- Sep 8, 2014
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This is disappointing. I hope they're done giving out "graded out as champions" (like they gave out after the Charleston Southern game). We need to see Heggie back in the lineup. Also would like to know how much rope these underachieving, soft, fat-bodies are going to get before we see some new blood on the OL.
Florida's starting five on O-line to remain the same
Florida's starting five on O-line to remain the same
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- After a second straight relatively lackluster outing by the offensive line in terms of run blocking, Florida doesn't plan to shake up the starting lineup. Not yet, anyway.
Coach Dan Mullen said they haven't any of the second-stringers really pushing for the starters for their jobs just yet, and co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach John Hevesy said Tuesday that the same five will start this week against Colorado State.
"Again, it's they've got to learn it," Hevesy said, referring to the new offense and the physicality the players need to work with. "They've all got to learn it so it's competitive every day in practice to learn and go. The five of them played and they've got to learn from it and the ones behind them have got to learn to practice the same way."
Fans have wondered why guard Brett Heggie, who started seven games a year ago before suffering a season-ending knee injury, hasn't been able to crack the starting lineup yet despite the struggles up front.
Heggie spent all of the spring out of practice as he recovered from the knee injury, then he dealt with turf toe that kept him out through the majority of fall camp. But now that Heggie's been healthy for a week or two, it remains a bit unclear why he isn't getting a shot with the starters just yet. He was one of Florida's most productive linemen a year ago.
Still, Mullen said last week that Heggie wasn't very close to pushing for starting time. And Hevesy also seemed hesitant to indicate Heggie might soon play a bigger role.
"He’s getting there. He’s had a good week of practice," Hevesy said. "He’s had a great two days of practice. It’s still the same thing where he’s, in a sense, 30-something days behind a lot of people in terms of just playing the game again. The last time he played the game was really last November to now. It’s still getting back into the thing and you see it.
"I think he’s progressing at a faster pace now that he’s been back in there for three weeks doing it. Still get in there and he’s going to get an opportunity to come in and play. You walk on the field and all the kids that got a chance to play got a taste of what it is to be out there. Whether they graded out good or bad, they got the expectation of what it is to walk out there on that field. But you see him getting better each day which is a positive."
It'll be a bit surprising if Florida doesn't give him a shot in the next game or two.
Both Fredrick Johnson and Tyler Jordan were a bit rough at guard last week, with Johnson having a particularly forgettable outing.
Heggie can help. First, though, he's got to show it in practice. Until the coaches start seeing guys like him start to beat out the starters in practice, the starting five will remain the same.
"There’s ones, there’s twos, there’s threes; who’s making the push?" Hevesy said. "If there’s not competitive nature in the room and there’s not competitive nature in any room, meeting room, and it’s stagnant then you sit there behind you and nobody is pushing you, ‘I don’t need to go any harder because nobody is behind me pushing me.’
"That’s the pressure we put on the twos as much as the ones. Why aren’t you taking that job? The only way you’re going to prove that is out there on the practice field."
Hopefully Heggie figures it out in practice sooner than later. The Gators could certainly use him.
Florida's starting five on O-line to remain the same
Florida's starting five on O-line to remain the same
GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- After a second straight relatively lackluster outing by the offensive line in terms of run blocking, Florida doesn't plan to shake up the starting lineup. Not yet, anyway.
Coach Dan Mullen said they haven't any of the second-stringers really pushing for the starters for their jobs just yet, and co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach John Hevesy said Tuesday that the same five will start this week against Colorado State.
"Again, it's they've got to learn it," Hevesy said, referring to the new offense and the physicality the players need to work with. "They've all got to learn it so it's competitive every day in practice to learn and go. The five of them played and they've got to learn from it and the ones behind them have got to learn to practice the same way."
Fans have wondered why guard Brett Heggie, who started seven games a year ago before suffering a season-ending knee injury, hasn't been able to crack the starting lineup yet despite the struggles up front.
Heggie spent all of the spring out of practice as he recovered from the knee injury, then he dealt with turf toe that kept him out through the majority of fall camp. But now that Heggie's been healthy for a week or two, it remains a bit unclear why he isn't getting a shot with the starters just yet. He was one of Florida's most productive linemen a year ago.
Still, Mullen said last week that Heggie wasn't very close to pushing for starting time. And Hevesy also seemed hesitant to indicate Heggie might soon play a bigger role.
"He’s getting there. He’s had a good week of practice," Hevesy said. "He’s had a great two days of practice. It’s still the same thing where he’s, in a sense, 30-something days behind a lot of people in terms of just playing the game again. The last time he played the game was really last November to now. It’s still getting back into the thing and you see it.
"I think he’s progressing at a faster pace now that he’s been back in there for three weeks doing it. Still get in there and he’s going to get an opportunity to come in and play. You walk on the field and all the kids that got a chance to play got a taste of what it is to be out there. Whether they graded out good or bad, they got the expectation of what it is to walk out there on that field. But you see him getting better each day which is a positive."
It'll be a bit surprising if Florida doesn't give him a shot in the next game or two.
Both Fredrick Johnson and Tyler Jordan were a bit rough at guard last week, with Johnson having a particularly forgettable outing.
Heggie can help. First, though, he's got to show it in practice. Until the coaches start seeing guys like him start to beat out the starters in practice, the starting five will remain the same.
"There’s ones, there’s twos, there’s threes; who’s making the push?" Hevesy said. "If there’s not competitive nature in the room and there’s not competitive nature in any room, meeting room, and it’s stagnant then you sit there behind you and nobody is pushing you, ‘I don’t need to go any harder because nobody is behind me pushing me.’
"That’s the pressure we put on the twos as much as the ones. Why aren’t you taking that job? The only way you’re going to prove that is out there on the practice field."
Hopefully Heggie figures it out in practice sooner than later. The Gators could certainly use him.