Offensive Line Concerns

[stewart092284]

Breece Hall isn't an NFL starter.

Go watch DM and see how many times he had to make something out of nothing.

Go watch 95% of running backs. Ok, not 95% but at the same time - a lot of backs have to do that. Especially when there is a lack of a vertical passing game or threat so safeties don't have to be out of the box and you don't stretch the field horizontally either.

6-7 are not going to be able to block 8. Don't like at the line of scrimmage pre-snap, look at how close safeties were generally playing against us. Unless you have the war daddies of an Alabama or Georgia or the like - you are going to have a hard time having a consistent run game when everyone and their grandma is selling out to stop the run

The tight end package was and is awesome but the reality is bringing the TE's in like also brings in extra defenders so there is still an unaccounted for defender or two and then if you miss a block - now all of a sudden there are 3 defenders a back has to evade.

Simply saying the OL was bad is taking a complex situation and trying to make it a very simple answer. They need to improve but there is a lot that can be done to make them better - stretching the field horizontally, vertically, and removing defenders from the box that has nothing to do with them. As well as being able to have more creative and adaptive play calling.

 

[madguy30]

Go watch 95% of running backs. Ok, not 95% but at the same time - a lot of backs have to do that. Especially when there is a lack of a vertical passing game or threat so safeties don't have to be out of the box and you don't stretch the field horizontally either.

6-7 are not going to be able to block 8. Don't like at the line of scrimmage pre-snap, look at how close safeties were generally playing against us. Unless you have the war daddies of an Alabama or Georgia or the like - you are going to have a hard time having a consistent run game when everyone and their grandma is selling out to stop the run

Well no **** but DM's typical run was hand off>>>dodge defenders as there was not much of a push.

Bigger indicator is the inability to pick up 3rd or 4th and short.

 

[Aclone]

Did they participate in spring ball?

Neal did.

Maro has done so well they moved Neal inside to guard.

 

[cyfan92]

Neal did.

Maro has done so well they moved Neal inside to guard.

I would love to keep Maro in the factory for 1 more year. I love his size and the fact that he was a multi-sport athlete. Lots of high level talent there. But I'd guess freshman LT's in P5 football don't play too well unless they have 4-5 star ratings

 

[swiacy]

Breece Hall isn't an NFL starter.

Go watch DM and see how many times he had to make something out of nothing.

You are correct, Hall is not a starter....yet. I speculate. Maybe Kene will be a starter before Hall. DM is a banger with average quickness to the hole. He is great between the tackles and not going to out run any one around the ends. So I take it you will not give the OL any credit for the stats I listed and the QB and running backs do all that by themselves. Riiiiight.

 

[stewart092284]

Well no **** but DM's typical run was hand off>>>dodge defenders as there was not much of a push.

Bigger indicator is the inability to pick up 3rd or 4th and short.

I'd say its a bigger indicator of play calling. Again, unless you have earth movers if everyone and their blind relatives know DM or Hall is getting the ball then its going to be hard.

Those scenarios would have been perfect for a QB keep, or PAP or some kind of RPO and if memory serves when we did those things the success rate went up. When we're averaging 3 yards a carry and try to run up the middle on 3rd and 2 - that's not great odds you're going to get 3. That's what I mean by play calling and formations can make an offensive line look great or really bad

 

[madguy30]

You are correct, Hall is not a starter....yet. I speculate. Maybe Kene will be a starter before Hall. DM is a banger with average quickness to the hole. He is great between the tackles and not going to out run any one around the ends. So I take it you will not give the OL any credit for the stats I listed and the QB and running backs do all that by themselves. Riiiiight.

No credit? They had their moments but no push makes things difficult to sustain.

 

[CloneGuy8]

Trieber had a goof offer list, hopefully the light is finally clicking for him. Poor Remsburg can't catch a break with the injuries.

 

[Aclone]

I would love to keep Maro in the factory for 1 more year. I love his size and the fact that he was a multi-sport athlete. Lots of high level talent there. But I'd guess freshman LT's in P5 football don't play too well unless they have 4-5 star ratings

Don’t invest so much in ratings. Just for one example, Christian Darrisaw was a barely recruited three star. He’s done okay since.

Christian Darrisaw, Riverdale Baptist , Offensive Tackle

Christian Darrisaw is a 6-5, 290-pound Offensive Tackle from Upper Marlboro, MD.

247sports.com

 

[cyfan92]

Don’t invest so much in ratings. Just for one example, Christian Darrisaw was a barely recruited three star. He’s done okay since.

Christian Darrisaw, Riverdale Baptist , Offensive Tackle

Christian Darrisaw is a 6-5, 290-pound Offensive Tackle from Upper Marlboro, MD.

247sports.com

STOP. Stars matter. They aren't the end all and there are exceptions.

Do stars matter in recruiting? The data says they do

Put any coach in front of a microphone and ask him if stars matter and he'll probably say one or all of the following: "We don't look at that stuff." "We trust

footballscoop.com

What Do Those Star Ratings Mean?

When discussing recruits, we often hear that star ratings mean very little. We analyze the question: what do those star ratings mean exactly?

lastwordonsports.com

"A four-star player is more than 450% more likely to be drafted than a three-star player."

Regardless, I think freshman o-lineman should stay on the sideline until their R-SO season.

Maro - FR
Neal - First year SO
Peterson/Saucer - R-SO/FR
Pauls - R-SO
Bonifas - FR

I'd like to give all of them 1 more year to learn and bulk. 4/6 are freshman or first year guys.



Even Simmons said there is a lot of youth and learning going on in camp

 

[swiacy]

No credit? They had their moments but no push makes things difficult to sustain.

So if they lead the Big 12 in passing, the last two feature backs lead the Big 12 in rushing and go to the NFL early, the last QB sets career records in about every category and avoids injury, they are 2nd only to OU in wins over the past few years and you refer to that as "they had their moments" please enlighten me as to what statistical evidence proves that the OL is just out there going through the motions. "No push" does not qualify btw.

 

[Aclone]

STOP. Stars matter. They aren't the end all and there are exceptions.

Do stars matter in recruiting? The data says they do

Put any coach in front of a microphone and ask him if stars matter and he'll probably say one or all of the following: "We don't look at that stuff." "We trust

footballscoop.com

What Do Those Star Ratings Mean?

When discussing recruits, we often hear that star ratings mean very little. We analyze the question: what do those star ratings mean exactly?

lastwordonsports.com

"A four-star player is more than 450% more likely to be drafted than a three-star player."

Regardless, I think freshman o-lineman should stay on the sideline until their R-SO season.

Maro - FR
Neal - First year SO
Peterson/Saucer - R-SO/FR
Pauls - R-SO
Bonifas - FR

I'd like to give all of them 1 more year to learn and bulk. 4/6 are freshman or first year guys.



Even Simmons said there is a lot of youth and learning going on in camp

Maro and Bonifas are redshirt freshmen, not freshmen.

Probably the only reason Maro wasn’t a four star was that he was a four sport athlete, and had never concentrated on football or the weight room. He was a borderline four star as it was.

A redshirt freshman can be a solid reserve without anyone worrying about him being draftee two or three years down the line

That aside from the fact that your info is specious, because there are so very many more three star recruits than there are four star. The ratio is skewed.

 

[madguy30]

So if they lead the Big 12 in passing, the last two feature backs lead the Big 12 in rushing and go to the NFL early, the last QB sets career records in about every category and avoids injury, they are 2nd only to OU in wins over the past few years and you refer to that as "they had their moments" please enlighten me as to what statistical evidence proves that the OL is just out there going through the motions. "No push" does not qualify btw.

I'll give you credit--you're very half full here.

Bolded: your general points are good but then making **** up ruins it since I've never said they're going through the motions. Are you arguing with yourself?

Make sure to go through the other threads and argue with anyone else that's seeing the deficiencies.

 

[CloneGuy8]

Offers>stars. I think one of the sites had Sean Foster as a 4 star, but the offer list for Maro was more impressive. I feel confident in saying Maro will have had a better career here than Foster did.

 

[swiacy]

I'll give you credit--you're very half full here.

Bolded: your general points are good but then making **** up ruins it since I've never said they're going through the motions. Are you arguing with yourself?

Make sure to go through the other threads and argue with anyone else that's seeing the deficiencies.

You are correct in that the quoted bolded part was never stated by you and the bolded part does not state that you did. I am still waiting for your statistical proof that the OL has "no push".

 

[VeloClone]

I'm still having to adjust my thinking to the right tackle being the most important individual position on this year's offensive line. I'm hopeful that we can get that nailed down because that is the key in my opinion.

 

[cygrads]

The news of Remsburg being out is not what I wanted to hear 14 days before kickoff.... They are listing it as "day to day" but that was what we heard about Downing in 2020 and Remsburg last season..

I feel good about the interior starters:

LG - Hufford - experience, 4th year, 314 lbs.
C - Downing - experience, 5th year, and the best player on the line
RG - Simmons - experience, 4th year, 307 lbs.

I feel ok about Tyler Miller at LT. He held up in the bowl game against a good Clemson line

Treiber is a 4th year guy with two games of experience (2020 season). Our line has been bad and he couldn't get on the field? Maybe I'm being too harsh here...

If Remsburg misses significant time. We are likely relying on freshman or a JUCO who wasn't here for spring ball.....

Rinse and repeat - same as every year.

 

[CyGuy5]

At least we haven’t heard we’re 14 starting linemen deep this year

 

[CyBri]

Pate doesn't have concerns



First 3 minutes.

(this obviously was recorded before remsburg injury)

Awesome find. Thanks for posting.

 

[JM4CY]

I'm still having to adjust my thinking to the right tackle being the most important individual position on this year's offensive line. I'm hopeful that we can get that nailed down because that is the key in my opinion.

Can’t build a wall with one brick