Questions surround UConn's offensive line.

[uconnfan68]

I'd put money on the run game getting a major portion of spring and summer practice. I'm guessing it's easier to teach the "punch 'em in 'n mouth" type blocking than pass protection.

The better the run game the better chance the QB can use the play action to get an extra tick of protection. Whoever the QB is I hope they plan on using the CC style of counting to, not 3 but 2.5 and release.

Hard to play smashmouth when 2 of your OLine can't outlift Dbacks.

 

[uconndogs]

Before Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum came to Storrs, Edsall had established a precedent of big, strong, physical Olines. They got nasty too. Petrus may not have been the biggest guy in the world, but you sure as hell knew he was going to battle. Look at old footage. Those guys were constantly into the second level of a defense looking for contact. They wore people down.

Three seasons later we have sixth and fifth year seniors who can't push 225 LBs up 20 times. After 5-6 years their strength is no where near what it needs to be to excel at this level of football. Would never have happened under Edsall, because he would have sat them down and went with the guys who were willing to put in the work.

I am actually a bit more optimistic about our prospects for the OL this coming season for two reasons. First, I think P and GDL were just plain incompetent and it went beyond pure hair brain schemes and also to conditioning, strength and fundamentals. Second, once Foley took the OL back over the improvement was immediate and dramatic. Diaco has been very clear that we are going back to basing an offense on a physical running game and in Foley it certainly appears he has the right guy to oversee that. The OL will be young and inexperienced next season, so realistically we need to look for improvement as the season progresses rather than immediate success.

Three wasted seasons with those guys.........still frosts my butt.......

 

[FfldCntyFan]

To expand on a few posts in this thread; what happened to our offensive line encompasses everything that went wrong beginning the day that Hathaway announced P as the new head coach.

The importance of line play in football is equivalent to to pitching in baseball, guard play in basketball and goaltending in hockey. If you are inept there, it becomes nearly impossible to look competent anywhere.

GDL (and P) no longer cared about physicality in our linemen and effectively neutered our award winning (then) strength and conditioning coach. Players were left to be self motivated to weight train and with limited free time to begin with (and offensive linemen using the bulk of their time attempting to figure out what their OL coach wanted them to do while not attempting to actually teach them) this fell by the wayside. If the height/weight numbers have been accurate during the P years, no offensive lineman added more then perhaps six to eight pounds from arrival during the two plus years they were listed on a roster.

All I can say is that the nightmare has finally ended and there is hope. It may take the entirety of the 2014 season to restore stability to the offensive line (and going back to mid November, I have been cautious in my expectations for the upcoming season due entirely to the unknown quality of offensive line play) but once we get through the season things will begin to improve significantly.

What GDL did to our offensive line, in terms of physicality, philosophy and overall play was criminal. That is over and we now can build something. It won't happen overnight but it will happen.

 

[huskymedic]

From Jim Fuller ~ Some continuity in UConn's offensive line:

>>While there's plenty of work yet to be done before UConn opens up the 2014 season against Brigham Young, it is looking like the coaching staff has a pretty good idea who are the building blocks on the offensive line.>>

http://runwayramblings.blogspot.com/2014/03/some-continuity-in-offensive-line.html

 

[Carl Spackler]

As for the OL - as long as they're actually hitting sleds and lifting weights this spring with any sort of intensity, we should probably be better no matter who starts.

 

[mattp]

If you go back and watch the final drive of the ND game a few years ago, their D could barely pick themselves up off the ground. The safet, Harrison something or other (now in the NFL) looked like his back was ready to give out. Would love to have similar dominance in a few years

We had that dominance against South Carolina in Birmingham. It was an awesome game to watch.

Our pass protection with Foley may not have been great, but the OLine wasn't the reason our passing game sucked. I'll take dominant punch you in the face run blocking with just adequate pass blocking and Foley has generally delivered that. We can win a lot of games with that.

 

[BNich]

If we can beat SEC teams like South Carolina more times than not, absolutely!

 

[PUPPY4]

We had that dominance against South Carolina in Birmingham. It was an awesome game to watch.

Our pass protection with Foley may not have been great, but the OLine wasn't the reason our passing game sucked. I'll take dominant punch you in the face run blocking with just adequate pass blocking and Foley has generally delivered that. We can win a lot of games with that.

The big guys up front are taking large doses of vitamins D&F, the rickets and scurvy seems to be cured.

 

[huskymedic]

desmondconner1:50pm via Web
Diaco on OL: Thin and getting a lot of work, also using some in leadership roles off the field to help build them up #Uconnfootball

 

[huskymedic]

From a Chris E (CT Post) article today:

>> Not reading anything into anything – yet – but the offensive line seems to be starting to take shape with redshirt sophomore Richard Levy at LT, redshirt freshman Kyle Schafenacker at LG, redshirt senior Alex Mateas at C, redshirt freshman Jacob Basilica at RG and redshirt junior Dalton Gifford at RT.
The second unit was made up of redshirt freshman Thomas Hopkins at LT, redshirt freshman Brendan Vechery at LG, redshirt sophomore Kyle Bockeloh at C, (Basilica also saw time with the second team at RG) and redshirt sophomore Andreas Knappe at RT.

Redshirt junior Gus Cruz, who missed the last seven games last season suffering from what was termed, “shortness of breath” (cardiac issues) was working on the sidelines, tossing a heavy ball against a wall to build strength and stamina.

“Gus is coming along well. I think he’s tracking the right way,” Diaco said. “From everything I’ve heard, whatever the process was for answering his issues, he’s being allowed to do a little bit more. But still there are things … like, he’s not allowed to get a cut (meaning he’s currently on some kind of blood thinning medication) … some of equipment is sharp and even though he could probably engage more than he actually is but he’s doing a great job.”<<

 

[FfldCntyFan]

So Rugg & Samra can't even make the two deep?

 

[Carl Spackler]

So Rugg & Samra can't even make the two deep?

Two names I noticed missing from the write up as well.

I don't really care who the starting 5 are at this point really. well...that's not true....I do care, but not to the point that I'm overly interested in the class rankings, experience, depth charts, etc, and who actually is playing. What I do care is that they are actually doing what it takes to be successful as a unit in the offseason, and they are pushing each other to be the best they can, mentally and physically, and the best 5 start. If it's an accurate report and Rugg and Samra were nowhere to be found among the first and second units, then there had to be a reason and if they are being beaten out by others, so be it. If not, then whatever. It seems to be the case, that the OL is actually lifting weights and practicing hitting people, which clearly was not an emphasis by the most recently deposed coaching staff, as the OL was clearly not mentally and physically prepared to compete under those old farts.

It does stand out, and I will point out, that we are very young on the OL, and there is a reason for it - that when you look at when current players that should be RS juniors, seniors and 5th year seniors - predates the old farts on our most recently deposed coaching staff.

No matter what - I'm excited for football. UCONN football. Winning UCONN football.

 

[Chief00]

The walkon from Montville will steal the show.

 

[huskysupporter]

So Rugg & Samra can't even make the two deep?

I think we will see many changes to the 2 deep during the preseason and during the season. Not good.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

It appears that the upcoming season will in many ways be a transition year but I am hopeful (and who we have in place as coaches does justify some of this hope) that the OL, at least in terms of run blocking will solidify over the year and in 2015 will be able to compete at the level we want, growing from there to become a real strength of the team.

I remember Foley's first year (2006). We were a bit thin, very young (also somewhat unlucky) but there were some nice signs in our offensive line play (especially after Donald Brown started playing) and in 2007 we took a huge leap forward. It would not surprise me to see something similar transpire now.

I am very curious about the two names I mentioned earlier (Rugg, Samra). They were supposedly major recruits (at least by our standards) and all things considered, that they have not received a mention this far into spring practice is baffling.

 

[kibblesnbits]

I am very curious about the two names I mentioned earlier (Rugg, Samra). They were supposedly major recruits (at least by our standards) and all things considered, that they have not received a mention this far into spring practice is baffling.

I think people are reading too much into this right now. They have been mentioned. Fuller's blog from 2 1/2 weeks ago (observing March 14 practice) had both on the 2nd team line. Just a week ago (March 25) he observed that Samra was practicing with the first team. They may be under performing, but it is just as likely that they are either dinged up a bit or that the coaches are testing different combinations in anticipation of creating lineups for the spring game.

 

[Carl Spackler]

If for some reason Samra is hurt or underperforming, the kid is a good candidate for a red shirt. I do agree that it's not much of a concern right now. Rugg too. The first thing to ask is if the report was accurate. Reporters are human and there is a lot happening in a football practice. If the report is accurate, it could be a coaches decision that they weren't with the 1s or 2s, it could be injury, it could be they played themselves out physically or mentally in practices, it could be that they knocked themselves out with school or off field stuff.....whatever.

Our OL will be better this year than in the past 2 - for two simple reasons. Actually lifting weights and preparing physically, and then on the field, moving their feet with purpose to hit somebody off the snap.

 

[huskymedic]

UConn Football: Offensive Line Update, Gus Cruz, Too

http://courantblogs.com/uconn-footb...oo/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter