2009 tOSU Offensive Line Discussion (official thread)

[BB73]

Not sure if this is accurate, but Lou Holtz said that on the line, only Justin Boren got a winning grade last week.

It was posted in this thread (Ozone article) about 8 posts before yours.

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

Uhhh, I don't know about u guys, but that quote from Cordle doesn't sound too promising, 2 days before the biggest game of the regular season and before a game that could change our national perception!

"We were just screwing up some plays and not blocking the right guys," right tackle Jim Cordle said. "We were getting confused with the defense a little bit, and we just kind of lacked technique."


Not this shit again. Doesn't Tressel emphasize technique and execution over patsy trickeration and blazing speed? How does this happen every year (ok, the last few)? Because we move guys around to different positions every year? Really? Oh, ok.

/ Sorry

That was in reference to their performance against a totally unfamiliar system. Now that they will be back up against a "normal" system, I think their performance will be much better in that at least they'll be familiar with what they have to do and who they have to block.

 

[Jagdaddy]

I rewatched the line last night and to be honest, this was just a lack of execution and awareness, not a lack of talent. Whenever we were engaged and alert, the blocks were made and yards were gained. Most of the time the line had difficulty picking up where the blitzes were coming from. Time after time Navy telegraphed blitzes and somehow they were not picked up. I don't know if Brewster should have been making the line call to pick them up or if Pryor wasn't alerting them, or if the tackle should have seen it though. There were a couple times they only brought 3 or 4 but still got pressure, while Brewster covered grass and Shugarts or Miller doubled on an end while the pressure came from the edge where they should have been. In the run game it was much of the same. Boren did a good job of chipping off until the man was blocked and gettting to the next level, but nobody else really did.

Also, we need Boren pulling and not Browning...many times the defender blew him up on the pull. We had some good plays but we were inconsistent all along the line, aside from Boren. Cordle was overextending himself, Browning wasn't finding defenders to block and the left tackles weren't picking up who they should have been blocking in the passing game.
I will say that aside from when they didn't see the blitzers, both of Shugarts and Miller looked fantastic. They also had some nice run blocks, springing Herron and Saine outside. To be perfectly honest, the most problematic part of the line could very well be the right side. I am all for having Shugarts at LT and Miller AT RT, with Cordle rotating with Browning at the right guard.
On one final note, Brewster really struggled finding someone to block at times...he is going to need to step it up for us to be a good offensive line. Overall I think this line looks pretty talented but they really need to gel and work together on picking up the right guys to block. It just looks more like a schematical problem to me, which at least can be fixed, where as talent cannot be.

I'm glad to see this post. I was out of the country and just watched the Navy game last night . . . and my impression was also that the OL's problems were far more mental than physical. I can't remember the last time I saw an OSU OL get three guys out in front of a well-disguised screen pass and all make nice blocks like they did on one occasion against Navy. To me they look quicker than any OL we've had in a long time: Whether they can stop blowing assignments remains to be seen, but I'm not devoid of hope.

 

[Buckskin86]

Cordle out 3, 4 weeks; Shugarts to start

Big news from Jim Tressel's Thursday news conference:

Senior right tackle Jim Cordle has an injured ankle and is expected to miss the next 3 or 4 weeks. Sophomore J.B. Shugarts will start against Toledo on Saturday, his first career start.

Tressel wasn't sure when the injury occurred. Cordle played the entire game against USC last week, but it sounds as if he may have been sore at some point, possibly even before the game.

In any case, he had an MRI yesterday. Tressel was not sure of the exact nature of the injury.

If Shugarts struggles, or just if the coaches want to see someone else at right tackle, Tressel said they could move right guard Bryant Browning out to tackle, where he started all 13 games last season. In that scenario, Andrew Moses or left tackle Andrew Miller could play guard.

Mike Adams also is now back in the two-deep, Tressel said. He's behind after his two-game suspension (which Tressel never confirmed), so I'm guessing they'd rather not play him this week.

Asked about the freshmen linemen in the two-deep (Corey Linsley, Jack Mewhort and Marcus Hall), it's clear that Tressel wants to try and redshirt all three. I don't see them playing unless there's another injury on top of Cordle.

Cordle out 3, 4 weeks; Shugarts to start (Blogging the Buckeyes)

 

[buckeyes_rock]

Cordle out 3, 4 weeks; Shugarts to start (Blogging the Buckeyes)

Wow, that stinks. Here's hoping JB rises to the occasion!

 

[pnuts34]

Wow, that stinks. Here's hoping JB rises to the occasion!

That, and here's hoping that one of the frosh can play and not have to redshirt! It would be nice to see Hall in there after Shugarts or even Mewhort if they move Browning to RT

 

[MililaniBuckeye]

That, and here's hoping that one of the frosh can play and not have to redshirt!

How many times do we have to remind folks that outside of injury once you play a down you've burned your eligibility for that year?

 

[BuckeyeJon2006]

That, and here's hoping that one of the frosh can play and not have to redshirt! It would be nice to see Hall in there after Shugarts or even Mewhort if they move Browning to RT

Why do you want to see one of the frosh? Why waste an entire year by putting them in during backup duty for like 10 plays all year? I wish we could have redshirted Adams and/or Shugarts last year bc that was a completely wasted year for both of them.

 

[OregonBuckeye]

How many times do we have to remind folks that outside of injury once you play a down you've burned your eligibility for that year?

I think you should reread what he wrote.

 

[ant80]

That, and here's hoping that one of the frosh can play and not have to redshirt! It would be nice to see Hall in there after Shugarts or even Mewhort if they move Browning to RT

I actually LIKE the idea of redshirting all OL. Unless they are exceptional of course, read Brew. It gives them an additional year to develop. And would be much better than playing them sparsely during their true freshman year and burning a year of eligibility. I agree with BuckeyeJon2006 that I wish Adams and JB had been redshirted. But last year was understandable given our lack of depth at OL due to recruits either not panning out or weak recruiting in 2003-2006. Glad to be able to afford the luxury of redshirting true frosh in both the lines.

 

[pnuts34]

I agree with the comments on giving these kids a year to develop, but IMHO I think kids learn better in gametime experience. U can simulate a game in practice all u want but theres nothing like playing under the lights in front of fans on Saturdays. And I would like an area which has been our weakness for a couple to have more experience. Like I said it's just my opinion, a RS is good with some kids, but when a kid like Hall or Mewhort crack the starting the lineup I wouldn't want it to be their first time under the lights and they're crapping themselves. I rather get that out of the way in their frosh years against teams like, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Purdue.

 

[ant80]

I agree with the comments on giving these kids a year to develop, but IMHO I think kids learn better in gametime experience. U can simulate a game in practice all u want but theres nothing like playing under the lights in front of fans on Saturdays. And I would like an area which has been our weakness for a couple to have more experience. Like I said it's just my opinion, a RS is good with some kids, but when a kid like Hall or Mewhort crack the starting the lineup I wouldn't want it to be their first time under the lights and they're crapping themselves. I rather get that out of the way in their frosh years against teams like, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana and Purdue.

If it is not their redshirt year, I'm sure they will be eased into the starting lineup when it's not during the lights. Next year, I think we start against Marshall before playing Miami (FL). I'm sure these guys will be eased in at the Marshall game before, if at all, playing against Miami.

 

[pnuts34]

If it is not their redshirt year, I'm sure they will be eased into the starting lineup when it's not during the lights. Next year, I think we start against Marshall before playing Miami (FL). I'm sure these guys will be eased in at the Marshall game before, if at all, playing against Miami.

And that's alright, but wouldn't you rather some of these kids have more experience than just one game? Thats my only point, sometimes it seems like certain kids progress better from year to year based off of gametime experience and not just playing against their teammates. I'm just saying I'd like to see some of these kids get in that experience on the field against lesser B10 teams or OOC(New Mexico State), with some kids it means a big deal, I think theyd play even better in that Marshall game because it'll be business as usual instead of playing with their eyes wide open in astonishment.

 

[Jaxbuck]

The bigger issue to me is that we are in year 2 of the Block O being on campus and talking about the choice between having to burn redshirts of the kids that came in after them or sliding Bryant back to RT.

 

[jwinslow]

The bigger issue to me is that we are in year 2 of the Block O being on campus and talking about the choice between having to burn redshirts of the kids that came in after them or sliding Bryant back to RT.

Here I thought the line did pretty well in our last game, particularly the much maligned Miller & Cordle, and the only reason we're talking about a new RT is because of injury, not failures by players or coaches. Is the negativity train stopping at the OL now too?

There's also the rather large point that Browning is not the backup option, Shugarts is. Most teams don't have a three deep at tackle, and starters often get shuffled around once injury hits. There's also another tackle with virtually no experience and no eligibility (for JT) the last two weeks who would not get the benefit of the doubt ahead of time.

The block O gave OSU a 4 year starter at C (pretty remarkable), a tackle who narrowly missed starting in his first healthy season on campus (and is now starting and could easily retain that gig), and a third tackle who was suspended for his first healthy year at OSU. All of this while Miller & Cordle don't just beat expectations but obliterate them, Browning improves from the position switch and Boren proves why folks were so excited about him.