Looking Ahead - OL

[Boomergump]

Merry Christmas everybody! I am in FL on vacation, but thought I would get started with the end of season review. I will start with the embattled and controversial offensive line. Without a doubt, the lack of production out of this group was totally unexpected given the result from the prior season and the level of experience we had coming back. There was a mix of problems, from a lack of conditioning to poor execution, resulting in a total lack of continuity on offense.

Gone are Trey Braun, Bryan Chamberlain, Errin Joe, and Tim Seager. Of the four, only TB gave us much to cheer about. He was pretty steady, in my estimation, and while he didn't set the world on fire, he gave us about what he did last year. That should have been enough, but with the problems going on around him, sadly, it wasn't. EJ appeared to put on a bunch of weight and was just unable to move like he needed to out there. He was slower than last year and it showed, whether playing RG or RT. BC took a step back as well, in my estimation. He played confused some of the time and just didn't have the tenacity required to hold his starting spot over a freshman. His career seemed to be getting on track after 2014, but it just didn't work out that way. Give Seager some props. He hung in there for all five seasons and gave us what he could. Guys like him make a ton of difference, even though we don't see them every game. Bottom line, this should have been a group that left us in tears, fearing for the future as they headed out the door. But instead, we look forward to raising the bar with the next generation. I wish all of them the very best of luck in the future and welcome them into Yellow Jacket Nation. Playing CFB and going to TECH requires great sacrifice and I appreciate all they have done for the program.

Returning are Freddie Burden RS-SR, Michael Muns RS-SR, Shamire Devine RS-JR, Chris Griffin RS-JR, Eason Fromayan RS-JR, Niko Anderson RS-JR, Andrew Marshall JR, Trey Smith RS-SO, Trey Klock RS-SO, Jake Stickler RS-SO, Cheyanne Hunt RS-SO, Gary Brown RS-SO, Will Bryan SO, Brad Morgan RS-FR, Caleb Martinez RS-FR, Bailey Ivemeyer RS-FR, Davis Beard RS-FR, and Matt Pruitt RS- FR. From this group, a solid two deep could be a reality. I feel sure Burden will return to 2014 form in the coming season. He had a lot to deal with this season and still played pretty well, all things considered. Chris Griffin was out in 2015 but showed enough as a frosh to give a lot of hope. He appears bigger than ever and may be poised for a breakout type of season. His problems were mostly assignment related in his first year. Hopefully with a year of film study under his belt he will be ready to lead. Shamire can be as good as he chooses to be, even in this offense. Making the choice requires sacrifice. There is so much he already does well, but there is more still that he could bring to the table, but hasn't as of yet. I'll be willing to bet this year of reflection will do him a lot of good. Time to prove himself for the next level is running out. Klock and Bryan got a little baptism by fire this season, but showed potential none-the-less. I saw Will over run plays. I saw him block the wrong guys. I saw him get handled physically at times or just take bad angles. However, I also saw him make some terrific blocks too. He moves fast with great conviction and absolutely no fear. Truthfully, I expect a big jump from him, which tends to be the norm from year one to year two. Klock is another high energy guy that should steadily improve. Marshall has proven himself a tough kid and Fromayan has done good things in limited duty. The rest of them I really don't have an opinion on, as I don't attend practices. It should be interesting to see Stickler and Brown take on greater roles and possibly challenge the rest of the pack. Is Brad Morgan ready to make a name for himself?

What say you?

 

[awbuzz]

I say - WELL DONE Boomergump!

Going to be a long offseason. Can hardly wait for spring practice to start so we can see who seems ready to go at it next season.

 

[1979jacket]

You always do a good analyzing the offensive line - congrats. I did not realize until recently after the year was over what Burden was going through. I am sure that was a tough time and he deserves some props for hanging in there. With that said, I do think we need someone who can call the right assignments and was not convinced that happened last year. So could be a spot for someone. I agree Devine is not a bad player and can move some people although his frame may be better suited to a zone and pass blocking scheme. Nevertheless, I think he should start at guard assuming he does the work. If he doesn't start, then I begin to wonder should he be at noseguard on defense. Did he play defense in high school? Griffin at tackle would seem to be a likelihood. To bad he had already redshirted and I guess lost a year of eligibility despite not playing.

The other two spots are not as certain (the first three aren't a certainty either) but just speculating would say Klock at guard and Bryan at tackle. Coach wants tackles that can get downfield and block the linebackers and I believe Bryan has the foot quickness to do so. As for the rest, there should be some talent in the group and I know Marshall has some but we shall see.

The only other thought I have is could it be possible we move Burden to tackle? He has the ability to get downfield as he often blocks the middle linebacker who is 7 yards off the line so he has good feet. Do that and maybe Marshall moves up. I am sure things will be wide open this Spring.

In retrospect, Joe and Chamberlain struggled throughout their career. At time Griffin and others were ahead of them in the lineup. Congrats to both for having a great Orange Bowl and stepping up to block Clemson, UGA, FSU and Mississippi St. in consecutive games with success.

 

[jacketup]

Merry Christmas everybody! I am in FL on vacation, but thought I would get started with the end of season review. I will start with the embattled and controversial offensive line. Without a doubt, the lack of production out of this group was totally unexpected given the result from the prior season and the level of experience we had coming back. There was a mix of problems, from a lack of conditioning to poor execution, resulting in a total lack of continuity on offense.

Gone are Trey Braun, Bryan Chamberlain, Errin Joe, and Tim Seager. Of the four, only TB gave us much to cheer about. He was pretty steady, in my estimation, and while he didn't set the world on fire, he gave us about what he did last year. That should have been enough, but with the problems going on around him, sadly, it wasn't. EJ appeared to put on a bunch of weight and was just unable to move like he needed to out there. He was slower than last year and it showed, whether playing RG or RT. BC took a step back as well, in my estimation. He played confused some of the time and just didn't have the tenacity required to hold his starting spot over a freshman. His career seemed to be getting on track after 2014, but it just didn't work out that way. Give Seager some props. He hung in there for all five seasons and gave us what he could. Guys like him make a ton of difference, even though we don't see them every game. Bottom line, this should have been a group that left us in tears, fearing for the future as they headed out the door. But instead, we look forward to raising the bar with the next generation. I wish all of them the very best of luck in the future and welcome them into Yellow Jacket Nation. Playing CFB and going to TECH requires great sacrifice and I appreciate all they have done for the program.

Returning are Freddie Burden RS-SR, Michael Muns RS-SR, Shamire Devine RS-JR, Chris Griffin RS-JR, Eason Fromayan RS-JR, Niko Anderson RS-JR, Andrew Marshall JR, Trey Smith RS-SO, Trey Klock RS-SO, Jake Stickler RS-SO, Cheyanne Hunt RS-SO, Gary Brown RS-SO, Will Bryan SO, Brad Morgan RS-FR, Caleb Martinez RS-FR, Bailey Ivemeyer RS-FR, Davis Beard RS-FR, and Matt Pruitt RS- FR. From this group, a solid two deep could be a reality. I feel sure Burden will return to 2014 form in the coming season. He had a lot to deal with this season and still played pretty well, all things considered. Chris Griffin was out in 2015 but showed enough as a frosh to give a lot of hope. He appears bigger than ever and may be poised for a breakout type of season. His problems were mostly assignment related in his first year. Hopefully with a year of film study under his belt he will be ready to lead. Shamire can be as good as he chooses to be, even in this offense. Making the choice requires sacrifice. There is so much he already does well, but there is more still that he could bring to the table, but hasn't as of yet. I'll be willing to bet this year of reflection will do him a lot of good. Time to prove himself for the next level is running out. Klock and Bryan got a little baptism by fire this season, but showed potential none-the-less. I saw Will over run plays. I saw him block the wrong guys. I saw him get handled physically at times or just take bad angles. However, I also saw him make some terrific blocks too. He moves fast with great conviction and absolutely no fear. Truthfully, I expect a big jump from him, which tends to be the norm from year one to year two. Klock is another high energy guy that should steadily improve. Marshall has proven himself a tough kid and Fromayan has done good things in limited duty. The rest of them I really don't have an opinion on, as I don't attend practices. It should be interesting to see Stickler and Brown take on greater roles and possibly challenge the rest of the pack. Is Brad Morgan ready to make a name for himself?

What say you?

As a general rule, teams with experienced, upper class dominated, lines have good offenses. Last year was an exception.

2016 will be a less experienced line, but with more talented starters. It should be improved.

I don't see the "solid two deep" that you see. Depth will continue to be an issue for GT, and this offense tends to be tough on shoulders. That's the wild card.

 

[Boomergump]

You always do a good analyzing the offensive line - congrats. I did not realize until recently after the year was over what Burden was going through. I am sure that was a tough time and he deserves some props for hanging in there. With that said, I do think we need someone who can call the right assignments and was not convinced that happened last year. So could be a spot for someone. I agree Devine is not a bad player and can move some people although his frame may be better suited to a zone and pass blocking scheme. Nevertheless, I think he should start at guard assuming he does the work. If he doesn't start, then I begin to wonder should he be at noseguard on defense. Did he play defense in high school? Griffin at tackle would seem to be a likelihood. To bad he had already redshirted and I guess lost a year of eligibility despite not playing.

The other two spots are not as certain (the first three aren't a certainty either) but just speculating would say Klock at guard and Bryan at tackle. Coach wants tackles that can get downfield and block the linebackers and I believe Bryan has the foot quickness to do so. As for the rest, there should be some talent in the group and I know Marshall has some but we shall see.

The only other thought I have is could it be possible we move Burden to tackle? He has the ability to get downfield as he often blocks the middle linebacker who is 7 yards off the line so he has good feet. Do that and maybe Marshall moves up. I am sure things will be wide open this Spring.

In retrospect, Joe and Chamberlain struggled throughout their career. At time Griffin and others were ahead of them in the lineup. Congrats to both for having a great Orange Bowl and stepping up to block Clemson, UGA, FSU and Mississippi St. in consecutive games with success.

There are some interesting possibilities. While Burden has the footspeed to play OT, I would be surprised if we moved him there. If we did, he wouldn't be making line calls. That is for sure. To me, Bryan has to stay at OT, no question. He moves so well, he just seems like a natural choice. Then there is Griffin at OT as well. Has he gotten big enough to play OG? I dunno. His frame seems ideal for OT. At G-C-G we have Marshall, Burden, Devine, and Klock to mix and match in there. Klock was at OT to finish the season, but my gut tells me he moves inside. I could be wrong. We'll see.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

I think we go back to what worked early in coach's tenure on the flats: speed, quickness and knowing where to go and who to hit. Big, slow and clueless ain't gonna cut it.

 

[FatPat]

Our OL with our offense relies on smaller then the norm linemen, they have to be quicker off the ball and not hesitant as they were this past year- one of my sons was an O-lineman for six years with this same offense - and played D1 college ball, watching every game he would only say our o-line was weak and playing scared! Replay a game and watch over-and-over where we would dive out to "cut block" only to belly flop and hit air..... Primarily watching the line play due to a pattern of watching your own boy for over 15 years on the line - the empty belly flops discourage me greatly when it is not a pool competition! On another note: not to alter the thread- Has anyone else heard about our special teams coach/line coach being a front runner for the Vanderbilt ST coach?

 

[chewybaka]

I think we go back to what worked early in coach's tenure on the flats: speed, quickness and knowing where to go and who to hit. Big, slow and clueless ain't gonna cut it.

Didn't Dean Woermer coin that phrase in "Animal house"? ; )

 

[flea77]

" weak and playing scared ". Funny what someone will say hiding behind a screen name .

 

[Ibeeballin]

I think we go back to what worked early in coach's tenure on the flats: speed, quickness and knowing where to go and who to hit. Big, slow and clueless ain't gonna cut it.

I don't think we ever strayed away from that philosophy. Just the hand we were dealt with injuries to CG and maybe few guys getting a little fat and happy after 2014. We are definitely not going back to being extremely undersized on the line bc as we saw that is death wish with any formidable Dline size

 

[iceeater1969]

We won 1 game in the acc so fans can be upset but I totally disagree with obvious poor choice of words Weak and scared has no basis in fact. Your son was a very pleasant but unanticipated suprise addition to an ol that was expected to be a strength for 15. We went from hoping to let him grow for a year to throwing him into battle when we changed philosophy from power to speed at any cost. Sorry he only go to play part time this year as he could potentially be a 4 year starter. Hope U can buy him lots of steak in the offseason.
That said = For us to pick out a few plays and be critical of player blocking is unfair to players. (My son 6-5 310 also played ol in D1). I know Even in base offenses the blocking is complicated, but no comparison to what we do @ gt. The 5 th year senior who your son first spelled for was same guy that 2 years ago was frequently offsides (rt) and got plenty of scapegoat criticism. He was moved to lt and was never offsides and this year was half count late off the line.

Not sure why Coaches could not fix this issue.

Now to a fun thing = met Seager parents who said he roomed with bryan - not a bad deal to have senior roomate who majors in nuclear engr. At the uga game his family must have been busting with pride as they saw him lead team on field holding the American flag.
Ga tech football - I love it.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

I don't think we ever strayed away from that philosophy. Just the hand we were dealt with injuries to CG and maybe few guys getting a little fat and happy after 2014. We are definitely not going back to being extremely undersized on the line bc as we saw that is death wish with any formidable Dline size

We need to get faster, quicker and smarter no matter how we got away from it.

 

[ilovetheoption]

I know that boomer watches lineplay closer than I do, and disagrees with me, so I'm probably wrong, but I've just never been overly impressed by devine. I know that when he's able to physically engage he's a destroyer, but he looks terrible in space to me.

Boom, do we have any backups at center that would allow us to get Marshall playing time, or is he just not one of the best 5?

 

[Ibeeballin]

I know that boomer watches lineplay closer than I do, and disagrees with me, so I'm probably wrong, but I've just never been overly impressed by devine. I know that when he's able to physically engage he's a destroyer, but he looks terrible in space to me.

Boom, do we have any backups at center that would allow us to get Marshall playing time, or is he just not one of the best 5?

Imo, Devine looks bad in space because of what we ask him what to do. There absolutely no reason why Shamire should be trying to cut block anyone especially pulling while trying to get a kick out block

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Imo, Devine looks bad in space because of what we ask him what to do. There absolutely no reason why Shamire should be trying to cut block anyone especially pulling while trying to get a kick out block

Fair or not, he was a huge step down from Shaq or Uzzi.

 

[ATL1]

I don't think we ever strayed away from that philosophy. Just the hand we were dealt with injuries to CG and maybe few guys getting a little fat and happy after 2014. We are definitely not going back to being extremely undersized on the line bc as we saw that is death wish with any formidable Dline size

Thank You

Coach has always said its not the size it's having athleticism and quick feet that counts. The staff is still recruiting 300lbs plus OLinemen.

 

[awbuzz]

If speed, atheticism, etc. can come along with size, the he'll take it.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Thank You

Coach has always said its not the size it's having athleticism and quick feet that counts. The staff is still recruiting 300lbs plus OLinemen.

It's not recruiting that worries me, its guys too slow to get a shoulder in front of a Mike lb or safety moving towards the point of attack. Or a guy not quick enough or agile enough to beat the guy across from him off the ball even though our guy knows the snap count and the other guy doesn't.

Big and fast trumps small and fast, but the fast part's non negotiable.

 

[Ibeeballin]

Fair or not, he was a huge step down from Shaq or Uzzi.

Of course he was a step down because he was not an All ACC player, but cheese Devine could of pancaked his guy every play and still would have been overlooked/giving shrug for his play bc of the overall dismal play of the OLine

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Of course he was a step down because he was not an All ACC player, but cheese Devine could of pancaked his guy every play and still would have been overlooked/giving shrug for his play bc of the overall dismal play of the OLine

According to CPJ, Shaq was the only OL worthy of high praise in '14. In fact, his comments suggest we won inspite of the OL instead of because of them.