2nd string OL

Gables Canes

Freshman
Joined
Jan 10, 2017
Messages
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With all the non-stop QB talk going on, my biggest concern has been and remains with our OL depth.

I feel comfortable with our starting tackles (still waiting for McDermott to blossom into the elite force he should be), good about our guards (Donaldson is a stud, need Darling to improve), and very good about center.

Beyond the starters? Gaynor is getting rave reviews, but we need more than just 6 able bodied OLineman. Injuries and exhaustion will take place inevitably. Who is our 7th-10th best? I've seen guys like Mahoney, Jones, and George Brown on the 2nd team. Have they improved enough to feel confident in their play should they ever need to take 1st team reps? Anyone have insight on this?
 
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like I've said before, we're still a year away from truly being "there"

depth there, at RB, at DT.. real QUALITY depth is still one more year out
 
Not quite at the level of talent where the two deep is solid all the way across the board. There's a couple of guys who could fill in in a pinch but obviously losing two or three starters on the o-line would kill the offense. That said, you could say the same thing about almost every single team in FBS. Very few teams are so deep that they have an entire second string offensive line that can play well.
 
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It's encouraging that Richt said of the 2nd string that he believes they are physically capable, but they have to get better with their assignments. I feel like these young guys are hungrier and better coached. Tie that with the fact that we don't have as brutal October stretch as we did last year, and I could see some of the 2nd string guys making significant improvements by the 2nd half of the season.
 
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Gotta hope the freshmen really pick it up an step up. Gaynor, Donaldson, Herbert and Hillery all have gotten very good reviews - look promising. I hope that one of George Brown or Tre Johnson can be a solid depth filler. Gotta bring in 1-2 more solid classes before that depth is solid.
 
With all the non-stop QB talk going on, my biggest concern has been and remains with our OL depth.

I feel comfortable with our starting tackles (still waiting for McDermott to blossom into the elite force he should be), good about our guards (Donaldson is a stud, need Darling to improve), and very good about center.

Beyond the starters? Gaynor is getting rave reviews, but we need more than just 6 able bodied OLineman. Injuries and exhaustion will take place inevitably. Who is our 7th-10th best? I've seen guys like Mahoney, Jones, and George Brown on the 2nd team. Have they improved enough to feel confident in their play should they ever need to take 1st team reps? Anyone have insight on this?

As far as I understand from reading the board, George Brown is just not strong enough to be a real D1 Tackle. Jahair Jones is described as never "getting it" and Mahoney was written off by the board for the past few years, despite actually getting decent reviews from coaches when Linder quit. Beyond them, Milo has had ups and downs in camp but never contributed on the field, Tre Johnson is an enigma and the other freshmen have not done anything to impress yet.

Now does that mean George Brown/Jahair Jones are not good enough to play a meaningful snap for Miami? Or will they just never be starting material? Is Mahoney actually going to contribute or was Coach Searels just trying it make it sound like We're deeper than we really are at Center? Can Hillery/Dykstra/Herbert contribute at all this year?
 
It's encouraging that Richt said of the 2nd string that he believes they are physically capable, but they have to get better with their assignments. I feel like these young guys are hungrier and better coached. Tie that with the fact that we don't have as brutal October stretch as we did last year, and I could see some of the 2nd string guys making significant improvements by the 2nd half of the season.

Sounds like coach talk to me. We need to stay healthy, simple as that.
 
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I think the 2nd team OL struggles as a unit because as a collection of OL they're not very good, or just aren't ready.

But you can probably get away with plugging someone in at any of the 5 spots along the starting OL and the unit wouldn't suffer very much.
 
Doesn't matter if the second string as a unit stinks. As long as, second unit guys can play when called upon to sub in we are good. How often is the entire second unit in their together?
 
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Doesn't matter if the second string as a unit stinks. As long as, second unit guys can play when called upon to sub in we are good. How often is the entire second unit in their together?

Of course not. Barring disaster, the second unit should only be in there together during mop up duty.

That being said, how many guys on the second unit can be called upon if an injury occurs and play effectively with the first team? Gaynor is showing lots of promise. Mahoney was written off by the board, but he may be our 7th best right now (scary). George Brown is a huge disappointment. Herbert is talented but raw. Jones hasn't done anything to prove he's ready if need be for first team reps. Same goes for Tre Johnson. Hillery has been hurt. Dykstra likely isn't ready to play this year. And Bar Milo is a ghost. In summary, this is why I'm concerned about our OL depth.
 
I think the 2nd team OL struggles as a unit because as a collection of OL they're not very good, or just aren't ready.

But you can probably get away with plugging someone in at any of the 5 spots along the starting OL and the unit wouldn't suffer very much.

We tried that last year remember?

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If we lose a couple of our best OLinemens we might not be as good. We are definitely unique in that respect.
 
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