DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Which Browns second-year player will make the biggest impact? 21 Browns questions for ’21

In order for Delpit IMO to show improvement he has to have a baseline IMO. Sense he didn't play at all last year it's impossible to say he has improved so that IMO leaves him off the list of candidates doesn't it?

The question was "biggest impact".

Only you know exactly what point you were making. But it sounds as if you are saying that protecting the blindside of a left-handed QB prepares an RT to play LT for a right-handed QB and therefore the transition is simple or easy, that is a superficial analysis.

I don't pretend to be an OL guru but lets' start with the kick-slide, it's totally different. Footwork in general is completely reversed. Pulling from the RT vs. LT position requires exploding out of your stance with the opposite foot. That's like asking a sprinter to change foot positions in the blocks and still have the same or similar get-off. Balance and hand placement are different. In general, gaining and applying leverage is reversed by moving from RT to LT. The muscle memory of a RT has to be re-tooled significantly.

I invite anyone who is more knowledgeable about OL play to jump in here and clear this up.

I agree. I think both are very marginal players.

The claim was made that he was a LT playing at RT at Alabama to protect his left handed QB. I was demonstrating that he played RT in HS, RT in college, and there is no evidence that he played LT until joining the Browns.

Why is this even being argued anymore? That argument was born out of whether or not we should draft him for our LT spot.... haven't we answered that already?

The way we remember that is somewhat different. The way I remember it is that when you have a left handed QB, you need the most talented OT on the right side to protect your QB's blind side. Which would have made Wills a much better OT than Alabama's LT. I find that would be hard to dispute.

Secondly, you are correct that changing from RT to LT is not as easy as some would like to make it sound. That's why it would take a very talented and gifted player for him to make such a transition.

I was one who was against drafting anyone who played RT as our LT for the very reasons you suggest. That was before I watched a lot of tape on Wills. Once I did I felt confident he had the athletic ability to make such a transition.

Which Browns second-year player will make the biggest impact?

There is currently a 500 page thread on him.

Josh Gordon.

let's just end all of this




prior to drafting WIlls he also said this:

https://www.brownszone.com/2020/04/10/no...ft-side-in-nfl/

“From my perspective, tackles are tackles,” Berry said on a conference call. “In terms of guys making the switch, certainly there is an element of muscle memory that needs to be reprogrammed, so to speak, for people who have played one side or the other for a long period of time.

“If you look, Jack Conklin was a college left tackle that has been a pretty well-accomplished right tackle in our league. Perhaps the best example of a career college right tackle who has been a pretty good left tackle in our league is (Dallas’) Tyron Smith. Sometimes those distinctions can be a bit overemphasized. In today’s game, the two tackle positions may not be identical, but they are pretty close.”


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@guard dawg thsi was also to cover your reply to mine earlier

protecting someone's blindside is important and being athletic is important. what foot they start off with only takes some muscle memory adjustment. Both of our tackles played different tackle spots in college vs pro. Conklin was on the Left and Wills played on the right.

I don't dispute any of that. The only thing that I am disagreeing with is this...
He was a RT in high school, and played RT at college. He was NOT a LT moved to RT to protect Tua.

Thanks for the clarification. It did become clear early on during the season that the confidence the team had in him to make the switch was warranted. As the tweets you posted pointed out, Wills was evaluated to have the prerequisites the Browns wanted so a position change had a reasonable chance to succeed. That evaluation, IMO, of this individual player wouldn't apply to every college RT even if that player was protecting a left-handed QB.

In terms of the thread topic, I am saying that with a year of experience he has the potential to have the greatest impact because he shouldn't have to think as much about technique and he can just play.

hm. let me try this a different way...

What I was saying was he was acting as the LT since his QB was left-handed. Teams line up their best pass rusher on the blind side of the QB. ie: the right side when he was in college.

I get that you want your best tackle protecting your QB's blind side. I get that if your QB is left-handed, that means you want your best tackle on the right side. I get that Wills showed the skill set required to play on the left protecting a right-handed QB, and that's why the Browns drafted him. I get that he stands to possibly be the most improved 2nd year player.

I am not disagreeing with any thing you have said, except that singular statement that he was a "LT used on the right." My point, my only point, is that statement is not factual, simply because he had never played LT until after college. He had the potential to play LT, the Browns saw that potential, and gambled that Coach Callahan could make the conversion. They were right.

More or less just clicking...I think we are picking nits here.

I guess it depends on how you want to measure largest impact.

To me it is who improves the most.

Since Wills has already demonstrated he can play the LT position to at least a good level, his impact came last year. He can still get better but I don't know that we will be able to see that in a measurable way to us fans. Being the LT, one could almost always say he has the most impact, or at least one of the players with the most impact. Impact can also be in a negative form. If Wills gives up 5 sacks a game, that would be a major impact.

I'd say the largest positive impact will be a player on D. Mostly because we will be able to see that positive impact. As to who that will be...call it a pick'em. Only time will tell.

To pick one...how about Jordon Elliott. He's a guy who played some, but nothing distinguished either way. I think he stands a chance to rise some eyebrows.