Guard Play - Westerman and Redmond

[SunsetBengal]

(12-26-2017, 11:33 AM)Wyche Wrote: We have four bad linemen, and two serviceable linemen.....coming into the Detroit game.

Og-  one of the worst LTs in the HISTORY of the game

Fish-  subpar RT at best

Dre- stop gap serviceable RT

Boling- typically serviceable to decent LG....had a rough season

Bodine- consistently one of the worst C's in the league.

Hopkins- has shown signs, but graded bad....his replacements were even worse.

Winston-  two days older than dirt, and never was that great.


As to "training" a guy to Center if he's never played it....it's not that easy.  Snapping the ball, especially in the gun, and then engaging in the block is much harder than you think.  How do I know?  I switched from LG to C my junior year.....and it was much harder than I ever imagined it would be.  You MUST make sure the snap is clean and the exchange flawless FIRST, then execute your assignment.  Sounds easier than it is.....if you've never played the position.....and this is just at the high school level.  Before any of that even happens, you have to learn defensive alignments I.D. them, try to I.D. stunts and blitzes pre-snap, and call the blocking assignments accordingly.

This line MOSTLY needs a new position coach, or it will be more of the same....even with a new HC.  On top of that, they need both tackles, a center....and most likely another guard unless this one performance isn't beginners luck.

That's the problem with this bullshit coaching staff.  It's hard to evaluate ANYONE on this roster with the ******* decisions they make.  I don't see how one thread, we deride the staff, then on another, we chastise a player.  Makes ZERO sense.  It ABSOLUTELY is this coaching staff.

You've touched on something that many just don't get;  The Center position, is a very cerebral one.  One that involves much more than just the physical ability to matchup well with larger guys.  

For the most part, just about any Tackle can be kicked down to Guard, and they'll be just fine.  The same just isn't true of the Center position.  

This team has been lacking serious quality at the C position since Richie Braham was here.  That was what, like 10 years ago?  For a brief moment, we thought we had an up and comer in Kyle Cook.  But once again it was proven that it's much tougher to be The Man, than it is to be the man off the bench.

Every year, we watch teams draft a top Center, or sign a top quality Center in free agency, and then like magic whatever was causing their offensive line woes seems to have been cured.  Strange coincidence, isn't it?