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OL Taylor Decker (Detroit Lions)

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bigdog3300 said:
Here's to hoping Decker rebounds this week. Not his best of performances which was very surprising to me, but all the word from camp was how great he looked so hopefully it was just first game jitters. Matching up a bit with a guy like Mack didn't make it any easier too, he was gonna get his no matter what but overall Decker looked flustered to me.
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His performance with Buffalo had to be frustrating at times but to me, it had to be a learning curve and you have to be positive, and hopefully he will be ready for the next game. But you have to admit,playing across from the likes of Mack was a real experience. He can only get better and better from here on in.
 
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What a better learning experience for this guy than playing against Mack. I'm sure he's working his ass off on what Mack (one of the best in college football) exposed him on on Saturday. Excited to see how he adjusted over the week.
 
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I'm sure he learned two things
1) Make Mickey Marroti your best friend.. see if you can move in with him
2) Bend your knees.. looked very rigid.. see #1

and maybe a 3rd - until #1 & #2 fulfilled.. hope Urb keeps someone in the backfield to help block
 
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NJ-Buckeye said:
I'm sure he learned two things
1) Make Mickey Marroti your best friend.. see if you can move in with him
2) Bend your knees.. looked very rigid.. see #1

and maybe a 3rd - until #1 & #2 fulfilled.. hope Urb keeps someone in the backfield to help block
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As Mililani pointed out, Mack is the real deal, and may go as high as first or second round in the NFL draft. I don't ever recall Todd McShay being interviewed during a game, to discuss a MAC player's draft position. In case you missed it, McShay said Mack's name was on a watch list, given to him by the NFL. I'll bet, Decker wasn't happy when he watched the game film.
 
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Decker Earning Respect on O-Line
By Rob Ogden
Decker.jpg

Photo by Jim Davidson

As the only new guy on a senior-laden offensive line, Taylor Decker didn't want to be a detriment.

That's the way the sophomore right tackle described his role prior to the season.

"Those guys, all the seniors, all the older guys, they deserve a great season. They deserve to have a full unit out there," Decker said then.

So when Decker struggled mightily in the season opener against Buffalo — his first career start — he had to make sure his confidence in himself wasn't shaken.

"It was a tough pill to swallow but I just had to bounce back and recover from it and play the way I could play," Decker said. "I knew that that wasn't me. That wasn't how I had been playing and how I performed in camp prior to that game and the weeks leading into it."

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http://the-ozone.net/football/2013/Penn State/Decker_Progress.html
 
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Ohio State's Decker getting stronger
Sophomore tackle blends well with seniors
BY DAVID BRIGGS
BLADE SPORTS WRITER

COLUMBUS — Taylor Decker was furious at himself.


KIRK IRWIN Enlarge
In his first start at Ohio State, the sophomore right tackle had hoped to banish any doubts he was a worthy final piece of an established offensive line, only to raise them tenfold. Buffalo’s star linebacker, Khalil Mack, exploited the 19-year-old time and again and the Buckeyes allowed four sacks in the season-opening win.

"It was a tough pill to swallow," Decker said.

Since then, though, you probably have not heard Decker’s name much — and that is fine by him.

As the fourth-ranked Buckeyes (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten) prepare for Saturday night’s home brush with Penn State (4-2, 1-1), one of the nation’s best offensive fronts has evolved from four seniors and the new guy into what line coach Ed Warinner calls a "very good fivesome."

With the 6-foot-7, 315-pound Decker playing every meaningful snap, the line has cleared the way for a rushing offense that ranks seventh among BCS schools (279.6 yards per game) and stonewalled opposing QB-eaters. The Buckeyes have allowed only six sacks since the opener.

"The first game, I knew that wasn't me," Decker said. "That's not how I'd been playing and had performed in camp. ... But the coaches kept their trust in me, kept coaching me hard, and my teammates picked me up. I feel like because of that I've been able to improve."

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Read more at http://www.toledoblade.com/Ohio-State/2013/10/24/Decker-getting-stronger.html#VsQvj3143fDywaPB.99
Ohio State notebook: Taylor Decker earns place on offensive line
By Bill Rabinowitz
The Columbus Dispatch
Wednesday October 23, 2013

  • At 6 feet 7 and 315 pounds, Taylor Decker doesn’t look like most people’s vision of a little brother.

    But playing alongside four seniors on Ohio State’s offensive line, that’s what the sophomore right tackle feels like.

    “They’ve had good careers and have established themselves, and they deserve the respect that comes along with that,” Decker said of linemates Jack Mewhort, Andrew Norwell, Corey Linsley and Marcus Hall. “I do feel I’ve improved and gotten closer with them, but it’s kind of a little brother relationship. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

    Decker earned the starting job in preseason camp. He said before the season that he wanted to play well enough not to be considered the line’s weak link. Then he struggled against Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack in the season opener, though offensive line coach Ed Warinner said that three bad plays overshadowed all the good ones.

    “I knew that that wasn’t me, that wasn’t how I’d performed in camp and the weeks leading up to that game,” Decker said. “It was a tough pill to swallow. I just had to bounce back and recover from it and play the way I had to play.”

    Decker said that his fellow linemen provided support and Warinner supplied the coaching. Decker has carried his weight since then. Coach Urban Meyer said that Decker’s play against Iowa earned him “honorable mention” champion status.

    “His progress has been what we hoped — getting experience, continuing to play, being around other guys in the group that are very good players and learning how to practice,” Warinner said. “He’s becoming more consistent.

    “He has great talent. He’s a young kid. He’s playing solid football for us and continues to get better with a big upside. He’s getting to where we need him for this Big Ten stretch. He feels good about himself, and so do we.”
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The further removed we get from the Buffalo game, the less bad Decker's "struggles" against Khalil Mack look. Mack has made a lot of linemen look bad this season, and I've seen mock draft projections at #14 overall for Mack. He is a really big-time player.
 
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MaxBuck said:
The further removed we get from the Buffalo game, the less bad Decker's "struggles" against Khalil Mack look. Mack has made a lot of linemen look bad this season, and I've seen mock draft projections at #14 overall for Mack. He is a really big-time player.
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Yeah that was a tough first game and that was probably the best defensive lineman he will see all season. Taylor has learned from that game and continued to improve.
 
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Kinda thought that Noah Spence, Adolphus Washington, and Joey Bosa gave Decker some 'learnin' before the first game. Granted that those three are underclassmen, and Mack is a soon-to-be-NFLer, but it was still a bit of a shock to see Decker get pushed into the backfield, run around, and otherwise bamboozled at RT. His game has improved as well as the entire OL's game, as there was what, one penalty on the OL at Iowa? That's outstanding, as one or more of our linemen have 3-4 false starts per game. Always happy to see it, and they have been the strength of the offense this year.
:banger:
 
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