Was Starting Oli Udoh At Left Tackle The Right Choice?
Henrique Gucciardi
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As Zimmer said after the game, everything is hindsight. Of course, he was talking about not pressuring Jared Goff on the last drive, but it applies here too. With Christian Darrisaw out, the most logical thing was probably going with his backup, Rashod Hill. Although he isn’t very good, at least he’s used to playing the position. The Vikings, however, opted for shuffling 60% of the offensive line to replace the team’s first-round pick. Garrett Bradbury was back at center, Mason Cole slid into right guard, and Oli Udoh went on to play left tackle.
You could argue even before the game that it was a bad move. After a really good start to the season, Udoh is on a downward trajectory and some people (including myself) think he should be benched. The other problem is that, except for a brief time during training camp, Udoh never played left tackle. He played RT for the Vikings, but it’s a big difference sliding to the other side of the line.
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In fairness, it wasn’t all bad. It doesn’t mean it was good, though, as Cousins was sacked three times, including a strip sack. Moreover, Mattison didn’t have many running lanes during the game. The biggest concern, at least to me, is that this was against a Lions defensive line without Trey Flowers and Romeo Okwara. Considering Minnesota has a short week ahead and that Pittsburgh leads the league in sacks, I’d suggest you don’t get your hopes up.
Mason Cole was interviewed Monday; he gave Udoh some credit, saying that “[m]oving from right guard to left tackle is not easy” and that Udoh “held his own out there and did a good job.” As I said, Udoh wasn’t the only one switching positions. Cole was also asked about playing right guard, a position he basically never played: “I think I felt more comfortable as the game went on. It’s a little different, but I’m confident in any three of those interior spots.”
It may look like a stretch, but if both Cole and Bradbury have a good game Thursday night, this OL shuffle can get Udoh out of the lineup when Darrisaw is back.