Tag: oline u

Is a Future Hall of Famer not long for the Dallas Cowboys?

What’s Zack’s future look like in Dallas?

There hasn’t been a better interior offensive lineman in the NFL since 2014 than Zack Martin of the Dallas Cowboys.  Martin entered the league after playing tackle at Notre Dame and transitioned to guard in the NFL where he has put together a Hall of Fame caliber career.

But could that career with the Dallas Cowboys be running out?

Nate Davis of USA TODAY Sports put together a list of current NFL players most impacted by their respective team’s draft picks this past weekend.  Here is what he said about Martin:

Great, great player – quite likely a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He’s also 33, entering his 11th season and a major component of the salary cap crunch for a team facing a financial reckoning – especially with All-Pro WR CeeDee Lamb and LB Micah Parsons up for new contracts. And then there’s the arrival of highly regarded Kansas State G Cooper Beebe in the third round. That’s not to say Martin is fighting for his job … right now. But he could very well be looking for a new one in 2025 given how the landscape is taking shape around him.

The Cowboys clearly aren’t in great financial shape going forward and haven’t done a whole lot to wow their fan base this off-season.  The aforementioned Lamb and Parsons will both land massive contracts before long while Martin is entering the second year of his restructured two year deal that would make cutting him a lot easier for Dallas.

And hey, if that happens then maybe Martin could finally play for a team that could win a playoff game or two.

Watch – Quenton Nelson Mic’d Up during Colts game

If you’re a fan of great offensive line play you’re going to want to watch Quenton Nelson mic’d up against the Minnesota Vikings.

Quenton Nelson has turned into one of the best offensive guards in the NFL early in his career as he’s been named an All-Pro in each of his first two seasons.

Almost two years ago it was Nelson who went viral online after being mic’d up when a block he threw while battling the Jacksonville Jaguars drew an incredible amount of attention to him, so much so in fact that he was fined after the NFL reviewed his block.

Well, the microphones were on Nelson again in week two when the Indianapolis Colts battled the Minnesota Vikings and although there isn’t a complete highlight block in this video, there is still plenty of quality play and some solid one-liners from the former Notre Dame star.

My favorite part is when he tells the defender “no you didn’t” after the Viking claimed to have been close to coming up with the strip.

Maybe it’s partly because of sound editing as well but it amazes me how with all the running and pushing he’s doing during the game, at no point in here does Nelson at all sound short of breath.

Notre Dame Makes Cut for Literally Massive ’21 Offensive Tackle

Alabama, Clemson, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Stanford and Wisconsin.  Perhaps trade out Michigan and Stanford for Georgia and Oklahoma and you’re talking about possibly the nine most successful programs over the last three seasons.

Nolan Rucci is a massive recruit both physically and also in skill.  The 6-8, 289 pound high school senior to be is regarded as one of the top recruits in the entire country and as 247Sports rates him as the 13th best prospect in the 2021 recruiting class.

Rucci announced his top nine remaining schools on Monday morning and Notre Dame made the cut which is the good news.

The bad news?  It’ll be a figurative dog fight to land his talents as his remaining nine schools are as impressive of nine as you’ll find for any non-committed 2021 recruit.

Alabama, Clemson, LSU, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Stanford and Wisconsin.  Perhaps trade out Michigan and Stanford for Georgia and Oklahoma and you’re talking about possibly the nine most successful programs over the last three seasons.

Barton Simmons, the director of scouting at 247 has a comparison of former Notre Dame star and eventual ninth overall NFL Draft pick Mike McGlinchey for Rucci.

If the name sounds familiar it’s probably because his dad Todd starred at Penn State before playing eight seasons in the NFL.  His brother Hayden currently plays tight end at Wisconsin.

Rucci helped Warwick High School to a 10-3 record and Pennsylvania District 3 Class 5A semifinal as a junior in 2019.  Stay tuned to FIW for any developments in regards to Rucci and all Notre Dame targets for that matter.