DFlo - no problem, just be prepared to be called an idiot! ;-) I get it a lot... (I'm somewhat joking...)

Are you kidding me with that description? It's so far off base.....

The EXACT reason why Jonathan Martin has fallen out of the top 20 in many mocks is because of his LACK of aggression. That description makes him out to be just short of an axe murderer. Martin has a passive nature, which is what teams are finding out and not liking about him. They also don't like his lack of upper body strength, and feel he needs substantial time to develop that upper body. But it is his personality, his lack of aggression on the field, that has seen his draft stock drop.

Oh boy...

LOL, he said he isn't "nasty" - I wouldn't put that just short of an axe murderer. And he was comparing his aggressiveness to Backus who falls well short of an axe murderer.

Martin's aggression is similar to, if not less than that of Backus. It's why he's dropping on many mocks. At least, that's what I am reading from many reports on him.

This is my biggest gripe against Backus. Which also begs the question; What happened to Cherilus' aggressive nature? Coming out of college he was known for his aggressiveness. Where did that go?! What makes you come to Detroit and become soft?

Here's the thing...as a left tackle you don't necessarily have to be 'aggressive'. Jonathan Ogden and Walter Jones are two really good examples. Yes, they would go out and pop someone, but they weren't viewed as aggressive tackles, like Orlando Pace was. I would like to see a bit more snarl out of our tackles as well, but having it doesn't necessarily make you better.

The knock on Martin is that he has short arms and doesn't have great feet...so he's not a prototype LT in terms of athleticism or measurables. And he isn't powerful enough to play RT. Mayock described him as "soft." If these criticisms are accurate, he's not a sure-fire starter at either LT or RT.

Regarding aggressiveness: Steve Smith is aggressive but I don't want him playing LT. Not sure how important aggression is if the player doesn't have the skills or body type to get the job done. In this regard, I don't think it matters much if Martin is aggressive or not--the bigger questions are about his skills.

I disagree that Martin is less aggressive than Backus, and it shows in his run blocking. Backus CAN'T run block because he doesn't have that aggressive nature. He always waits for the DE to come to him and simply fends him off, he doesn't go "hit" anyone. Martin isn't aggressive by any means, but he's much more aggressive than Backus in my book.

I think you have Jon Martin confused with Riley Reiff. Martin has GREAT feet, and it is one of his most coveted assets. He also has 34" arms, which is plenty long enough to play LT. Reiff is the one with the shorter arms, and is seen as either strictly a RT or an OG in the NFL due to that issue. According to reports I've seen, some teams have removed OT from his position, and changed it to OG, thereby lowering Riley's draft stock.

Martin wasn't impressive at his pro day (slow 40 time, 20 benches, only 8'8" broad jump), so there is some question about his athleticism. Also, Martin didn't work out at the Combines due to an illness, which put some teams off. He lacks a powerful initial punch, and at times gets stood up too easily because of that.

I watched a couple Stanford games, and I recall that he looked really good as a pass protector, and moved extremely well laterally. However, those times when Stanford ran the ball he seemed to struggle moving his opponent. In my eyes, Martin is pretty similar to Backus. That said, I wouldn't mind it if the Lions picked Martin at #23. However, I don't think Martin will be there. Chicago would be damn foolish to pass on him, as J'Marcus Webb is certainly not a left tackle.

You tell me when Backus ever run blocked this well or with this much aggression: (0:29 and 0:44)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCT9xiv6TdY

You're joking, right? A couple of plays defines a guys ability? Not so much.
And I have seen Backus collapse a DE that is crashing inside on a running play, just like Martin did here. Sorry, but I still maintain the two are similar in their abilities and approach to the game.

Well. The football coach of the Lions often says that Backus is their best run blocker. I'm thinking that kind of defies the argument that he cannot do it. Others on different teams might be better. But I think the notion that he cannot run block is not really the case.

How about here?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKY9rbFfTS8

Getting gun shy because you screw up too much.

Tell me where JRD, I'm not watching the whole game. I watched the entire first half and only saw more of what I expected out of Backus, tentative garbage. I love the play where he's walking in circles looking for someone to hit and ends up hitting no one... brilliant!