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Is Stefen Wisniewski leaving the Raiders to play guard?
By James Arcellana
March 11, 2015 7:22 am PDT
http://cover32.com/raiders/2015/03/11/is-stefen-wisniewski-leaving-the-raiders-to-play-guard/The Oakland Raiders and Stefen Wisniewski are parting ways after being unable to agree to a value for the former starting center. Rumors were that Wisniewski wanted to be paid somewhere near or above $6 million while the Raiders were more in the $3-4 million range. Wisniewski was a decent player for the team but was far from being anything special. In fact, he was a guy that I would have loved to see moved to guard and play there rather than at the more difficult and more impactful center position.
Apparently Wisniewski is open to the idea, but not for the Raiders.
If Wisniewski ends up signing with another team to play guard, it means two things. First, that he over estimated his own value and second, that his pride would not allow him to come back to the Raiders to play guard for the team that drafted him. It’s a shame since it would have been nice to keep him on the team and have the Wisniewski name continue to be tied to the Silver and Black, but the Raiders had to do what they had to do given the fact that he believes himself to be more valuable than they believe.
Agamemnon2011 NFL Draft Scouting Reports: Stefen Wisniewski, Penn State
bhttp://nflmocks.com/2010/08/07/2011-nfl-draft-scouting-reports-stefen-wisniewski-penn-state/
Stefen Wisniewski- G/C- Penn State
6-3 295lbs Senior
Pros:
Stefen Wisniewski joins a talented crop of interior linemen in the 2011 NFL Draft. He is a seasoned player that possesses a lot of strength and the necessary athletic ability to succeed at the next level. Wisniewski has been starting since his freshman season at Penn State where he was the recipient of excellent coaching. He utilizes his above average strength to drive defenders backwards and open up holes for the running backs. He isn’t the fastest lineman but he has good quickness that allows him to get out in front of the back when he is required to pull. Wisniewski has rotated back and forth from guard and center during his career at Penn State. His versatility is a major positive in the eyes of NFL scouts. Wisniewski also brings a ton of leadership to the table, he was credited with helping bring along a young Penn State offensive line last season.
Cons:
Wisniewski needs to continue to perfect his overall technique. Wisniewski’s can benefit by spending sometime focusing on his pass protection technique. We mentioned that he is quick but he doesn’t have the necessary athletic ability to make a move to tackle. With many NFL teams making the switch to the 3-4 defense and massive nose tackles clogging up holes; some scouts could worry that Wisniewski lacks the ideal size to man the interior of the offensive line.
Thoughts:
Overall Wisniewski’s combination of quickness and strength will prevail over the concerns about his size. He has the skills to hold down a guard or center spot in the NFL for 10 plus seasons, while providing great leadership.
Projected Round:
We have seen interior line men taking early each and every year and that fact give Wisniewski a chance to sneak into the 1st round. There is no way he falls out of the 2nd round.
October 25, 2008-Columbus, OH..Ohio State Agamemnon2015 NFL Free Agency: Rams to Host OG Justin Blalock, Stefen Wisniewski Leaves Tampa Without Contract
By Papa_Lurch
Good news for the Rams as they work to rebuild their OL.
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Justin BlalockPer Jim Thomas, the Rams will play host to former Falcon Justin Blalock. There are two ways to take this. You can either look at it as help along the OL or you can look at it as Davin Joseph 2.0. I’m inclined to endorse the former simply because he has proven to be durable over his career and has only missed 3 games since being selected in the 2nd round of the 2007 Draft.
According to Pro Football Focus, Blalock has had a positive grade each of the past 5 seasons and is second best available guard. ESPN’s Nick Wagoner believes that Blalock would be a good fit in terms of scheme as well.
Stefen WisniewskiOn the Wiz front, he left Tampa without a contract, which is awesome news for the Rams. He’s the best Center on the market, but at this point the interest seems stronger among fans than in Rams Park. That being said, they have ‘reached out’ to Wiz, but no formal visits are scheduled at this time per Thomas
Seems like the Rams are – finally – making strides in their search for O-lineman. Adding both players would be ideal, but even adding one would drastically improve the Rams current group of hogs.
AgamemnonStefen Wisniewski Scouting Report
QB / RB / FB / WR / TE / OT / OG / OC / DT / DE / HYB / OLB / ILB / CB / S
Stefen Wisniewski, C, Penn State (Senior)
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 302
Projection: 1st-2nd Round
http://www.nepatriotsdraft.com/2010/05/stefen-wisniewski-scouting-report.html
Last Updated: January 3rd, 2011Strengths: Decent size – Outstanding technique in the blocking game – High football IQ – Decisive in his line calls – Very good instincts, picks up blitzes and stunts with ease – Moves very well, can get to the 2nd level – Doesn’t stop blocking – Very competitive – Good leadership qualities.
Weaknesses: Not overly strong – Might not have much room for improvement – Can improve his shotgun technique.
Agamemnonhttp://walterfootball.com/scoutingreport2011swisniewski.php
Stefen Wisniewski, 6-3/298
Center
Penn State
Stefen Wisniewski Scouting Report
By Matt McGuireStrengths:
Outstanding technician and understands nuances of blocking
Natural knee bender and executes leverage
Good mobility and range
Athletic
Very quick with a nice get-off after snap
Blue-collar, physical demeanor
Gets nice hand extension and controls opponents
Instinctive and aware at the line; picks up stunts and blitzes
Competitor who really fights on running downs
Fluid on pulls and traps; gets to second level
Tough
Finishes blocks
Lots of experience at both guard and center against top competition
Nice genetics
Great work ethic
Line general and team leader
Smooth footwork
Highly intelligentWeaknesses:
Average size
Struggles against bigger opponents
Not very strong or powerful
Sometimes gets caught reaching
Could still improve upper body strength
Lacks explosive initial punch
Only a good fit at this point for zone blocking schemes
Limited upsideSummary: Wisniewski seems to get the most out of his abilities and he looks like a quality starting center (more so than a guard) in the right scheme. He doesn’t have a lot of size or bulk, so he will best fit in schemes that emphasize intelligence, instincts, quickness and technique such as Indianapolis, New England, Houston, and Green Bay.
Wisniewski’s father, Leo, played three seasons for the Colts and his uncle, Steve, was an eight-time Pro Bowler in Oakland. Wisniewski enters the season with a second-round grade on my board and he will probably come off the board in the top 75 picks. He needs to improve his physique strength-wise if he wants to become a first-rounder.
Player Comparison: Ryan Kalil. Kalil has similar size to Wisniewski, and his bread and butter is also his technique, quickness, awareness and toughness.
AgamemnonRodney Hudson, C, Oakland Raiders: 5-year, $44.5m with $20m guaranteed
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/03/10/2015-free-agency-deal-grader/
Impact: Young center only getting better. Hudson single-handedly propped up a leaky Chiefs line last year and has improved every season with more experience. Keeping Derek Carr clean is priority number one in Oakland, and Hudson will do just that.Value: This is what keeps this deal from getting a positive. The guaranteed money is a record for a center and with only two full seasons under Hudson’s belt that makes us a little uneasy. Also head-scratching why they would cut ties with Stefen Wisniewski, who produced at a high level in the past, when he could have been had for a fraction of Hudson’s money.
AgamemnonStefen Wisniewski, Center: Consistently impressive run blocker who struggled in pass protection in 2014. Wisniewski has previously shown to be better than that and is the kind of center you can hand a long-term deal to and be comfortable you’re set there.
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2015/02/25/pffs-2015-top-75-free-agents/
AgamemnonStefen Wisniewski, Center: Consistently impressive run blocker who struggled in pass protection in 2014. Wisniewski has previously shown to be better than that and is the kind of center you can hand a long-term deal to and be comfortable you’re set there.
I’d like to see a thorough analysis of Wisniewski based on his play as a pro. Did the projected weaknesses coming out of college (ex lack of lower body strength) get corrected or is it still an issue (that is, if it ever really was an issue)? The quote above would imply that perhaps the lack of lower body strength either got fixed or was overblown in the initial breakdowns but it’s hard to say for sure without more info.
I’d like to see a thorough analysis of Wisniewski based on his play as a pro. Did the projected weaknesses coming out of college (ex lack of lower body strength) get corrected or is it still an issue (that is, if it ever really was an issue)? The quote above would imply that perhaps the lack of lower body strength either got fixed or was overblown in the initial breakdowns but it’s hard to say for sure without more info.
I gathered a bunch of information and I still don’t know about Wiz. He seems to be adequate at center. If he was any more than that, why did Oakland pay a FA center 45 million for 5 years? I want somebody better for a long term solution. I would rather go with Jones and a draftee. Maybe somebody has some more information.
Agamemnon
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