01-15-2019, 11:10 PM
Quote: @FSUVike said:
For an offensive lineman, that is a big deal. If he couldn't lift and was losing strength, then we can imagine why he struggled. And don't forget missing his first offseason.@Akvike said:
Center is fine the #5 item needs to be a contributing third option---not a LT nightmare I don't think the team can count on Elf. He gave up 55 pressures while the #1 Center gave up 5.
Since Centers spend a lot of plays assisting Guards with double teams they don't tend to give up a lot of pressures if they are even half way decent.
I want to attribute his regression solely on the injury and lost strength. Flip's bizarre half-ZBS surely also contributed.
But the team can't just assume Elf will get his strength back or return to his Rookie form.
That's why you bring back Easton and Draft a Guard who's played Center. Unless that Edison kid has really progressed on the PS.
One can imagine how drained these end of year rookies are after college, prepping for combine, pro-day, interviews, individual workouts and then right to mini-camps to training camp and long season and playoffs. So by year end I imagine they look forward to a break. Elf has 2 surgeries on top of that, (shoulder and ankle?) leaving him with a pretty good excuse to not do much. Then he didn't heal in time for training camp and so he missed more. A couple of weeks into the season the Vikings bring him up and throw him in the mix without much spin up time.
Yeah, I can bet an offensive lineman without building strength for that long would be rather weak. But without Easton, even at 50% he was better than the backup I guess.
