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http://www.790thezone.com/archerandbell ... ell1212121

Okay, so I was listening to 790 and I caught this interview. What stood out to me was Konz talking about how diificult it is to be playing guard and not his natural position..This still does not make any damn sense to me.

Now Pudge and stat-o-matics.com are going to say that McClure is 'not that bad', but moving forward, here is what I would do.

I would put Konz at center, starting THIS sunday, and I would put either Hawley or Manley at guard.

The left side of the line has had issues, but clearly the bigger problem is the right side, with a rookie playing out of position. NOw, I can hear everyone thinking "why would you do this now, and especially against the VaGiants?"..Well, as Pudge explained, it's no exactly the worst thing in the world if we lose out the schedule, because the worst case scenario is we get a wild card slot, which is probably what we need to happen.

So Konz gets snaps, in regular season vs a quality opponent, and we get to see what happens at RG. I think this keeps Matty 'cleaner' then the alternative. Roddy is out for this game, and chances are even if he can play, he is not going to have his speed. Julio hasn't shown he could step up and replace Roddy, and there is only so much TG can do. So I would go into this game with Konz at center, because he is going to get abused at Guard vs the Gmen's D.

http://www.dailyrecord.com/viewart/2012 ... ew-offense

I agree, Konz needs to play center...next year.

But again, my point is that Konz is the weakest link on the offensive line. Why then, should you move that weakest link to a key position like center?

If you're going to make a move, then bench Konz. Put Johnson at RG, and now that Hawley is back he can also be worked into the lineup as the extra blocker (either replacing Johnson at TE, or in those sets, Johnson moves back out to TE, and Hawley moves in at RG).

the reason he is the weakest link is because he is playing out of position.Put him at C and this goes away ( as well as the bull rush), at least somewhat IMO... in the interview he says he is struggling because he played C at Wisconsin his entire time there, and now he is being asked to do Guard duty which requires an entire new mindset as well as technique.

Thats why

Wrong. You're making a false assumption, because that only happens if he is as good or if not better than McClure at center.

What happens if Konz comes in, matches or exceeds McClure at center, but Johnson (or whoever) is even worse as a RG? What have you fixed? Nothing.

What happens if Konz comes in, and really struggles, and Johnson is competent at right guard? What have you fixed? Nothing.

What happens if Konz comes in, and really struggles, and Johnson struggles equally as much at right guard? You've discovered a way to get worse.


If you're assuming that Johnson or whoever is replacing Konz at right guard is an upgrade. Which should not be an automatic assumption, but for the sake of argument let's say it does happen because of how bad Konz has been...

Then in order for the offensive line to make any real growth, that requires Konz to be at least as competent if not more competent than McClure is currently at center.

Now I know that is an even easier assumption for you to make because you falsely believe McClure stinks. But let's say that doesn't happen. Let's say all the info that Konz will now be solely responsible for processing is too much for him. He makes some poor adjustments or has some miscommunications with Ryan on some blitzes and it leads to pressures/sacks that may result in turnovers that can potentially lose games.

But I'm guessing this is just merely an experiment because as you mentioned before what do we have to lose. We can still go back to the old setup in time for the playoffs if need be. That's your mentality.

I'm not going to say such a mentality is wrong. But I don't think the Falcons should be experimenting these last 3 weeks in the hopes of finding some hidden spark that gives them the boost they need to get over the hump in the playoffs.

What that is simply put is a mask of fear and desperation. If the Falcons are in Week 14 and aren't sure they have what it takes to win in the playoffs, then they are royally screwed. And if the Falcons are in that mindset where they're hoping to find some lucky shuffle of players that is going to suddenly propel them to a brand new level, then this season is already over. We're just waiting to be put out of our misery.

As fans, we have the luxury of being/thinking that way. As an organization, not so much...