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Conventional wisdom holds that offensive tackles are the most valuable players after the quarterback, especially in a pass-happy NFL. Why, then, are so many teams getting by with so-so players at the position?
Five offensive tackles were taken in the first 20 picks of this year's NFL draft. So far, none are living up to expectations. Eric Fisher, taken first overall, has been a mistake magnate in Kansas City. He's shown flawed technique too many times, both in run blocking and pass protection. Second overall pick Luke Joeckel fractured his ankle in Jacksonville's fifth game. Fourth overall pick Lane Johnson has great athleticism but isn't using it, and he's also blown too many assignments in Philadelphia. The eleventh pick, D.J. Fluker, has shown disconcertingly slow feet in San Diego's passing game. Justin Pugh, No. 19, is still trying to find his confidence in pass protection after getting dominated by bull-rushers in his first few starts. The Giants' right tackle has also had mental mistakes in the running game, though he's lately shown some improvement there.
No career-defining judgments can be made about any player who is merely halfway through his rookie season. But even if these five guys were performing well, they probably still wouldn't be fulfilling their draft statuses. Reason being, most offenses in today's NFL don't need great left and right tackles in order to thrive. All they really need are average tackles. Or, in some case, tackles who simply aren't atrocious.
One might think the league's increased emphasis on passing would amplify the significance for pass-blocking. However, more passing has actually led to offenses constructing plays that minimizes their reliance on tackles. That's a safer, easier and smarter option than relying more and more on the athleticism of a 300-pound behemoth. We'll take a look at every team currently above .500 to see how they're using tackles—and how inconsequential the position has become.
Green Bay Packers (5-2)
Left tackle David Bakhtiari is a fourth-round rookie who often plays like it. Right tackle Don Barclay is an undrafted second-year pro who would come off the bench for most teams. Both tackles have wrecked a lot of good Packer play designs, but Aaron Rodgers has frequently compensated with his quick release and escapability. In theory those aren't the guys you build an offense around, but head coach Mike McCarthy has used many condensed formations to give his tackles chip-block help.
Detroit Lions (5-3)
Going into the season many people doubted Riley Reiff's ability to protect Matthew Stafford's blind side. Even more would have doubted Corey Hilliard's ability to survive at right tackle if they'd known who Hilliard was. As it turns out, Reiff and Hilliard are playing much better than expected. They've been helped by two changes to the Lions' system. First, an increase in underneath routes has enabled Stafford to get the ball out quicker. (And when he's not operating on one-or three-step timing, his outstanding pocket awareness has mitigated pressure.) Second, the addition of Reggie Bush has given the Lions a movable decoy to use on misdirection concepts. This naturally slows defenders by giving them more to process.
Chicago Bears (4-3)
Free agent left tackle Jermon Bushrod was certainly an upgrade over cinderblock-footed left tackle J'Marcus Webb, and fifth-round rookie Jordan Mills has been a pleasant surprise at right tackle. That said, neither is a Pro Bowl-caliber player. It hasn't mattered, though. Just like the Lions, the Bears under new coach Marc Trestman have a system that emphasizes quicker releases in the passing game. Jay Cutler has discovered newfound discipline to make the system work.
Seattle Seahawks (7-1)
Injuries to Russell Okung and Breno Giacomini have left Seattle without its starting two tackles for the past five weeks. Yet the Seahawks are 4-1 with backups Pat McQuistan and Michael Bowie filling in. Forgetting the seven-sack debacle against St. Louis on Monday, this offense has stayed above water. Coordinator Darrell Bevell predicates his scheme on play-action, which naturally slows the pass rush. What's more, Seattle's play-action concepts involve a fair number of moving pockets in order to get Russell Wilson on the go. When you move the pocket, you inherently nullify the backside pass protection. Most of the time you can nullify all of the protection by using a naked bootleg or a similar misdirection concept.
San Francisco 49ers (6-2)
The 49ers are somewhat of an exception to the rule, as Joe Staley is one of the few left tackles who is capable of consistently stalemating elite edge-rushers one-on-one. Right tackle Anthony Davis is less refined than Staley but no longer the liability he was his first few years. But even though the Niners are capable of relying on their offensive tackles in a traditional sense, they often don't. This is a run-oriented offense with a young, sandlot style quarterback. Head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman use a lot of condensed formations, play-action and half-field reads in the passing game. All of this eases the burden on Colin Kaepernick and the offensive tackles as well.
New Orleans Saints (6-1)
Charles Brown has been very up and down in his first season as a starting left tackle. He must learn to move his feet more consistently, otherwise he'll remain vulnerable to stunts and other redirect moves. At right tackle, Zach Strief is and always will be athletically challenged. This barely matters to the Saints, though. Much like the Packers, they have a quarterback who can make quick decisions thanks to his pre-snap reads. He can also buy time with subtle movements in the pocket. And like the Packers under McCarthy, the Saints under Sean Payton have always done a good job incorporating chip blocks into their system when necessary.
Carolina Panthers (4-3)
Jordan Gross has long been a Top 10 left tackle. Not anymore. The Panthers have regularly looked to help him with chip blocks this season. The only reason Gross hasn't been aided on every down is because right tackle Byron Bell also needs help. It's difficult to give chip blocks to both tackles, because doing so would essentially eliminate two eligible receivers from the equation.
New England Patriots (6-2)
New England's torrid pace from snap to snap helps keep defensive linemen winded and on their heels, making life easier for Nate Solder and Sebastian Vollmer (or, rather, Marcus Cannon, who became the new right tackle after Vollmer's season-ending leg surgery this week). A lot of New England's passing concepts center around three-step timing, and Tom Brady has always been very good at getting the ball out on time. Yet there are times when the Patriots rely on their tackles to win matchup battles while Brady takes a deeper drop. This season, however, that has not gone the Patriots' way. Brady has been sacked 23 times already, sixth most in the NFL and just four fewer than his 2012 total.
Cincinnati Bengals (6-2)
The Bengals are the one true exception to the rule. Flex weapons TE Tyler Eifert, TE Jermaine Gresham and RB Giovani Bernard are used too prominently for this to be considered a traditional, deep-drop passing offense. But when the Bengals want to play that way, they can. Tackles Andrew Whitworth and Andre Smith are enormous yet nimble bookends.
Indianapolis Colts (5-2)
The Colts are another exception to the rule, sort of. They have a classic, deep-drop passing attack, and they often rely on ascending third-year left tackle Anthony Castonzo to play on an island against top pass-rushers. On the other side, however, the Colts have a respected but slow veteran right tackle, Gosder Cherilus, who needs assistance. A common tactic that Indy (and the rest of the NFL) uses is slide protection.
Granted, the play above illustrates the significance of a capable left tackle as much as it illustrates how to hide a so-so right tackle. But one of the main reasons Indianapolis is comfortable with Castonzo on an island is that they have a smart, athletic quarterback with extraordinary pocket awareness and uncommon raw tools. The Colts know Andrew Luck can usually improvise when Castonzo does get beat.
San Diego Chargers (4-3)
Even though their personnel has been reshuffled, the Chargers' offensive line wasn't actually upgraded much from last season. That's not a major problem in head coach Mike McCoy's new system. When you spread out, you define most of the passing lanes for your quarterback prior to the snap, which helps him get the ball out quicker. So far, Philip Rivers has capitalized on this masterfully.
Denver Broncos (7-1)
Yes, the absence of star left tackle Ryan Clady and first-string right tackle Orlando Franklin were major factors in Denver's one loss. But Clady was absent in five of Denver's wins, too. Few noticed much drop-off on the left side because Peyton Manning knows where to go with the ball (before and after the snap). Manning's outstanding pocket footwork also allows him to move around and create more favorable angles for his pass protectors.
Kansas City Chiefs (8-0)
Fisher has been bad at right tackle, which has hindered this already mediocre offense. Fortunately, Branden Albert has been solid on the left side. Even with Fisher's struggles, the Chiefs have stayed afloat because Andy Reid's offense features so many screen concepts, which require almost nothing in they way of pass protection. Additionally, Alex Smith is not thought of as a mobile quarterback, but perhaps he should be. Smith has 258 yards rushing this season, which is more than every AFC quarterback except for Terrelle Pryor. Most of those yards have come from him eluding would-be sackers. That's not how an offense is drawn up, but for now, it's working, so the Chiefs will take it. They don't really a choice.
For any team, there's a price to pay for masking poor offensive tackle play. Every football tactic—including rolled pockets, chip blocks, protection slides, spread sets and quick passes—has downsides that can be exploited. The less help an offensive tackle needs, the better. That will always be true. But never has this truth meant as little as it does today.
Go to the next page for Andy Benoit's preview of Thursday night's Dolphins-Bengals showdown ...
Bengals offense vs. Dolphins defense
Andy Dalton & Co. probably won't hang five easy touchdowns on this defense. The Dolphins, unlike the Jets, have decent enough pass-rushers to deny Dalton the time for deep routes to unfold. The Dolphins secondary is also coming off one of its best performances of the season. Cornerbacks Brent Grimes, Dmitri Patterson and Jimmy Wilson were fantastic in off-man assignment pickups last week, taking away the Patriots' quick-striking underneath passing game.
Of course, the Bengals are more vertical in their route designs than the Patriots, especially now that wideouts Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu are showing rapid improvement. And just because the Dolphins have better pass-rushers than the Jets doesn't mean the Bengals will completely eschew the deep ball. Offensive coordinator Jay Gruden may believe that his big, fundamentally sound front five can handle this pass rush. Especially given that the most dangerous rusher, Cameron Wake, is still working his way back from a knee injury. Wake has lately been a shell of his usual self.
For the past several weeks, Miami's front seven has been stingy against the run for three quarters, only to wear down late in the fourth. (This was a problem down the stretch last season, as well.) Given that it's a short week, don't be surprised if the Bengals stubbornly commit to the ground game early on in hopes of reaping rewards later.
Dolphins offense vs. Bengals defense
The loss of slot man Brandon Gibson really hurts Miami. This is an offense that prefers to spread out and, aside from Brian Hartline, is now devoid of any viable inside receiving threats. When things usually get this tough, a team would typically lean on the wide receiver it just signed for $30 million guaranteed. However, Mike Wallace has been nothing close to a true No. 1 this year. He doesn't make contested catches, his route tree is limited and his rapport with Ryan Tannehill is undeveloped. Last week, based on matchup assignments, Hartline seemed to be the guy whom New England considered Miami's top receiver.
Tannehill may not have time to even throw incompletions to Wallace, given his offensive line's protection woes. Aside from a costly blown assignment on a slot blitz, Bryant McKinnie was actually solid in his Dolphins debut at left tackle last week. And Jonathan Martin looked a little better playing on the other side. But neither was competing against veteran dynamos like Michael Johnson and Carlos Dunlap. And if New England's blitzes were hard for McKinnie and some of his teammates to figure out, then Cincy's, with limited prep time, will be impossible.


text: High School Girls' Support Group Wednesday, May 23, 2018 4:00 PM 5:00 PM 16:00 17:00 Mind Matters, P.C. 18650 Northwest Cornell Road Hillsboro, OR, 97124 United States (map) Google Calendar ICS Join Dr. Minal Patel, Licensed Psychologist, and Kate Talbert, Licensed Professional Counselor, for a process group designed to offer teenage girls a comfortable setting to discuss the challenges they face throughout High School. Topics such as academic pressure, social anxiety, body image, and navigating interpersonal relationships are discussed and explored. Wednesdays, April 4th - June 6th from 4:00 - 5:00 PM at Mind Matters, P.C. Cost: Group therapy sessions are billed through patient insurance, and covered benefits will vary. *10 Patient MaximumPlease ask your clinician, or a front desk staff member for more information.

subset: commoncrawl


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Virgil L. Gilman Trail
Click here to view a map of this trail
This trail is 9 miles from Ohio Street, south of Montgomery, northwest to Bliss Woods on Bliss Road, north of Sugar Grove. The Fox River is crossed on a covered bridge between Rt. 25 and Rt. 31 in Aurora, north of Ashland Avenue. (630-897-0516).
The Virgil L. Gilman Nature Trail, includes two abandoned railroad right-of-ways. Beginning at Business Rt. 30 near Montgomery Road, the trail stretches west, a distance of approximately 11.2 miles to Waubonsee Community College. The Virgil L. Gilman Trail was constructed by the Fox Valley Park District and the Kane County Forest Preserve District.
The Virgil L. Gilman Trail crosses Waubonsee Creek. Beyond the creek are wetlands, filled with small birds and waterfowl. Ducks, heron and shore birds visit the marsh on their migratory flights. Redwing Blackbirds, the Downy Woodpecker, Cardinals, Bluejays can be seen along the path, as well as wildflowers and small patches of native prairie. Cottonwoods, White Poplars, Sycamores, White and Black Oak add to the sights to be seen. A truss bridge connects the two shores of the Fox River.


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Neglected to Death
Senate panel wants end to unlicensed ALF's
A Senate committee on Tuesday vowed to put an end to unlicensed assisted living facilities after a Miami Herald story revealed that homes have been using loopholes to escape state scrutiny.
The Herald story uncovered facilities that billed themselves as shelters, rooming houses or "sober homes", but in actuality operated as ALFs. Many had deplorable conditions and at least one owner had a criminal history.
"I want to be equipped to go into those bad actors and shut them down now," said Sen. Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, at a meeting of the Children, Families and Elder Affairs Committee.
Along with providing housing, the state's nearly 3,000 licensed ALFs help residents with tasks like bathing, dressing and taking medication. Owners must pass a background check, pay fees and pass regular inspections.
Elizabeth Dudek, secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, told the committee that her staff could issue "cease and desist" orders but that owners often disappeared when inspectors returned. There was also discussion about working more with law enforcement.
AHCA can impose fines of up to $1,000 a day when unlicensed ALFs continue to operate after getting notice from the agency. But regulators fined just seven of the 93 unlicensed providers it identified since the beginning of 2012, according to agency records.
Hays, who said there was "documentation of horrific treatment of people" told Dudek to instruct her department's legal team "to embrace the intent of this committee, which is to be very decisive, very quickly, to act on these unlicensed people and don't treat them with kid gloves but to treat them with a hammer."
Lawmakers have been trying to reform the state's licensed homes since a 2011 Herald investigation revealed neglect, abuse and death of ALF residents. Committee chairwoman Sen. Eleanor Sobel, D-Hollywood, said she was "extremely frustrated" after her reform bill passed the Senate last year but failed to pass the House.
On Tuesday, the committee started again, unanimously passing proposed reforms. Changes include requiring increased care for mentally-ill residents, additional training for staff and the creation of a consumer website where people can see ratings of ALFs and lodge complaints.
The bill met little opposition at the meeting, though some industry groups were not represented.
Peggy Rigsby, who spoke for the Florida Health Care Association, said after the meeting that the group supports the bill, but "we just don't want to go and add even more above and beyond what's in the proposal. … It seems to me that the professional associations that represent assisted living facilities seem to have reached a point where they're more interested in having something happen."


text: After what seems like months of craziness, the 11th Jameson Dublin International Film Festival came to a close last night. Before the Surprise Film (Welcome to the Punch), the Jury, made up of members of the Dublin Film Critics Circle and presided over by the ever wonderful Tara Brady (The Irish Times) stopped arguing and gave the awards for the festival. Continue reading


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Punched Ceramic Pumpkin Luminaries
Earn $25 back in rewards* for every $250 spent with your Pottery Barn Credit Card.Learn More
- Overview
An artful take on traditional jack-o'-lanterns, our pumpkins are designed to light up autumnal nights for years to come. Each features hand-punched designs and a bright orange glaze.
- Made of formed terra cotta with a glazed finish.
- Hand-cut detailed patterns.
- Each holds up to a 3" diameter pillar candle.
- For both indoor and outdoor use.
- Dimensions & Care
- Small: 6.5" diameter, 7.5" high
- Medium: 10.5" diameter, 7.5" high
- Large: 11.5" diameter, 13" high
- Wipe with a soft, dry cloth.
- Trim wick to 1/4" each time before lighting.
- Always place your candle on a fireproof surface or holder.
- Never burn a candle completely, and dispose of it when it burns to within 1/2" of its base or the holder.
- Never leave a burning candle unattended.
- Keep out of the reach of children.
- Shipping & Returns
UPS can deliver most in-stock items within 3-5 business days.
Next Day Delivery and Processing
We can arrange for next day delivery to most destinations within the contiguous 48 states, for an extra charge of $26.00 per address. If we receive your order by 6pm PT Monday through Friday, you'll receive your order the next business day; orders placed on Friday after 6pm PT through Sunday will arrive on Tuesday. Note: Next Day Delivery service is not available for some oversized items, White Glove Delivery, out of stock items, personalized items or for items shipped directly from the manufacturer.
View the complete Shipping and Delivery Information page.
You can return eligible item(s) within 30 days of receiving an order or 7 days for Quick Ship upholstery items for a refund of the merchandise value. An original receipt or gift receipt is required. Monogrammed items and Made to Order furniture or rugs are not eligible for returns. Review the full list of ineligible items and our refund policy below before starting the process.
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The study, published online ahead of print in the journal Dermatological Surgery, compared the use of the pulsed-dye laser and compression therapy on scars against compression therapy alone for pediatric burn patients.
Lead author and UC burn surgery researcher J. Kevin Bailey, MD, says it's the first time the laser has been shown to improve the condition of scars with this kind of objective data.
Though survival from severe burns has improved markedly in recent years, Bailey says multiple treatment options have been used for scar management with no clearly superior method. Instead, burn specialists relied on clinical judgment and experience to evaluate treatments, including the pulsed-dye laser.
"Based on subjective judgments, everyone says it works. I was not convinced," Bailey says.
Working with researchers in UC's surgery department and the university's James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, along with skin specialists at Cincinnati Children's, Bailey said he set out to prove whether the laser conclusively improved scars on several measurements of skin condition, including redness, elasticity and scar thickness.
Participants in the study were pediatric patients undergoing burn scar reconstruction with newly healed skin grafts. While patients had compression therapy across the length of the graft, researchers applied laser treatments to one half of their graft seam at six-week intervals.
Then, researchers evaluated the treatment areas using high-resolution digital photography, 3-D laser surface scanning of topography and standardized assessment of biomechanical properties, or measuring the elasticity of the scar.
Using the digital photographs, they counted the percentage of pixels showing redness in the image. With 3-D tomography, they measured the difference in height of the scar at each new treatment.
Each aspect of skin health showed improvement with combined laser and compression therapy.
"We standardized each step of the process," says Bailey. "For each photograph, we could see the average amount of redness in the scar. We can break skin down into numbers."
Marty Visscher, PhD, co-author and director of the Cincinnati Children's Skin Sciences Program, says the quantitative nature of the study allows it to have far-reaching implications, from further refining the best way to use the laser to evaluating new treatment options for patients.
She says the technique can be used not just for patients with severe burns, but also for minor burns or scars. It can also be taught across specialties, allowing other clinicians to measure their patients' progress with skin treatments.
"For patients with burn scars, their self-esteem and integration into society is a huge factor in their well-being and quality of life," Visscher says. "In this case, we demonstrated a good way to determine if these treatments are working and how well they are working. It creates a framework to see if we can improve reconstruction even more for these patients."
Co-authors include: Shona Burkes and Randal Wickett, PhD, Winkle College of Pharmacy; Jennifer Whitestone, Total Contact, Inc.; and Richard Kagan, MD, Kevin Yakuboff, MD, and Petra Warner, MD, UC Department of Surgery and Shriners Hospitals.
This study was funded by the International Association of Fire Fighters. Authors report no financial interest.
Media Contact: Katy Cosse, 513-558-0207


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Colleena Calhoun
Colleena Wiseman Calhoun '99 is a member of the Awards Committee of the Alumni Board and Washington College's first Alumni of Color Correspondent.
In this role, Colleena will help Washington College connect with our amazing alumni of color so that they can be well represented in Class Notes.
"Washington College holds many fond memories for me. Even during the most difficult of times, particularly those involving race relations on campus, I can say with certainty that I am thankful for the experiences and have flourished in a multi-cultural world because of them, says Colleena. "Thanks for giving me the opportunity to serve the alumni of color in this capacity. I look forward to many positive reconnections of those alums in the years to come."
Colleena returns to the campus annually for fellowship with the current students of color, alumni and Office of Multi-Cultural Affairs. For the past 13 years, she has hosted an annual/bi-annual cookout at her home for them as well, where alumni and current students can network with one another, and alumni can reconnect with each other as well. She looks forward to seeing everyone there each time! All are welcome!
Colleena has been married for 13 years to Thomas Calhoun, Jr. They have daughter, Nia and live in Southern Maryland, outside of Washington, D.C. She recently earned her M.B.A. and is currently working on her second master's degree in Homeland Security Management. She has been working as an Accountant for a small architectural & interior design firm in Washington, D.C. for the past 8 years.


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$75,000 Reward Offered in Philadelphia School Kidnapping
(PHILADELPHIA, Pa.) -- After a 5-year-old girl was kidnapped from a Philadelphia school and assaulted earlier this week, community leaders banded together to offer a $75,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest of those responsible.
According to police, the child was taken from her school Monday morning by a woman wearing Muslim garb and calling herself either "Tiffany" or "Rashida."
The girl was then taken to a house in the area where she was blindfolded and assaulted. The child was discovered early the next morning, when a passerby named Nelson Mandela Myers discovered her crying on a playground wearing only a t-shirt.
"She said she was cold and that somebody was chasing her and she ran," Myers told ABC station WPVI-TV in Philadelphia.
The child was admitted and then released from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia after she was found.
In a joint press conference Friday, community leaders and law enforcement officials aimed to draw attention to the case by offering a $75,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible.
The largest single contribution came from the office of State Senator Anthony Hardy Williams, who raised $30,000 for the reward.
"I will work night and day from now until the time this person's condemned to hell," Williams said.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter's office donated $10,000 to the reward.
"It's gutless, it's heartless, it's inhumane. We will find you, we'll do whatever it takes," Nutter said of the perpetrators.
The U.S. Marshals and the FBI have already started to aid the Philadelphia police with their investigation.
Officials are looking for both the woman who took the child from school and a male suspect who was at the house where the child was taken. Officials say they believe the girl was taken only a few blocks from the school and officers joined by police cadets have been canvassing the area. However, no suspects have been named.
"That neighborhood should not, cannot return to normal, until someone and we know someone out there knows who perpetrated this crime," said Capt. John Darby, Philadelphia Police Special Victims Unit.
Additionally the security lapses that allowed the girl to leave her school with a stranger will be investigated, according to the Philadelphia School Superintendent William Hite.
"We are going to deal with the individuals responsible for this breach," Hite told WPVI-TV. "There were procedural breakdowns in this school."
The substitute teacher who let the girl leave with the unidentified woman, and a non-teaching assistant who worked at the security desk have both been put on leave.
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