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Encouraging OL stat

Great point. Starts on the OL one of the most meaningful stats in football, imo. Often translates to wins, and gives me hope for the year. Combine that with competent coaching on the OL and you’ve got the makings of something.
 
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Allabouttheu95 said:
Those starts for us equate to two of the worst o lines in the country in b2b years. I think they improve this year but still don’t see how they can hold up against good fronts. Inside play scares the **** out of me.
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The 2019 unit was possibly the worst in the P5. Last year’s line was average. They struggled up the gut but got solid tackle play.

It’s almost like playing a bunch of freshmen and sophomores on the offensive line is a terrible idea. As players get older, smarter, stronger, they actually become better linemen. It’s not rocket science, all the teams that consistently have good lines usually are relying on fourth and fifth year players. Young linemen get redshirted and won’t even see playing time until their third year. Besides the unicorn players who are ready to step in at 18 and dominate pretty much everyone else needs some time.
 
Cane4life18 said:
Gaynor's lack of strength worries me though. I wish we had a bully at center. It would really open up our inside run game makes us a more potent RPO team.
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I concur. Gaynor too weak and ain't no changing that. Overall I saw marked improvement last year, but still we were a weak OL. If the OL can be solid we can easily win 10 games. Donaldson and Rivers/Campbell at guards should give us a solid interior. Nelson LT. Williams RT. Issiah Walker has to be regarded somewhat as a disappointment at this point. Had he panned out to be what we thought we would have a damned good OL.
 
DTP said:
The 2019 unit was possibly the worst in the P5. Last year’s line was average. They struggled up the gut but got solid tackle play.

It’s almost like playing a bunch of freshmen and sophomores on the offensive line is a terrible idea. As players get older, smarter, stronger, they actually become better linemen. It’s not rocket science, all the teams that consistently have good lines usually are relying on fourth and fifth year players. Young linemen get redshirted and won’t even see playing time until their third year. Besides the unicorn players who are ready to step in at 18 and dominate pretty much everyone else needs some time.
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No argument here outside of I think our interior players are still weak even as they mature. I’m confident in tackle play. Concerned on push inside
 
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What I hope we have in addition to experience is leadership. Hopefully we start reading the fluff pieces about how the OL all eat together and hang out together and are conducting themselves as a group. Anytime an OL is good those articles pop up. But in all reality the OL has to work as a unit and the better they know each other the better they tend to play.
Anyone feel like writing the first fluff piece about how Gaynor is the leader, Donaldson is the beast, Scaife is looking for redemption, Rivers is looking to make his mark, and Nelson used all the negativity from 2 years ago and is on the verge of a breakout season.
 
Allabouttheu95 said:
Those starts for us equate to two of the worst o lines in the country in b2b years. I think they improve this year but still don’t see how they can hold up against good fronts. Inside play scares the **** out of me.
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We’ll know what we have out of the gate v Bama. The experience is excellent. But quality is still a question mark for some of these guys.
 
Billy D Williams said:
I concur. Gaynor too weak and ain't no changing that. Overall I saw marked improvement last year, but still we were a weak OL. If the OL can be solid we can easily win 10 games. Donaldson and Rivers/Campbell at guards should give us a solid interior. Nelson LT. Williams RT. Issiah Walker has to be regarded somewhat as a disappointment at this point. Had he panned out to be what we thought we would have a damned good OL.
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I was with you right up to the point you said Isaiah walker is a disappointment. The kid is a rFr. Let him grow naturally. That was our problem before, throwing players who weren't ready into the fire prematurely. Lineman need to be slow cooked if you want a quality product on the field.
 
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I’ve been posting for 3 months how experienced this team is going to be this year.

No matter how you slice it, it’s an experienced, old, veteran team returning almost all its production from a team that spent a good bit of the year hovering as a Top 10 team.

Pray for King’s knee. If it’s ready, this team is going to be really good.
 
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Reality is, and I hope I'm wrong, it is another stat "Lost in Translation", because so far it hasn't translated to an even average running game or W's like it should.

I have been waiting for these guys playing together to pay dividends now for three years. As a four-year (NAIA) college OL starter, to me, this past season was when we really should seen some major evidence of that. And I think we'd be kidding ourselves if we don't understand that one of the most mobile QBs in the game saved a lot of sacks and kept a lot of drives going.

If you have the right guys, it happens earlier. My O-line was four freshman and a sophomore (who became an All-American that season leading a quick toss) : 6-4 that year, then we won two conference championships, went to two Bowl games and we blocked for four different 1,000 yard backs (Two were South FL Belle Glade cats who ran down those Cane field rabbits 30 years before ESPN did the story on it or they used those slower Miami actors in the commercial running the rabbits).

Clemson started some young guys replacing four O-linemen this season. They had growing pains, but were still far better than our veterans.
 
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Have you ever been to a sports bar that doesnt have any hot young blondes with perky **** only middle age women with damaged hair and scratchy cigarette voices. That miami's OL
 
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Billy D Williams said:
I concur. Gaynor too weak and ain't no changing that. Overall I saw marked improvement last year, but still we were a weak OL. If the OL can be solid we can easily win 10 games. Donaldson and Rivers/Campbell at guards should give us a solid interior. Nelson LT. Williams RT. Issiah Walker has to be regarded somewhat as a disappointment at this point. Had he panned out to be what we thought we would have a damned good OL.
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Walker is a redshirt freshman, how can he be considered a disappointment? He came in underweight and needs to get his strength up. If he is talented then he will be ready to contribute at the appropriate time. Just a bit early to make a judgement on him.
 
I recall years ago an article about a teams returning O line, (forget the team). It stated that the good news is, all the offensive line men are returning, the bad news is, all the offensive line men are returning. We are going to find out soon enough if it is good news or bad news.
 
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