- Jun 19, 2014
- 12,774
- 31,881
Founding Member
I believe this offense will go as the offensive line goes.
We haven't had a good unit since 2009 and frankly, I didn't think the 2009 unit was all that good either...they couldn't pick up a stunt or a delayed blitz but Tebow was good enough to hide a lot of faults. You can argue that the 2012 line was solid--the USC, LSU and FSU games come to mind--but they couldn't pass block a lick. We've had talented players but the unit has been a disappointment for many years now.
I expected an excellent season out of our OL in 2013. Humphries and Green at T, Harrison at C, and Halapio and one of the transfers at G with the others providing some depth. The only concern was that we didn't have depth at T. Well...we lost both preseason starting Ts, then we lost the G we moved to T. On top of that, we didn't have a TE or a RB that was any good at pass blocking. Needless to say, it was an unmitigated disaster.
What about 2014?
Projected 2014 Starters:
LT D.J. Humphries LG Tyler Moore C Max Garcia RG Trenton Brown RT Chaz Green
This year we're looking at much the same situation. The starting 5 look solid on paper but we don't have depth at T. Maybe a bit more than last year, but our Achilles heel is the same. If our Ts can stay healthy this group can be very good. The parts are there.
D.J. Humphries is experienced and he's light and quick on his feet like an SEC LT should be (they go up against the best pass rushers in the nation week-in and week-out).
Tyler Moore is better than what you saw last season. We had to play him out of position at T and he simply lacked the quickness to protect the edge. He'll be much better at LG, mobile enough to pull, strong enough to drive block.
Max Garcia is another guy who is better suited to playing inside than on the edge. That said, C carries much more responsibility than G. He needs to understand and read defenses, make the OL calls, and snap the ball on time and on target. I don't know if he can do any of those things. I'm putting my trust in new OL coach Mike Summers and hoping he chose to go with Garcia here because Garcia is capable of making the right reads and eventually getting the hang of snapping. Physically, Garcia is well suited to the position. Let's see if he can mentally make himself into a real C.
Trenton Brown doesn't look like a G. He looks like a ginormous T. When I first suggested he would be starting at G a couple of posters took issue claiming he's too tall and lacked the leverage needed to play G. When you're as powerful at Trenton Brown...I guess you can afford to give up a little leverage. The guy is a mauler. If he gets his toaster oven-sized mitts on you, it's over. He was not terrible at RT last year but he's just not light enough on his feet to take the starting job away from Chaz Green. He's too good to keep on the bench so he's your starting RG. Wilt Chamberlain famously quipped that nobody roots for Goliath. Correction Wilt, we'll root for Goliath as long as he's wearing the Orange & Blue and I'm rooting hard for this kid. I want to see him toss aside SEC D-Linemen like they're rag dolls and open gaping holes for our runners. I want to see him pull and come up on a 230 lb LB with a full head of steam. I know he'll probably miss the block (that's what OL do in space) but the look on the LB's face will be priceless. It's fun to watch a giant play football.
Chaz Green is experienced and solid. Like Humphries, he's a true T who can hold down the edge.
Substitute these guys into one of Spurrier's or Meyer's good teams and they are plenty good enough to play in Atlanta. Lose Humphries, Green, and Brown to injuries for extended parts of the season and we suck again.
I choose to be an optimist. Last year's injuries were an aberration. If Humphries has to miss a couple of games with a bad knee, Green will move to LT, Brown to RT, and one of the back-ups will take over Brown's RG spot. That's your typical, normal injury situation. We can survive that kind thing. We can't lose Humphries AND Green again.
If the OL stays reasonably healthy, I think we can get to Atlanta and that's the goal every year...getting to Atlanta. This OL will be the key.
Alex.
We haven't had a good unit since 2009 and frankly, I didn't think the 2009 unit was all that good either...they couldn't pick up a stunt or a delayed blitz but Tebow was good enough to hide a lot of faults. You can argue that the 2012 line was solid--the USC, LSU and FSU games come to mind--but they couldn't pass block a lick. We've had talented players but the unit has been a disappointment for many years now.
I expected an excellent season out of our OL in 2013. Humphries and Green at T, Harrison at C, and Halapio and one of the transfers at G with the others providing some depth. The only concern was that we didn't have depth at T. Well...we lost both preseason starting Ts, then we lost the G we moved to T. On top of that, we didn't have a TE or a RB that was any good at pass blocking. Needless to say, it was an unmitigated disaster.
What about 2014?
Projected 2014 Starters:
LT D.J. Humphries LG Tyler Moore C Max Garcia RG Trenton Brown RT Chaz Green
This year we're looking at much the same situation. The starting 5 look solid on paper but we don't have depth at T. Maybe a bit more than last year, but our Achilles heel is the same. If our Ts can stay healthy this group can be very good. The parts are there.
D.J. Humphries is experienced and he's light and quick on his feet like an SEC LT should be (they go up against the best pass rushers in the nation week-in and week-out).
Tyler Moore is better than what you saw last season. We had to play him out of position at T and he simply lacked the quickness to protect the edge. He'll be much better at LG, mobile enough to pull, strong enough to drive block.
Max Garcia is another guy who is better suited to playing inside than on the edge. That said, C carries much more responsibility than G. He needs to understand and read defenses, make the OL calls, and snap the ball on time and on target. I don't know if he can do any of those things. I'm putting my trust in new OL coach Mike Summers and hoping he chose to go with Garcia here because Garcia is capable of making the right reads and eventually getting the hang of snapping. Physically, Garcia is well suited to the position. Let's see if he can mentally make himself into a real C.
Trenton Brown doesn't look like a G. He looks like a ginormous T. When I first suggested he would be starting at G a couple of posters took issue claiming he's too tall and lacked the leverage needed to play G. When you're as powerful at Trenton Brown...I guess you can afford to give up a little leverage. The guy is a mauler. If he gets his toaster oven-sized mitts on you, it's over. He was not terrible at RT last year but he's just not light enough on his feet to take the starting job away from Chaz Green. He's too good to keep on the bench so he's your starting RG. Wilt Chamberlain famously quipped that nobody roots for Goliath. Correction Wilt, we'll root for Goliath as long as he's wearing the Orange & Blue and I'm rooting hard for this kid. I want to see him toss aside SEC D-Linemen like they're rag dolls and open gaping holes for our runners. I want to see him pull and come up on a 230 lb LB with a full head of steam. I know he'll probably miss the block (that's what OL do in space) but the look on the LB's face will be priceless. It's fun to watch a giant play football.
Chaz Green is experienced and solid. Like Humphries, he's a true T who can hold down the edge.
Substitute these guys into one of Spurrier's or Meyer's good teams and they are plenty good enough to play in Atlanta. Lose Humphries, Green, and Brown to injuries for extended parts of the season and we suck again.
I choose to be an optimist. Last year's injuries were an aberration. If Humphries has to miss a couple of games with a bad knee, Green will move to LT, Brown to RT, and one of the back-ups will take over Brown's RG spot. That's your typical, normal injury situation. We can survive that kind thing. We can't lose Humphries AND Green again.
If the OL stays reasonably healthy, I think we can get to Atlanta and that's the goal every year...getting to Atlanta. This OL will be the key.
Alex.
