milesl
9/23/2007, 09:31 AM
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/stewart_mandel/09/19/mailbag/index.html
Degrees of protection
Play of OU, Texas QBs highlights O-line's importance
USC guard Chilo Rachal seemed genuinely surprised when I approached him at his locker for an interview following the Trojans' rout of Nebraska last Saturday night.
I was equally surprised to be the only reporter seeking him out after one of the most dominant run-blocking performances I've ever seen from an offensive line. (When your fullback busts for 50 yards on the first play, you know you're doing something right.)
"We [offensive linemen] don't normally get much notoriety," Rachal said.
Not anymore, Chilo. The entire lead of this week's Mailbag is dedicated to those oft-overlooked guys in the trenches -- in particular, those at two Red River rivals whose seasons are off to opposite, and somewhat inexplicable, starts.
Hey Stewart, what is up with Texas' offense? Why did Colt McCoy only take a deep shot once the entire game against UCF? I am sick of these slants, hitches and shotgun handoffs to Jamaal Charles. Go down the field, TEXAS!!!!!
--Jason, The Woodlands, Texas
Stewart, with three games in the books, should I be feeling giddy about the idea of having Sam Bradford lead my Sooners for the next two to four years? Or is what we're seeing the product of an average QB getting to work with stud running backs, a stud O-line and stud wide receivers?
--Edward, Dallas
It's a tale of two teams. One, Texas, came into the season with a quarterback (McCoy) who completed 68 percent of his passes for 29 touchdowns and just seven interceptions in his dazzling debut season last year. The other, Oklahoma, put its offense in the hands of an unheralded redshirt freshman (Bradford) who'd never taken a snap in a game. Which team would you have guessed would blow out its three opponents 184-26, and which would have needed to recover onside kicks to put away Arkansas State and UCF?
It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, does it? McCoy's team even returned the same stacked receiving corps (temporarily minus Billy Pittman) and an explosive tailback (Charles) for whom defenses have to account. Yet the third-year sophomore's production is way down from a year ago (he ranks 65th nationally in pass efficiency compared to eighth last season) while newbie Bradford's is off the charts (No. 3 nationally, completing nearly 80 percent of his passes for 11 touchdowns and just one pick).
I highly doubt McCoy forgot how to throw the ball since last year. And with all due respect to Bradford, who clearly has a fine career ahead of him, I doubt just as much that this is a case of Oklahoma accidentally stumbling upon the next John Elway. Both quarterbacks' success (or lack thereof) is a direct reflection of just how important an offensive line is.
I saw Texas ranked as high as No. 2 in the country in the preseason. Most pollsters (myself included) looked at the return of guys such as McCoy, Charles and Limas Sweed and got all excited, conveniently overlooking the fact that the 'Horns would be replacing three offensive linemen -- Justin Blalock, Kasey Studdard and Lyle Sendlein -- who posted a combined 115 starts, helped win a national title and are all now on NFL rosters (Blalock and Sendlein are even starting).
Considering this is the only variable that's significantly changed on Texas' offense, it stands to reason that McCoy's struggles are a direct result of it. It's not like he was an overwhelming physical specimen to begin with -- McCoy, like a lot of good quarterbacks, relies heavily on his accuracy and decision-making -- and in hindsight, much of his unexpected success as a redshirt freshman was probably attributed to the fact his veteran line helped keep him comfortable in the pocket. If he's not throwing downfield as much this season, it's probably because he doesn't have time.
The Sooners, on the other hand, returned four starters on their offensive line, including All-Big 12 honoree Duke Robinson, and are so stacked that one of the group's most highly regarded members, junior right tackle Branndon Braxton, is now splitting time with budding standout Trent Williams. Listening to the radio late Saturday night while driving back to my hotel in Omaha, I heard Mel Kiper Jr. declare them "the best offensive line in the country."
I can't imagine a more subjective endeavor than ranking offensive lines, but Mel may well be right. In a strong testament to his blockers, Bradford said after the Miami game that he "hardly got touched out there." That's pretty amazing considering one of the pass rushers trying to touch him was projected NFL top 10 pick Calais Campbell.
If any team should know well the importance of a strong offensive line, it's the Sooners -- because there's no earthly way Jason White could have won a Heisman Trophy without it. I'm sorry, I don't mean to pile on the guy three years after the fact, but it's no secret White's talents weren't of the physical variety. (I remember attending an all-star skills event after his senior year in which the quarterbacks had to try to throw a ball about 70 yards and land it inside a narrow target; White's throw was so far off the mark and so wobbly that I was actually tempted to grab a ball and see if I could do better.) His gift was that of being able to see the field and make the right throw every time, a luxury made possible by the protection of stud linemen such as Jammal Brown and Davin Joseph.
It's no coincidence White's worst games came in the 2003 and '04 BCS title games, when those linemen finally met their match against the likes of LSU's Marcus Spears and Chad Lavalais and USC's Mike Patterson and Shaun Cody. By no means am I predicting Bradford will meet the same fate, but one needs to look no further than what's happening to McCoy this season to see what happens when the kind of protection a QB is accustomed to goes away.
Degrees of protection
Play of OU, Texas QBs highlights O-line's importance
USC guard Chilo Rachal seemed genuinely surprised when I approached him at his locker for an interview following the Trojans' rout of Nebraska last Saturday night.
I was equally surprised to be the only reporter seeking him out after one of the most dominant run-blocking performances I've ever seen from an offensive line. (When your fullback busts for 50 yards on the first play, you know you're doing something right.)
"We [offensive linemen] don't normally get much notoriety," Rachal said.
Not anymore, Chilo. The entire lead of this week's Mailbag is dedicated to those oft-overlooked guys in the trenches -- in particular, those at two Red River rivals whose seasons are off to opposite, and somewhat inexplicable, starts.
Hey Stewart, what is up with Texas' offense? Why did Colt McCoy only take a deep shot once the entire game against UCF? I am sick of these slants, hitches and shotgun handoffs to Jamaal Charles. Go down the field, TEXAS!!!!!
--Jason, The Woodlands, Texas
Stewart, with three games in the books, should I be feeling giddy about the idea of having Sam Bradford lead my Sooners for the next two to four years? Or is what we're seeing the product of an average QB getting to work with stud running backs, a stud O-line and stud wide receivers?
--Edward, Dallas
It's a tale of two teams. One, Texas, came into the season with a quarterback (McCoy) who completed 68 percent of his passes for 29 touchdowns and just seven interceptions in his dazzling debut season last year. The other, Oklahoma, put its offense in the hands of an unheralded redshirt freshman (Bradford) who'd never taken a snap in a game. Which team would you have guessed would blow out its three opponents 184-26, and which would have needed to recover onside kicks to put away Arkansas State and UCF?
It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, does it? McCoy's team even returned the same stacked receiving corps (temporarily minus Billy Pittman) and an explosive tailback (Charles) for whom defenses have to account. Yet the third-year sophomore's production is way down from a year ago (he ranks 65th nationally in pass efficiency compared to eighth last season) while newbie Bradford's is off the charts (No. 3 nationally, completing nearly 80 percent of his passes for 11 touchdowns and just one pick).
I highly doubt McCoy forgot how to throw the ball since last year. And with all due respect to Bradford, who clearly has a fine career ahead of him, I doubt just as much that this is a case of Oklahoma accidentally stumbling upon the next John Elway. Both quarterbacks' success (or lack thereof) is a direct reflection of just how important an offensive line is.
I saw Texas ranked as high as No. 2 in the country in the preseason. Most pollsters (myself included) looked at the return of guys such as McCoy, Charles and Limas Sweed and got all excited, conveniently overlooking the fact that the 'Horns would be replacing three offensive linemen -- Justin Blalock, Kasey Studdard and Lyle Sendlein -- who posted a combined 115 starts, helped win a national title and are all now on NFL rosters (Blalock and Sendlein are even starting).
Considering this is the only variable that's significantly changed on Texas' offense, it stands to reason that McCoy's struggles are a direct result of it. It's not like he was an overwhelming physical specimen to begin with -- McCoy, like a lot of good quarterbacks, relies heavily on his accuracy and decision-making -- and in hindsight, much of his unexpected success as a redshirt freshman was probably attributed to the fact his veteran line helped keep him comfortable in the pocket. If he's not throwing downfield as much this season, it's probably because he doesn't have time.
The Sooners, on the other hand, returned four starters on their offensive line, including All-Big 12 honoree Duke Robinson, and are so stacked that one of the group's most highly regarded members, junior right tackle Branndon Braxton, is now splitting time with budding standout Trent Williams. Listening to the radio late Saturday night while driving back to my hotel in Omaha, I heard Mel Kiper Jr. declare them "the best offensive line in the country."
I can't imagine a more subjective endeavor than ranking offensive lines, but Mel may well be right. In a strong testament to his blockers, Bradford said after the Miami game that he "hardly got touched out there." That's pretty amazing considering one of the pass rushers trying to touch him was projected NFL top 10 pick Calais Campbell.
If any team should know well the importance of a strong offensive line, it's the Sooners -- because there's no earthly way Jason White could have won a Heisman Trophy without it. I'm sorry, I don't mean to pile on the guy three years after the fact, but it's no secret White's talents weren't of the physical variety. (I remember attending an all-star skills event after his senior year in which the quarterbacks had to try to throw a ball about 70 yards and land it inside a narrow target; White's throw was so far off the mark and so wobbly that I was actually tempted to grab a ball and see if I could do better.) His gift was that of being able to see the field and make the right throw every time, a luxury made possible by the protection of stud linemen such as Jammal Brown and Davin Joseph.
It's no coincidence White's worst games came in the 2003 and '04 BCS title games, when those linemen finally met their match against the likes of LSU's Marcus Spears and Chad Lavalais and USC's Mike Patterson and Shaun Cody. By no means am I predicting Bradford will meet the same fate, but one needs to look no further than what's happening to McCoy this season to see what happens when the kind of protection a QB is accustomed to goes away.