Jake Long better suited on left or right side?

[HMFFL]

Mayock suggested the Dolphins should keep Vernon Carey at left tackle and start Long at right tackle, but then gradually shift Long to the left, as the Saints did with Jammal Brown, the 13th overall pick in 2005 who blossomed into a Pro Bowl left tackle in 2006.

Sharing Mayock's opinion is Browns General Manager Phil Savage, who attributes much of Cleveland's six-game turnaround last season to the more athletic Thomas, the overall No. 3 pick in 2007 who made the Pro Bowl his rookie season.

"I think Jake leans more toward right tackle," Savage said. "Not to say that either couldn't play the opposite side. That's the biggest question teams have to ask; if you take Jake Long in the top five, you almost have to say he'll be your left tackle."


Link

[studcrackers]

well im sure the dolphins didnt draft him to play the right side, its fine if he starts on the right side but he needs to eventually make the move to the left to justify his contract (assuming you think LT is the most important tackle position and/or any OL position)

[Icness]

I would keep him on the right, assuming that my assumption that teams are going to emulate the Giants D scheme holds true. You've got to be one step ahead, and right now that step ahead is exploiting the RT and RG/C part of the line with mutliple blitzes and fronts. I think teams are going to concede to some of the better LTs and try to get pressure elsewhere. Carey does a fairly adequate job on the left side, so he can stay and Long can be an exceptional RT. Most teams run right, and Long is potentially as good a run blocker as anyone in the league.

[NO-KG-AI]

How do you gradually shift? Brown played on the right, and then was just thrown to the left side where people thought he would fail, and he turned into, IMO probably the best LT in the league that year.

I hear ya about teams running right, which is why we can't mount a running game(Jonathan Stinchcomb)...

[Icness]

How do you gradually shift? Brown played on the right, and then was just thrown to the left side where people thought he would fail, and he turned into, IMO probably the best LT in the league that year.

I hear ya about teams running right, which is why we can't mount a running game(Jonathan Stinchcomb)...

Biggest factor (IMO anyways) is athleticism. You have to have great footwork and lateral agility, without sacrificing power, to play the left side effectively. Right side guys need to be nastier and more powerful for most offensive schemes. It's why Alex Barron stinks on the right side--he's too passive. Stinch isn't real aggressive either. Look at a guy like Kevin Shaffer, who was not very good on the left but has done a great job on the right side in Cleveland. He's physical, he's nasty, and he dictates the engagement with the defender more often than not. He couldn't move laterally well enough to handle the speed rushers and loses his balance too quickly, so the left was a real struggle for him.

I think Jake Long is going to be that kind of player, a guy who needs to dictate the contact to be successful. I do think he could handle the left side but it's sort of like asking a great TE to play WR all the time (see Shannon Sharpe in BAL)--why take away from a great strength at one spot to fill a hole at another?

[NO-KG-AI]

No, what I meant was, the only way to find out if he can play the left is to play him there, how do you kinda gradually move?

[Icness]

No, what I meant was, the only way to find out if he can play the left is to play him there, how do you kinda gradually move?

Maybe the way the Cards moved Leonard Davis from left to right and back, and back again with a brief RG sojourn in there. Or how the Raiders have gradually moved Robert Gallery to every spot except center.

The best example would be the Ravens gradually moving Jon Ogden to LT after a year learning the ropes at G. It's what the Panthers are toying with in regards to Jeff Otah, if Travelle Wharton winds up not being able to handle the LG spot.

[NO-KG-AI]

Yeah, I guess you could give them reps in practice at the desired position, but AFAIK Jammal Brown just got thrown to the left, had a rough time in training camp, had everyone worried, and then absolutely flourished.

I hated that we picked him over Derrick Johnson in that draft, but I'm not so bitter about it now since he turned into a stud.

[Latrell]

Yeah, I guess you could give them reps in practice at the desired position, but AFAIK Jammal Brown just got thrown to the left, had a rough time in training camp, had everyone worried, and then absolutely flourished.

I hated that we picked him over Derrick Johnson in that draft, but I'm not so bitter about it now since he turned into a stud.

With Long the Dolphins might as well throw him out at LT from the get-go, they\re in transition year anyway and dont have much to lose in doing so. They're not winning more than 5 games imo so you might as well groom him into a LT right away.