Is Harris Legitimately Our Future At Left Tackle?

[TXBRONC]

Harris is preparing himself as to win the starting position at left tackle. I hope he has what it takes to take care of the backside in both the run game and passing game.


http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/jan/01/future-now-broncos-harris/

Future is now for Broncos' Harris
By Lee Rasizer, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)
Originally published 05:04 p.m., January 1, 2008
Updated 05:04 p.m., January 1, 2008

Next to zone blocking, it’s a virtual certainty for any young Broncos offensive lineman who eventually landed any significant playing time with the team.

Wait, watch for at least a year, then do the best possible with a likely opportunity.

It was essentially the path taken by center Tom Nalen, guards Ben Hamilton, Chris Myers and Chris Kuper, and tackles Matt Lepsis and Erik Pears at various points.

And with the news that Lepsis will retire after 11 NFL seasons, it’s probably the direction Ryan Harris’ career is headed, too.

A virtual nonparticipant as a rookie, aside from special teams, Harris soon could be thrust into the role of filling Lepsis’ shoes in his second pro season.

It’s a big responsibility protecting the blind side of quarterback Jay Cutler. Whether Harris, a third-round draft pick out of Minnesota last April, is up to the task remains to be seen. He hasn’t even played a preseason game to gauge where he stands against pro competition but instead often battled a 121/2-sack pass rusher to help him get his bearings.

“I’m definitely lucky to go against a guy like Elvis Dumervil in practice daily,” said Harris, whose initial summer with the Broncos was derailed after two weeks by a procedure to repair a herniated disk. “Throughout the season, I definitely learned how to be a pro. And it took me a few weeks after my back surgery to know how to practice, what’s expected week to week and know how to study.”

Even before Lepsis’ announcement, Harris was steeling himself for the potential of following in his predecessor’s footsteps in Denver.

He’s clearly intent on making an impact after getting time to assimilate the Broncos’ scheme.

“I feel I’m capable of doing that,” Harris said. “I know there’s a chance for everything from being a swing tackle to being a starting tackle. Either way, I see a lot of it depending on me and what I do and how I do and how I play in minicamps and training camp. I’ll work hard to give myself the best physical advantage to compete.”

The decision by Lepsis, which he’s hinted around but would never confirm directly in recent weeks, is the first step in what could be a refashioning of Denver’s offensive line.

Hamilton on Monday talked about there being “no doubt” that he’ll return after missing a season with post-concussion syndrome. Nalen is planning to return for a 15th year coming off a biceps tear.

That could relegate Kuper and Myers, who started in place of Hamilton and Nalen, respectively, to reserve roles. Or the Broncos could look to strengthen the group from the outside, particularly at tackle.

“It’s going to be a shuffle,” Pears said. “I’m just going to try and put myself somewhere in that shuffle. Nobody knows what the shuffle will be.”

The Broncos line, like the rest of their team, battled inconsistent play all season. There were only 33 sacks allowed but periods where pressure was particularly problematic.

The club’s 122.3 per-game rushing average was ninth in the league but well off the output of the previous three seasons (134.5, 158.7 and 145.8). Denver had difficulty running the ball effectively, in particular, in short-yardage situations in the red zone.

“I don’t expect a lot of change,” Lepsis said before he left the home locker room after Sunday night’s season finale. “Chris Kuper and Chris Myers came in and did so much better than anybody expected, so they’re going to fight for jobs even if everybody’s healthy and back. But that’s just a good thing. And if they don’t end up coming back starters, we’re going to have a couple really good backups.”

[shank]

Hamilton on Monday talked about there being “no doubt” that he’ll return after missing a season with post-concussion syndrome.

this is good to hear. i will be glad to have ben back and glad that he's ok. hopefully he can make it through the rest of his career (and life) without any ill-effects from this or any other injury.


i don't see why harris couldn't be our future at LT. i know they are not the same, but lepsis started in the league as a 7th round? (or was he undrafted) TE and became a very good LT for us, i don't see why a talented 3rd rounder can't flourish here too.

[Bronco4ever]

It’s a big responsibility protecting the blind side of quarterback Jay Cutler. Whether Harris, a third-round draft pick out of Minnesota last April...


Didn't he go to Notre Dame?

[BOSSHOGG30]

Great news if Hamilton comes back because he will probably be our starting center for a few years and a good one to boot. So it looks like we are set at center and gaurd positions, we just have to hope that we can land a veteran tackle in free agency and that Harris and Pears get better during the off season.

[dogfish]

:fear:




..........

[topscribe]

If Harris is going to be successful on this level, he is going to have to work
on his upper body strength. That was his downside, according to many
scouting reports. It seemed he was a bit too easily bull rushed by some of
the stronger DEs. However, the reports generally had very good things to
say about his quickness and footwork, saying that he is one of the quicker
players at his position. Some said it was not easy to beat him on the
outside.

That was involving pass blocking. It seemed a pretty common opinion that he
was a pretty good run blocker, but only in a zone blocking scheme, which
may be what the Broncos saw in him.

Here's hoping he read his scouting reports and is hitting the weight room.
He came out of college at 300. It would be good to see him at 315 or 320.
At 6-4, he should be able to carry it, but I don't know how large his
skeletal frame is.

-----

[sanluis]

Have you guys seen this already?

http://cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/story/10553562

[sneakers]

Didn't he go to Notre Dame?

That's what I thought too!

edit: ....yup, he did go to Notre Dame.

[G_Money]

I don't like Harris as a left tackle.

Negatives:

- Has had two back surgeries now, hasn't he?

- Dropoff in Senior year was significant, at least from what I saw. Might have been related to his back surgery.

- When last I saw him, had not put on the extra pounds to play the position, possibly again due to a limited regiman thanks to his back.

- Could not beat out Pears for the RT spot when Pears was obviously struggling. Maybe he didn't grasp the system well enough to do it, or the Broncos are superstitious about rooks on the OL, but that fact remains - we had needs due to injury and incompetence on the OL and Ryan Harris remained parked on the bench.

I don't remember liking his strength in the run game at ND, though he did all right in the pass game for Brady.

I dunno - I don't think he's strong enough or nasty enough to play LT. Now, I would have said the same thing about Lepsis and he did pretty well you'd have to say, so things change...but this coming year I had Harris slotted to challenge at RT (if Lepsis retired instead of moving to RT for us) and possibly slide to guard if he could get some more strength.

I don't think he's the LT of the future, so I hope they're not relying solely on him at the position, especially with his injury issues. It doesn't mean he can't help us, but I'd definitely look for a legit LT in free-agency like Gross.

~G

[broncosfanscott]

Have you guys seen this already?

http://cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/story/10553562

Yeah, it was mentioned in the article posted by TXBRONC.

[Stargazer]

Ryan Harris is a wait & see. Whether he's the future LT for the Broncos, nobody knows.

[TXBRONC]

Didn't he go to Notre Dame?


Yes he did.

[TXBRONC]

this is good to hear. i will be glad to have ben back and glad that he's ok. hopefully he can make it through the rest of his career (and life) without any ill-effects from this or any other injury.


i don't see why harris couldn't be our future at LT. i know they are not the same, but lepsis started in the league as a 7th round? (or was he undrafted) TE and became a very good LT for us, i don't see why a talented 3rd rounder can't flourish here too.

I've seen other articles that have said Hamilton should be back by next season.

Lepsis was an undrafted tight end if I'm not mistaken.

[Tned]

If Harris is going to be successful on this level, he is going to have to work
on his upper body strength. That was his downside, according to many
scouting reports. It seemed he was a bit too easily bull rushed by some of
the stronger DEs. However, the reports generally had very good things to
say about his quickness and footwork, saying that he is one of the quicker
players at his position. Some said it was not easy to beat him on the
outside.

That was involving pass blocking. It seemed a pretty common opinion that he
was a pretty good run blocker, but only in a zone blocking scheme, which
may be what the Broncos saw in him.

Here's hoping he read his scouting reports and is hitting the weight room.
He came out of college at 300. It would be good to see him at 315 or 320.
At 6-4, he should be able to carry it, but I don't know how large his
skeletal frame is.

-----

The big problem our tackles have had the last few years is being beaten (speed rush) on the outside. If he can bulk up and hold up to the power/bull rush moves, hopefully he is quick enough to deal with the speed rushes. We have the same problem on the right side, though. We need to figure out a way to not have fast DE or LBs (3-4's), just blow by our tackles like they are moving in slow motion.

[Dean]

Didn't he go to Notre Dame?

Not only that but according to SI stats Cutler was sacked 27 times and Ramsey 3 times. That is only 30 sacks. It makes me wonder what other errors were made.

[Scarface]

The good news is the guy is very athletic and has good feet. The question marks as G Money mentioned are bulk/strength and the back issue. Harris is a guy who can succeed or fail and neither will surprise me. We'll just have to wait and see.

[Skinny]

I hope we don't have find out at the expense of Jay getting the crap knocked out of him. I would like to see Mikey bring in a veteran who we know can solidify that position and continue and help bring Harris along and work him in ... fact is Harris has'nt played alot.

Lepsis's retirment may have come a little earlier than Mikey & Co. had planned but that's no reason to thrust Harris into a starter role. The best thing this team has going for them is the Offense ... don't try to build on that with question marks ... certainly not at your LT position ...

[BOSSHOGG30]

Jordan Gross at LT and Harris or Pears at RT and we will be fine.

[champbronc2]

this is good to hear. i will be glad to have ben back and glad that he's ok. hopefully he can make it through the rest of his career (and life) without any ill-effects from this or any other injury.


i don't see why harris couldn't be our future at LT. i know they are not the same, but lepsis started in the league as a 7th round? (or was he undrafted) TE and became a very good LT for us, i don't see why a talented 3rd rounder can't flourish here too.
I agree with both statements.

Hamilton is a great lineman and I don't see why Harris should not be given a chance at LT. But don't hand it to him.

[Lorcust]

Only one way to find out.

Still, we should invest in some insurance this off-season, providing Harris doesn't have what it takes. Left Tackle is too important a position in keeping the heart and soul of our offense upright.

[sanluis]

What about bringing in Roman Oben. He played real well for us at LT and was a starter on the Tampa Bay Super Bowl Team. He was just cut by us because we needed a kicker??!!! He injured his foot two years ago. It should be healed by now.

[joshxhannah]

I'd love to see Gross, but the ammount of money he would want will probly make that a pipedream. I think this line needs a serious upgrade, they played fair this year with all the injuries, but with nalen and hamiltons status up in the air I think we need a proven guy to come in and help. I'd feel alot more comfortable with Harris and Pears competing on the right side, instead of just plugging in a guy in at the most key line position who lost out on the RT spot in camp. Any good LT's in the draft at 12? I know we have other needs like FS, backers and DT, but this became priority #1 the second lepsis retired IMO.

[Npba900]

I say bring in and sign Gross, Starks, and Faneca, while letting Harris continue to prove himself and get his back stronger. Two connsecutive years of back problems with Harris should be just as much as a concern as with Walkers bad knee!

[TXBRONC]

Only one way to find out.

Still, we should invest in some insurance this off-season, providing Harris doesn't have what it takes. Left Tackle is too important a position in keeping the heart and soul of our offense upright.

I would just about bet the farm that Shanahan will have veteran left tackle on the roster just in case.

[mclark]

Is Harris full recovered from his injured back? I'd like to think we didn't make a mistake drafting him, but we made so many other mistakes in the draft (historically), I'm not optimistic. I'm eager to be proven wrong.

I think we need to sign some veteran free agents for the line.

[SmilinAssasSin27]

I thought he sucked at ND and in the post season all star game and workouts. I was angry as hell when we picked him. I just hope I'm wrong cuz I think dude is basically garbage.

[SmilinAssasSin27]

I'd love to see Gross, but the ammount of money he would want will probly make that a pipedream.

He won't be that costly. There will be a few OTs in FA. He'll get paid for sure, but he won't break the bank.

[EMB6903]

who knows about Harris... it frightens me thinking Pears and Harris will be our starting Tackles next year.. I thought Harris was a horrible pick in the 3rd round But nobody knows until we actually see him play in the pro's.

[mclark]

who knows about Harris... it frightens me thinking Pears and Harris will be our starting Tackles next year.. I thought Harris was a horrible pick in the 3rd round But nobody knows until we actually see him play in the pro's.

We can't afford to go with Pears and Harris. We need to sign 1 or 2 free agents for the offensive line.

[bmarsh15]

Ryan Harris is pretty athletic and Matt Lepsis said that he really likes him and that the o-line is going to still be good without him. Matt is a class act all the way and also saves us a lot of money, so now Ryan has a chance an d he's pretty big too 300 pounds 6' 5''.
Have a nice retirement Matt you will be missed and also thanks a lot to being such a class act!!!

[SmilinAssasSin27]

Kuper is also gonna get his shot to be a Tackle. I don't know if he's up to the task, but that at least makes me feel a little more comfortable.

[omac]

The injuries are what scares me the most. This could be a lingering thing. If he's injured again next season, probably best to cut him.

[Requiem / The Dagda]

Harris was excellent value at our selection #70 last year, and has the potential to be a successful player here in Denver. He fits our system to a "T" and is a hard worker, smart and will do alot for the team. Top already mentioned what he needs to do to get better, and I agree with Lorcust saying there is only one way we can find out - and that's to try him out.

If it's not LT, try him at RT.

Even with Harris there, Denver should seriously invest (or at least try) to get a tackle in the top two rounds of the draft.

[omac]

Harris was excellent value at our selection #70 last year, and has the potential to be a successful player here in Denver. He fits our system to a "T" and is a hard worker, smart and will do alot for the team. Top already mentioned what he needs to do to get better, and I agree with Lorcust saying there is only one way we can find out - and that's to try him out.

If it's not LT, try him at RT.

Even with Harris there, Denver should seriously invest (or at least try) to get a tackle in the top two rounds of the draft.

I wouldn't be against that, since our offense will probably need to score a bunch to win games next season.

[Requiem / The Dagda]

So much has happened in the past 72 hours, it's insane. I left for Minneapolis in the afternoon of the 30th and got there late, late at night. Since then I've maybe been on the computer an hour or so total and have had a hard time posting here, on the OM and BM at the same time.

I'm hoping to get on MHR Radio tonight to give some thoughts. This off-season is going to be crazy.

Hope you had a good New Year's man.

I'll be back in post mode in a week!

[Jwalk - JayCutty6Goes - CasinoRoyal]

I sure hope so, Before surgery he was a top 15-20 pick

[TXBRONC]

I thought he sucked at ND and in the post season all star game and workouts. I was angry as hell when we picked him. I just hope I'm wrong cuz I think dude is basically garbage.

From what I heard Harris had terrific season during his junior year. If had come out then he would have been a first round pick. At least that's what I have heard from the likes of Mel Kiper.

[broncofanatic1987]

Is Harris Legitimately Our Future At Left Tackle?

Considering the Broncos kept him on the 53 man roster instead of waiving him and trying to sign him to the practice squad, I would say there is a pretty good chance that he is the legitimate future at left tackle. He missed the preseason with a bad back and had to have surgery, yet they thought enough of him that they didn't want to risk losing him to another team that might sign him off of waivers or the practice squad. I remember being a bit surprised that he made the 53 man roster at the end of the preseason.

Personally, I would like to see the Broncos start drafting offensive linemen in the first and second rounds. The more talent on the line, the better off they would be. I suppose drafting one in the third round is a step in the right direction assuming he was worthy of a third round pick. If I remember correctly, that's about where he was projected to go.

[TXBRONC]

Considering the Broncos kept him on the 53 man roster instead of waiving him and trying to sign him to the practice squad, I would say there is a pretty good chance that he is the legitimate future at left tackle. He missed the preseason with a bad back and had to have surgery, yet they thought enough of him that they didn't want to risk losing him to another team that might sign him off of waivers or the practice squad. I remember being a bit surprised that he made the 53 man roster at the end of the preseason.

Personally, I would like to see the Broncos start drafting offensive linemen in the first and second rounds. The more talent on the line, the better off they would be. I suppose drafting one in the third round is a step in the right direction assuming he was worthy of a third round pick. If I remember correctly, that's about where he was projected to go.

Harris was a first day pick. It seems to me first day picks do not go the practice squad.

[broncofanatic1987]

Harris was a first day pick. It seems to me first day picks do not go the practice squad.

I don't think there is a rule that says first day draft picks can't be signed to the practice squad.

There's no guarantee that a third round pick is going to make the 53 man roster, although it is more likely than not that he will.

The guy missed the preseason and still made the 53 man roster. That could be because he showed enough in training camp and mini camps to make the coaches believe that they made a good choice in picking him.

I don't know if the guy is going to be a good left tackle or not, but I think there is a good chance that he will be a good one. We'll have to wait and see how good he is at pass protection in obvious passing situations. That is something I would like the entire line to improve.

[TXBRONC]

I don't think there is a rule that says first day draft picks can't be signed to the practice squad.

There's no guarantee that a third round pick is going to make the 53 man roster, although it is more likely than not that he will.

The guy missed the preseason and still made the 53 man roster. That could be because he showed enough in training camp and mini camps to make the coaches believe that they made a good choice in picking him.

I don't know if the guy is going to be a good left tackle or not, but I think there is a good chance that he will be a good one. We'll have to wait and see how good he is at pass protection in obvious passing situations. That is something I would like the entire line to improve.

I'm not saying there is rule. What I'm saying is I've never heard of a first day pick being placed on the practice squad.

I also don't know of many 3rd round picks that don't make the roster. Unless they are total screw up like Maurice Clement they usually make the 53 man roster.

[Npba900]

who knows about Harris... it frightens me thinking Pears and Harris will be our starting Tackles next year.. I thought Harris was a horrible pick in the 3rd round But nobody knows until we actually see him play in the pro's.

While you'll be frightened....I'll be pissed if Shanahan goes into the 08 season with Pears and Harris as our tackles; w/o trying to sign a FA tackle. Neither Harris or Pears will be the answer in 2008.

Jake had better start working on his scrambling ability and hope for the best in 2008.

[Dean]

While you'll be frightened....I'll be pissed if Shanahan goes into the 08 season with Pears and Harris as our tackles; w/o trying to sign a FA tackle. Neither Harris or Pears will be the answer in 2008.

Jake had better start working on his scrambling ability and hope for the best in 2008.

I agree with you with respect to the Broncos needing to aquire a new tackle. However, what do you base you prediction that Harris will not be the answer in 2008? Have you ever seen him play in the NFL? Secondly, I think that you mean Jay rather than Jake had better start working on his scrambling.

[Lonestar]

I agree with you with respect to the Broncos needing to aquire a new tackle. However, what do you base you prediction that Harris will not be the answer in 2008? Have you ever seen him play in the NFL? Secondly, I think that you mean Jay rather than Jake had better start working on his scrambling.

NO they are preparing to bring back Jake to take snaps against those really heavy duty pss rushers.. The poster got it correct.. :laugh: ;)

[Retired_Member_001]

Harris was excellent value at our selection #70 last year, and has the potential to be a successful player here in Denver. He fits our system to a "T" and is a hard worker, smart and will do alot for the team. Top already mentioned what he needs to do to get better, and I agree with Lorcust saying there is only one way we can find out - and that's to try him out.

If it's not LT, try him at RT.

Even with Harris there, Denver should seriously invest (or at least try) to get a tackle in the top two rounds of the draft.

I completely agree.

:salute:

[TXBRONC]

Harris was excellent value at our selection #70 last year, and has the potential to be a successful player here in Denver. He fits our system to a "T" and is a hard worker, smart and will do alot for the team. Top already mentioned what he needs to do to get better, and I agree with Lorcust saying there is only one way we can find out - and that's to try him out.

If it's not LT, try him at RT.

Even with Harris there, Denver should seriously invest (or at least try) to get a tackle in the top two rounds of the draft.

I agree even with Harris it wouldn't hurt for Denver to invest in another offensive tackle on the first day of the draft.