Clark.

 

[Crossbones]

Looks like Art Shell knows how this thing should work.

All this BS that went on switiching poeple around is a thing of the past. That God for small favors. I like what I'm hearing.

 

[Rupert]

Bones: It ain't a thing of the past. Bing was a college safety. We want him to gain weight, maintain speed and learn to be a linebacker. Morrison was a MLB in college, we've moved him outside and are hoping his knowledge compensates for his lack of natural speed (which it has).Randal Williams and James Adkisson are converted WR's trying to be TE's.

Switching people around will always be a part of the Raiders. Always.

 

[Crossbones]

Natural positions RULE!!!!

Yeah but to me those things you show make more sense than putting Irons and Brayton at linebacker. That was just grasping as starws. They also make more sense than putting the neuber two pick in tghe draft at RT when you drafted him as a LT and the team was going nowhere anyway.

In fact, I wish they would leave Bing alone and play him at safety. Huff at FS and bing at SS. Screw Stu. We'd probably be better off.

As for Morrision, while he did well, I think he'd excel at the MIKE. We may have the pieces in place to make that move either this year or next.

And besides, EVERYBODY talks about "natural positions" so you're gonna have to get used to it. Gallery is a natural LT. Grove a C. Walker a RT. Art Shell agrees with me. So there.

 

[Rupert]

Yeah, but Lester Hayes was a natural LB and Todd Christensen was a natural FB. That didn't pan out in the NFL. They made their mark in new positions, and neither one was average.

That "natural position" BS is just that, BS. We drafted 2 tackles and a center. Are you going to tell me we should play those tackles at their "natural position" even if they're too slow to play there in the NFL. That's too much stupidity to even pay attention to.

Bing is on the slow end of safeties. He's where you'd accept a safety when he's in his 30's. Bing has nowhere near that kind of experience, so he'd be at a disadvantage out of the gate. We're moving him to where he can have a longer career. Bing didn't drop from day 1 because people were clamoring to make him a safety. He dropped because everyone knew he'd have to change positions.

Ask Walker. He doesn't think he's a RT, he thinks he's a tackle though. He thinks he can play either side. He has played both sides in the NFL. He's not used to playing with someone on either side of him. But that doesn't mean he wouldn't be good at it. He's just not used to it. That has nothing to do with "natural position" and everything to do with familiarity.

People talk about moving players all the time, the press included. They all talked about the tackles we drafted having to move to guard in the NFL. People think Walker is a RT because he's a little slow of foot and would be at a disadvantage against the faster pass rushers. They think Gallery is better suited for LT because he's not as powerful but has quick feet to handle the speed rushers. Those things are projections. Just like people saying Sims wouldn't be much of a tackle. He has a span where he played very well for us. Played better than some of the "natural LT's" we've had in the past, like Harlow and Stinchcomb and Collins and Perry

Art Shell doesn't agree with you. He's drawn his own conclusions based upon what he wants at each position.

 

[Crossbones]

I agree there are times when you make a position change. Not with the LT you chosse with the second pick in the enitre draft without even throwing him into the mix. I know they did it (for one year) with Ogden but generally speaking you don't do it in that situation. Same with Grove, The best center in the draft and we mess with the kids head. Then there is Brayton and Irons. Disaster. Poor decision making and the damn head coach let it happen.

Art doesn't agree with me? You don't know that.

 

[Rupert]

Well, here's the thing on Gallery. You get him on the field as soon as you can. His "position change" was strictly a convenience that I doubt hurt him one bit. In fact, it probably helped by balancing his techniques and giving him experience against other types of opponents.

With Grove, guard usually requires a better player than center. So his move there was indicative of his physical talent being ahead of his mental aclimatization. It wasn't about messing with his head, it was about putting his body to use while his head caught up.

Brayton and Irons were a stretch. Two guys with good mobility for DE's that might benefit in speed from dropping 10-15 pounds but who were a little under-skilled as DE's. Brayton could tackle well, but couldn't get to the QB. He could defeat blockers. He couldn't get through a blocker to the QB though. Whatever, it was a failed experiment. I understood the rationalle and the hopes (finding the next Willie McGinnest). And who knows, it might have worked if we had better personnel around them. And it might not even have been attempted if we had a larger collection of decent backers on the roster. I think the bad decision happened on the roster long before it was put into execution on the field. Hell, those guys and Grant might have made it work in the 70's but with the speed on the field today, forget it. I think that's why we drafted the fastest backer in the draft and moved a slightly slow safety up to backer where he's right in the middle of the pack.

Speed kills, I think Al Davis forgot that on defense for a couple years, at least at the backer position.