Originally posted by Giedi:
My 2 Cents. Bigger bones and ligaments can withstand bigger stress loads, all other things being equal. Smaller backs and OLinemen and DLinemen - less stress loads (all other things being equal). Hence *Generally speaking* - smaller people get injured more than big people. Kyle is moving away from smaller backs towards bigger backs like TDP and Mason who are 220+. Kocureck seems to like gap penetrator DLinemen (Kerry Hyder, for example) he's 275 when most DT's (if he's playing DT) are in the 290+ range. Smaller DLinemen - smaller ligaments and bones to withstand stress. Our offensive and defensive linemen, typically are smaller than most - IMO - in the past historically. That is why we load up on on OLinemen and DLinemen, because they are smaller and get more injured.
An RB size example: Mostert and Brieda were around sub 200, Frank Gore was 215+ and Frank worked out like hell in the offseason so his ligaments, muscles, and bones were probably bigger than any typical NFL RB - if you could compare them IMO. Stylistically - Kyle likes athletic linemen and generally they are smaller. I.e. Staley was a former TE who bulked up, vs a guy like Trent Brown (who doesn't fit Kyle's style of OLinemen) is naturally big and strong without having to bulk up. Same with McGlinchey, he has to bulk up to get to his 300+ weight.
Looks like Kyle is modifying his particular brand of offense to fit bigger players - who are still athletic. (Banks, Burford, Zakelj, Poe). Athletic enough to do what he wants to do in his offense, but much bigger naturally vs having to upsize a smaller but athletic person to be a bigger athletic person. (McGlinchey and Staley). His outside zone will still be a core philosophy, but I think he'll try to do it with bigger players. He'll mix in enough inside zone and power to keep defenses honest since those plays will also fit better with his much larger OLine players now.
This really doesn't work I don't get it. Trent Brown is any awesome player he is naturally a big man and he has missed 1 or more game 9 of his 11 seasons. The big difference is that when Mike Shanahan ran this type of offense in Denver and won. The O line was good. No other teams where drafting 290 LB linemen, so he had his pick of 290 LB linemen later in draft and they worked out. The rules for blocking where different. His teams won and other team took notice. Other teams started drafting lighter linemen and then the league started changing the rules for blocking. The average 290 Linemen is not as effective any more. Plus the really good 290LB O Linemen are drafted earlier now. Example being I do not think Tyler Linderbaum would have been a first round pick in late 90s or early 2000s . Shanahan would have drafted him in the 4th or 5th round and gotten a steal.
