SB Nation - Jordan Holmes

Quack Fix: LaMichael In The Spotlight; Can Ducks Fare Better Than Other Trojan Killers?

JConant — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:12:47 -0000

Our Ducks are neck deep in hype this week, with nearly every writer on the planet gushing about how great they are. Of course, we at ATQ all agree. Let's just hope, as Chip Kelly said this week on his show, they don't start reading their own clippings. Here's today's quack:

LaMichael James, welcome to household name status. ESPN's Ted Miller features the freshman running back, who coach Kelly thought would be good, just not this good this fast.
Miller sides with Oregon in his weekly Pac-10 picks. He wonders, however, if Oregon will come out flat, and how Stanford's power will hold up against Oregon's speed. Ted's "What To Watch" segment.
Closer to home, The R-G's Adam Jude digs deep into what makes Jeremiah Masoli such a resiliant guy. This is a must-read look at Oregon's QB on and off the field.
Jeff Smith of The Oregonian recalls that it was a year ago against Stanford that Masoli was being booed by some of the Autzen crowd. But the way he finished that game has changed everything. Smith also posted a short piece about how center Jordan Holmes continues to work on his snaps, along with some Wednesday practice notes.
How much better can Oregon's offense get? That's the question asked of Masoli by Jason Vondersmith of The Portland Trib. JM's answer...the Ducks offense "can do a lot of things better." Check out the story.
Tom Fitzgerald of The San Francisco Chronicle introduces Bay Area folks to the growing wave that is Chip Kelly and Oregon Duck football.
Billy Witz of FOXsports.com has fun piece (see his suggested for a match-up between LGB and Florida's Brandon Spikes) that ultimately reminds us how difficult it can be to finish after a huge win. See OSU's post-USC loss to Utah, and UW's post-USC whipping by Stanford.

I'm sure there is extra quack laying around somewhere. If you find some, please share with the group. NO HOARDING THE QUACK!

Go Ducks!

The Oregon Ducks Elevator - Hoping Not to Get Punched Out Edition

dvieira — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 17:30:20 -0000

Boise State is behind us, TJ Ward is injured, LeGarrette Blount is suspended for the year... what better time then now to check the Oregon Ducks Elevator?

Jeremiah Masoli: Extremely tough outing that was overshadowed by events after the game. Confidence in the offense seemed to be missing, he didn't check down enough to other reads in the passing game and seemed timid all the way around. This game looked like the the beginning of last year rather than the end of last year. Everyone has a bad game so the elevator operator isn't concerned but a big test looms at Autzen this week with Purdue. Maybe home cooking can right the ship? Elevator: Down 2 Floors

Chip Kelly: How much worse can your first game as head coach get? Your star running back punches a guy and tries to go after some fans, you blow some calls during the game, you have your boss come down and talk to you on the sidelines (about who knows what) and your star quarterback has one of the worst games of his Oregon Duck career. At first, people thought you should kick LGB out of school and said you weren't strict enough. Now, they criticize you for being too harsh when you suspend him for the year. Through all that adversity, he seems outwardly steady and ready to take the next step. No cracks, at least outwardly. Also, way to stick to your guns, even if they aren't popular. Elevator: Down 1 Floor

Jordan Holmes: As much as people want to blame the offensive line for the poor showing last Thursday, try and think back to the game for a moment. How many bungled snaps did we see? How concerned were we that there would be a ton of bungled snaps? I think you see where I'm going with this. Elevator: Up 1 Floor

Jackson Rice/Michael Clay: As good as advertised, true freshman to true freshman. Excellent punts each time, only a couple of scary snaps that were handled, this combination of true freshmen represented an answer to a huge question mark coming into the game. The only downside was that we got to see them play too much. Elevator: Up 2 Floors

Larry Scott: The Pac-10 Commissioner was a swift decision maker. He quickly weighed in on the LeGarrette Blount situation and even called for sanctions against Byron Hout of Boise State for his role in the incident. Tom Hansen he is not. Good start for the new commissioner. Elevator: Up 1 Floor

LeGarrette Blount: We all know what happened. It is what it is. The fact that he asked Chip Kelly to set up a call with Chris Petersen and Byron Hout to apologize gives me faith that this is a smart kid who made a knucklehead move, not a knucklehead just doing what he does naturally. Elevator: Crashed at the bottom but lived to tell the tale

ATQ 2009 Football Preseason Awards

JConant — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:00:16 -0000

A few of us ATQers got together and voted on a variety of preseason awards. All in good fun. At the end of the season we'll do it all over again and see how preseason predictions compare to post-season results. Thanks to jtlight, ntrebon, dvieira, PaulSF and Addicted to Quack.

Nominees and winners after the jump...

Most Valuable Player

LeGarrette Blount, Ed Dickson, Jeremiah Masoli, Walter Thurmond III, T.J. Ward

Winner: Jeremiah Masoli
Runner up: LeGarrette Blount

Offensive Player of the Year

LeGarrette Blount, Ed Dickson, Jamere Holland, Jeff Maehl, Jeremiah Masoli

Winner: LeGarrette Blount, Jeremiah Masoli (tie)

Defensive Player of the Year

Casey Matthews, Spencer Paysinger, Walter Thurmond III, Will Tukuafu, T.J. Ward

Winner: Walter Thurmond III
Runner up: Will Tukuafu, T.J. Ward

Offensive Newcomer of the Year (includes '08 red shirts)

Tyrece Gaines, LaMichael James, Diante Jackson, Carson York

Winner: LaMichael James (unanimous)

Defensive Newcomer of the Year (includes '08 red shirts)

Zac Clark, Scott Grady, Bryson Littlejohn, Terrance Montgomery

Winner: Bryson Littlejohn
Runner up: Terrance Montgomery

Freshman Player of the Year

Everett Benyard, Blake Cantu, Michael Clay, Diante Jackson, Jackson Rice

Winner: Jackson Rice
Runner up: Diante Jackson

Most Improved - Offense

Rory Cavaille, Andre Crenshaw, Garrett Embry, Jamere Holland, Jordan Holmes, David Paulson

Winner: Jamere Holland
Runner up: Jordan Holmes

Most Improved - Defense

Brandon Bair, Blake Ferras, Talmadge Jackson III, Casey Matthews, Eddie Pleasant, Kenny Rowe, Javes Lewis

Winner: Brandon Bair
Runner up: Jackson III, Matthews, Rowe, Lewis

Position Coach of the Year

Jerry Azzinaro, Steve Greatwood, Mark Helfrich, John Neal, Don Pellum, Nick Aliotti

Winner: Jerry Azzinaro
Runner up: Steve Greatwood

So, how did we do? If we blew it or nailed it, let us hear about it in the comments. Who are the players you're most looking forward to watch this season and why?

Best Case/Worst Case Scenario: Utah Utes

Jeremy Mauss — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:15:08 -0000

Best Case Scenario: Going undefeated will be a pipe dream in 2009 however last year it was not even discussed at all in the preseason. 11-1 is the best case scenario.

The Oregon game is not as tough as people are making it out to be, because for one their offensive line returns only one starter and in all there are only 20 cumulative total starts. That does not bode well with the Utes strength on the defensive line.

The new projected starters are Mark Asper a a two star recruit who just returned from a two year layoff from serving an LDS mission, then there is Junior Jordan Holmes who's only offer was from Oregon. Finally there is Freshman Carson York who was a four star recruit and finally Junior Bo Thran who received multiple Pac-10 offers.

The loss will come from either TCU or BYU -possibly to Oregon-- because these are on the road, however there is hope for both to be wins since the games are at the end of the year, and by then the offense should have little or no questions.

TCU seems the most likely even though the Utes have not loss to them since 2005, but TCU looks to be the most complete team in the league and that puts this game as the most likely loss in this scenario. Also, look at what TCU did last year to BYU when their main focus was beating the Cougars, and in 2009 Utah will be their main focus.

BYU is interesting because the games from 2005-2008 have all came down to either overtime or with less then two minutes in the game. LaVell Edwards is a tough place to play and BYU currently has an 18 game winning streak at home, and their last loss was the 2005 Utah team when backup turned starter Brett Ratliff took over for an injured Brian Johnson to lead the Utes to the win.

The quarterback situation is not yet official and if the quarterback can make limited mistakes and hand the ball of to Matt Asiata and find the open receiver then the Utes will not be rebuilding this year. Also, their defensive line is one of the best in the country and will be their strength in keeping the team in games.

11-1 is lofty and would require a near perfect season and the loss will be of these three, but the most likely loss seems to be TCU.

Worst Case Scenario: 7-5, that would be pretty disappointing for a team that should contend for a conference title. Going back through history to 2006, that was the last time the Utes had a quarterback controversy and they ended up with an 8-5 record, when the bowl wins is included. That team finished strong after a bad start to the season.

The quarterback situation might be iffy with neither Jordan Wynn or Terrance Cain every taken an FBS snap, and who know how they will react when they are surrounded by at least 50,000 fans. The receivers are green but there is over talent and depth at the position.

The cornerback position is biggest key since Sean Smith and Brice McCain are both in the NFL, and the Utes run a man press coverage on the corners and if the replacements are not up to par then the pass defense could be a hurtin' for the Utes.

Also, they lost clutch kicker/punter Louie Sakoda to graduation and he made multiple winning kicks last year, most notable agaisnt Oregon State, and he made other clutch kicks that preserved leads against MIchigan, Air Force, New Mexico, and TCU

Loses along the way in this case is to Oregon, TCU, and BYU for sure and then the other two could be against Air Force or UNLV. This can even happen if injuries do not occur, because the Utes replace quarterback Brian Johnson that is the schools career win leader, their top three wide outs are gone, superior kicker/punter Louie Sakoda, and a few NFL draft picks along the way. Also, do not forget that defensive end Jamies Aiona who was the top junior college recruit -- according to Rivals -- is not eligible to play this fall.

Date	Game	Time	Zone	Television
Thursday, September 3	Utah State at Utah	7:00 PM	MT
Saturday, September 12	Utah at San Jose State	7:30 PM	PT
Saturday, September 19	Utah at Oregon	12:30 PM	PT
Saturday, September 26	Louisville at Utah	5:30 PM	MT	- HD
Saturday, October 10	Utah at Colorado State	4:00 PM	MT
Saturday, October 17	Utah at UNLV	7:00 PM	PT
Saturday, October 24	Air Force at Utah	2:00 PM	MT	HD
Saturday, October 31	Wyoming at Utah	6:00 PM	MT
Saturday, November 7	New Mexico at Utah	4:00 PM	MT
Saturday, November 14	Utah at TCU	6:30 PM	CT	- HD
Saturday, November 21	San Diego State at Utah	2:00 PM	MT	HD
Saturday, November 28	Utah at BYU	3:00 PM	MT	&

Not a Chance None

50/50 @Oregon, @Colorado State, @UNLV, Air Force, @TCU, @BYU

Lock it Up Utah State, @San Jose State, Louisville, Wyoming, San Diego State

Poll

How many wins will Utah have in 2009?

12

5 votes

11

8 votes

10

13 votes

9 or less

7 votes

33 votes | Poll has closed

Previewing 2009 Utah Opponents: Oregon Ducks

Jeremy Mauss — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:00:11 -0000

This off season brought in some changes for Oregon with Chip Kelly being promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach, and former head coach Mike Bellotti is now the athletic director. Oregon is the last team not named USC to win an outright conference which happened to be in 2001.

The Pac-10 typically plays a pretty strong out of conference schedule and Oregon may have one of the toughest with a road game at Boise State, home for both Utah, and Purdue. Purdue could be consider an easy win but not when you consider that many, many schools schedule directional tech for a gimme win.

Their preseason ranking varies from a near consensus in the mid teens, or Phil Steele who has Oregon ranked 40. Part of the reason for Steele's ranking is his importance in the line play. Oregon has only twenty career starts on the offensive line --that comes from one player-- which puts them 118th out of 120th in all of college football.

via vmedia.rivals.com

The line will consist of Junior Bo Thran who received multiple offers from other Pac-10 schools, Sophomore Mark Asper who just returned from a two year LDS mission, Junior Jordan Holmes who's only offer came from Oregon, Freshman Carson York who is a four star recruit, and the only returning starter is Junior CE Kaiser.

The recent success of the Ducks is their running the spread option and with the right players have been deadly. The last time the offense was great was when Dennis Dixon ran the show two years ago, but ever since his injury in that Arizona game Oregon has yet to find the 'next' quarterback to run the offense.

The offense is still very productive by ranking in the top 10 in scoring offense in 2008. The 2009 version should still be one that scores a bunch of points, even with the loss of quarterback Justin Roper who transferred to Montana. The quarterback position is their deepest position and starts with Jeremiah Mosali who after struggling to pass the ball last year, actually picked it up in the last three games.

Passing

Rushing

Completion	Attempt	Yards	Interception	Touchdown	Attempts	Yards	Yards Per Carry	Long	Touchdown
21	26	298	0	2	10	89	8.9	66	3
11	17	274	0	3	12	53	4.4	20	1
18	32	258	1	1	16	106	6.6	41	3

Others at quarterback are Nate Costa who started last year before suffering a knee injury then there is sophomore Darron Thomas who played in the Boise game after the first and second quarterbacks went down, and he did well by throwing for 210 yards and three scores. So, the Ducks are taken care if one does happen to go down with an injury.

With the spread option the Ducks have another chance to have two 1,000 yards rushers starting with returning back LaGarrette Johnson who had 1,201 yards, and then the potential other thousand yard back is redshirt freshman --and former four star recruit-- LaMichael Johnson.

The receiving crew has a potential star in the making with Jamere Holland, because of his great spring oh and he is really, really fast. The Ducks lost two of their top three receivers, but that returning wide out is Ed Dickson who was a deep threat with 14.5 yards per catch. In this offense with the way the ball is spread around any receiver with any talent can become a star in this offense.

The defense only returns five starters, but there is some pretty good talent filling in those other six spots. The defensive line was a strength last year, but with the loss of three of four lineman, and two to the NFL draft make the line a potential short coming this season.

The returing starter is Will Tukuafu who had 7.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss, however being the only starter back on the line means there will be more double teams. Those potential double teams could lead to less production by Tukuafu but open up opportunities for others.

The biggest impact newcomer is junior college transfer Bryon Littlejohn who was an All-American linebacker. Even with that talent Littlejohn may not even start because the linebacker position is the deepest on the team, but it will be hard for Littlejohn to not see some action on the field.

The Ducks have a legit shot of taking down USC for their first Pac-10 title since 2001 because USC is starting a new quarterback, and has to replace eight starters on defense. Even if they do not over take USC a 10 win season is a realistic goal for this year.

Morning Quack Fix: Defense gets revenge. Matzek and Marisnick sign

ntrebon — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 13:12:49 -0000

Not a whole lot of Duck news out there this morning. Here's what I could round up:

As Jared (and Dave) posted last night, Tyler Matzek and Jake Marisnick both signed professional baseball contracts with the clubs that drafted them, the Rockies and Blue Jays, respectively. Best of luck to both of them. Oregon closer Drew Gagnier will return for his senior season after choosing not to sign with Oakland as a 14th round pick.
Tony from Duck Territory has write ups for both the offense and defense from yesterday's practice. On the offensive side of the ball, Tony had positives for each of the various units, with Andre Crenshaw and Lavasier Tuinei standing out. The second practice of the day featured the second compeition day of the fall, which the defense led from start to finish. The competition ended with a T.J. Ward pick returned for a TD. Moseley also blogs about the defense winning the right to wear the black jerseys, including what he calls the "first significant fight of the fall" between Jordan Holmes, Casey Mathews and Eddie Pleasant.
John Hunt blogs about Tom Osborne's preparations for Oregon's special teams as the Boise State game draws near. With Jackson Rice sounding like the real deal, I just wish we could get some consistency with the kicking game. Besides consistently poor, that is.
Nick Daschel looks at which players are the most irreplaceable for each team in the wake of the news that Arizona TE Rob Gronkowski is out indefinitely with a back injury. Oregon's player? Walter Thurmond III. Daschel's argument against Jeremiah Masoli (and LeGarrette Blount, I assume) is the remaining depth at the position.
Ron Bellamy has a quick blog note up that Galen Rupp finished 8th in the IAAF World Track & Field Champships on Monday in Berlin. Rupp finished nearly a full minute behind (!) Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia, who is the current world record holder.
And, it looks like Jake Locker will give baseball a shot, after signing with the Angels. His baseball activities are not expected to interfere with football. Maybe a summer off playing (or struggling) at professional baseball will have the same transformational effect on Locker as it did on Dixon?

And, that's it for today. Post any comments or links below.

The Oregon Ducks Elevator - Fall Practice Week 2

dvieira — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:00:10 -0000

Nothing like the first scrimmage of fall practice to get the juices flowing for the upcoming season. We are just a couple of weeks away now from the start of the season. Let's check the elevator progress.

Nate Costa: 159 yards on 12-of-15 attempts for 3 touchdowns. He also carried seven times for 45 yards. Coach Kelly says it all. "I feel 100 hundred percent better about our quarterback position than a year ago at this time." Remember that Costa was competing for the starting job last year before he got injured right before the season opener. So far, he seems to be slamming the door on the number two QB position. Could we see a quarterback controversy in the future? Elevator: Up 2 floors

Jeremiah Masoli: Not a great outing for the darkhouse Heisman candidate going 5-13 with two touchdowns. There were some drops but also some poor decisions on reads. When comparing numbers between him and Costa, remember that Masoli is playing with the first team and Costa the second. Elevator: Still in the Penthouse but the rent check is due

LaMichael James: playing in the slot, hanging out in the backfield at running back, James had 4 carries for 21 yards and caught 2 passes for 54 yards, including a 49-yard pass from Nate Costa. Oh, one more thing about that touchdown catch...James characterized as "streaking" for that pass at only about 75 percent. He's making a statement and then some. Elevator: Up 2 floors

Morgan Flint: Tough day in the kicking department all around but Flint had an especially tough outing. He missed all three of his attempts (53, 38, and 45) and also clanked an extra point try. Given that barely anyone could make field goals, Flint has some company in his elevator. Elevator (for all the field goal kickers): Down 1 floor

Jackson Rice: The punting game may not be as bad off as we thought. Rice had 5 punts, averaging 44.8 yards per kick with some real boomers that had no return. Form is good, he just needs to have consistent snaps and build up that confidence. He appears to be the real deal and should get some immediate playing time if this effort holds up. Elevator: Up 1 floor

LeGarrette Blount: Rattling off a 34-yard rush to open the scrimmage was a reminder of that talent level we get with Blount in the backfield. He's had some off-the-field distractions and he's still a bit over his playing weight at 240, but he's getting quicker and should be more than ready and motivated for the opener against Boise State. I was a little worried about his attitude on the field but he's practicing hard and looks to be ready for the season. Elevator: Knocking on the penthouse door

Jordan Holmes: Blew two shotgun snaps in a row. He has some huge shoes to fill with Max Unger leaving but he's got 19 days to get some consistency. He's on the cover of SI with Masoli. Let's hope there isn't a jynx at center. Elevator: Down 1 floor

Morning Quack Fix: Rounding up the scrimmage, will UO keep two top baseball commits?

jtlight — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:08:23 -0000

Happy Monday everyone. 17 days til kickoff in Boise, and lots of football excitement in the air, with the football scrimmage this weekend. Here's your daily quack:

Overall, well, it was a scrimmage. There were ups and downs, which Rob Moseley lists here. One obvious highlight was LeGarrette Blount simply throwing off an attempted William Wallace tackle. Also, Nate Costa had an excellent showing at QB, making a few very good plays. If his knee is healthy, then our QB depth will be excellent. It was also good to see Jackson Rice have a good showing. Unfortunately though, the receiver position wasn't really able to be looked at adequately because of injuries, while the field goal attempts did not go well, and there were a few issues with Jordan Holmes's snaps. However, it was a good day overall, and leaves us with a good deal of optimism, as well as some things to look for over the next couple weeks.
Today is the final day that Oregon baseball recruits Tyler Matzek (11th pick in the MLB draft) and Jake Marisnick can sign MLB contracts. If they don't reach an agreement with their teams by 9pm tonight, they'll both be Ducks! George Horton is fairly confident that Matzek will be in summer school today (as Matzek is not close to reaching an agreement with the Rockies), though Marisnick is a bit closer to meeting terms with the Toronto Blue Jays. Either way, we'll have news updates on both players as they are available.
In 2010 recruiting news, it sounds like 4* RB Dontae Williams has pretty much committed to Oregon, and will be officially announcing for the Ducks in the next two weeks. Williams went to the same high school as Darron Thomas, and is a big pickup for the Ducks, considering the running back depth the Ducks must get this year. Oregon already has two 4* running backs commits (Williams and Ethan Grant), and is still chasing 5* RB Marcus Lattimore.
Also, Brandon Oliver from DuckTerritory has a good (free) article on recruiting expectations. I know that there have been some fans upset over not getting Pryor, Boyd, Brown, etc, but a Oliver points out that national recruiting success cannot be built overnight. And he also states what we can expect from our recruiting efforts in the south. This really is a great, and lengthy article, on recruiting in general, and the Duck's prospects for success, so check it out.

After the jump, check out two videos, one featuring Nate Costa (though it covers a lot more of the scrimmage), and another with the full Chip Kelly post-scrimmage interview. GO DUCKS!

Football Spring Preview: Offensive Line

jtlight — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 18:58:00 -0000

Over the next few weeks, before spring practice starts on March 30th, we'll be taking a look at each section of the team, assessing its strengths and weaknesses, and looking at any battles that will be taking place. Today we look at the offensive line.

One of the strengths of the Oregon team the past few years has been offensive line play. Oregon has recruiting the position incredibly well, and has the best position coach in the nation, Steve Greatwood, molding the individuals into a cohesive squad.

Despite the loss of many seniors this past season, I think the offensive line will be in good shape by fall. The Oregon offensive line, even without Hamani Stevens, is loaded with talent. Most of the guys are big time recruits that have had a year or two to learn under Greatwood, and have had very good experience in game situations.

Because of the interchangeability of the offensive line positions, especially at Oregon, we'll look at the top players, and look at the line depth overall.

The experience:

Unfortunately, Oregon's top lineman will be out for spring. CE Kaiser (Jr.)will be limited this spring due to ankle surgery. Kaiser, who started at right tackle for 10 games in 2008, will be starting at a tackle position, and could likely be moved to left. He has strength and the ability to move, which he showcased in the Civil War, despite battling injuries late in the season.

After Kaiser, Jordan Holmes (Jr.), Mark Asper (Jr.), and Bo Thran (Jr.) return after playing during the 2008 season. With the departure of Stevens, Holmes, who started 4 games at left gaurd, will almost definitely start at center. He backed up Max Unger last season, and worked his way into the rotation. While he may not have the upside of Stevens, he will be a solid player, and provide experience at the center position.

Mark Asper, though only a 2* recruit, worked himself into the rotation last season, and started at right tackle during the Holiday Bowl. Thran, Oregon's fastest offensive lineman according to GoDucks.com, will start at a guard position. Thran is talented, but has been limited due to injury.

The talented youngsters:

In the mix for starting spots are 4 underclassman who will push all of the experienced players for time. The top lineman in this group is most likely sophomore Darrion Weems, who will most likely hold down a starting spot due to Kaiser's injury. Also in competition with him will be Nick Cody (RFr.), Carson York (RFr.), and Charlie Carmichael (So.). All of these linemen but Carmichael were 4* recruits. While that in itself doesn't mean anything, it's clear that Oregon has a strong, big, quick linemen ready for a chance to play.

Conclusion:

Oregon's offensive line was stellar last year. However, there was one game where they failed miserably: USC. The rushing offense averaged only 1.54 ypc, the only game all season under 4. And there was a reason for this. Physically, the line was manhandled. For as good as they were at technique and fundamentals, they were dominated by the front 7 of USC. However, with this year's line, that talent gap will shrink. This upside for this line is greater than it has been in a long, long time. It is talented, and deep. Last year's line was incredibly consistent, and they could dominate anyone of nearly equal talent. If they consistency and cohesion can be approached, Oregon's line will be very, very good.

The spring will be a very good time to take a good look at the linemen. We haven't had a good look at the younger players, but there is little reason for them to not succeed. Also, though having Kaiser be missing for drills will be unfortunate, it will give the coaches a chance to really look at the other players, who have not had as much experience.

Lastly, we have Steve Greatwood, who has done wonders at coaching the line. Just look at what he's been able to do with players that don't have a built in physical advantage. He turned players like Unger into one of the best O-lines in the nation, through sound fundamentals and teamwork. On top of that, he didn't just do it with 5 guys that had played together for 4 years. He did it despite injuries, and with a rotation that included as many as 9 guys.

With a dose of experience, and a wealth of talent, I fully expect him to be able to turn the offensive line into a true unit by the time the season starts. Spring will be the first time we get to look at the progress.