Gross and Beason...

Yeah, by far the best in the league this year? I am scratching my head on that one.

You are probably right, he is solid, not a drama queen or lazy underachiever, and he probably won't go into a complacent shell when we pay him.

 

Gross has missed what - one game since he was drafted?

I'm not going to pretend I can evaluate tackle abilities, but his durability is worth mentioning.

 

You could say Jones got into the Pro Bowl based on nothing but rep. I wouldn't say Gross is the single best player at that position this year, but he's top 5 based on two awards. It's not because fans think terribly high of him, by any means (I know it's not a fan award, but some journalists do get proxied out).

he's done enough to stay at left tackle, which is something he had not been able to pull off in past attempts (though, things like 2006 weren't really planned pushes to left tackle), which is what you want to see first. A lot of people loved this pick because he could play LT after needing him at RT, and then turned on him because he was a RT that wasn't the huge, hulking RT we felt we needed (and eventually got, six years later). I've specifically been critical of him in the past for not living up to expectations, but playing LT at a level above competence is about what I was expecting. The truth is, most of the pressure he's gotten hasn't come from the backside and Jake hasn't looked this comfortable in years.

His 2008 performance was very good, IMO. Elite, no. Of course, Gross isn't the lightning rod among Panther fans as he is here specifically.

For whatever it's worth, I'm just as fine with putting Travelle Wharton there. There's a small dropoff there, though, and I'm more reluctant to do that seeing Wharton play at a Pro Bowl type level across the last 10 games compared to the first six where he was inconsistent and didn't seem to get as much push.

 

Yes, I have seen most of Seattle's games this year, and Jones has gotten beat more times than any other year I have watched him since the 6 years I have have lived here. I suppose you could say some of that is on Seneca Wallace who runs around in the pocket more than Hasselback.

I agree he has proven to be a solid left tackle this year. But best in the league in a single year, when he couldn't even keep his starting position in the previous years??

 

Says more about what voters think of the poor quality of LT's if Gross gets first team. He hasn't been bad and he really hasn't been that great either. And just off the top of my head it seems the Panthers have been running more to the right side the last 7-8 games than to the left. Probably some stat out there would contradict me but then my memory isn't what it used to be. The #1 for Otah is looking better and better imo.

 

Some. Being banged up isn't helping. Being 34 isn't helping.

I don't think you get this team if you feel like he hasn't been able to keep a starting position. He's never for a day not had a starting spot, and he's one of the few under Fox to be penciled in from day one, not even Beason.

They moved him around, but there was never a question if he'd play.

 

OUCH!!!!!