With the first practice (a walkthrough) in the books for the Arizona Cardinals, one question to be asked is about the offensive line. With the addition of veteran right tackle Eric Winston, things in a way have been solidified for the competition.
Winston has only ever played right tackle, and that will be the case here, which makes things interesting for second year player Bobby Massie.
But Winston does not just walk in with the starting job. Head coach Bruce Arians called the right tackle job "very open" and "very tough, too."
He feels "very comfortable" with however the situation plays out. "We';re going to come out with a really good right tackle and a really good backup."
The signing of Winston also makes things a bit clearer for Nate Potter. Potter will now focus only on left tackle, where he will "have a nice battle over there" with Levi Brown for the starting left tackle job, as Arians said.
Arians said that the team has "great competition" all across the line. The starting jobs will be determined "in due time" but with time to build chemistry between the players.
As for the possibility of a tackle being moved to guard should he end up behind in the tackle competition, Arians said that will be something to be looked at later. If one tackle stands out and takes the starting position, they will evaluate to determine if the backup would be a better option than the guard they have in place.
The competition is being welcomed by both Winston and Massie. Winston said that he comes into every camp with the mentality that he has to win a job, saying that guys that don't think that way "don't say in the league too long."
Massie also welcomes it. "It's what it's all about, competing for your job," he said. "They're not just going to give it to me. I'm going to have to work for it."
So now we have TWO positional battles on the offensive line that will be good to see -- at both tackle positions.
You know this...if Massie wins the job over a very solid player like Winston, you know he should be ready to have a good year.
More from Revenge of the Birds:
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- Why Letting Go of O'Brien Schofield Was a Bad Move
- Ryan Swope retires from NFL, gives statement, may try to return
- Carson Palmer has 'never' played in an offense like Bruce Arians'
- 2013 Arizona Cardinals training camp: Bruce Arians 'extremely pleased' with run test
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