Who will play RG next season?

[ggp]

This off season has featured a lot of discussion about Tony, defensive scheme changes, changes in the secondary and, of course, the pass rush. However, there really has not be any serious, in-depth discussion about our OL.

Short yardage is the major weakness of our offense. To put it bluntly, we absoulutely have sucked getting the tough interior yards. Let's take a close look at this problem and see if we can come away with some reassurances that something can be done.

First, we have a right-handed QB that is not a runner. That means that we must feature an OL with very pass protectors on the left side. We have that. Both Baker and Blalock do a better than average job of protecting Ryan's backside. As expected, neither is particularly good at run blocking. So here is a question: why do the Falcons tend to run to the left side of the OL when they desperately need to gain short yardage? The answer is this: the RG position is the weakest link.

The Falcons have tried Hawley, Johnson, Reynolds and, most recently, Konz. The best performance came from Konz. That means that the other guys are not legitimate starting RG's. Konz is a natural Center and he will start at that position next season. That leaves a gaping hole at RG.

Now I hear that Manley is the guy that will take over the RG position. If Manley could not beat out Hawley, Reynolds or the ever-mediocre Johnson, how the hell will he step into a starting position next year?

Guys, the most glaring weakness on our offense is RIGHT GUARD. Some people think that we should plug Holmes into the RT position and move Clabo to RG. Well, Clabo's original position was RG. This might work. However, who ever said Holmes is ready? He is very athletic and if he is made for any position on the OL, it would certainly be on the left side of the line.

I really don't want to face another season with a crappy run offense. Tony is gone and we will not have his magic to move the chains. We are going to have to do it the old fasioned way. When the time comes for us to get a single tough yard, I want to know that we can run behind a master blaster on the right side of the line. That kind of power will wreak havoc on opposing defenses. We will keep the ball, when we want to shut the game down. We will never let a 17 point lead get flushed down the toilet again.