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Dean
08-04-2008, 07:58 PM
All that I have read about training camp indicates that Ryan Clady is already well on his way to being exceptional. Every one comments upon his size (6'6" and 320+ pounds), his fast feet, and his over-all athleticism. This is the type of lineman I felt the Broncos have needed for years. He is big enough to hold his own on redzone/third and short. He is agile enough to be a great zone blocker.

How good is he right now and how far can he develop? Jake Long seems to be struggling with pass protection in Miami and I haven't heard anything exceptional about any of the other draftees. IMO he is the best of this year's left tackles. How does he measure up with the battle hardened grey beards?

We will get a great chance to evaluate where Ryan presently is in his development in the pre-season game against the Texans. Mario Williams is the real deal. Last year he spent the entire game in the Broncos backfield. As a rook, can Ryan Clady handle one of the better defensive ends in the league? Can Clady this early handle that quality of DE? :confused:

How Clady fares against Mario should also give us a peek into just how far Ryan can go as a OT. Does Clady show enough to expect that one day he will be an elite LT?

I don't know about you but this is a pre-season game that I can't wait to see! :elefant:

Lonestar
08-04-2008, 08:45 PM
Everyone projected him as project.. could be the best OLT in 3-4 years..

I suspect this year Graham will be his training wheels..

Time will tell..

Bronco9798
08-04-2008, 08:54 PM
I like everything I've read about him. We need him to really be effective and be around for awhile to protect Cutler. This could turn out to be a really great pick. Just hope he plays as well as he has been practicing.

Ziggy
08-04-2008, 09:25 PM
Everyone projected him as project.. could be the best OLT in 3-4 years..

I suspect this year Graham will be his training wheels..

Time will tell..

He was projected as a project, but from everything I've read and what I saw today, the project will be a short one. I wouldn't be surprised of Graham spent more time helping the RT out this year than Clady. Mario will be a great test the first preseason game, and then he gets another elite pass rusher shortly thereafter in Demarcus Ware. With that going on and the battles we have for starting positions, I might actually enjoy the preseason games this year.:D

Dean
08-05-2008, 07:55 AM
He was projected as a project, but from everything I've read and what I saw today, the project will be a short one. I wouldn't be surprised of Graham spent more time helping the RT out this year than Clady. Mario will be a great test the first preseason game, and then he gets another elite pass rusher shortly thereafter in Demarcus Ware. With that going on and the battles we have for starting positions, I might actually enjoy the preseason games this year.:D

I hope that Mike Shanahan allows Clady a little more playing time during pre-season. As young as Ryan is, he could use the extra time to 'season'. Either way the chance to play againsy Mario and Demarcus should keep us entertained.

If Clady's ability is at the level that we expect, this trial by fire will accelerate his development.

MOtorboat
08-05-2008, 08:25 AM
I hope Williams plays...

The only thing that worried me a little about the offensive line in general (can't pin this on Clady because there were no specific names listed) was that Cutler was running for his life during one of the practices last week. Said he would have been sacked at least three times. With that said, I think Clady is going to be pretty good for us...:crossesfingers:

Kaylore
08-05-2008, 09:31 AM
Clady is the real deal. He will prove to be the best of all the tackles in the first round.

turftoad
08-05-2008, 09:54 AM
I read in the Sporting news that he has the ability to be a "SUPERSTAR" in our system.

I'm sure it'll take a year or two, but I think I have to agree.

I wasn't real happy when we made the pick but after readin about how his camp is going, I'm optomistic.

NightTrainLayne
08-05-2008, 10:09 AM
Clady is the real deal. He will prove to be the best of all the tackles in the first round.

That's a bold statement. I hope with all my heart that you are right.

Dean
08-05-2008, 10:52 AM
Clady is the real deal. He will prove to be the best of all the tackles in the first round.

It is still early but it sounds like he is well on his way toward fulfilling that prediction. Color me spoiled but I want him to be one of the best tackles taken over a several year span. ;) - a franchise LT.

broncobryce
08-05-2008, 10:54 AM
I disagree on him being regarded as a 'project'. I don't think Shanahan would say he is starting from day one if he was a project. Everything I read was saying he should be ready to step in and play immediately. The worst thing said about him is he might need to get a little stronger.

turftoad
08-05-2008, 11:03 AM
I disagree on him being regarded as a 'project'. I don't think Shanahan would say he is starting from day one if he was a project. Everything I read was saying he should be ready to step in and play immediately. The worst thing said about him is he might need to get a little stronger.

He's still a project. Yeah, he should start and play well. That said, time, reps, strength and maturity will all come as time goes making him an even better player.

Kaylore
08-05-2008, 11:13 AM
He's still a project. Yeah, he should start and play well. That said, time, reps, strength and maturity will all come as time goes making him an even better player.

I disagree. Saying he needs to work on aspects of his game doesn't make him a project. Every player has some aspect of their game that they can improve. A project is someone with starting talent that lacks a starter's skills. Clady started day one and hasn't lost the spot. Jarvis Moss = Project. Clady is not a project.

turftoad
08-05-2008, 11:21 AM
I disagree. Saying he needs to work on aspects of his game doesn't make him a project. Every player has some aspect of their game that they can improve. A project is someone with starting talent that lacks a starter's skills. Clady started day one and hasn't lost the spot. Jarvis Moss = Project. Clady is not a project.

I agree Kaylor. Just stating the fact that he WILL get better with time.

Requiem / The Dagda
08-05-2008, 11:30 AM
He's really, really good. That's why we picked him. :D

topscribe
08-05-2008, 11:46 AM
I hope Williams plays...

The only thing that worried me a little about the offensive line in general (can't pin this on Clady because there were no specific names listed) was that Cutler was running for his life during one of the practices last week. Said he would have been sacked at least three times. With that said, I think Clady is going to be pretty good for us...:crossesfingers:

From what I have been reading in reports, Clady has been handling anybody
put in front of him, including Dumervil (except for the first day). Conversely,
RT has had all kinds of problems in pass protection. That leads me to assume
(and I know it's just an assumption) where the pressure was probably coming
from much of the time.

-----

lex
08-05-2008, 11:59 AM
How good is Clady? He's so good that he can do the Kessel Run in 12 parseks. He's so good, George Clooney asks him how to pick up chicks. He's so good, he can crush an empty beer can without moving his hands.

Retired_Member_001
08-05-2008, 12:34 PM
From what I have been reading in reports, Clady has been handling anybody
put in front of him, including Dumervil (except for the first day). Conversely,
RT has had all kinds of problems in pass protection. That leads me to assume
(and I know it's just an assumption) where the pressure was probably coming
from much of the time.

-----

I'd much rather the pressure come from RT than LT. At least with RT, Cutler can see the guy coming. If the guy comes from the left side, then Cutler cannot see him coming and it could result in injury. If Kuper ends up playing at RG, then he can help out whoever is at RT. Of course, if Kuper ends up playing RT, we won't have to worry about Cutler getting pressure.

Requiem / The Dagda
08-05-2008, 12:43 PM
Seems like from this whole past week of accounts that Harris has been doing much better than his first couple of days of practice. LT said that through the Sirius reports, and it's been echoed with Shanahan's comments and the perpectives of people like Kaylore and company doing camp ports the past few days. I'm worried about Harris' power in the running game, not how well he can pass block on the right side of the line for Cutler.

Simple Jaded
08-05-2008, 03:05 PM
I'm not sure any of the Broncos lineman have legitimate power in the running game, Dream, and that includes Clady......

Lonestar
08-05-2008, 04:25 PM
I'm not sure any of the Broncos lineman have legitimate power in the running game, Dream, and that includes Clady......



As a group they will once they get the ZBS down and that may take a while for consistency to work..

Individually most are not the prototypical OLINE guy and are outweighed in some cases by 15-30 pounds.. and would get beat one on one .. And most likely we will still have issues inside the 5 but we should be much better than we have been the past couple of years.. We will not be a MIN with their beef but should be improved..

Would still feel better if Alex Gibbs was back home..

TheBear
08-08-2008, 09:29 AM
He might be awesome, he might just be a solid starter. At least we didn't pick up this trainwreck instead, living here in Chicago I find it funny that there was actually a discussion over which tackle was better:

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfcnorth

I actually thought he would have been better than Clady, glad to see I was completely wrong.

Dean
08-08-2008, 04:21 PM
It sounds like Shanahan will have Clady in for longer than the rest of the starters. That way we can see hime play against Mario an against a less talented D-end.

Unfartunately I won't get to see it until the NFL replay on Sunday. :(

I would appreciate anyone who sees it live to give the forum their opinion on how Ryan played. :2thumbs:

Simple Jaded
08-08-2008, 08:03 PM
It sounds like Shanahan will have Clady in for longer than the rest of the starters. That way we can see hime play against Mario an against a less talented D-end.

Unfartunately I won't get to see it until the NFL replay on Sunday. :(

I would appreciate anyone who sees it live to give the forum their opinion on how Ryan played. :2thumbs:

They don't televise Broncos games in Wyo, Dean?......

Lonestar
08-08-2008, 08:34 PM
They don't televise Broncos games in Wyo, Dean?......

they still use smoke signals up there and so far have not figured out how to do it in HD.. ;)

nevcraw
08-08-2008, 08:44 PM
I read somewhere that he will play a huge chunk of the game tommorow.

Williams the other OT a lot of us were high on is out indef. after a herniated disc, and subsequent surgery. Glad we got Clady...

If this guy can be this year's Joe Thomas we will be that much closer to back to the playoffs and beyond.

Medford Bronco
08-08-2008, 10:38 PM
It is still early but it sounds like he is well on his way toward fulfilling that prediction. Color me spoiled but I want him to be one of the best tackles taken over a several year span. ;) - a franchise LT.

I want him to be the next Gary Zimmerman and then we will be okay :salute:

Dean
08-08-2008, 10:51 PM
They don't televise Broncos games in Wyo, Dean?......

We get all the regular season games but the preseason games are kind of hit and miss. I will get to watch the Broncos/Texans game on NFL replay on Sunday night. If I had satellite TV rather than cable, I might be able to see it real time. . . Come hell or high water I will see it.

PS With Montrae Holland coming back to practice on next week, we better watch Harris as well. I think that Kuper will replace him if his play is not exceptional.

Dean
08-09-2008, 08:43 PM
First half- Harris looks terrible and Clady has been average or below. Harris doesn't look ready to play at that level yet. I hope that Kuper can quickly make the transition. Ryan Clady plays way too high. Mario was under his pads and had Clady on roller skates.

It looks like there is going to be a hot time in the video room on Monday.

Bad Intentions
08-10-2008, 09:39 AM
First half- Harris looks terrible and Clady has been average or below. Harris doesn't look ready to play at that level yet. I hope that Kuper can quickly make the transition. Ryan Clady plays way too high. Mario was under his pads and had Clady on roller skates.

It looks like there is going to be a hot time in the video room on Monday.

That's what I was going to say as well. Though Clady did well against the Texan's other DEs and did well picking up blitzes and driving his guy well out of reach. Mario Williams was just too strong for Clady. We're talking one of the top 5 DEs in the league so it was good for Clady to see that power/speed combo early on. Still, like Dean said... he was on rollerskates and a lot of it is b/c he was way too high. He starts high and the powerful DEs in the league are going to take full advantage of that!

I don't even want to talk about Ryan "mr. penalty" Harris. Holland in at RG and let Kupe move over. Still, Kupe is an unknown there right now as well!

Kaylore
08-10-2008, 10:41 AM
Wow, this board is weird. It's the only one that thinks Clady played poorly. Clady played very well for his first outing. Saying he played below average or "was on rollerskates" is just untrue. Early on Williams was beating him, and that's to be expected considering he's one of the premiere DE's in the league, but every snap Clady got better and he finished very strong by the end of the night. They didn't roll protection to his side and he didn't give up much ground at all. In fact Cutler had a pretty good pocket the whole night. He also wasn't sacked or even hit. Harris had a lot of problems, but I'll talk about that somewhere else.

horsepig
08-10-2008, 10:50 AM
Thank God for TIVO, the TV coverage was very poor. I made my own replays all night so I could see what some of the more intriguing players were doing. Clady had numerous plays where he absolutely dominated! Williams gave him a pretty hard time early on. What the hell is up with Reggie Rivers?

Tned
08-10-2008, 10:59 AM
Wow, this board is weird. It's the only one that thinks Clady played poorly. Clady played very well for his first outing. Saying he played below average or "was on rollerskates" is just untrue. Early on Williams was beating him, and that's to be expected considering he's one of the premiere DE's in the league, but every snap Clady got better and he finished very strong by the end of the night. They didn't roll protection to his side and he didn't give up much ground at all. In fact Cutler had a pretty good pocket the whole night. He also wasn't sacked or even hit. Harris had a lot of problems, but I'll talk about that somewhere else.

Well, it's not the message board as a whole. During the game day thread, many of us were talking about how good Clayd played, especially after the first rew plays.

Since I watched it on my computer, it was sometimes tell who lined up opposite him, but will rewatch the game when aired on NFL network.

From what I saw, he got pushed around a 'little' in the first series, but even with that keeping Williams off Cutler. In that last series, I don't remember him giving much ground period.

I'll admit I didn't pay as much attention to the line after Cutler was out, because I had to deal with an admin related problem with the board and a poster.

I'm looking forward to the replay on NFLN.

Tned
08-10-2008, 11:01 AM
Thank God for TIVO, the TV coverage was very poor. I made my own replays all night so I could see what some of the more intriguing players were doing. Clady had numerous plays where he absolutely dominated! Williams gave him a pretty hard time early on. What the hell is up with Reggie Rivers?

Was Reggie ragging on him during the game or after? I was watching a Houston channel.

One thing I will say is prior to the game they were talking about Williams and how as good as he was the last two years, this would be the year he really dominated. Then, they barely mentioned his name during the game. That is likely a testiment to Clady.

Kaylore
08-10-2008, 11:06 AM
What the hell is up with Reggie Rivers?
What do you mean?

Dreadnought
08-10-2008, 11:07 AM
Iwas in the same boat, forced to watch on the computer. I was pretty happy with Clady myself, to be honest. I saw Woody Paige panned his performance, but I'll take that for what its worth.

There was nothing at all to indicate that Clady isn't going to be a very good LT when he gets up to speed. If he can keep Mario Williams off of the QB his first time out of the gate thats just fine by me.

horsepig
08-10-2008, 11:15 AM
The last 5 minutes Reggie yacked incessantly about how badly Shanahan and the Broncos wanted Houston to kick a field goal so they wouldn't have to play OT.

Bad Intentions
08-10-2008, 12:06 PM
Wow, this board is weird. It's the only one that thinks Clady played poorly. Clady played very well for his first outing. Saying he played below average or "was on rollerskates" is just untrue. Early on Williams was beating him, and that's to be expected considering he's one of the premiere DE's in the league, but every snap Clady got better and he finished very strong by the end of the night. They didn't roll protection to his side and he didn't give up much ground at all. In fact Cutler had a pretty good pocket the whole night. He also wasn't sacked or even hit. Harris had a lot of problems, but I'll talk about that somewhere else.


Saying that he was on rollerskates for a play or two doesn't mean he's horrible. He adjusted which was a great sign!

First run play of the game Mario Williams beat Clady on a speed/knifing rush. He tackled Selvin for a loss of 3 or 4 yards.

Next possession. 2nd and 10. Williams pushed Clady back 5 or 6 yards and even had him waving his arms to keep his balance so that he didn't follow over back wards. The play was at 6:20 if you'd like to review... the waving the arms WAS reminicent of a kid on rollerskates! I think that's probably what people were talking about.

To Ryan's credit, from that point forward he improved dramatically. The near TD to Graham that should have been a PI penalty featured Clady shutting Mario Williams down. We're talking not a bit of penetration.

On Cutler's TD run Clady took his defender and pushed him so wide that Jay had an easy opening in the back field to run for a 15 yard TD (the end featuring a very nice block by Scheffler to allow Jay to cutback/jump/dive for the TD.) Also on that play Ryan Harris was matched up against Mario Williams. Harris was beat though he did sustain his block long enough for Jay to run clear of Mario, but it looked like Mario's push is what sent Jay running.

So, save for 3 or 4 plays when Clady was beaten badly, he did a pretty good job. They ran a lot of stunts on his side and he reacted well each time.


Another Note- Ramsey's INT to Ferguson featured pressure from the RDE. Clady was pushed back to within a few feet of Ramsey which caused him to hurry the throw. It was a strong bull rush that got him. 10:48 of the 2nd Quarter if you'd like to review. Further breakdown of that play. Weigman and Hamilton doubled the DT on that play. Weigman got poor position and the DT was driving Hamilton back as well. This also played into Ramsey's INT.

On a 3rd down play with about 2 minutes to go in the first half Clady was beat badly. Ramsey through and incompletion that led to Prater's first FG.
That entire drive (save for one run play where the DE shoved Clady off and assisted on the tackle) Clady was phenomenal, both in run and pass blocking. Ryan Harris did a good job of run blocking on that drive as well. He's clearly a better run blocker than pass blocker. Kuper struggled. Weigman did so-so, and Hamilton did quite well sealing his man to open up a cutback lane. The Texans D did a good job of covering that backside hole for most of the night, but Hall was able to burn them a few times during this drive.

All in all, Clady had his ups and downs. The stronger bull rushes got to him and had him on his heels. You can watch the game again and see that easily, but as I mentioned earlier it was vs a very good/strong DE in Mario Williams. Though the last one was #94 that pushed him back, but that was on more of a swim move than bull rush. I saw enough from Clady to believe he's going to be a force for us. His first game ever at the pro level and I'll easily agree that I am in fact "nitpicking" his play. I could do the same with Jarvis Moss but I don't think it's worth it... Clady has so much more potential that it's worth nitpicking to see if he improves those little things from week to week.

Bad Intentions
08-10-2008, 12:08 PM
Was Reggie ragging on him during the game or after? I was watching a Houston channel.

One thing I will say is prior to the game they were talking about Williams and how as good as he was the last two years, this would be the year he really dominated. Then, they barely mentioned his name during the game. That is likely a testiment to Clady.

For Harris too. Mario lined up at LDE quite a bit as well. He gave Harris some fits at times, but Harris did pretty well in review.

Kaylore
08-10-2008, 01:37 PM
Saying that he was on rollerskates for a play or two doesn't mean he's horrible.
I think we can all agree that's not what either of you said or meant. I believe the comments (from someone who didn't even watch the game) was that Clady plays "way too high" and Mario Williams "had him on roller skates." That's a statement in the present progressive. He didn't say "on one bad play Clady was on roller skates" or "Clady was one roller skates for a single play," he said "he was on roller skates" and then you agreed:


Still, like Dean said... he was on rollerskates and a lot of it is b/c he was way too high.
He was not on roller skates "a lot". When you sat down and looked at it play by play you can see this wasn't so. A lineman on roller skates means they get pushed backwards a lot. Ben Hamilton is guilty of this against big defensive tackles. This has never been a problem of Clady's and he didn't show this last night. Clady's problem is he gets beat outright, usually in the run game, and the guy goes past him, but he rarely yields ground when he can hold his block. His weakness isn't pass-pro, its' run blocking and in those instances the linemen are moving upfield attacking the LOS, not getting pushed back.

You want to knock on his run blocking, by all means do so as that is his clearest flaw in his game and it was manifest last night. However, let's not be unfair to the rookie and start inventing flaws in his game that aren't there like saying he can't hold ground. Cutler had a nice pocket the whole night and given it's Clady's first game and he was up against one of the best, he did a fine job. When you consider they rarely shifted protection to his side and also consider that he didn't have a tight end there to baby sit him, and finally factor in the absence of mental errors (no penalties), I think his production was remarkable and exceeded my expectations.

Bad Intentions
08-10-2008, 02:30 PM
I think we can all agree that's not what either of you said or meant. I believe the comments (from someone who didn't even watch the game) was that Clady plays "way too high" and Mario Williams "had him on roller skates." That's a statement in the present progressive. He didn't say "on one bad play Clady was on roller skates" or "Clady was one roller skates for a single play," he said "he was on roller skates" and then you agreed:


He was not on roller skates "a lot". When you sat down and looked at it play by play you can see this wasn't so. A lineman on roller skates means they get pushed backwards a lot. Ben Hamilton is guilty of this against big defensive tackles. This has never been a problem of Clady's and he didn't show this last night. Clady's problem is he gets beat outright, usually in the run game, and the guy goes past him, but he rarely yields ground when he can hold his block. His weakness isn't pass-pro, its' run blocking and in those instances the linemen are moving upfield attacking the LOS, not getting pushed back.

You want to knock on his run blocking, by all means do so as that is his clearest flaw in his game and it was manifest last night. However, let's not be unfair to the rookie and start inventing flaws in his game that aren't there like saying he can't hold ground. Cutler had a nice pocket the whole night and given it's Clady's first game and he was up against one of the best, he did a fine job. When you consider they rarely shifted protection to his side and also consider that he didn't have a tight end there to baby sit him, and finally factor in the absence of mental errors (no penalties), I think his production was remarkable and exceeded my expectations.

Are you daft?
You quoted me and then still have problems comprehending. I said he was on rollerskates. I didn't say he was on rollerskates a lot. I shouldn't even respond to you knowing that you're simple mind is incapable of understanding or comprehending a person's post. Or maybe you're just so arrogant you prefer not to listen to anyone else. Maybe they're right about you and your arrogance?

As for watching the game I watched it last night and watched the first half again this morning. It was just as I suspected, Clady struggled with strength and bull rushing getting push back as though he were on skates. He adjusted fairly quickly which is a plus. If you can't see that, well I guess you're just not smart enough to admit when you're wrong. Kind of sad considering EVERYONE saw the same thing except for you... NFL Network has pointed it out, Rivers and Williams pointed it out, several on this board, the Orangemane, BroncosCountry, etc have pointed it out... but you see something different.

Last but not least, what friggin game were you watching? Daniel Graham was babysitting him half the night.

Dean
08-10-2008, 03:03 PM
I think we can all agree that's not what either of you said or meant. I believe the comments (from someone who didn't even watch the game) was that Clady plays way too high and Mario Williams had him on roller skates.

Jumping to conclusions again Kaylor? I was able to watch the game on chanel #2 out of Casper Wyoming. What I meant was Clady was too high and he got pushed back by Mario in any tense that you choose. . . rewatch the first two series when he was going up against Mario.


That's a statement in the present progressive. He didn't say "on one bad play Clady was on roller skates" or "Clady was one roller skates for a single play," he said "he was on roller skates" and then you agreed:


He was not on roller skates "a lot". When you sat down and looked at it play by play you can see this wasn't so. A lineman on roller skates means they get pushed backwards a lot. Ben Hamilton is guilty of this against big defensive tackles. This has never been a problem of Clady's and he didn't show this last night. Clady's problem is he gets beat outright, usually in the run game, and the guy goes past him, but he rarely yields ground when he can hold his block. His weakness isn't pass-pro, its' run blocking and in those instances the linemen are moving upfield attacking the LOS, not getting pushed back.

Unless I have missed a huge rule change, in Denver an O-lineman has to do both.


You want to knock on his run blocking, by all means do so as that is his clearest flaw in his game and it was manifest last night. However, let's not be unfair to the rookie and start inventing flaws in his game that aren't there like saying he can't hold ground. Cutler had a nice pocket the whole night and given it's Clady's first game and he was up against one of the best, he did a fine job. When you consider they rarely shifted protection to his side and also consider that he didn't have a tight end there to baby sit him, and finally factor in the absence of mental errors (no penalties), I think his production was remarkable and exceeded my expectations.

I guess my problem with Clady's performance is that I expected more than what I saw. The first few series when he had to go up against Mario did not impress me. I was expecting a much more polished player. The first screen pass to the left he should step deep to influence the DE to come inside and then use his hands to ride the DE inside. Then he should release to block for the screen. His timing was too slow. The next play Mario gets under Clady's pads pushing him off the line and tackles the RB for a loss.

When he played against the Texan's second team DE, Ryan did fine. However, Clady is a starter; he will be playing against starters and some will be very good. It will be interesting to see what progress he has made by next week.

I understand that it was Ryan's first game. I know that Mario is exceptional. However, I did not see Clady's play as being remarkable and he didn't exceed my expectations.

Granted he should improve a great deal but I was evaluating this game not how he might play at some other time and place.

slim
08-10-2008, 03:05 PM
Wait, Kaylore is Dream?

There is no way in hell that is possible.

Bad Intentions
08-10-2008, 03:08 PM
For Kaylore:

Left tackle Ryan Clady got a rookie baptism from the Texans' star defensive end,
Mario Williams. ~Mike Klis

Ryan Clady, the No. 1 pick, became the first Broncos' rookie to start the opening
exhibition at left tackle, and he looked every bit of it. Clady played the entire first
half and was flattened like a dry-cleaned starched shirt in the beginning, and often.
He was overmatched against Texans defensive end Mario Williams (the former No. 1
pick overall). He will need help. Ryan Harris was no bargain at right tackle. E-74. But
veteran pickup Casey Wiegmann filled in admirably for Tom Nalen, and the line did
keep the Texans several feet away from Cutler. ~Woody Paige

Rookie left tackle Ryan Clady also gave up a few plays. Texans end Mario Williams went by Clady to tackle Broncos running back Selvin Young for a 5-yard loss on Denver’s first drive. Williams drove Clady backward a few yards on Denver’s second drive and tackled Young for a 2-yard loss. ~The man, Frank Schwab

"Ryan Clady is not really a starter in the National Football League, he has never played before," he said. "Ryan Harris didn't
have summer camp last year, he is a rookie. Chris Kuper we played for a quarter. We take a look at Ben Hamilton, who didn't
play last year -- I thought he needed some playing time. Obviously Casey Wiegmann played in our offense for the first time,
played the first half.
"Guys got some experience as a group which you need in the offensive line. I have to take a look at the film for sure, but I was
pleased." ~Mike Shanahan

"I think I played pretty well," Clady said. "It felt good. I've just been learning all this time and I'm trying to find what I need to improve on in the next couple of weeks." ~Ryan Clady

Clady held up well in pass protection but he was overpowered on a couple of running
plays by Houston defensive end Mario Williams. ~Mike Klis and Linsay Jones

"He's not easy, not at all," Clady said. "I need to work on being a little more
aggressive on the run." ~Ryan Clady

Bad Intentions
08-10-2008, 03:11 PM
Wait, Kaylore is Dream?

There is no way in hell that is possible.

They act the same though!!! Might as well be the same poster, 'cept dream knows the draft a lot better! Actually the more I think about it, they're no where near the same. Can't be the same poster. Sorry Dream.

slim
08-10-2008, 03:14 PM
OK, fellas....let's all take a deep breath.

It's clear that Clady was a bit inconsistent. Some good, some bad (but what would you expect from a LT making his first start?).

Based on what little I saw, I think there is plenty to be excited about.

Bad Intentions
08-10-2008, 03:43 PM
OK, fellas....let's all take a deep breath.

It's clear that Clady was a bit inconsistent. Some good, some bad (but what would you expect from a LT making his first start?).

Based on what little I saw, I think there is plenty to be excited about.

I agree 100% just don't like someone coming in saying I didn't even watch the game! I saw plenty to be excited about. Hell, I saw plenty from Harris that I'm excited about!

MOtorboat
08-10-2008, 04:07 PM
I agree 100% just don't like someone coming in saying I didn't even watch the game! I saw plenty to be excited about. Hell, I saw plenty from Harris that I'm excited about!

Like four first-half penalties?

topscribe
08-10-2008, 04:09 PM
Like four first-half penalties?

Ah, it's his very first full game ever as a pro, Mo.

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topscribe
08-10-2008, 04:14 PM
Wow, this board is weird. It's the only one that thinks Clady played poorly. Clady played very well for his first outing. Saying he played below average or "was on rollerskates" is just untrue. Early on Williams was beating him, and that's to be expected considering he's one of the premiere DE's in the league, but every snap Clady got better and he finished very strong by the end of the night. They didn't roll protection to his side and he didn't give up much ground at all. In fact Cutler had a pretty good pocket the whole night. He also wasn't sacked or even hit. Harris had a lot of problems, but I'll talk about that somewhere else.

Clady was owned by Super Mario the first couple plays or so. But after that,
Clady became a human wall, from my perspective. I was extremely impressed
by his pass blocking, especially against, as you mentioned, one of the top
DEs. He needs to improve his run blocking, but that guy is one quick study,
as he demonstrated against Doom in camp.

Meanwhile, if and when we see Clady get beat, even superstars get beaten
by other superstars once in a while. Let's not forget whom Clady was up
against.

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Skinny
08-10-2008, 04:22 PM
In regards to Harris, sometimes holding is a necessary evil. Necessary so the defensive player does'nt kill your QB.

Take the penalty, save your QBs life, and live to fight another play.

It's time to work out all the kinks in your armour. I'm sure Harris is doing just that (i hope so anyways).

topscribe
08-10-2008, 04:26 PM
Jumping to conclusions again Dream? I was able to watch the game on chanel #2 out of Casper Wyoming. What I meant was Clady was too high and he got pushed back by Mario in any tense that you choose. . . rewatch the first two series when he was going up against Mario.



Unless I have missed a huge rule change, in Denver an O-lineman has to do both.



I guess my problem with Clady's performance is that I expected more than what I saw. The first few series when he had to go up against Mario did not impress me. I was expecting a much more polished player. The first screen pass to the left he should step deep to influence the DE to come inside and then use his hands to ride the DE inside. Then he should release to block for the screen. His timing was too slow. The next play Mario gets under Clady's pads pushing him off the line and tackles the RB for a loss.

When he played against the Texan's second team DE, Ryan did fine. However, Clady is a starter; he will be playing against starters and some will be very good. It will be interesting to see what progress he has made by next week.

I understand that it was Ryan's first game. I know that Mario is exceptional. However, I did not see Clady's play as being remarkable and he didn't exceed my expectations.

Granted he should improve a great deal but I was evaluating this game not how he might play at some other time and place.

Yes, but understand that Clady was playing in his very first game as a pro,
against one of the elite DEs in the business, Dean. I appreciate your insight
as a coach regarding Clady's playing too high . . . something his coaches
probably saw, too. However, Super Mario is going to give very good,
experienced LTs problems all season. That is why he's Super Mario. That
Clady gets beaten a couple times by Mario is really of little concern to me.

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Broncos Mtnman
08-10-2008, 04:26 PM
I think Clady held his own on pass protection, but he needs work on his run blocking.

Dean
08-10-2008, 04:41 PM
Yes, but understand that Clady was playing in his very first game as a pro,
against one of the elite DEs in the business, Dean. I appreciate your insight
as a coach regarding Clady's playing too high . . . something his coaches
probably saw, too. However, Super Mario is going to give very good,
experienced LTs problems all season. That is why he's Super Mario. That
Clady gets beaten a couple times by Mario is really of little concern to me.

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I am in no way implying that Clady's play last night means that he is a bust. I was simply reacting to the expectations I had based upon the camp reports. I am starting to believe that his superior showing in camp might have a great deal to do with the quality of our own defensive ends. . .and I felt the need to reply to Kaylore's (?) post.

I repeat that he did well when he wasn't up against Mario. I hope your prediction on Clady's season holds true. He has the physical tools. However, he is facing an accelerated learning curve. We need him to be solid in both run and pass this year and we need him badly.

topscribe
08-10-2008, 04:44 PM
I am in no way implying that Clady's play last night means that he is a bust. I was simply reacting to the expectations I had based upon the camp reports. I am starting to believe that his superior showing in camp might have a great deal to do with the quality of our own defensive ends. . .and I felt the need to reply to Dream's post.

I repeat that he did well when he wasn't up against Mario. I hope your prediction on Clady's season holds true. He has the physical tools. However, he is facing an accelerated learning curve. We need him to be solid in both run and pass this year and we need him badly.

And I hope you're only half-right about our DEs. http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh256/AZDynamics/Smilies/thhuh.gif

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Bad Intentions
08-10-2008, 06:07 PM
I am in no way implying that Clady's play last night means that he is a bust. I was simply reacting to the expectations I had based upon the camp reports. I am starting to believe that his superior showing in camp might have a great deal to do with the quality of our own defensive ends. . .and I felt the need to reply to Dream's post.

I repeat that he did well when he wasn't up against Mario. I hope your prediction on Clady's season holds true. He has the physical tools. However, he is facing an accelerated learning curve. We need him to be solid in both run and pass this year and we need him badly.


He even did well against Mario a couple of times. It's alright to analyze his game last night. He had some ups and downs. For a rookie LT going against one of the best DEs in the league in his first game experience ever, well I think he did well enough to give us all some excitement. Not quite great, but not bad either. I too am concerned that he's making our own look like crap. Jarvis looked like crap too!

Dean
08-11-2008, 09:38 AM
Saying that he was on rollerskates for a play or two doesn't mean he's horrible. He adjusted which was a great sign!

First run play of the game Mario Williams beat Clady on a speed/knifing rush. He tackled Selvin for a loss of 3 or 4 yards.

Next possession. 2nd and 10. Williams pushed Clady back 5 or 6 yards and even had him waving his arms to keep his balance so that he didn't follow over back wards. The play was at 6:20 if you'd like to review... the waving the arms WAS reminicent of a kid on rollerskates! I think that's probably what people were talking about.

To Ryan's credit, from that point forward he improved dramatically. The near TD to Graham that should have been a PI penalty featured Clady shutting Mario Williams down. We're talking not a bit of penetration.

On Cutler's TD run Clady took his defender and pushed him so wide that Jay had an easy opening in the back field to run for a 15 yard TD (the end featuring a very nice block by Scheffler to allow Jay to cutback/jump/dive for the TD.) Also on that play Ryan Harris was matched up against Mario Williams. Harris was beat though he did sustain his block long enough for Jay to run clear of Mario, but it looked like Mario's push is what sent Jay running.

So, save for 3 or 4 plays when Clady was beaten badly, he did a pretty good job. They ran a lot of stunts on his side and he reacted well each time.


Another Note- Ramsey's INT to Ferguson featured pressure from the RDE. Clady was pushed back to within a few feet of Ramsey which caused him to hurry the throw. It was a strong bull rush that got him. 10:48 of the 2nd Quarter if you'd like to review. Further breakdown of that play. Weigman and Hamilton doubled the DT on that play. Weigman got poor position and the DT was driving Hamilton back as well. This also played into Ramsey's INT.

On a 3rd down play with about 2 minutes to go in the first half Clady was beat badly. Ramsey through and incompletion that led to Prater's first FG.
That entire drive (save for one run play where the DE shoved Clady off and assisted on the tackle) Clady was phenomenal, both in run and pass blocking. Ryan Harris did a good job of run blocking on that drive as well. He's clearly a better run blocker than pass blocker. Kuper struggled. Weigman did so-so, and Hamilton did quite well sealing his man to open up a cutback lane. The Texans D did a good job of covering that backside hole for most of the night, but Hall was able to burn them a few times during this drive.

All in all, Clady had his ups and downs. The stronger bull rushes got to him and had him on his heels. You can watch the game again and see that easily, but as I mentioned earlier it was vs a very good/strong DE in Mario Williams. Though the last one was #94 that pushed him back, but that was on more of a swim move than bull rush. I saw enough from Clady to believe he's going to be a force for us. His first game ever at the pro level and I'll easily agree that I am in fact "nitpicking" his play. I could do the same with Jarvis Moss but I don't think it's worth it... Clady has so much more potential that it's worth nitpicking to see if he improves those little things from week to week.

After watching the game again last night, Your analysis is very accurate. Well done and it is obvious that you watched the game very closely. :salute:

Bad Intentions
08-11-2008, 10:02 PM
Thank you. :thumbsup:

Dean
08-17-2008, 08:23 AM
I thought that the Broncos O-line play was much improved against the 'Boys. The pass blocking was great and the run blocking is coming along.

Clady played much better than in his first outting. He had one early penalty and then settled in for the rest of the game. His pass blocking was solid keeping Ware and company away from Cutler except for only one time that I saw. Just after Jay threw for a completion, Ware got a solid shot on Cutler. Clady's run blocking was much improved but nearly all of the holes for the RB were created by Kuper and Harris. I think that we can all be pleased with his growth.

Wow! There must have been another player wearing Harris's number last night. His play was night and day different from the game against the Texans. The line gave Cutler a pocket to step up into on each pass. As I already mentioned, he and Kuper provided a running game that wasn't there last week and provided a rushing TD on the goal line. Those have been few and far between the last few years.

Based upon last night's performance against a solid front seven, the Broncos looked good. With more time to improve the line's chemistry, we should be able to put numbers on the score board this year.

ikillz0mbies
08-17-2008, 04:35 PM
The tackles looked great last night. Clady is pretty good, he was quick, and I do mean QUICK. I'm pretty confident about the O-line this year, especially with the way they held their own and protected Cutler against a pretty tough D-line from the Cowboys.