How Good (or bad) Is OU's Offensive Line? [Archive]

Sooner-N-KS

10/3/2009, 03:08 PM

I think they are still growing, and they'll probably be pretty good by the end of the year. I think there's also a lot of potential for next year. We'll lose Williams, but Jarvis Jones will probably move from right to left tackle.

meoveryouxinfinity

10/3/2009, 03:09 PM

I think they're pretty poor.

Just being honest.

CrimsonJim

10/3/2009, 03:23 PM

Better than week 1. This evening will tell more of the story. I'm still cautiously optimistic that they will develop into a good unit.

StoopTroup

10/3/2009, 04:01 PM

Good enough to slap a few of those little whorns around in a few weeks.

Rogue

10/3/2009, 04:17 PM

Thanks, y'all.

engineer24

10/3/2009, 06:11 PM

On a grade of A to F, I'd give them a C- at this point. Very very mediocre unit.

I think they could improve that grade up to maybe a C+, but hard for them to get better than that. I think some of you are deluding themselves if you think they can turn into an A unit by the end of the season. No freakin way.

Sooner-N-KS

10/3/2009, 08:47 PM

I can't say I'm too impressed with the run blocking tonight.

I think they are probably giving adequate pass blocking. On the sack I think Landry just held on a little too long. There was that one play where if Jones had another second we would have had a deep TD to Caleb.

Rogue

10/3/2009, 09:08 PM

I disagree. The run blocking is less than mediocre and the pass blocking is awful. Worse than that, we simply refuse to leave a RB in to help with pass protection for no apparent reason.

TXBOOMER

10/3/2009, 09:20 PM

Depends on who their playin.

Rogue

10/3/2009, 09:38 PM

Depends on who their playin.

I'm gonna sleep off this drunk before I respond with something really bitchy.

Since71ASooner4Life

10/3/2009, 09:47 PM

Honestly, Cory Brandon has been bad, Jarvis has been unimpressive, and for all the press he's gotten Trent Williams hasn't been superman. Definitely a huge drop off from last year.

Eielson

10/3/2009, 09:52 PM

They are the weak link on our team. That's even with Gresham, Broyles, and Bradford out.

TXBOOMER

10/3/2009, 09:54 PM

I'm gonna sleep off this drunk before I respond with something really bitchy.

Me too.

Since71ASooner4Life

10/3/2009, 09:59 PM

Honestly, Cory Brandon has been bad, Jarvis has been unimpressive, and for all the press he's gotten Trent Williams hasn't been superman. Definitely a huge drop off from last year.

Correction - Jarvis stinks

illinisooner

10/3/2009, 10:41 PM

Pretty bad.

Zbird

10/3/2009, 10:58 PM

Sucky. Maybe we need McCoy and Beal, to man up and play both ways.

Johnny Utah

10/3/2009, 11:23 PM

Bama replaced 3 (very good) starters on the OL this season ... how have they been able to have the level of success they've had?

CrimsonJim

10/4/2009, 06:54 AM

Sucky. Maybe we need McCoy and Beal, to man up and play both ways.

Ya know, as funny as that sounds, you may be onto something.

Jock Ewing

10/4/2009, 08:44 AM

How is that possible? Trent Williams is the best OL Kevin Wilson has ever had and Brody Eldridge can block a cement truck

tulsaoilerfan

10/4/2009, 08:50 AM

How is that possible? Trent Williams is the best OL Kevin Wilson has ever had and Brody Eldridge can block a cement truck

Unfortunately those cement trucks last night had wheels on them; this team absolutely can't block a fast defensive line, and that's been true for several years now

Soonerus

10/4/2009, 08:52 AM

Left side good, right side below average...

stoops the eternal pimp

10/4/2009, 08:55 AM

On the play they blamed Eldridge for missing the block on the fumble, Clapp was the one standing there blocking air...Eldridge and Williams do their job...but it doesn't help that the D can overstack the left side that Williams is on and destroy the guys on the right without an extra man

tulsaoilerfan

10/4/2009, 08:57 AM

Hell Eldridge went out on a pass route, so i don't see how he was supposed to block the blitzer; if anything the tackle should have slid out to the blitzer and the guard should have slid to his right, but the guard and center double teamed the nose guard instead; looked eerily like the blitz that got sam hurt just from the opposite side of the formation

Big D Sooner

10/4/2009, 09:03 AM

What's really scary is next year Williams and Simmons will be gone. Then what? These young guys are not particularly impressive.

Jock Ewing

10/4/2009, 09:06 AM

Williams is more overrated than Loadholdt, if that is possible. He got abused last night. And UM was not healthy on its D line.

Soonerus

10/4/2009, 09:10 AM

Yeah, Loadholt sux right, he is starting in the NFL this year...

Jock Ewing

10/4/2009, 09:14 AM

Loadholdt does not suck. He was just vastly overrated until he got exposed in Dallas last year. People were talking him up being a top flight, top ten left tackle prospect. He was far too slow to play LT in the league and was thus overrated. See Williams, Trent for a replay of the same story.

Soonerus

10/4/2009, 09:16 AM

Jock Ewing

10/4/2009, 09:19 AM

Ok, I'll accept that but he starting in the league...

No doubt about that. He absolutely does not suck. He will probably have a long career in the league at RT or at guard. Williams should be a RT too. He is too slow to handle a speed rusher coming off the blind side

Soonerus

10/4/2009, 09:22 AM

No doubt about that. He absolutely does not suck. He will probably have a long career in the league at RT or at guard. Williams should be a RT too. He is too slow to handle a speed rusher coming off the blind side

Damn, I cannot argue with you, you make good points...

MamaMia

10/4/2009, 09:54 AM

This should be a pole.

Gresho Murford

10/4/2009, 11:10 AM

Hotrod3157

10/4/2009, 11:17 AM

yep that fumble was totally on Clapp. Horrible blocking

The funny thing is that on the replay you can see Clapp turn and look at the rusher and then look straight ahead again and not even try to get out to him.

PLaw

10/4/2009, 12:05 PM

I know they're young. And I know they looked good the past 2 weeks. So, how do you assess our O-line this year?

Scale of 1 - 10? About a 3.

Trent Williams has been disappointing - gets beat and starts leg whipping. Draft stock is rapidly falling.

Simmons - now there's a class act - nails a Cane in the back after the play is way, way over and puts him out for a couple of plays.

Habern, Good, Jones?? to this point, very average

In short, nothing about this O-line puts fear in D-coordinators. In fact, they are probably licking their chops.

Bottom line, better scrap this "hurry-up, fast break" stuff and give these kids the opportunity to grow into the system. Until we learn how to pick up blitz packages, then every snap makes you want to hold your breath.

If I'm Sam, I'm not rushing my rehab to get back out there with this group.

BOOMER

Rogue

10/4/2009, 01:06 PM

We need to leave someone in the backfield for pass protection. Or plan on losing Landry to injury too.

Eielson

10/4/2009, 03:47 PM

What's really scary is next year Williams and Simmons will be gone. Then what? These young guys are not particularly impressive.

That's not scary at all.

The U

10/5/2009, 01:46 PM

Not very good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

kustang619

10/5/2009, 01:54 PM

Speaking of Jarvis, does his little face mask bother anyone else besides me. I just think it looks funny. You have a big ole boy like Jarvis and his little RB/DB type face mask... I know that it is irrelevant, but I just think it looks ridiculous.

Jello Biafra

10/5/2009, 01:58 PM

they are young. period. they are not seeing the defense well enough and certainly arent seeing more of the complicated blitzes that are being thrown at us. doubles need to be made on the nose until he is either neutralized or a blitz comes at you from one of the inside gaps. he (the nose) is there for a reason and its usually to put pressure on the qb from the inside out. the blitzes that we are not seeing is the delays to the inside. the difference between ours and thiers is, they wait for a "one thousand one" then go we telegraph MOST of ours by putting the lb right on the line and jump at him more times than not to let him know we're there.

rawlingsHOH

10/5/2009, 02:25 PM

Better than the average Big 12 team. Not nearly as good as last year's, 3 of those guys are on NFL rosters.

Jello Biafra

10/5/2009, 02:32 PM

Better than the average Big 12 team. Not nearly as good as last year's, 3 of those guys are on NFL rosters.

absoltely better than the average big XII team. and if they get smarter quickly, they can still win us a Big XII title.

Sasakwa

10/5/2009, 02:35 PM

Bottom line, better scrap this "hurry-up, fast break" stuff and give these kids the opportunity to grow into the system.

Agreed. If anything, huddling up and using the clock a little more while on Offense gives the Defense a breather. The defense is spending too much time on the field because of 3/outs and running the fast break isn't helping. Line up and play some smash-mouth running plays and let these guys get some confidence without worrying about blitz pick-up calls a the LOS.

IronHorseSooner

10/5/2009, 03:00 PM

The problem with the line is that coming into the season, it became a gerontocracy instead of being the best five guys. The two seniors haven't lived up to their seniority, and Brandon has been out to lunch. Like I have said, the best lines under (insert OU Coach name here), have been groups of mean SOBs who took anything short of domination personally. I think some of OUr young guys, and some we have coming in, have that mentality (Good, Habern, Evans, Irwin). OL and DL are all about attitude, maybe more than anywhere else on the field. OUr OL, right now, doesn't have that attitude. Look at the line in 2000. We had guys like Frank Romero and Bubba Burcham. Neither one of those guys went on to the NFL, but they were vicious and played with an attitude. We need guys like them. In fact we have those guys, but they are either young or not here yet. Jones may just need more game time to get into the system being a transfer.

KRYPTON

10/5/2009, 03:51 PM

Clapp failed on the fumblesack. Very impatient, went and doubleteamed instead of protecting outside the tackle.

Right side of the line is pathetic. Left side is overrated and it's exposed by having no right side.

Cory Brandon is just... I'm sorry I can't continue.

Rogue

10/5/2009, 04:20 PM

JB,

I think you're right...it is youth we are seeing mostly, not a talent deficit.
And experience...most of these guys have been behind some studs for a year or two and haven't seen much PT. At least the optimist in me hopes so.

They might get better as the year progresses. They'd better. I think they will because they seem to be good athletes. But I'm not holding my breath on them this year...2010 might be a whole different discussion though.

How do we get so many dang penalties on the OL? Didn't that used to be the smartest group of guys on the team in the old days? Not saying they're dumb, just that all of the false starts and DOH! type penalties seem more common lately than they used to be.

rawlingsHOH

10/5/2009, 04:26 PM

How do we get so many dang penalties on the OL? Didn't that used to be the smartest group of guys on the team in the old days? Not saying they're dumb, just that all of the false starts and DOH! type penalties seem more common lately than they used to be.
To be fair, the only false start on the offense, Saturday, was against the center, Habern. Very odd play. We are certainly improving there.

Gandalf_The_Grey

10/5/2009, 04:32 PM

I do think this fast paced offense is killing the O-Line, especially on the road. They really need to get in the huddle and come out with a snap count. Basically the defensive ends are waiting until Landry picks his foot up and then they are getting off the line MUCH faster than our tackles. This offense was fine when Bradford and an experienced line was there. They need to scrap it until we get more experience.