Let me start by saying that as far as the OL – and this entire team – is concerned … I don't think the sky is falling.
My review of the OL so far is based on about 2.5 games. Thanks to some Hulu voodoo, I missed the first nine plays of the Fresno St. game, as well as the entire second half and overtime. (I watched in real time, but I was too busy receiving CPR to take notes.)
Through the non-conference slate (or at least, what I've been able to see of it), the OL scored a cumulative RER (Rockford Efficiency Rating) of 89.2% run blocking, and 88.6% pass blocking.
What does that mean? Well, for an individual player, 85% is probably the lower boundary for a starter. If you can't consistently score better than 85%, you're probably not going to stay in the lineup long-term, unless there are no real alternatives.
The upper boundary, of course, is 100%. Except that it isn't, because not only is no one perfect, no one even comes close, even for a single game. We probably run 60-70 plays per game, and even the very best are gonna screw up on at least a few.
What that means is that there's a narrow band where players' individual RERs typically fall, probably between about 83 and 93. You can think of them this way:
85 = Average
91 = All-Conference
So, that being said, here are the individual RERs through the non-conference slate (or 2.5 games):
Run Blocking
92.2% Faalele
91.1% Schlueter
90.4% Andries
88.5% Olson
83.7% Dunlap
Pass Blocking
92.9% Olson
91.9% Andries
87.1% Faalele
86.0% Dunlap
84.9% Schlueter
A few notes:
Andries – Playing at an All-Conference level.
Faalele – Very quietly putting together a solid campaign. Even though it seems the team rarely runs directly behind him, he's been a bulldozer in the ground game. When he blocks down, the left side of the defensive line tends to go down. He oftentimes makes it look so easy, I have to wonder how hard he's trying. Seriously, I don't get the feeling I've ever seen him exert maximum effort. Unfortunately, that's particularly true of his pass blocking. He sometimes seems to forget to move his feet, and ends up being very susceptible to an outside speed rush.
Olson – While he may be an above-average center, I have a sneaking suspicion he may be even more effective at guard. Yeah, it's early yet, but Olson was much more effective than an 88.5% run blocker as a guard last year. Dude had no trouble getting to the second level and chopping down a LB, something it doesn't seem he's been asked to do as a center this year. And right now, it appears we have a need for more mobility (and dependability) on the right side of the line.
Schlueter – Sam remains the favorite whipping boy for a few folks around here, but he's been a strong run blocker, very quick, aggressive and powerful. His pass blocking, while still leaving much to be desired, seems to be improving. Still, that progress has only gotten him to the “barely adequate” level as a pass protector. Hopefully, he keeps getting better.
Dunlap – It hasn't been an auspicious start for Dunlap. He's not clicking in the ground game the way this offense needs him to, and his pass blocking has been barely adequate. He's young, of course, and seems to possess all the physical attributes, so it's likely only a matter of time before he settles in. The question is, how long can we wait?
If the staff feels compelled to make a change, I'd warrant that Schmitz takes over at center, with Olson and Andries going back to the guard positions they held last year. That reunites Andries and Faalele, who worked together extremely well on the right side last season. And moving Olson back to the more-familiar LG spot – where he did extremely well last year – may provide some measure of pass blocking support for Schlueter.
HOWEVER, there's no way of knowing what the staff sees everyday. All we can go by is what we see in games, and there's been practically no opportunity to critique any other offensive linemen during games. Which by itself may tell us that the staff doesn't view any backup player as breathing down the neck of a starter.
On the other hand, Schlueter was the starting RT last year … until he wasn't. At some point, the staff had seen enough, and Faalele got his chance.
We won't know how they feel about Dunlap's play until (or if) he's no longer starting.
I'll put up some more numbers in the next day or two.
JTG
My review of the OL so far is based on about 2.5 games. Thanks to some Hulu voodoo, I missed the first nine plays of the Fresno St. game, as well as the entire second half and overtime. (I watched in real time, but I was too busy receiving CPR to take notes.)
Through the non-conference slate (or at least, what I've been able to see of it), the OL scored a cumulative RER (Rockford Efficiency Rating) of 89.2% run blocking, and 88.6% pass blocking.
What does that mean? Well, for an individual player, 85% is probably the lower boundary for a starter. If you can't consistently score better than 85%, you're probably not going to stay in the lineup long-term, unless there are no real alternatives.
The upper boundary, of course, is 100%. Except that it isn't, because not only is no one perfect, no one even comes close, even for a single game. We probably run 60-70 plays per game, and even the very best are gonna screw up on at least a few.
What that means is that there's a narrow band where players' individual RERs typically fall, probably between about 83 and 93. You can think of them this way:
85 = Average
91 = All-Conference
So, that being said, here are the individual RERs through the non-conference slate (or 2.5 games):
Run Blocking
92.2% Faalele
91.1% Schlueter
90.4% Andries
88.5% Olson
83.7% Dunlap
Pass Blocking
92.9% Olson
91.9% Andries
87.1% Faalele
86.0% Dunlap
84.9% Schlueter
A few notes:
Andries – Playing at an All-Conference level.
Faalele – Very quietly putting together a solid campaign. Even though it seems the team rarely runs directly behind him, he's been a bulldozer in the ground game. When he blocks down, the left side of the defensive line tends to go down. He oftentimes makes it look so easy, I have to wonder how hard he's trying. Seriously, I don't get the feeling I've ever seen him exert maximum effort. Unfortunately, that's particularly true of his pass blocking. He sometimes seems to forget to move his feet, and ends up being very susceptible to an outside speed rush.
Olson – While he may be an above-average center, I have a sneaking suspicion he may be even more effective at guard. Yeah, it's early yet, but Olson was much more effective than an 88.5% run blocker as a guard last year. Dude had no trouble getting to the second level and chopping down a LB, something it doesn't seem he's been asked to do as a center this year. And right now, it appears we have a need for more mobility (and dependability) on the right side of the line.
Schlueter – Sam remains the favorite whipping boy for a few folks around here, but he's been a strong run blocker, very quick, aggressive and powerful. His pass blocking, while still leaving much to be desired, seems to be improving. Still, that progress has only gotten him to the “barely adequate” level as a pass protector. Hopefully, he keeps getting better.
Dunlap – It hasn't been an auspicious start for Dunlap. He's not clicking in the ground game the way this offense needs him to, and his pass blocking has been barely adequate. He's young, of course, and seems to possess all the physical attributes, so it's likely only a matter of time before he settles in. The question is, how long can we wait?
If the staff feels compelled to make a change, I'd warrant that Schmitz takes over at center, with Olson and Andries going back to the guard positions they held last year. That reunites Andries and Faalele, who worked together extremely well on the right side last season. And moving Olson back to the more-familiar LG spot – where he did extremely well last year – may provide some measure of pass blocking support for Schlueter.
HOWEVER, there's no way of knowing what the staff sees everyday. All we can go by is what we see in games, and there's been practically no opportunity to critique any other offensive linemen during games. Which by itself may tell us that the staff doesn't view any backup player as breathing down the neck of a starter.
On the other hand, Schlueter was the starting RT last year … until he wasn't. At some point, the staff had seen enough, and Faalele got his chance.
We won't know how they feel about Dunlap's play until (or if) he's no longer starting.
I'll put up some more numbers in the next day or two.
JTG
