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kelly

By kelly
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kelly

kelly

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Chris Gross will be in the film room for Turn On The Jets breaking down all eight of the New York Jets draft selections. Today we look at 6th round pick, guard Robert T. Griffin. (At the bottom of the article, I offer a brief commentary on Griffin from the film I have watched). – JCWith their last of three selections in round six of the 2012 NFL Draft, the New York Jets selected Guard Robert T. Griffin out of Baylor University. The Jets were expected to select an offensive lineman at some point in the draft due to the lack of depth up front. However, it came as a surprise to many that New York opted to wait until the end of the sixth round to finally pull the trigger on one of the many big men available this year. Griffin certainly has impressive size at over 6’6” 340 lbs, but there are several aspects of his game that currently prevent him from utilizing his massive frame.

The biggest flaw in Griffin’s game that was exposed in the wide-open offense that was run at Baylor is his lack of athleticism. Although he shows flashes of quickness and agility at times, Griffin more often than not struggles immensely in space. He was frequently asked to pull last season, but was very ineffective in this area. There were times when he blocked no one, times when he showed poor balance and coordination by falling on his face, and times when he flat out ran into one of his teammates. Griffin also showed very poor blocking ability at the second level. When asked to move beyond the line of scrimmage to block linebackers, something very common for any guard to do, Griffin never seemed to be able to get his feet underneath him, and would either be beaten with agility or by strength. His poor balance and lack of center of gravity would make him an easy target for linebackers to shed at their disposal.Griffin also does not posses the footwork that you would look for in an NFL offensive lineman. He is not very explosive out of his stance, and has a hard time sliding in pass coverage. He also has a tendency to lean his shoulders forward leaving him extremely vulnerable to pass rush moves of both speed and strength. On some plays, Griffin looks as if he is lost, completely unaware of his assignment, causing him to turn his shoulders and allow defenders to come off his backside and make a play. Overall, his footwork is very inconsistent. In short spans, Griffin’s feet can look quick and agile, but the majority of the time his footwork is slow and ineffective in getting his massive frame to be in any position of use.

Although he has several inconsistencies and imperfections, Griffin does do some things well. He has great tenacity, and seems most comfortable in straight on man blocking. The vast majority of the time when defenders were lined up directly over him, Griffin would show the ability to get into them and use his strength and size to drive them off the ball. His footwork is best shown in his kick out blocks, as he proved to be able to get his head inside of defenders and drive them toward the sideline, opening running lanes up the middle.However, he sometimes does not use his hands to his advantage. Griffin has a very poor habit of trying to block with his shoulders, which allows defenders to get into him and gain the leverage needed to move him around as they please. He also has a tendency to play far too high, allowing defenders to gain even more leverage on him. In order to develop successfully, he needs to work on staying low and improving his hand placement in the worst of ways.

There is undoubtedly some cause for concern in the play of the former Baylor guard. However, it makes some sense that he was appealing to the Jets. First of all, he was, as previously stated, the last of three sixth round selections, so there was very little risk in taking him. Also, his size is certainly attractive. If he can ever learn to apply the proper skill to his frame, he will have tremendous success in the NFL, but that is a very big “if.”

Griffin does have decent man blocking skills, so it isn’t a complete mystery as to why Tony Sparano and the offensive staff would be open to working with this young man. The bottom line is that he will certainly need time to develop. What will work in his favor for this season is the potential lack of depth along the offensive line. Depending on how the remainder of free agency plays out, Griffin could make the active roster simply for the need of an extra body. However, he would be much better suited on the practice squad for a season or two in order to grow and develop as an NFL lineman. Sparano is surely the right man to aid in his development, and at the point in the draft in which he was selected, Griffin’s potential payoff outweighs any risk associated with him. Because of his size, he does have tremendous upside. However, don’t expect anything too soon, as he is an extremely raw product.New York waiting until the sixth round of the draft to select a lineman, especially one who is going to be such a work in progress, only solidifies the notion that they are ready to move into camp with Wayne Hunter and Vladimir Ducasse competing for the starting job at Right Tackle. Mike Tannenbaum and the coaching staff can say that Austin Howard will be in the mix as well, but everyone associated with this team knows that is simply untrue. Expect the Jets to look into adding a veteran that is still left on the free agent market at some point before the season, perhaps Vernon Carey, whose name has come up countless times due to his familiarity with Sparano. As for Griffin, he is a long way away from becoming a capable offensive lineman in this league, if ever.

Editor’s Notes – From the Baylor film I watched, Griffin doesn’t look like a player who merited a draft pick. The Jets clearly picked him because of his size and their faith in Tony Sparano. Griffin did show good drive blocking skills when he could get on his man, which does translate well to this offense. However he is very, very raw and simply gets lost out there way too much. His field awareness and ability to move around or get to the second level have a long way to go. He looks like the type of player to store on the practice squad for a couple of years.

> http://turnonthejets.com/2012/05/new-york-jets-draft-pick-analysis-guard-robert-t-griffin/

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SayNoToDMC

SayNoToDMC

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The biggest flaw in Griffin’s game that was exposed in the wide-open offense that was run at Baylor is his lack of athleticism. Although he shows flashes of quickness and agility at times, Griffin more often than not struggles immensely in space. He was frequently asked to pull last season, but was very ineffective in this area. There were times when he blocked no one, times when he showed poor balance and coordination by falling on his face, and times when he flat out ran into one of his teammates. Griffin also showed very poor blocking ability at the second level. When asked to move beyond the line of scrimmage to block linebackers, something very common for any guard to do, Griffin never seemed to be able to get his feet underneath him, and would either be beaten with agility or by strength. His poor balance and lack of center of gravity would make him an easy target for linebackers to shed at their disposal.Griffin also does not posses the footwork that you would look for in an NFL offensive lineman. He is not very explosive out of his stance, and has a hard time sliding in pass coverage. He also has a tendency to lean his shoulders forward leaving him extremely vulnerable to pass rush moves of both speed and strength. On some plays, Griffin looks as if he is lost, completely unaware of his assignment, causing him to turn his shoulders and allow defenders to come off his backside and make a play. Overall, his footwork is very inconsistent. In short spans, Griffin’s feet can look quick and agile, but the majority of the time his footwork is slow and ineffective in getting his massive frame to be in any position of use.

From this report it sounds like he can step in from day one and take over for Vlad if god forbid anything happens to him

That or light a fire under Marks a$$, you play like last year we throw Griffen next to Hunter and you do the math

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billo83

billo83

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I am very happy that we chose to use a draft pick on a guy that is projected to sit on the practice squad for a couple of years. That really helps.

6th & 7th rounders generally make it as a practice squad players if at all, especially lineman who don't play ST

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SenorGato

SenorGato

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I am very happy that we chose to use a draft pick on a guy that is projected to sit on the practice squad for a couple of years. That really helps.

Yeah! OTHER FRANCHISES would have netted a day one starter in the 6th. Our stupid BEAN COUNTER couldn't find a starter in the 6th if he had a working crystal ball and cheat codes.

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GREENBEAN

GREENBEAN

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Yeah! OTHER FRANCHISES would have netted a day one starter in the 6th. Our stupid BEAN COUNTER couldn't find a starter in the 6th if he had a working crystal ball and cheat codes.

Hey.. why so sarcastic? Is it response to my sarcasm?

I was commenting more on the line that said he wasn't a draftable player. Not so much that he was going to be a starter. I am one of the more supportive of our org. posters on this whole site outside of last years FA period. So be nicer to me. I've been through enough already.

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Matt39

Matt39

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Not really. Just at certain positions, much like the rest of the NFL. Until we get an elite QB, our holes will be more exposed than teams like, say, the Patriots, Packers, Giants, etc.

The only team there with true glaring holes I'd say is the Pats. And even their defense played a lot better down the strecth last season.

Those teams are more than the QB.(that certainly helps though)

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Sperm Edwards

Sperm Edwards

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The only team there with true glaring holes I'd say is the Pats. And even their defense played a lot better down the strecth last season.

Those teams are more than the QB.(that certainly helps though)

Bro, Hunter sucked and Slauson wasn't causing any Jets fan to make fun of NE for having to start Logan Mankins in comparison. But either you were just in an argumentative mood (I get into them plenty) or are making guesses as to the lack of any serious issues or holes on those 2 OLs.

Undrafted rookie Marshall Newhouse, thrown in there in mid-season following zero training camp, wasn't a glaring hole on Green Bay's line? lol. Much like with Hunter and the Jets, No one outside of the GB locker room has a high opinion of the job he did. Even when he was healthy, first round pick Derrick Sherrod was awful. Clifton at 35 was 1/10 the player he was just the year before and then got injured early-on as well. They cut Clifton in April anyway. This was not the only weakness on their line anyway. Rodgers got sacked just as often as Sanchez even with his vastly better awareness and rocket release and the Jets having so many OL issues all at the same time.

David Diehl just flat-out sucked all season. McKenzie (he of the 5 dozen sacks+hits+hurries last year) was arguably as bad as Hunter. He was a so-so run blocker and a terrible pass blocker.

Even still, GB went 15-1 behind a kick-ass offense because Rodgers is friggin' awesome. Giants won the SB with two of the worst starting OLmen in the NFL.

The QB is just that important. The best ones don't say they sucked because of others around them. They know when they have to get rid of the ball fast, know where to throw it at those times, and are able to throw it where the receiver is expecting it to be. They mask deficiencies to the point people make outlandish claims like GB and the Giants not having any glaring OL holes in what were, comparatively, fantastically successful seasons for their respective passing games.

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Matt39

Matt39

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Bro, Hunter sucked and Slauson wasn't causing any Jets fan to make fun of NE for having to start Logan Mankins in comparison. But either you were just in an argumentative mood (I get into them plenty) or you watched neither the Packers nor Giants play football last year.

Undrafted rookie Marshall Newhouse, thrown in there in mid-season following zero training camp, wasn't a glaring hole on Green Bay's line? lol. Much like with Hunter and the Jets, No one outside of the GB locker room has a high opinion of the job he did. Even when he was healthy, first round pick Derrick Sherrod was awful. Clifton at 35 was 1/10 the player he was just the year before and then got injured early-on as well. They cut Clifton in April anyway. This was not the only weakness on their line anyway.

David Diehl just flat-out sucked all season. McKenzie (he of the 5 dozen sacks+hits+hurries last year) was arguably as bad as Hunter. He was a so-so run blocker and a terrible pass blocker.

Even still, GB went 15-1 behind a kick-ass offense because Rodgers is friggin' awesome. Giants won the SB with two of the worst starting OLmen in the NFL.

The QB is just that important. The best ones don't say they sucked because of others around them. They know when they have to get rid of the ball fast, know where to throw it at those times, and are able to throw it where the receiver is expecting it to be. They mask deficiencies to the point people make outlandish claims like GB and the Giants not having any glaring OL holes in what were, comparatively, fantastically successful seasons for their respective passing games.

That was kind of my point....the Giants and Packers both have QB's that have the ability to make up for their sh*tty olines....we have a sh*tty QB, a sh*tty oline and sh*tty skill position players. The Packers and Giants at least have guys who can make plays.

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Sperm Edwards

Sperm Edwards

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That was kind of my point....the Giants and Packers both have QB's that have the ability to make up for their sh*tty olines....we have a sh*tty QB, a sh*tty oline and sh*tty skill position players. The Packers and Giants at least have guys who can make plays.

I thought your point was that their OL's didn't have glaring holes when they clearly do.

I don't think our OL is sh*tty though they played sh*tty compared to the standard they set for the prior 2 seasons. Ferguson looked horrible, Slauson is (admittedly) a mediocre guard who was playing with a torn shoulder, Mangold got hurt early and was less than his awesome self even when he came back, Moore was injured and looked pretty un-awesome for a while, and Hunter just looked lost.

Even with all that, for most of the season they kept Sanchez from getting sacked as well as most teams. Problem is he's just terrible and only thrives when they give him a ton of time and when the receiver staring down isn't double-teamed and gets open. There were far too few quick zip-zip-zip completions leading his receivers, even with the disproportionate amount of quick slants BS called. He doesn't sense pressure when it's there and seems to feel it when he has time. I don't know that this is going to suddenly change dramatically while being able to spot when a safety is reading his eyes, and learning to throw the ball where his receivers expect it to be, and then on the sideline actually look at some overhead shots like every decent QB does instead of sulking like a bitch.

I was no fan of Schottenheimer's, but the kid has a hell of a lot more serious problems with his game than playcalling or any perceptions that we had or have one of the worst OL's in the league.

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bitonti

bitonti

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I was no fan of Schottenheimer's, but the kid has a hell of a lot more serious problems with his game than playcalling or any perceptions that we had or have one of the worst OL's in the league.

i agree with all that and let me add that the Jets are one of the best OL in the league. Seriously. Look at all the other OL, look at their resumes' there's not alot of teams that have Mangold and Brick and Moore starting for the AFC in the Pro Bowl. Mangold might be the best interior lineman in the game. They certainly aren't as good as the legendary 2009 version with faneca and woody but it's still a top tier OL. look around, there's not much out there that's better.

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Sperm Edwards

Sperm Edwards

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Im not sure how anyone can come away from last season thinking a "better" O-line would have resulted in Sanchez having a better year. Im convinced he makes the same mistakes irregardless of the line.

Clearly a better OL would have stopped him from staring down his primary target like a fool waving semaphore flags.

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