O-Line

MaxyJR1

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My take away from the game is that our OL is overweight and slow.
 

Nothing on the O looked good. Maybe KJ1 & CS5 did, but that was after it mattered. Nothing else did.

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TCU definitely wasn't the best matchup for our O-Line and offensive philosophy.
 

Certainly doesn't seem to be any NFL talent on the line, despite the continued hype. Depth, we have. Average B1G players, yes. And considering where we were 4 years ago, that's a HUGE upgrade.
 

Certainly doesn't seem to be any NFL talent on the line, despite the continued hype. Depth, we have. Average B1G players, yes. And considering where we were 4 years ago, that's a HUGE upgrade.

Our line was said to be a strength and yet has not produced. They were exposed by a good defense today. They are big and slow and with a QB that likes to hold the ball an extra 3 seconds after he should have let go, that is killer.
 


I don't know what the problem was today, but it is clear that the OL did not cover themselves with glory. However, when the opponents know that a run is coming, like it did much of the first half, they could load the box and make the running game impotent.
 

They got manhandled and out-schemed. A complete drubbing from the press box to the field.
 

Our line was said to be a strength and yet has not produced. They were exposed by a good defense today. They are big and slow and with a QB that likes to hold the ball an extra 3 seconds after he should have let go, that is killer.

I don't disagree with anything you said. Do you disagree with anything I said?
 

Noticed Isaac Hayes got some time in the 2nd half at the right guard spot for Foster Bush but don't know if it was injury related or not but either way I've thought Bush was our weakest link on the OL for a while and was glad to see the change.
 





There seems to be a lot of pu$$ in some of those guys up front, but I also wonder about what schemes we're suing to block the the edges it seems like we're either the TE's problems or we're trying to leave players unblocked and hoping they don't make the play but they seems to be making the plays.
 

I wonder how in the world Limegrover can even put together a game plan every week, even against FCS teams, with limitations of the QB's that are currently on the roster.

Imagine just how much of the playbook you simply CANNOT utilize because your QB is just plain physically/mentally incapable?
 



I wonder how in the world Limegrover can even put together a game plan every week, even against FCS teams, with limitations of the QB's that are currently on the roster.

Imagine just how much of the playbook you simply CANNOT utilize because your QB is just plain physically/mentally incapable?

Yep, our guys couldn't hand off a jet sweep, throw a bubble screen or hit Cobb with a normal screen pass.
 

so I watch OL's and we are supposed to have an experienced group yet with the OL coach in the box and not on the field they have shown they are average at best.

I saw a very poor Purdue team playing a ranked ND team and the Purdue QB had time to sit in a pocket and read a defense. Time Mitch or Nelson or Gray or shortell or Streveler has never had.

the Offense is broken and until the OC gets his head out of his arse it will continue to have those issues
 

I wonder how in the world Limegrover can even put together a game plan every week, even against FCS teams, with limitations of the QB's that are currently on the roster.

Imagine just how much of the playbook you simply CANNOT utilize because your QB is just plain physically/mentally incapable?

Who recruits and develops the guys on this roster? Wouldn't it be his fault that he doesn't have guys that are any good?
 

Who recruits and develops the guys on this roster? Wouldn't it be his fault that he doesn't have guys that are any good?

It's been fairly obvious since the staff arrived that Limegrover is a bit in over his head. The weak link on this team has been the offense and I put the o-line behind only the QB as the weakest position group, regardless off the offseason hype every year. Those are Limegrovers responsibilities, maybe one needs to be taken off his plate to get this thing moving.
 

Do we zone block much anymore? To much between the tackles.
 

It's been fairly obvious since the staff arrived that Limegrover is a bit in over his head. The weak link on this team has been the offense and I put the o-line behind only the QB as the weakest position group, regardless off the offseason hype every year. Those are Limegrovers responsibilities, maybe one needs to be taken off his plate to get this thing moving.

1+
 

hate to say it but everything limegrover is involved in appears to be the weakest links... coincidence? i think not.
 

I think TCU would have the second quickest D-line in the Big Ten behind OSU. Just a bad matchup. Also considering that they had to play in what? 85 degree weather certainly doesn't help either.
 

OL performance was not a complete disaster and, although disappointing, should not have been a complete surprise. There are issues that can be easily fixed and others that are more problematic. The team knows this and so should anyone who pays attention.

This is not the veteran OL the team hoped would compete for 2014 B1G title. People have shifted due to injury altering chemistry. Missing is Jon with Ben trying to recover from HAS. The pain is particularly acute at RG with the loss of Bak.

Bak finished the ’13 campaign as the teams top OL according to internal grading and coaches. He was also seen by conference coaches as one of the top B1G guards. Team saw him as right side anchor whose absence also impacted RT play.

Losing that caliber of player will hurt - as Kill just publicly admitted.

During fall camp, OC told the OL unit that the loss of Bak was a ‘big blow’ and challenged them to rise to that level of play. Longer term, however, OC is excited. Believes this current group to be the most talented he has ever coached or so he told them. Believes future to be very bright.
 

OL performance was not a complete disaster and, although disappointing, should not have been a complete surprise. There are issues that can be easily fixed and others that are more problematic. The team knows this and so should anyone who pays attention.

This is not the veteran OL the team hoped would compete for 2014 B1G title. People have shifted due to injury altering chemistry. Missing is Jon with Ben trying to recover from HAS. The pain is particularly acute at RG with the loss of Bak.

Bak finished the ’13 campaign as the teams top OL according to internal grading and coaches. He was also seen by conference coaches as one of the top B1G guards. Team saw him as right side anchor whose absence also impacted RT play.

Losing that caliber of player will hurt - as Kill just publicly admitted.

During fall camp, OC told the OL unit that the loss of Bak was a ‘big blow’ and challenged them to rise to that level of play. Longer term, however, OC is excited. Believes this current group to be the most talented he has ever coached or so he told them. Believes future to be very bright.
We have about 50 OL kids on the team many very experienced. In that vein and even with some injuries I would say it's been very close to a disaster; particularly with pass blocking but really overall.
 

Lauer or Pirsig one of them will need to overcome injury and play.

We have about 50 OL kids on the team many very experienced. In that vein and even with some injuries I would say it's been very close to a disaster; particularly with pass blocking but really overall.

We absolutely need Lauer or Pirisig to overcome injury and be able to play, until that happens there is going to be trouble up front. We do miss Jon Christensens smarts in the middle of the line and the ability to read the defense, it was not conicidence that at Indiana the Gophers were having one of their better games throwing the ball until he got hurt. Tommy Olson has done fine at center but he is a better guard and if we didn't need him at center he could start at one of the guard spots.
There is a significant drop off at one of the tackle positions if Lauer or Pirsig cannot go, we have to have those guys play.
 

We absolutely need Lauer or Pirisig to overcome injury and be able to play, until that happens there is going to be trouble up front. We do miss Jon Christensens smarts in the middle of the line and the ability to read the defense, it was not conicidence that at Indiana the Gophers were having one of their better games throwing the ball until he got hurt. Tommy Olson has done fine at center but he is a better guard and if we didn't need him at center he could start at one of the guard spots.
There is a significant drop off at one of the tackle positions if Lauer or Pirsig cannot go, we have to have those guys play.

jonah scored poorly the first two games. he'll get it but it won't be overnight. The line has been reconfigured due to injury and loss and it will have an effect in the near term. improvement will come but the team is concerned with the 2 deep at RG.
 

jonah scored poorly the first two games. he'll get it but it won't be overnight. The line has been reconfigured due to injury and loss and it will have an effect in the near term. improvement will come but the team is concerned with the 2 deep at RG.
I know Pirsig didn't play the best, he was getting beat a lot off the edge against EIU and sturggling with who to block(just think he has the talent and size to be good some day and he is Mitch's friend) You have that kind size like Pirsig and that wing span and play with correct technique you should be good. Young guys are used to getting by on there athleticism a lot until the reps set in.
As the right side of the line goes so seems to be the pass protection. Probably why coach Kill mentions Caleb Bakk as a loss so much, that guy seemed to be a rock and not give up sacks and he was honorable mention all conference I think at least the coaches. Nothing you can do about it now with the loss of Bakk the kids health is more important than football.
Bush is struggling with who to pick up and his technique, any chance they move Epping to right guard Olson to left guard and put Christenson or Bobek back in at center. It's not that Olson is playing bad at center he is not, it is just the guard spots are a struggle with Eppings ankle sprain and Lauers ankle sprain at right tackle, and not sure why Bush isn't playing well beyond just missing blocks and being a tick late out of his stance, all of this have hurt the team upfront. Obviously the right guard and tackle have not worked a lot together yet.
Unless Hayes can step in and handle the right guard spot this team is going to continue to struggle giving up sacks. Limegrover is going ot have to adjust something either who plays up front or the play calls because the offense is stagnating right now. It's not all of the guys or the whole unit either it just seems to be one guy on a sack or one individual making mistakes. Mitch could do the guys a favor by being a little more on target and not throwing off his back foot as much too. It's a team game the Gophers can be good, they are just having a tough go of it right now with lack of continuity and injury's as such up front.
 

I believe Hayes will replace Bush. I wish we had a replacement for Epping to allow him to heal the leg but that would probably require having TO or Bobek play his position. Having a lot of guys without experience playing solves a physical injury problem but makes an experience and smarts problem worse. Obviously the adjustments made so far to deal with the talent losses to injury did not work. We'll see how the Hayes move and others help to solve the problem in the short term.
 

Playing OL isn't rocket science it's a bit befuddling if our guys are missing assignments. It's one thing if they're getting physically beaten like I think Bush has, but I think some of the others are missing assignments and that shouldn't be an ongoing issue.
 

Playing OL isn't rocket science it's a bit befuddling if our guys are missing assignments. It's one thing if they're getting physically beaten like I think Bush has, but I think some of the others are missing assignments and that shouldn't be an ongoing issue.
It is the most important collective group on the team to have experience and it is rocket science if a kid has no experience.
The reason they look at cumulative o-line starts a team has is because it has a very high correlation with wins.
It is a problem is we have to keep moving experienced guys around because they will not be as good at a second position because they can't just react like they normally would.
 

Playing OL isn't rocket science it's a bit befuddling if our guys are missing assignments. It's one thing if they're getting physically beaten like I think Bush has, but I think some of the others are missing assignments and that shouldn't be an ongoing issue.
However it has been said that a lot of times offensive lineman and specifically the center are the smartest players on the field so it isn't as simple as hit the guy in front of you the whole game like some people make it out to be.
 




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