O-Line

[gtapp]

I know we don’t have replacements for Wehr and Moore but the talent still looks very good from my perspective. Why has their performance dropped off this year. Is it the shuffling around (which happened last year also) or a larger drop off in talent? How is our depth?

[GoldstoneCat]

I know we don’t have replacements for Wehr and Moore but the talent still looks very good from my perspective. Why has their performance dropped off this year. Is it the shuffling around (which happened last year also) or a larger drop off in talent? How is our depth?

In my uneducated opinion (this is a message board after all) we're replacing actual proven all-Americans with young guys who haven't played that much. Vim will be able to speak to it better than I but Zimmer is pretty raw and underwhelming with his run blocking. We need mastel back, as he is a better, more accomplished player than Carr at this point. But I think when you have to replace that caliber of talent with young guys who haven't played much, or much together, it's going to look like this for awhile. I expect the line will be much better on November 1 than September 1.

[BornBobcat2000]

How much of a factor is the turnover in OL coaches? In past years it has seemed to be a seamless transition, but I wonder if it will take some time for the coaching to settle in also

[technoCat]

The oline made lots of mistakes early last year during their shakeup as well. They rest of the offense was able to overcome that. Much harder opponents this year. I agree, I think we will be much more solid come November. The talent is there.

[mslacatfan]

-OL shuffle, players playing out of position
-new offense to learn
-some young guys finding their way (Zimmer, Carr)
-losing some all time great talents with Wehr and Moore.
-no more Tommy mellott (he made everyone else look better (OL included)

I think they are plenty talented and will continue to progress throughout the season. Getting Mastel back will definitely help as well.

[nanacat]

The oline made lots of mistakes early last year during their shakeup as well. They rest of the offense was able to overcome that. Much harder opponents this year. I agree, I think we will be much more solid come November. The talent is there.

I've been wondering about this being a large factor. Young guys, position shake up, against really tough opponents the first 2 games. Losing Tommy is also a factor. He was such a leader, along with others like Grebe, Ortt, etc. Not to say there aren't leaders now, but sometimes it takes time to gel. Last year's team only dealt with a few newbies in comparison. I agree the talent is there, it's just going to take some time.

[abozemanbobcat]

The Oline is dealing with a lot of change this year and its still early. Losing vets in the room such as Perkins, Sain, and Wehr can affect a lot. Also losing Coach Johnson is a lot as well. From what I know a lot of the guys really liked Johnson and loved playing for him, so we're just seeing them live adjusting to Smith's style. It'll be good for them to get Mastel back because he brings experience to an already In carr and zimmer. We'll be good as long as this OC knows to RUN THE DAMN BALL!