In Focus, Connor Hansen #56 and Charlie Thomas #45

[BigDaddyBuzz]

Good choice on these 2 guys given that the decision to start these guys was needed and has been a big lift to both sides of the ball.

 

[Heisman's Ghost]

Great write up Boomer. In short I think you are saying that they were both excellent recruits that have a lot of upside. I am sure some on this board will argue that (ie PJ can’t recruit)Again thanks for taking the time to do this analysis. There are many of us here that appreciate what you do.

The proof is in the pudding. Guys offered scholarships based on summer camp programs while being eyeballed by the coaches are a pretty good bet to fit what we are trying to do and a good way to see if they are "coachable".

 

[Heisman's Ghost]

*I think Hanson has a chance to be as good as Shaq! The line next year may be the best in the CPJ era!!!

Whoa Nellie! That kind of talk is akin to being heretical around these parts. He has a ways to go but for now he might be a good replacement for Parker in another year. The mantra for all the offensive line players starters and otherwise is getting better every week. Do that, and no one can complain. After all, how often will our guys face a set of future All Pro defensive linemen like Clemson? Even UGA does not have that kind of talent on its line.

 

[jayparr]

Whoa Nellie! That kind of talk is akin to being heretical around these parts. He has a ways to go but for now he might be a good replacement for Parker in another year. The mantra for all the offensive line players starters and otherwise is getting better every week. Do that, and no one can complain. After all, how often will our guys face a set of future All Pro defensive linemen like Clemson? Even UGA does not have that kind of talent on its line

 

[jayparr]

I can't imagine us having A center like Cooper, 2 guards like Braun and Hanson!!!!!!!!!!!! Next year!

 

[Towaliga]

I am happy to be a sponsor of "In Focus" with @Boomergump just tell me where to send the whiskey

You can send it to my house, and I will hold it for him until he comes over to visit. Of course, I’ve never met Boomer and he doesn’t know where I live, but those are minor issues.

 

[Heisman's Ghost]

You can send it to my house, and I will hold it for him until he comes over to visit. Of course, I’ve never met Boomer and he doesn’t know where I live, but those are minor issues.

Boomer will know what you look like...from your avatar. Am I doing this right?

 

[MidtownJacket]

Boomer will know what you look like...from your avatar. Am I doing this right?

I wouldn’t want to be hunted by anyone. Especially Boomer looking for his bourbon.


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[Boomergump]

I wouldn’t want to be hunted by anyone. Especially Boomer looking for his bourbon.


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You are a wise man.

 

[Boomergump]

Connor is the one that someone on the Louisville board was complaining about being a "dirty player" because he supposedly "chopped blocked" their big nose tackle. I did not see it but Boomer's analysis is spot on. You will recall, he is the one when he was being looked at in a summer camp tryout was given an offer on the spot and said something like" Thank you, can I go back and hit someone some more" Paraphrasing here but you get the idea. He is all guard. In other words, a road grader of the first order. Charlie Thomas already had quite a reputation down here in south Georgia for being a "baller". Fine athlete with good instincts. He will only get better with time. The shame of it is that he might could have benefited from a red shirt year to get stronger but circumstances have dictated otherwise. Gotta have him now!

It was Hanson who "chopped" the big guy. When I saw it for the first time I thought it was illegal and we were lucky not to be called. Then I rewound it and looked again. The center was trying to get by to the second level. There was contact, but no engagement from our guy. Their DT may have put his hands on our center ( can't remember which C it was), but that contact was not reciprocated.

With all that said, Hanson is punishing when he goes low. That wasn't just diving at somebody's legs.

 

[Boomergump]

Thanks for all the nice comments guys. I appreciate it.

 

[LongforDodd]

I had already watched the replay of the Louisville game once and wanted to watch it again. However, this time I wanted a special task to keep it interesting. I don't have a DVR any more, so watching every play over and over isn't very time efficient. I decided to pick a single player on each side of the ball to watch every play as the game tape ran unstopped for three quarters. I thought it would be fun to choose players I wasn't familiar with, just to get to know them better. In this case it was Connor Hansen #56 at RG on offense, and Charlie Thomas #45 on defense. My observations are as follows:

Hansen: I had a blast watching this kid, I have to be honest. He really gets after it. In fact, I don't think the guy he was assigned to (run blocking) made a single stop the entire three periods. There was a draw play where he stood up to block and got beat, but that was it in my recollection. He really gets low. Nobody, and I mean nobody, gets underneath him. He was very decisive about his assignments and appeared to take the right guy when moving to the second level every time. When on the really big DL guy, he drove into him and controlled him despite giving up a lot of weight. He pulls very quickly and gets out in space effectively. This kid is ready to play and is absolutely an asset to this offense. He knows how to play in it and he is really tough. We didn't pass much, so making judgement on his pass blocking skills would be premature. With that said, his run blocking is top notch. His cut blocking on the interior was simply fearsome.

Thomas: It was a bit eery seeing a guy in #45 who looked so much like Attaochu moving around the field. Charlie has as much agility and athletic ability as Jeremiah and will progress in a similar fashion I would imagine. He flies around the field and can put a foot in the ground rushing the passer, making it difficult for blockers to stay in front of him. Just to set the record straight, on the first fumble recovery, near the right sideline, he started the play as the OLB on the left side, rushed the passer, beat the guy on him with an inside move, got a hit on the QB and rushed the throw, THEN beat feet towards the receiver on the opposite side of the field to get in on the recovery. The ground he covered and the hustle he displayed were all that ANY coach could ask for. 99% of defensive players don't make that play. Having said that, at this point, Charlie plays a little out of control. He over runs some plays and gets himself out of position at times. Additionally, he appears to lack the upper body strength at this time to shuck blockers like he will in the future. IMHO, he needs to play now though, because he can really move. We are talking about a future STAR LB for GT. I feel sure about that. He will help us now, but he will be a way better player in the years to come. Remember Phillip Wheeler? He reminds me of him as well in a lot of ways. You have to love the energy.

This may seem trivial to some but I noticed when he bent down to pick up that second fumble and take off running, he showed excellent athletic mobility and mobility for a person of his size.

 

[iceeater1969]

It was Hanson who "chopped" the big guy. When I saw it for the first time I thought it was illegal and we were lucky not to be called. Then I rewound it and looked again. The center was trying to get by to the second level. There was contact, but no engagement from our guy. Their DT may have put his hands on our center ( can't remember which C it was), but that contact was not reciprocated.

With all that said, Hanson is punishing when he goes low. That wasn't just diving at somebody's legs.

It looked unnecessarily low and could have been called. Play was to left. Center was to go to left and down field. So once the nt engaged c at all, he is out of play.
After play Hansen (soph) came over to him (true freshman).

Things happen fast in the trenches.

Does anyone know of any other injured d linemen in recent memory? I don't.

 

[MidtownJacket]

Removed as it was a double post.

 

[MidtownJacket]

It looked unnecessarily low and could have been called. Play was to left. Center was to go to left and down field. So once the nt engaged c at all, he is out of play.
After play Hansen (soph) came over to him (true freshman).

Things happen fast in the trenches.

Does anyone know of any other injured d linemen in recent memory? I don't.

This is one of the things that really bothers me about the narrative surrounding our OLine and blocking schemes.

Defensive holding almost never gets called and is essentially causing our guys to have to opt out of their blocking responsibilities when short circuited by the other team cheating (breaking a rule that says they can’t hold our guys) yet no one is up in arms about how the refs have to start calling penalties against their team to protect their precious little ones.

The talk about concern for their own players’ well being is a farce and exposed as such every time they are coached or allowed to grab and hold us.


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[Deleted member 2897]

This is one of the things that really bothers me about the narrative surrounding our OLine and blocking schemes.

Defensive holding almost never gets called and is essentially causing our guys to have to opt out of their blocking responsibilities when short circuited by the other team cheating (breaking a rule that says they can’t hold our guys) yet no one is up in arms about how the refs have to start calling penalties against their team to protect their precious little ones.

The talk about concern for their own players’ well being is a farce and exposed as such every time they are coached or allowed to grab and hold us.


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I saw Cooper get held numerous times during the Louisville game. Its pretty easy to spot, as he hikes and starts off in a near bear crawl to try and get through to the next level (takes him a couple steps to get upright). A couple times the NT held out an arm which stood Cooper up immediately - you can see him straining under the force of being held with an arm across his neck. Not sure if I ever remember someone on the DL being called for holding. So that means we need to account for not getting penalties and know how to work through that.

 

[MidtownJacket]

I saw Cooper get held numerous times during the Louisville game. Its pretty easy to spot, as he hikes and starts off in a near bear crawl to try and get through to the next level (takes him a couple steps to get upright). A couple times the NT held out an arm which stood Cooper up immediately - you can see him straining under the force of being held with an arm across his neck. Not sure if I ever remember someone on the DL being called for holding. So that means we need to account for not getting penalties and know how to work through that.

Don’t disagree that we have to game plan around it. I am only pointing out how ridiculous it is that we have new rules put in for “safety” (arbitrary 5 yard limit on cut blocks with 0 data to justify it) and then blatantly don’t enforce penalties against demonstratively dangerous plays.


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[dressedcheeseside]

The refs might be aware and not calling the chop because of the D holding. I'd rather them call a penalty on the D and stop that nonsense.

 

[kg01]

The refs might be aware and not calling the chop because of the D holding. I'd rather them call a penalty on the D and stop that nonsense.

True. In the refs' minds, they're probably thinking we should simply be satisfied that they're not calling the chop. However, by them choosing to eat the whistle, the defense is gaining an advantage so it's basically a moot point.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

True. In the refs' minds, they're probably thinking we should simply be satisfied that they're not calling the chop. However, by them choosing to eat the whistle, the defense is gaining an advantage so it's basically a moot point.

Not only that, but it creates a dangerous situation for the D.