SB Nation - Robbie Tobeck

Auditting the Seahawks Roster: Center

John Morgan — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 23:51:11 -0000

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Max Unger is tall and wears his weight high. He was a center at Oregon, but Oregon runs an unorthodox offense. Unger does not have the ideal build of a center and Seattle has converted him to guard. But did Seattle select Unger to play guard, or is he a guard today out of deference for Chris Spencer?

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Is it any wonder Tim Ruskell values center so highly?

Chris Spencer: Spencer is supposed to be that rare blend of build and athleticism that can play in any system, and maybe he can. His footwork and overall technique are a work in progress, but Spencer has shown progress. He improves every season. That is significant, because at 27 Spencer is not in the midst of his prime, but really just entering it. I do not know the specifics of it, I would guess it is a combination of knowledge, upper body strength and finding the right fit, but center peaks late. Waaay late.

The player every Seahawks fan wants Spencer to be, Robbie Tobeck, was starting at left guard for the Atlanta Falcons when he turned 27.He was blocking for the much sacked Chris Chandler and Billy Joe Toliver, both were sacked on greater than 10% of all pass plays, and the then unknown Jamal Anderson. Anderson averaged 3.5 yards per carry that year.

Tobeck signed a free agent contract with Seattle in 2000. He was 30. The contract was for five-years, $6.8 million. As a six-year veteran, his pay was a little more than double the veteran minimum. Tobeck was not a highly sought free agent.

Nor is he a very fair comparison for Spencer or a standard for what Spencer should become, but he is a familiar example of a retread offensive line talent that seemed to peak late. Ruskell drafted Spencer while Tobeck was still starting. Spencer was not a longtime starter at Mississippi and was a bit unpolished entering the NFL. Ruskell must have known that though Spencer was talented enough to start in a pinch, his real value was locked in his potential.

So if Spencer is improving and entering the period we would assume to be his prime, why does it seem certain the Seahawks will not retain him?

Max Unger: Seattle avoided the inherent controversy created by drafting a center in the second round of the 2009 draft by quickly converting that center to a guard. It wasn't unthinkable that Unger could be a guard, but it wasn't exactly conventional wisdom either. Unger himself has said he is a center and wants to play center. Maybe five years from now that will be forgotten, but it seems important today.

Unger is playing right guard but it would not be a radical or retarding decision to switch him back to center following the 2009 season. He has extensive college experience at center and while 2009 may forever be a year of lost development for Unger the center, I assume he would pick it back up if needed and already be more developed at the position than he is guard.

There is something odd afoot and it leaves me unsure of Seattle's plans.

Whatever the plan, and maybe the plan is only to have options, Seattle is stacked at center. Spencer is quietly becoming a very good center, but his contract ends at the end of the season. An uncapped season would make him a restricted free agent, and I am sure Ruskell would take the chance to save money, but does he return Seattle's center of the future or a one year stopgap blocking a large investment?

Spencer has the center's build. He is between 6'2" and 6'3", carries his 309 throughout his body and over a strong lower half. He is an ideal matchup against the suddenly pervasive 3-4 nose tackle.

It was when watching Unger get blocked back against college level nose tackles that I first began seeing him as a guard. Unger is 6'5", and carries his weight on his shoulders and through his midsection. He is a technical blocker that doesn't overpower and may never matchup well against ever-larger 3-4 nose tackles. As a pass blocker, he is best using technique to ward off and slow rushers, using his reach and slide step to keep the defender ahead of him. He is weak against the bull rush and the bull rush is the primary weapon for most nose tackles.

Steve Vallos: When Spencer missed the first two games of the season, Vallos started at center ahead of Unger. Vallos started at left guard in week six, so Vallos did not start ahead of Unger because the team did not trust Vallos to play guard.

Vallos was okay at center. As I would expect, he was where he was supposed to be, but unlike I would expect, he wasn't there getting his face punched off. Zone blocking schemes are designed to protect players like Vallos, and though he can look almost puny at times, smaller players than Vallos have succeeded in the system. It seems odd to say it now, and I won't hesitate to say it might be premature (Vallos started against the Rams and 49ers) but Vallos looks like decent, extremely cheap center depth, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Seattle might be superabundant at center or it might be months away from looking for a new one. Spencer is a great physical talent and he could be a great zone blocking center, but his standing within the organization has always seemed shaky and his rookie contract is coming to an end. Unger could be his successor or already permanently converted to guard. That would make me happy, but maybe not Unger. The bare facts are that Seattle has invested tremendous resources into the position and acquired great talent and depth, but it's anyone's guess who plays center for the Seahawks in 2010.

The Offensive Line Part 4: A Failure Not Earned

John Morgan — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 21:00:42 -0000

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It's hard not to be mad after yesterday's travesty, but class, and the ability to direct one's anger where it belongs, separates the losers of yesterday and the losers of tomorrow.

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Offensive line, right? It's a joke made thousands of times since 2005. From what little I saw of yesterday's game, the line was bad enough to kill the offense itself. The Seahawks week six line, Kyle Williams - Steve Vallos - Chris Spencer - Max Unger - Ray Willis, is the worst line Seattle has started since Tim Ruskell took over. Williams and Vallos are essentially replacement level talent, and Spencer to Willis is not the kind of intimidating right side that can hide a piecemeal left.

Seattle was poorly built but lucky in 2007 and as things turn out, it has been well built but unlucky in 2009. Kyle Williams was never meant to start. Seattle imported a player from across the country to keep Williams on its practice squad. Williams was buried behind Sean Locklear, Brandon Frye and theoretically Walter Jones.

Let's blow up the Jones situation again. Jones underwent microfracture knee surgery last fall. I thought that might be the end of his career, but I was in error. It might still be the end of his playing career, but Jones is very much a Seahawk and very much on the Seahawks roster. He cost $8.6 million against the cap each of the last two seasons and I believe costs even more than that this season. Maybe Jones is never going to play again, but in Ruskell's world, Jones is an investment and a failing one Seattle can't shake.

Before training camp, Jones passed his physicals. His microfracture surgery was a success. The rub is that the procedure is not likely to preserve Jones career and its short term consequences have left Jones unable to play. So the greatest player in Seahawks history, through no fault of his own or others, has become a big, fat boondoggle.

Seattle did invest into its tackle position. It signed Locklear to a contract with incentives if he stuck at left tackle. Locklear has been reasonably healthy and had shown some skills that could translate. The team was not relying on Locklear for its future, but with the entire tackle situation queered by Jones health, Locklear represented a cheap, low-downside bridge from the Jones era to whatever followed. Seattle re-signed Ray Willis to a two-year, inexpensive contract. Willis seems like a steal now that his early-career health problems are behind him. Funny how unpredictable injuries are.

Seattle's success kept it just outside 2008's historic offensive tackle class and it's hard to discredit Seattle for selecting Aaron Curry fourth overall in 2009. Linebacker is not typically a foundational position, but Stafford was gone, Sanchez was iffy, the tackle class overblown -- its best talent taken at two and its second best talent Andre Smith. Eugene Monroe is tossed around, but Monroe had serious injury concerns. He started the season for Jacksonville but has since been benched. If you saw the solution to Seattle's offensive line woes on October 11, you weren't sitting in Qwest Field.

At the time and in the short term, Curry appears to be the right pick. Seattle then traded its second round pick for the 2010 first round pick of the Denver Broncos. It was team with a rookie coach, Kyle Orton at quarterback and one of the worst defenses in the NFL in 2008. It was a smart decision then and whatever has happened since doesn't change that.

Unless it wasn't a smart decision. Eben Britton was available. He is playing right tackle now and may forever play right tackle. Seattle could have selected Andy Levitre, though Levitre is a guard. It could have drafted William Beatty, but neither player has done much for their respective teams. Instead it traded that pick for a better pick and traded back into the second to draft Max Unger. Unger has started all season and seems mostly competent for a rookie right guard.

So it was a smart decision. And yet Seattle's offensive line is in ruins. That is a microcosm for this entire debate. Tim Ruskell has made many smart decisions, but the Seahawks are not winning games. A general manager's job is to build a winning football team. Seattle is 6-20 over the last two seasons. It has clear and recognizable weaknesses at offensive line and in the secondary. Both are units Ruskell has invested in.

Ruskell drafted Ray Willis and he starts. He drafted Chris Spencer and Spencer starts, but has missed time because of injury. He draft Rob Sims and Sims starts, but has missed time because of injury. He drafted Unger, the rookie. He signed Sean Locklear as a low-downside stop-gap until the team could know what to do with Walter Jones, and Locklear's injury has been felt worst of all. He drafted Steve Vallos and Mansfield Wrotto, but Vallos has shifted around and started bad. Wrotto can't seem to impress Seattle's coaches. He got Brandon Frye for nothing, but Frye went down, and Williams for nothing, his asking price, and Damion McIntosh for almost nothing, but maybe a week too late.

Ruskell built his line through the draft and without great expenditure. His picks have been mostly mild to moderate successes. He may not envision an elite line or maybe just never saw value when Seattle was on the clock. That might be arguable, but it isn't indefensible.

So how did the offensive line become offensive? Injuries, age and one very bad decision, it would seem. Steve Hutchinson hangs over Ruskell. Walter Jones, Robbie Tobeck and Chris Gray got old. Jones, through not fault of anyone, has become a burden. Locklear, the young tackle many were gushing about in 2005 has suffered a rash of disconnected injuries. Sims, the young guard many were gushing about in 2006 has suffered a rash of disconnected injuries. Kris Dielman said "no". Unger is a rookie. Spencer has been competent and not too long ago was a steady, established starter. Mike Wahle filled in for a season before his body broke down. Tom Ashworth was expunged. No one Ruskell inherited from 2004 except Hutchinson who was worth retaining wasn't retained.

Revisiting Ruskell's decisions when they were made does not reveal great missed opportunities, but missed opportunities. It does not reveal a general manager that ran a historically great line into the ground, but instead one crucial mistake and the irrepressible destructiveness of time. It does not reveal a man who ignored the line, but added good talent to it, good overall, good respective to the available players and good respective to their cost. It reveals that yesterday's game, awful as it was, is the kind of game every franchise endures. Ozzie Newsome saw it week one of 2007. Bill Polian saw it in week three of 1987.

They saw, we saw, an everyday, frustrating as hell, meltdown -- The kind that happens every Sunday. But there's no heads to call for and no easy answers to rebuilding.

The Offensive Line Part 2: The Transition

John Morgan — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 17:58:30 -0000

This is the season Seattle lost Steve Hutchinson and the foundation of its offensive line began to crumble. Walter Jones was still among the very best at his position, but he was 32 and would turn 33 less than a week after Seattle was bumped out of the playoffs.

That run was paved in part by Tim Ruskell's first ever pick, Chris Spencer, replacing an effectively retired Robbie Tobeck, and rookie Rob Sims replacing the irreplaceable Hutchinson. When Spencer and Sims helped spring an already washed-up Shaun Alexander for 108 yards and two touchdowns against the sixth-ranked Bears rush defense, all was right, Ruskell was in good graces and the future of the Seattle Seahawks seemed bright.

The line was crumbling though. Jones was approaching old, and the intolerance to pain medication that once stood as a testament to his greatness began to loom as a horrible "what if?" Sims could not replace Hutchinson. Chris Gray was 36. Without that insane left side to protect him, Sean Locklear could no longer be trumped up by contrived stats. Seattle was halfway between the collapse of an all-time great offensive line and a rebuilding effort that couldn't possibly be as successful.

Seattle did not invest much into rebuilding the line in 2006. The draft was a bit top heavy and talent poor. Seattle could have selected Guy Whimper with its Sims pick, Willie Colon, Chris Kuper or Jeromey Clary, but if Sims has maybe not been the most valuable lineman selected in the second day, he has been a good player for the pick and more successful than much of his class.

Seattle could have spent an earlier pick but didn't. It's almost impossible to argue that had Seattle kept spent its first or second round picks on offensive linemen, it would be a better team today. Its first round pick, Kelly Jennings, has busted, but so has Winston Justice, selected 39^th, and neither Deuce Latui, 41^st, nor Daryn Colledge, 47^th, strike me as significantly better players than Sims. It could have made a play at a tackle like Marcus McNeill, Andrew Whitworth, Jeremy Trueblood or Eric Winston, but it believed itself set at tackle, and it seemed to be.

Instead, Ruskell added Tom Ashworth. Ashworth was awful: Another body on the pile of winners and veterans that Ruskell has burdened the team with. But Ashworth was fourth string and therefore as likely to play as Kyle Williams. Sean Locklear had been healthy to that point. Ashworth was behind Jones, Locklear, Ray Willis and even Floyd Womack.

Injuries became a factor. Locklear missed five games. Willis missed 15 and was put on IR. Womack was starting at left guard. Locklear's injury forced Ashworth into action and he played like the fourth string tackle he was. The line did not play well and compared to 2005, it was awful.

The talent Ruskell had added was good. It was young and cheap and seemed promising. The line had declined from a peak it could not possibly reach again, but where it had been expensive, aged, but elite, it was now turning into cheap, young and serviceable.

The Offensive Line Part 1: Ruskell the Rookie

John Morgan — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:41:21 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

Seahawks fans are eager for a fall guy after watching their guy fall, but sometimes things go bad without an easy enemy to blame.

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Normally I take this time to rewatch the game a few times and decide my storylines for the week. I have still yet to see the game. The bye week is on its way and there's plenty to discuss, but actual tape analysis might be a little slow coming.

I didn't need to see it to know that starting Kyle Williams beside Steve Vallos was going to be a problem. It was a not so subtle and not so brief reminder that football coaches can overvalue intelligence and intangibles. Vallos chemistry with Williams didn't make it off the practice field. The more important matter is how did Seattle's line get so bad? Could it be significantly better? And is there still hope for improvement?

From Caviar to Cat Food

Seattle started two future Hall of Fame talents on its Super Bowl bound 2005 team. Walter Jones was the best tackle of a historic class. The best tackle in the history of the NFL, according to some. No one currently associated with the Seahawks deserves credit for Jones success or Jones eventual decline. Three fifths of that historic 2005 line are retired or nearly so. The remaining two are paving the way to Canton for another back and injured, respectively. Knowing that so much of that talented line simply got old is cold comfort, but comfort.

Tim Ruskell bears some responsibility for the Seahawks losing Steve Hutchinson. As we know his style better, his fingerprints appear all over that botched attempt to save fifty bucks. The actual mistake was minor compared to the outcome. Ruskell was blindsided by a poison pill clause that introduced the world to the phrase "poison pill clause". He was backdoored by a wily GM and a guard that wanted out. If we can't ever fully excuse Ruskell from that mistake, I think we should at least maintain perspective.

The Seahawks line was in need of new blood as soon as Ruskell took over. The interior was comprised of two journeymen soon to retire and a free agent. The 2004 team, the team I affectionately call the Trader Bob Superfund, was bereft of promising offensive line talent. It was the principles, Chris Terry, Floyd Womack, Jerry Wunch and Wayne the Pain Hunter.

As has been Ruskell's lot, he was fixing the team at multiple positions during the offseason. He drafted Chris Spencer in the first, Ray Willis in the fourth and Doug Nienhuis in the seventh in a linemen- and linebacker-centric draft. Neinhuis was a pure bust, but Willis has developed into a cheap, talented right tackle. Seattle re-signed Willis this offseason and he's been a rock on an otherwise chalk line.

Spencer is a bit more controversial. He hasn't excelled and he hasn't been awful. He hasn't been healthy and he hasn't been wracked with injury. Spencer is only 27 and his potential is still strong, a potential that could mean eight more years of productive football, but he's a free agent or restricted free agent after this season and might not be worth his open market value.

Ruskell did invest in the offensive line. He did it at the right time and with some success. Willis was the first lineman selected in the fourth round and he has been the second most successful. I will give Jason Brown the benefit of the doubt, though I am not sure Brown is in fact more valuable than Willis. Seattle could have selected Logan Mankins or Michael Roos with its Spencer pick, but it didn't. Roos is a pure tackle and could have perhaps played right tackle for Seattle, allowing Locklear to move inside, but Seattle didn't see offensive tackle as a pressing need, or guard for that matter. Value for value, Willis has been a similar find to Roos. It's also notable that Chris Gray would play three more serviceable seasons at right guard, but Robbie Tobeck was out of the league the very next season. Ruskell added starter caliber talent at the right positions at the right time in his very first draft as a GM.

2008 Season Retrospective: Chris Spencer

John Morgan — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 22:52:51 -0000

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"See, it's really simple Sean, Dirichlet said ignore the outcome and examine the function that determines the outcome."

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Overview: Chris Spencer started 11 games before being put on injured reserve for a herniated disc in his lower back. He avoided surgery to remove a piece of loose cartilage and was healthy enough to participate in May minicamp. According to Stats Inc., Spencer allowed 2.5 sacks and was charged with one false start and no holding penalties.

What went right: Spencer again proved reliable at the point of attack and able to match against the most athletic and most powerful defensive tackles. In 2008, he did so consistently. He improved his ability to react to free rushers and protect the quarterback within the pocket. Spencer overcame his greatest deficit, his feet, and began to turn his athleticism and raw power into blocks in the second level. He improved his ability to sustain those blocks as the season progressed.

Quintessential Play:

Let's finish out the half. Memory tends to latch onto the vivid or painful, and Chris Spencer's premature snap was certainly painful. Another drive aborted. Cris Collinsworth took the opportunity to knock the young, largely unknown lineman, noting Mike Holmgren's displeasure. Last season, Spencer was bad. He tripped over his feet pulling and could hardly engage a block must less sustain it. This season, he's likely Seattle's second best offensive lineman on a pretty good unit. He's not the run blocker Mike Wahle is, but he's a better pass blocker and less mistake prone (who saw that coming?) He's probably not actually better than Sean Locklear, but sure as hell better than Locklear is right now. Listening to Collinsworth I couldn't help but think "Late."
That's the developing nature of truth. What was isn't. I see TV analyst once a week. Their takes are so dated, they'd tell you Weezer hit its stride with Hash Pipe. I think fans want to know who's next, not the faded name that was. So hear this: Chris Spencer, still not a value for a first round center, has played well. He's an athletic pull blocker who no longer slips over his shoelaces. He's not Bisquick and you don't see bodies in his wake, but he gets a block on his man and sustains reasonably well, even clobbers occasionally.

What went wrong: Patrick Willis threw him around in week two and that contributed to Willis' game-high eight tackles. Spencer could reach Willis, but Willis could easily shed Spencer. Seattle had no problem rushing against San Francisco, but Willis stopped three good runs from breaking into the third level. That game was a good example of how Spencer has still yet to live up to the potential that made him a first round talent.

His premature-snap false start is exactly the kind of gaffe that causes some to question Spencer's football intelligence. It was his only penalty of the season.

What really went wrong was Spencer's back injury, the latest in a line of serious injuries, including injuries to both shoulders. A line of injuries that may have already chipped away at his athletic potential and that haven't abated, but grown more serious as Spencer has aged.

Outlook: Spencer was playing the best football of his career before he was placed on IR. It's possible the move was some mix of precautionary, pragmatic and proof Seattle was throwing in the towel. Spencer could lose power and still be one of the most powerful centers in football. He could lose athleticism and still be one of the most athletic centers in football. But he hasn't yet learned the technique to one of the best centers in football, and right now he's not that close. Great potential is capable of great advancement in minimal time. It can seem almost miraculous to the casual observer, but in Spencer's case, the groundwork is laid and the path to stardom almost too obvious.

His play last season was the best of his young career. He is out from under a boss that humiliated and underappreciated him. His new boss has a different standard of excellence and has spoken kindly of him. He is no longer being asked to be something he's not, and may now develop more freely into who he is. Spencer will never be Robbie Tobeck or Frank Winters, but he could be Kevin Mawae. This is a make or break season for him in Seattle, but like Mawae, he could struggle as a Seahawk but still develop into a great player.

Centered: NFC West position review of centers

VanRam — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 13:28:58 -0000

The Rams may not get much respect within the division, conference or the league - yet - but when I sat down with my SBN NFC West colleagues for a position review, we came out on top at the center position. The addition of Jason Brown without a doubt gives the Rams the top player in the division (and maybe the conference) to anchor the middle of their line. But what about the other teams? Grades and reviews after the jump

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals opened training camp last year with what most assumed to be a decent veteran starter at center and the 'center of the future' as his primary backup. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, the veteran starting center, Al Johnson, never recovered from off season surgery and was placed on IR in early September. That move pushed young Lyle Sendlein, an undrafted second year player, into the starting lineup and left virtually no one to back him up. Luckily for the Cardinals, Sendlein stayed healthy, at least enough to play, all season long although most would say that his play was average at best. As with most undersized centers, Sendlein excelled at getting to the next level and picking up linebackers but he struggled with facing larger nose tackles either in the running game or passing game. Of course we know now that he played most of the season with a bum shoulder that required surgery in the off season but questions still remained about his future as a starter.

Head coach Ken Whisenhunt gave Sendlein a vote of confidence shortly before the draft, saying that he had the potential to be a great center in the league, and he backed it up by not addressing the position in the draft until late in the seventh round. Sendlein enters this season as the unquestioned starter and with a surgically repaired shoulder and more strength than he's had in years, there are hopes that he'll take the next step in his third season.

The depth behind Sendlein is still shaky, at best. There are three other 'true centers' on the current roster (Ben Claxton, Donovan Raiola and Patt Ross) and their respective careers have consisted of two games during the 2005 season. Trevor Canfield, the 254th overall selection this April is capable of playing guard and he's got a chance to be the primary backup if he performs well in camp. There's a good possibility though that if Sendlein were to go down for any length of time the interior of the line would get shuffled around with right guard, Reggie Wells, sliding over to center and someone stepping into his guard spot. Basically, the Cardinals need to have Sendlein healthy if they want anything close to average performance from the center position. Overall grade: C

Seattle Seahawks

Seattle gets a "B". Chris Spencer is decent to average but has good potential and the team drafted Max Unger, so there's further good potential and exceptional depth.

Seattle selected Chris Spencer with the 26th overall pick in the 2005 draft. He was just the thirteenth center selected in the first round since the merger. Spencer was a great athlete and considered a safe pick. Fans envisioned a future star. Upon further inspection, that was an unreasonable expectation. Of the sixteen centers since 1970 selected in the first round, only three were ever elected to a Pro Bowl and only one was elected to multiple Pro Bowls: Don Mosebar.

Instead, investing in a first round center is investing in a starting center. Only one of the thirteen was a true bust, Robert Shaw, and Shaw blew out his knee and was forced into retirement. That’s what Chris Spencer is, a starting center. He started 29 games in 2006 and 2007 after apprenticing under Robbie Tobeck, and was shut down in 2008 only after the season was lost. He’s a steady center that sometimes shows flashes of great athleticism and physical dominance, but hasn’t developed into a consistent or technically sound blocker. His footwork is unrefined, though he’s improved enough to not trip over himself. Spencer is derided for few reasons. Mike Holmgren was critical of his play. He reportedly was slow to pick up line calls. He is wont to the big gaffe. He’s not Robbie Tobeck, and the memory of Tobeck has grown well beyond the man. Spencer is physically gifted. He’s a former record setting power-lifter and rare- quick and agile for a center. So there’s still chance of breakout in a big way.

Max Unger is not the opposite of Chris Spencer; he’s more like the negative. Unger is not nearly as powerful and might struggle against stronger nose tackles. He’s not unrefined and full of potential, but skilled and NFL-ready. He’s a good athlete, but a better offensive lineman. Unger could overtake Spencer or settle in at guard. He’s a natural center and has expressed his desire to play the position.

Between the two, the polished rookie and the veteran full of potential, Seattle should have an above average starting center and the best center depth in the NFL. The grade is tilted towards the starter, but accounting for Spencer’s potential, Unger’s potential, Spencer’s standing level of play, Unger's polish and Seattle’s depth at the position, this is a solid B with a chance to be better.

San Francisco 49ers

Center is a tough position to grade when it comes to the 49ers. They've got a very solid guy starting in Eric Heitmann (underrated in the league), but their depth is questionable at best.

Heitmann is still on the right side of 30 and quietly has been a very impressive center for the 49ers. Last season, Mike Martz actually referred to Heitmann as the best center he's ever coached by far. That can certainly be taken with a grain of salt, but it goes to show what some folks think of him. While the team is developing young talent around him, Heitmann has been the anchor of the line. Heitmann had fallen off the radar a bit due to a broken leg late in 2006. He struggled in 2007 while recovering, but seemed to be completely recovered in 2008. While he's not the most athletic of centers, he is able to stand his ground and anchor the line.

Behind Heitmann, question marks abound. Cody Wallace is listed as the backup center but it's hard to tell if he'll amount to anything in the coming years. He's entering his second year in the league and saw no playing time his rookies season so it's hard to tell what he can provide the 49ers. As a 4th round pick, there's just not a whole lot to work with looking ahead. The 49ers signed Heitmann to an extension through 2011 and if he stays healthy, Wallace might never see more than some backup time. This preseason could be big for determining Wallace's future role.

Although not listed as a center on most depth charts at this point, guard Tony Wragge filled in for Heitmann back in late 2006 after Heitmann broke his leg. If Heitmann went down again, Wallace might get a crack at the lineup, but it wouldn't exactly surprise me to see Wragge moved back over to center. Wragge is not great by any means, but he's a serviceable backup.

Given the lack of backup options, I'm probably grading this a little high, but I am really this happy with Eric Heitmann as the 49ers center this year. Grade: B

St. Louis Rams

The Rams have struggled to find a center since age caught up to Andy McCollum during the 2006 season, and the team parted ways with the then-37-year-old center after an injury riddled 2007 campaign. Heading into 2008, Mark Setterstrom looked like an odds on favorite for the job, but injuries got to him early in camp. The undersized, overmatched dup of Nick Leckey and Brett Romberg started at center for the Rams last season, making the middle of the offensive line by far the weakest link on an already troubled offense. Half of the numerous sacks endured by Rams passers last year came through the middle, which is to say nothing about how much the run game suffered.

Under new management and coaches, the Rams made a huge splash in the free agent market, signing Ravens C Jason Brown, the most coveted offensive lineman to reach free agency this year, to a lucractive five-year, $37 million deal. Whether or not they paid too much is beside the point. The Rams desperately needed to do something at center or risk losing the investments they've made in Steven Jackson and Marc Bulger. Brown, just 26, will be a cornerstone of an up and coming offensive line that could be the best in the division, if not this year, then vey soon. Not bad for a unit that was the team's biggest liability just a few months ago.

Depth is a concern, but the Rams have a good situation in regards to their middle linemen. Should Brown not be available, they can plug in the capable Mark Setterstrom, who they would have killed to have at center last year. They also have the option of sliding RG Richie Incognito over to center and replacing him with either Setterstrom or John Greco (more on those names in the guard write-up) and be just fine in the middle. Grade: A

NFC West Position-by-Position: Centers

Hawkwind — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 01:00:17 -0000

We're still plowing through our weekly installments of position by position breakdowns of the NFC West (check out previous stories here) and today we start looking at the big uglies, specifically the only player who touches the ball more than the quarterback. Yes the big men in the center of every offensive line get little fanfare but today we put them in the spotlight. Lyle Sendlien headlines the center of the Arizona Cardinals offensive line but how does the rest of the division stand and how would the teams rank?

Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals opened training camp last year with what most assumed to be a decent veteran starter at center and the 'center of the future' as his primary backup. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on how you look at it, the veteran starting center, Al Johnson, never recovered from off season surgery and was placed on IR in early September. That move pushed young Lyle Sendlein, an undrafted second year player, into the starting lineup and left virtually no one to back him up. Luckily for the Cardinals, Sendlein stayed healthy, at least enough to play, all season long although most would say that his play was average at best. As with most undersized centers, Sendlein excelled at getting to the next level and picking up linebackers but he struggled with facing larger nose tackles either in the running game or passing game. Of course we know now that he played most of the season with a bum shoulder that required surgery in the off season but questions still remained about his future as a starter.

Head coach Ken Whisenhunt gave Sendlein a vote of confidence shortly before the draft, saying that he had the potential to be a great center in the league, and he backed it up by not addressing the position in the draft until late in the seventh round. Sendlein enters this season as the unquestioned starter and with a surgically repaired shoulder and more strength than he's had in years, there are hopes that he'll take the next step in his third season.

The depth behind Sendlein is still shaky, at best. There are three other 'true centers' on the current roster (Ben Claxton, Donovan Raiola and Patt Ross) and their respective careers have consisted of two games during the 2005 season. Trevor Canfield, the 254th overall selection this April is capable of playing guard and he's got a chance to be the primary backup if he performs well in camp. There's a good possibility though that if Sendlein were to go down for any length of time the interior of the line would get shuffled around with right guard, Reggie Wells, sliding over to center and someone stepping into his guard spot. Basically, the Cardinals need to have Sendlein healthy if they want anything close to average performance from the center position. Overall grade: C

San Francisco 49ers - Niners Nation

Center is a tough position to grade when it comes to the 49ers. They've got a very solid guy starting in Eric Heitmann (underrated in the league), but their depth is questionable at best.

Heitmann is still on the right side of 30 and quietly has been a very impressive center for the 49ers. Last season, Mike Martz actually referred to Heitmann as the best center he's ever coached by far. That can certainly be taken with a grain of salt, but it goes to show what some folks think of him. While the team is developing young talent around him, Heitmann has been the anchor of the line. Heitmann had fallen off the radar a bit due to a broken leg late in 2006. He struggled in 2007 while recovering, but seemed to be completely recovered in 2008. While he's not the most athletic of centers, he is able to stand his ground and anchor the line.

Behind Heitmann, question marks abound. Cody Wallace is listed as the backup center but it's hard to tell if he'll amount to anything in the coming years. He's entering his second year in the league and saw no playing time his rookies season so it's hard to tell what he can provide the 49ers. As a 4th round pick, there's just not a whole lot to work with looking ahead. The 49ers signed Heitmann to an extension through 2011 and if he stays healthy, Wallace might never see more than some backup time. This preseason could be big for determining Wallace's future role.

Although not listed as a center on most depth charts at this point, guard Tony Wragge filled in for Heitmann back in late 2006 after Heitmann broke his leg. If Heitmann went down again, Wallace might get a crack at the lineup, but it wouldn't exactly surprise me to see Wragge moved back over to center. Wragge is not great by any means, but he's a serviceable backup.

Given the lack of backup options, I'm probably grading this a little high, but I am really this happy with Eric Heitmann as the 49ers center this year. Grade: B

St. Louis Rams - Turf Show Times

The Rams have struggled to find a center since age caught up to Andy McCollum during the 2006 season, and the team parted ways with the then-37-year-old center after an injury riddled 2007 campaign. Heading into 2008, Mark Setterstrom looked like an odds on favorite for the job, but injuries got to him early in camp. The undersized, overmatched duo of Nick Leckey and Brett Romberg started at center for the Rams last season, making the middle of the offensive line by far the weakest link on an already troubled offense. Half of the numerous sacks endured by Rams passers last year came through the middle, which is to say nothing about how much the run game suffered.

Under new management and coaches, the Rams made a huge splash in the free agent market, signing Ravens C Jason Brown, the most coveted offensive lineman to reach free agency this year, to a lucrative five-year, $37 million deal. Whether or not they paid too much is beside the point. The Rams desperately needed to do something at center or risk losing the investments they've made in Steven Jackson and Marc Bulger. Brown, just 26, will be a cornerstone of an up and coming offensive line that could be the best in the division, if not this year, then very soon. Not bad for a unit that was the team's biggest liability just a few months ago.

Depth is a concern, but the Rams have a good situation in regards to their middle linemen. Should Brown not be available, they can plug in the capable Mark Setterstrom, who they would have killed to have at center last year. They also have the option of sliding RG Richie Incognito over to center and replacing him with either Setterstrom or John Greco (more on those names in the guard write-up) and be just fine in the middle. Grade: A

Seattle Seahawks - Field Gulls

Seattle gets a "B". Chris Spencer is decent to average but has good potential and the team drafted Max Unger, so there's further good potential and exceptional depth.

Seattle selected Chris Spencer with the 26th overall pick in the 2005 draft. He was just the thirteenth center selected in the first round since the merger. Spencer was a great athlete and considered a safe pick. Fans envisioned a future star. Upon further inspection, that was an unreasonable expectation. Of the sixteen centers since 1970 selected in the first round, only three were ever elected to a Pro Bowl and only one was elected to multiple Pro Bowls: Don Mosebar.

Instead, investing in a first round center is investing in a starting center. Only one of the thirteen was a true bust, Robert Shaw, and Shaw blew out his knee and was forced into retirement. That's what Chris Spencer is, a starting center. He started 29 games in 2006 and 2007 after apprenticing under Robbie Tobeck, and was shut down in 2008 only after the season was lost. He's a steady center that shows flashes of great athleticism and physical dominance, but hasn't developed into a consistent or technically sound blocker. His footwork is unrefined, though he's improved enough to not trip over himself. Spencer is derided for a few reasons. Mike Holmgren was critical of his play. He reportedly was slow to pick up line calls. He is wont to the big gaffe. Finally, he's not Robbie Tobeck, and the memory of Tobeck has grown well beyond the man. Spencer is physically gifted. He's a former record setting power-lifter and rare- quick and agile for a center. So there's still chance of breakout in a big way.

Max Unger is not the opposite of Chris Spencer; he's more like the negative. Unger is not nearly as powerful and might struggle against stronger nose tackles. He's not unrefined and full of potential, but skilled and NFL-ready. He's a good athlete, but a better offensive lineman. Unger could overtake Spencer or settle in at guard. He's a natural center and has expressed his desire to play the position.

Between the two, the polished rookie and the veteran full of potential, Seattle should have an above average starting center and the best center depth in the NFL. The grade is tilted towards the starter, but accounting for Spencer's potential, Unger's potential, Spencer's standing level of play, Unger's polish and Seattle's depth at the position, this is a solid B with a chance to be better.

The only real sticking point in the rankings were between second and third so basically it's a clear cut top and bottom with a very close second and third:

St. Louis Rams
San Francisco 49ers
Seattle Seahawks
Arizona Cardinals

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For the record, I think these ranking might look very different next year if Sendlien is healthy and his strength has improved as much as they're implying right now. He might very well be the key to the Cardinals offensive line being borderline average again this season or being well above average. Thoughts? How would you rank the division?

NFC West Roundtable: Center

John Morgan — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 19:19:00 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

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Turf Show Times
Blogger: VanRam

The Rams have struggled to find a center since age caught up to Andy McCollum during the 2006 season, and the team parted ways with the then-37-year-old center after an injury riddled 2007 campaign. Heading into 2008, Mark Setterstrom looked like an odds on favorite for the job, but injuries got to him early in camp. The undersized, overmatched duo of Nick Leckey and Brett Romberg started at center for the Rams last season, making the middle of the offensive line by far the weakest link on an already troubled offense. Half of the numerous sacks endured by Rams passers last year came through the middle, which is to say nothing about how much the run game suffered.

Under new management and coaches, the Rams made a huge splash in the free agent market, signing Ravens C Jason Brown, the most coveted offensive lineman to reach free agency this year, to a lucrative five-year, $37 million deal. Whether or not they paid too much is beside the point. The Rams desperately needed to do something at center or risk losing the investments they've made in Steven Jackson and Marc Bulger. Brown, just 26, will be a cornerstone of an up and coming offensive line that could be the best in the division, if not this year, then very soon. Not bad for a unit that was the team's biggest liability just a few months ago.

Depth is a concern, but the Rams have a good situation in regards to their middle linemen. Should Brown not be available, they can plug in the capable Mark Setterstrom, who they would have killed to have at center last year. They also have the option of sliding RG Richie Incognito over to center and replacing him with either Setterstrom or John Greco (more on those names in the guard write-up) and be just fine in the middle. Grade: A

San Francisco 49ers
Blogger: Fooch

Center is a tough position to grade when it comes to the 49ers. They've got a very solid guy starting in Eric Heitmann (underrated in the league), but their depth is questionable at best.

Given the lack of backup options, I'm probably grading this a little high, but I am really this happy with Eric Heitmann as the 49ers center this year. Grade: B

Seattle Seahawks
Blogger: John Morgan

Seattle selected Chris Spencer with the 26th overall pick in the 2005 draft. He was just the thirteenth center selected in the first round since the merger. Spencer was a great athlete and considered a safe pick. Fans envisioned a future star. Upon further inspection, that was an unreasonable expectation. Of the sixteen centers since 1970 selected in the first round, only three were ever elected to a Pro Bowl and only one was elected to multiple Pro Bowls: Don Mosebar.

Instead, investing in a first round center is investing in a starting center. Only one of the thirteen was a true bust, Robert Shaw, and Shaw blew out his knee and was forced into retirement. That’s what Chris Spencer is, a starting center. He started 29 games in 2006 and 2007 after apprenticing under Robbie Tobeck, and was shut down in 2008 only after the season was lost. He’s a steady center that shows flashes of great athleticism and physical dominance, but hasn’t developed into a consistent or technically sound blocker. His footwork is unrefined, though he’s improved enough to not trip over himself. Spencer is derided for a few reasons. Mike Holmgren was critical of his play. He reportedly was slow to pick up line calls. He is wont to the big gaffe. Finally, he’s not Robbie Tobeck, and the memory of Tobeck has grown well beyond the man. Spencer is physically gifted. He’s a former record setting power-lifter and rare- quick and agile for a center. So there’s still chance of breakout in a big way.

Max Unger is not the opposite of Chris Spencer; he’s more like the negative. Unger is not nearly as powerful and might struggle against stronger nose tackles. He’s not unrefined and full of potential, but skilled and NFL-ready. He’s a good athlete, but a better offensive lineman. Unger could overtake Spencer or settle in at guard. He’s a natural center and has expressed his desire to play the position.

Between the two, the polished rookie and the veteran full of potential, Seattle should have an above average starting center and the best center depth in the NFL. The grade is tilted towards the starter, but accounting for Spencer’s potential, Unger’s potential, Spencer’s standing level of play, Unger's polish and Seattle’s depth at the position, this is a solid B with a chance to be better.

Arizona Cardinals
Blogger: cgolden