Cyclone Sunday Bruns

[HFCS]

Just because he's not super negative doesn't mean he's some crazy sunshine pumper. He does know more about the O-line than any of us, so when he talks about specific things, he's likely right.

At this point in my life I know it's the one part of the football team I just need explained to me by somebody with the ability to really watch it. My eye just doesn't go there. I only notice if we're getting absolutely stuffed in the run game or committing penalties.

In my teens or 20s I thought maybe I just needed to watch football longer, in my late 40s I know it just aint gonna happen.

 

[jsb]

At this point in my life I know it's the one part of the football team I just need explained to me by somebody with the ability to really watch it. My eye just doesn't go there. I only notice if we're getting absolutely stuffed in the run game or committing penalties.

In my teens or 20s I thought maybe I just needed to watch football longer, in my late 40s I know it just aint gonna happen.

I would guess the majority of us (and the media) have no real ******* clue when it comes to the offensive line.

We tend to think that every problem is caused by them and the coaches are idiots who can’t solve it.

So when someone who actually played the position at an elite college level offers nuance and thoughtful analysis beyond “the line sucks”, some fans lose their minds.

 

[Cyclad]

Not 100% on topic, but I had a meeting where I sat next to Bruns about 5 years ago. It was a hodge podge of Des Moines business leaders, and I was there to talk about some random environmental practices. I was floored with the conversation I had with him and the questions that he asked me about a topic that could not have had much relevance for his day to day. Came across as a great and engaging person.

I can assure you he is.

 

[AuH2O]

I would guess the majority of us (and the media) have no real ******* clue when it comes to the offensive line.

We tend to think that every problem is caused by them and the coaches are idiots who can’t solve it.

So when someone who actually played the position at an elite college level offers nuance and thoughtful analysis beyond “the line sucks”, some fans lose their minds.

I've been fortunate to watch games at times with my father in law, who was a long time coach, including some OL/TE coaching in college. While he wants the in-state teams to win, he's not necessarily a fan of any of the specific college teams. He just loves watching and geeking out on strategy and execution.

The only thing that really jumped out maybe 2-3 years ago watching ISU in relation to OL play was that he couldn't believe how horrible they were at dealing with basic stunts.

 

[AuH2O]

No.

He’s been mildly optimistic at times—which for someone as enthusiastically expressive as Bruns, seems like a lot.

He also chooses his words not to address the issue of athletes who…don’t necessarily belong on the field. His comments about his nineteen year old self being one of those players must have been a real catharsis for him. He doesn’t denigrate the kids themselves.

But when seeing the product on the field, he’s always called a spade a spade. The aforementioned Iowa game an exception.

He's certainly optimistic, or tends to give the benefit of the doubt to the coaches and certainly the players until it's pretty clear that there's a problem. I like the approach. As long as you listen to him knowing that he tends to be a glass half-full guy that gives our guys and coaches the benefit of the doubt, it's informative.

Even people that really know their stuff can buy into some fools gold in a small sample size on occasion. Sometimes units and players play way above or below their mean. That's the norm in college. When you have an OL that plays a great game in their first real test of a season, it's easy to think, "OK, this is finally the year the OL is legit."

 

[VeloClone]

In my experience someone jumping straight to the phrase "sunshine pumper" when describing someone generally says more about the speaker than it does about the person being described.

 

[CascadeClone]

At this point in my life I know it's the one part of the football team I just need explained to me by somebody with the ability to really watch it. My eye just doesn't go there. I only notice if we're getting absolutely stuffed in the run game or committing penalties.

In my teens or 20s I thought maybe I just needed to watch football longer, in my late 40s I know it just aint gonna happen.

To watch line play (or anything else off the ball - routes, secondary, etc), I HAVE to re-watch the game and be able to rewind.

Not saying I am smart about it even then, but that's the ONLY way I can see anything happening there. In real time its just too fast and like you say, you're following the ball.