I have always been a big fan of Devine. I questioned his decision to come to Tech because I thought he might be a great blind side tackle in pass pro. On the other hand, Shaq is my all time favorite lineman and may end up being the best to have played here since Kent Hill. I don't think we have ever had a Lineman run a 4.79 40 dash while sqauting 550. Both of these guys are unique but I won't say that Devine has a higher ceiling. Most people would say a 6'7" guy would have better chance of making it big than a 6'1" guy but they would also say a 4.8 guy would have a better chance than a 5.3 guy. Back to thread. I hope Devine loses down to 340 and has a great off season. We need him to reach the high ceiling that you and I feel he is capable.
Well said. I would also add that it is completely unrealistic to expect Devine to become as fast as Mason regardless of how good an off season he has. With that said, he doesn't have to be in order to become an absolute FORCE for us. I have only met the young man once for about 10 seconds at fan day, so I really don't know him and any comment of mine should probably be taken with a grain of salt. Regardless, I will proceed. At this point, my impression is that he has no idea how good he could actually become. He has no idea of how hard he is actually capable of working, how good he can control his diet, or how much an improved physical state (flexibility, agility, strength, BMI, and stamina) will propel him towards his (and our) dreams. When you start with a body and athletic ability like his, the sky is the limit. To be truthful, I am tired of the narrative that he isn't right for our offense or our offense isn't right for him. IMHO that is a bunch of crap. Yes, he is an elite pass blocker, especially in terms of potential. But if he can learn to bend, drive, scoop, and pull (which he absolutely can learn to do better, don't dare and tell me otherwise) it will only help him going forward, whether in our offense or not. Shaq is succeeding in the NFL partly BECAUSE he was in our offense. There is NEVER a strong argument against becoming a more complete player, EVER, regardless of what you feel you do well. Shamire has chosen GT and he should use EVERYTHING Tech has to offer, whether facilties, trainers, coaching, dietary offerings, offensive system, or otherwise, in order to grow as a player. He is not immersed in an air raid offense with narrow splits in a two point stance, catching people in pass pro as a blind side OT. So what? That is just doing what he is comfortable doing anyway. With us, he will broaden his OL skills the way Jimmy Hendrix increased the vocabulary of the electric guitar. He just has to want to. This last season, he was already our best guy in pass protection and he was our best guy going head up on a player drive blocking. All that, was without even coming close to his potential. In my life I have seen many people, whether athletes or Marines, make amazing transformations that they once thought were impossible for them personally. That is what I am praying for in his case. But hey, if football isn't his thing, then that is cool too. He shouldn't do it for me or for you. This isn't the sport of compromise, after all. It has to be a part of your soul.
