"They let me go because Joe was good enough, so I understand that. He's really intelligent, he gets the game, but it just takes reps. "For him, he had the same issues a lot of spread offensive linemen have in the NFL and getting into a three-point stance for the first time," Schwartz said. Not only was he moving from tackle to guard, but picking up a pro-style offense that was wildly different than the quirky spread offense at Washington State. But that had more to do with his steep learning curve than actual ability. He's just very physical." As for Dahl, he played just 20 snaps on the offense line. He got an opportunity to be a guard, but he can be a guard or center. "I thought Graham was going to be good based on what he did in camp," Schwartz said, "but he improved a lot. He made 11 starts as a rookie and figures prominently into the team's long-term plans. He eventually replaced former first-round pick Laken Tomlinson at left guard, then moved to center when Travis Swanson missed the final month of the season because of a brain injury. Glasgow opened the season on the bench, but in practice, he started showing he was simply too good to keep off the field. "You could say, easily, he was the best rookie left tackle in the NFL," Schwartz said. Decker was plugged in at left tackle from Day 1, and by the end of the year, became one of the league's top rookie offensive linemen. And each turned in a really promising training camp, which made Schwartz expendable. Quinn said he was determined to beef up the Lions' trenches in the draft, and delivered by adding Taylor Decker in the first round, Graham Glasgow in the third round and Joe Dahl in the fifth round. "The young guys were playing that well," Schwartz said this week at the Super Bowl. But he harbors no ill-will for the move, because he understood exactly why it was made. The veteran offensive lineman was cut by GM Bob Quinn as Detroit made its way to the 53-man roster limit. HOUSTON - Geoff Schwartz signed with the Detroit Lions last offseason became he believed it was the best opportunity for him to make a team.
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