Travell Wharton

His play today would make moving him back out to tackle easier to stomach and letting Gross walk along with signing/drafting a less expensive guard. Someone educate me, can we tender an offer to Gross so we get a pick if he walks?

 

No, that's only for restricted free agents. As far as I know, guys are only RFA after their third season, and only then if they aren't already under a longer contract like most first and second round players are.

 

We can tag him Non Exclusive franchise in which we get right of first refusal and receive 2 first round picks should we decline to match whatever offers he receives

 

how is that-he played a very good game at guard today that dont make him Orlando Pace-2 different postions

 

Great to see Wharton have the game he did today. I've never been real high on him after watching Abraham tear him to ribbons a couple of seasons ago. Nice to see him with so many heads up plays in the Green Bay game.

 

no one will pay that, and it'll cost us tons of money to do that. Hell I'd rather pay him long term than do that, and I'm unconvinced of it.

Right or wrong, a Gross deal probably happens. I'm glad Wharton is playing well at guard, and I hope it continues. If we don't re-sign Gross, Wharton will be good at LT - he's never had, of course, a year as good as Gross is having, for whatever that's worth - and I do think if we got a powerful inline guard we'd be as good of a line or better overall. THe biggest concern of a huge Gross deal is that we've put a bunch of money into the OL and not really upgraded save for the natural growth of our youth.

 

The lions have two first round picks.... there's a chance.

 

Nah...Millen's gone.

 

WHAT?


Holy crap, dude, are you serious? Isn't Gross having a somewhat bad season? He isn't giving up a ton of sacks, but he is giving up most of the ones we allow as well as a lot of false starts and holding penalties. I'd argue that Wharton was better in 2005 at left tackle than Gross has been this year.

 

Wharton's best year at OT was 8.5 sacks. 2005 he gave up 9.

Gross has more penalties than that year - 6 now - and has given up 3 sacks. his 2004, the full year at LT, Gross gave up 7 sacks, which was his worst year here.