Before we dive into the statistics and analysis for the 5th of our six guards, let's look at the voting results for Chad Rinehart, whom we looked at yesterday. In total, 70% of the readers voted that bringing in Rinehart, who has played both guard positions in the past, would be a solid move for the Arizona Cardinals. He is an excellent pass protector and he does well in run blocking as well, so he would presumably be a good fit.
Today's player has spent the past four seasons with the Tennessee Titans after being drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the fifth round of the 2004 draft. Jake Scott, much like Rinehart, was one of the better pass protecting guards in the NFL during the 2011 season. So should the Cardinals attempt to sign him during the free agency period? Let's find out and decide.
As usual, we will be looking at some stats that have been provided by Pro Football Focus. According to PFF, Jake Scott has only allowed five sacks and 12 hits since joining the Titans in 2008. Looking at 2011 isolated, he allowed two sacks, one quarterback hit and 11 QB pressures.
As far as his run blocking abilities go, Scott is an average player. PFF gave him a grade of 0.4 in that category during 2011 and a -16 in 2010, but he did score a +7.0 in 2009. Needless to say, his scores are kind of all over the place and much of it probably depends on Chris Johnson's effectiveness. Still, Johnson did average 4.7 yards per carry when running off the right guard (Scott) last season, according to PFF. The league average was about 4.6 ypc.
There are a couple of things that are really appealing when examining Scott, though. Yes, he will be 31 by the time the season starts, but he has not missed a game due to injury in his entire career. In fact, he has started every game since 2005.
Another trait that should be noted is that Scott is a natural fit at right guard. Many of the other interior linemen that we have looked at thus far, such as Carl Nicks or Ben Grubbs, are left guards. If they came to Arizona, either they or Daryn Colledge would be forced to make an adjustment. That would not be the case if they signed Jake Scott.
If the Cardinals end up moving Levi Brown to the right tackle position (which, realistically, could very well happen), his run blocking abilities coupled with Scott's pass blocking dominance could make for a good tandem. Scott will also be a relatively cheap player to acquire, costing nothing near what Nicks or Grubbs will be asking for. I think this could potentially be a good move for the Cardinals, even if Scott is forced to compete with Rex Hadnot for the starting job.
What do you think? Should the Arizona Cardinals pursue Jake Scott in free agency? Vote in the poll and then tell us which way you voted in the comments below.
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