VaBeachSkinzFan Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 I haven't been on this site in forever so if this has already been discussed please forgive me. I was wondering what everyone thought of having Todd Wade start at LG. The man has been a journeyman tackle since he came into the league and as far as I know he has never played at guard in the NFL. The line really came together in the last 6 or 7 games last year and opened up some huge holes for our running game. Obviously Dockery was a huge part of that. Can Todd Wade fill his shoes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HEavyJumbo85 Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 If Wade struggles I think Buges believes that this guy Will Whittaker can get it done in his place...I don't expect Wade to struggle, he's a smart guy with great tools, but if he does I'm sure Coach Joe and coach Buges have a plan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sideshow24 Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 This has already been talked about tons here. I tried to search and give you a link to a couple but the search didn't work. (Shocker) So i will give my :2cents: which should mean very little to you. If Buges and Gibbs think that he can play guard then I have no reason to doubt them. It may take time but they can work the magic they always did and still do with the O line. Dockery wasn't living up to his potential and look what they did with him. Even if Wade can't adapt, he is still a huge asset should Jansen or Samuels go down. He played very well in Jansen's place. And with all this practice at guard at the very worst he is a good utility lineman should we need him. Welcome back to the site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sideshow24 Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 If Wade struggles I think Buges believes that this guy Will Whittaker can get it done in his place...I don't expect Wade to struggle, he's a smart guy with great tools, but if he does I'm sure Coach Joe and coach Buges have a plan. Says Joe Bugel, "I don't like this kid; I love him ... a 350-pound guard who can play both right and left. We worked him out midseason last year and liked him. As soon as the season ended, we couldn't wait to sign him. He's a real solid football player and a real good kid. When we had a chance to get him there was no hesitation on my part at all. He belongs here." http://www.thehogs.net/content/index.php?id=936 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elkabong82 Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 We have a couple guys that could start if Wade fails. However, as long as the guy can pull the line will be fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angel2 Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 I don't think Wade will be a work-in progress as some think. He's bigger than Dockery and should create a meaningful hole for Portis and Betts to negoiate through. The big question is can he pull and block down field. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CPstretch Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 don't forget about puchillo as an option should wade not be able to get it done Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sideshow24 Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 I don't think Wade will be a work-in progress as some think. He's bigger than Dockery and should create a meaningful hole for Portis and Betts to negoiate through. The big question is can he pull and block down field. Also in question is if he can get low enough and into his blocks fast enough to keep defenders from getting under his pads. That's what they are working on with him the most it appears from what I have read. On the interior, Wade will need to angle his body lower to get better leverage against burly defensive tackles. "I'm 6-8, so it's something I have to deal with," he said. "I feel like I'm doing a good job of it--playing lower to the ground--but I'm not where I want to be yet. I just need to focus on my technique and go from there." http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=26358 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyber Pimp Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 The line is going to suffer because lack of depth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WSHRedskins3ATLBraves3 Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 I believe Wade will do fine and that his height will not be a big deal. We have Mike Pucillo and other backups waiting in the wings if something goes wrong. However, if I was a betting man, let's just say I would put all of my $10 allowance on Wade starting every game this season (barring injury). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brandon Lloyd Christmas Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 pucillo showed in his limited time that he could get it done. id be ok with him taking a shot, and wade was very good at T last year in his time. granted guard is different, but i think he'll be very good. i cant imagine a guy with his size and strenth getting pushed around a lot. i worry more about his pass blocking skills than his run blocking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VaBeachSkinzFan Posted July 13, 2007 Author Share Posted July 13, 2007 This maybe total BS but I remember hearing somewhere that with him being 6'8" there were concerns of him getting in the way of the passing lanes and Campbell might have problems seeing over him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 I am slightly amused that panicked fans are fretting over a line that returns 4 veteran starters and replaces a non-pro bowl player with a solid vet at LG.......MEANWHILE, the team makes no changes on a defensive line that got under 20 sacks collectively and no one seems concerned about that at all :laugh: Dockery was a solid player last year. He was average the year before. He has never made a pro bowl or all-pro team. Is that the kind of guy you give a $50 million contract to? The Redskins have done some crazy things in free agency over the last 7 years under Snyder, but the Bills and Cowboys topped most of 'em by signing guards like Dockery and Davis to huge deals in excess of what the elite players like Hutchinson are getting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flexxskins Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 I don't think that we would have signed Wade if we didn't think that he could make the transition to LG. And even if he is unable to, he has more than proven that he can back up Jansen at the RT position. That would leave us with Tucker, Whitticker, Whitley and Pucillo. All of these guys have had starting experience at guard. Lefotu is also in the running again for a guard spot. So, IMO the 0-line is the last thing that any of us should be concerned with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pjfootballer Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 How is Wade a journeyman when he played in Miami and then 1 or 2 years on Houston and started for both teams? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
box8276 Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 Steve Hutchinson is a monster at guard . Size wise him and Wade are similiar, so i dont see the concern there. Wade is a veteran, knows the system, is big and strong. I could think of worse options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RFK Lives Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 Says Joe Bugel, "I don't like this kid; I love him ... a 350-pound guard who can play both right and left. We worked him out midseason last year and liked him. As soon as the season ended, we couldn't wait to sign him. He's a real solid football player and a real good kid. When we had a chance to get him there was no hesitation on my part at all. He belongs here." http://www.thehogs.net/content/index.php?id=936 I trust Buges. That is great to hear. Even if Wade struggles he is a quality reserve to give us some depth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xero21 Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 If Wade can't do it I'd be all for replacing him with Pucillo or Fabini Im glad we are starting to get some quality depth on the O-line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 Wade can play guard. But he is also the best #3 tackle in the NFC East and if Jansen goes down fans here are going to be soooo grateful the team resigned him rather than chase down Dockery for $50M plus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hooper Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 I thought Wade looked better than Jansen at tackle last year. So if nothing else, we've got some good depth there. The transition to guard could be tricky for him -- but Buges will figure something out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flexxskins Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 If Wade can't do it I'd be all for replacing him with Pucillo or FabiniIm glad we are starting to get some quality depth on the O-line. Fabini? Wade, being a natural OT is a bit of an experiment at the LG position. So why would we replace him with another OT? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 From some of the earlier articles, I get the impression that the Redskins are able to hedge their bets to some degree with Wade because they like what they see in Whittacker at OG and he has starting experience from his time in Green Bay in 2005. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wyvern Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 How is Wade a journeyman when he played in Miami and then 1 or 2 years on Houston and started for both teams? EXACTLY -- WADE IS NOT A JOURNEYMAN. Here's a little background -- (I've cut and pasted from the following website putting things in more of a chronological order. http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2520094 Wade was a four-year letterman and three-year starter standout at the University of Mississippe. He started 32 of the 44 games in which he played during his career, including starts in each of his final 32 collegiate games. Wade also opened all 11 contests at right tackle his senior season and was a first-team All-SEC choice and a second-team All-America selection. Wade was chosen by the Dolphins in the second round of the 2000 draft. In four seasons with Miami, he appeared in 63 games, all starts, before signing with the Texans in 2004. Houston acquired Wade as an unrestricted free agent in the spring of 2004, rewarding the former Miami Dolphins tarter with a six-year, $30 million contract that included a $10 million signing bonus (at the time, one of the highest ever given a right tackle.) Some talent evaluators in the league, while conceding Wade probably represented an upgrade for Houston, questioned the size of the contract the Texans gave him. Wade appeared in 14 games in 2004, his first season in Houston, starting 13 times at right tackle. He started the first nine contests in 2005 but then suffered a torn knee ligament and was placed on injured reserve for the balance of the season. But even when healthy, Wade's sub-par performances were symbolic of the longstanding problems of a porous Texans offensive line. [NOTE: There were some other decent free-agent linemen the Texans had signed, so it's not clear that the issue was talent or coaching.] Rather than continue to fund Wade's big contract and with him still rehabilitating from knee surgery, team officials decided to cut their losses. Wade still had four seasons remaining on the lucrative free-agent deal he signed in 2004, at salaries of $3.5 million (2006), $4.5 million (2007), $5 million (2008) and $5 million (2009). Wade was unceremoniously released by the Houston Texans July 2006 because the new coaching staff there did not feel he was a good fit for the system they were installing, and also had a talented rookie (Erik Winston) in the wings. Also, by releasing him the Texans saved $18 million in base salaries. In September 2006 the Redskins signed Wade to add depth to the line. Wade made the most of his opportunity in a December 2006 contest filling in for Jansen against New Orleans. http://www.redskins.com/news/newsDetail.jsp?id=23553. Wade's performance in 2006, as well his toughness and tenacity, convinced the Washington coaches that Wade could make the transition to guard. Moreover, they felt that he might be a better candidate for the position than any of the veterans remaining in the free agent pool. In March 2007 the Redskins signed Wade and groomed him for Dockery's position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turbodiesel#44 Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 I'm crossing my fingers and hoping for the best. I wish the guy was shorter and not so topheavy. But Buges knows what he is doing. The questions with Wade and DL depth are really the only weaknesses I can see. We have a strong team this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldog Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 the Bills were dopes for giving Dockery $50M. I keep going back to the contracts signed by Dockery and Leonard Davis and can't imagine any quality organization matching these offers and tying its hands on the OL for the next 2-3 years in terms of cap room. the Redskins best move in the offseason was NOT to match this offer and keep a solid but not elite player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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