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01-09-2009, 04:47 PM
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Who are the current franchise LTs?
A few years ago it was pretty easy to figure out. Ask who the top franchise LTs are and you'd hear about Walter Jones, Orlando Pace and Jonathan Ogden. Occasionally someone would make a case for someone like Matt Light too....and all was fine and dandy.
But age and injury and general ineffectiveness of the team around them have taken a toll on the elite LTs of old.....so who do we have now?
I got thinking about it looking at the All-Pro rosters.
Jordan Gross...good LT having a great year. Probably a better RT. I doubt anyone would confuse him with the dominance that was Orlando Pace a few years back. Michael Roos? Another good one....good all around, playing well for the best team in football record wise. Still, he won't be confused with one of the elites of old anytime soon.
Couple of rookies doing well like Ryan Clady and Jake Long. They need a few more years of solid play to earn the rank of "elite" though.
David Diehl? Good player for a great team. Does his job....would ideally be inside at G though I would think. Joe Thomas was a great one last year but he dropped off a bit this year...
Flozell Adams...old. Tra Thomas....old. Chris Samuels....old. Marvel Smith.....old and hurt. Lots of others in this category too.
Honestly, the only ones I can come up with who might be even close are Marcus McNeil and Jammal Brown. Jason Peters of last year would be here as well but this year.....not so good. And even then, I don't know if these guys are comparable to the great franchise LT's of old.
So what happened? The 'old guard' elite LTs got old and.....no ones really taking their spot. I used to argue that if you had a fantasy draft of the entire league, it would be conceivable to take someone like Pace or Jones with your first pick.
Now...I just don't think there are elite LTs of that quality anymore.
Anyways...thought it would be a good topic for debate. Anyone have some other nominees for elite LTs or have a good reason why we just don't see them anymore?
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01-09-2009, 04:50 PM
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All-NFLDC
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I would add Albert into the rookies who have a chance to be franchise LT's
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01-09-2009, 04:51 PM
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Give it a couple of years, and the class of 2008 will be a pretty good haul.
Right now, there are very few without weaknesses. I wouldn't even say that any of the ones you named are elite.
In two years, I expect the top LTs to be: Joe Thomas, Ryan Clady, Andre Smith, and Jason Peters (he'll get his mojo back, though possibly not with the Bills...)
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01-09-2009, 04:51 PM
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Joe Thomas is still the best of the bunch right now, IMO.
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01-09-2009, 04:57 PM
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D'Brickashaw Ferguson is legit. I expect him to get better every year.
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01-09-2009, 04:58 PM
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Joe Staley didn't allow one sack once Shaun Hill took over at QB. He's not elite yet but if he continues to improve like he did this year next season he will be.
Clady and Thomas are the only current young, elite left tackles right now, though.
Last edited by abaddon41_80 : 01-09-2009 at 05:39 PM.
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01-09-2009, 05:00 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by T-RICH49
I would add Albert into the rookies who have a chance to be franchise LT's
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SenorGato
D'Brickashaw Ferguson is legit. I expect him to get better every year.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by abaddon41_80
Joe Staley didn't allow one sack once Shaun Hill took over at QB.
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Well....this became a homer thread rather quickly....sorry I didn't mention Albert in with the rookies doing well.
As for Ferguson and Staley....they're not even in the same state as the old elite LT's, much less the same ballbark.
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01-09-2009, 05:03 PM
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If by "Elite" you mean, "Hall of Famer," then no one is an Elite LT currently.
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01-09-2009, 05:06 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TitanHope
If by "Elite" you mean, "Hall of Famer," then no one is an Elite LT currently.
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They don't necessarily have to be hall of fame bound....
It just strikes me as odd that we went from 3-ish truly, truly great ones to....none.
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01-09-2009, 05:07 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BeerBaron
Well....this became a homer thread rather quickly....sorry I didn't mention Albert in with the rookies doing well.
As for Ferguson and Staley....they're not even in the same state as the old elite LT's, much less the same ballbark.
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D'Brick'll be there. I wouldn't put him there if I didn't think he could do it.
D'Brick was very good last year.
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01-09-2009, 05:10 PM
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Will Roaf ftw wait.. wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh KC ******* SUCKS!
Clady will be elite I know that for sure.
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01-09-2009, 05:10 PM
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We need to give Thomas another year to see if he can play like he did in 2007 again. Another strong year from Clady and you could make a good case for him.
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01-09-2009, 05:12 PM
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Alot of these guys are extremely good but they've never struck me as being dominant the way Pace, Ogden and Jones did. Seeing every snap Roos has taken, he's about as sound as they come at LT, but I've never seen him as the type to just line up and whoop the guy across from him. He'll make em disappear for a game, and that's plenty good enough for me, but he doesn't kick defensive ends' ass in the run game like alot of the greats did.
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01-09-2009, 05:13 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bored of education
Will Roaf ftw wait.. wahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh KC ******* SUCKS!
Clady will be elite I know that for sure.
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Roaf was another old one I forgot to mention. He stopped playing much less recently is why I think he slipped my mind.....
So we had like 4 going at one time who were in my mind truly elite. (Jones, Ogden, Pace and Roaf.)
Now 0. Seriously?
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01-09-2009, 05:13 PM
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Winston Justice.
Oh wait
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01-09-2009, 05:17 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Go_Eagles77
Winston Justice.
Oh wait
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Osi-WNED
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01-09-2009, 05:18 PM
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Jason Peters better not be mentioned anywhere.
I'm pretty sure he gave up more sacks than all other LTs... and he missed 5 games. Yet, he is still elected to the Pro Bowl and put on the 2nd All-Team Roster... 
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01-09-2009, 05:38 PM
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Doesn't have to be a homer thread but Branden Albert played very well for being a rookie.. but I still think Clady is the best of the bunch right now.
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01-09-2009, 05:40 PM
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Jammal Brown should have no discussion in said talks.
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01-09-2009, 05:45 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bills2083
Jason Peters better not be mentioned anywhere.
I'm pretty sure he gave up more sacks than all other LTs... and he missed 5 games. Yet, he is still elected to the Pro Bowl and put on the 2nd All-Team Roster... 
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Well all Bills fans were calling him the best LT in the league before the season.
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01-09-2009, 05:46 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TitanHope
If by "Elite" you mean, "Hall of Famer," then no one is an Elite LT currently.
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Walter Jones is a sure-fire hall of famer...
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LOL props to Paul
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01-09-2009, 05:49 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyboy
Jammal Brown should have no discussion in said talks.
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At first I was just dismissing your comment as a hater then I realized you were a Saints fan.....
....so......
Why? I though Brown was pretty good all around. What am I missing?
Quote:
Originally Posted by CroomDawgs
Walter Jones is a sure-fire hall of famer...
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I know that but he's not the same now as he was a few years back. I consider him, Pace, Ogden and Roaf as the former elites. Jones is the only one there still going really.....and he's not as good now as he once was of course.
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01-09-2009, 05:51 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GB12
Well all Bills fans were calling him the best LT in the league before the season.
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Eh, he was very good, not amazing, last year. It was his first as a full-time LT and I recognize that Joe Thomas played better than he did.
His best year was 2006 when he played half the year at RT and then the 2nd half on the left. He was an absolutely dominant RT, and was almost just as good when he switched to the left side that year. But he never topped or even maintained that level.
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01-09-2009, 05:52 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BeerBaron
I know that but he's not the same now as he was a few years back. I consider him, Pace, Ogden and Roaf as the former elites. Jones is the only one there still going really.....and he's not as good now as he once was of course.
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Oh i fully agree with that but he still was pretty solid this year considering his age. He made the pro bowl and Holmgren was praising this as one of his better years.
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I'm no scientist but a mixture of semen, blood and feces can't be good.
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LOL props to Paul
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01-09-2009, 05:54 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BeerBaron
At first I was just dismissing your comment as a hater then I realized you were a Saints fan.....
....so......
Why? I though Brown was pretty good all around. What am I missing?
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overrated and better suited for RT
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