Will the offensive line really be improved?

[BryceC]

Most of us thought the offensive line could have been a lot better last year, and we all expect it to be better. But I really wonder if it will be. I we're counting on a lot of the same players, plus the Fisher twins or some JUCOs. Is this really the recipe for a stronger offensive line?

The Fishers were here last year, and they seem to be penciled in for most people's starting lineups. But they couldn't crack the starting lineup last year against Egbers, and that guy was a walk on, and was much smaller than they are. I'll admit that they are huge, and if they end up starting across the board our line will be massive. Will it be enough though?

I think that the offensive line being strong week in and week out is an absolute must for this season since there is a lot to replace on the defensive side of the ball. I just hope they have the ability to do it.

A small note: I hate being a naysayer, but I'm just real concerned about the unit as a whole.

 

[ISUFan22]

I feel pretty good about the right side, center through tackle. As I recall, it seemed the left side gave us the most trouble last year with Egbers and Pence. Both of them have graduated - lets hope the Fisher's and/or whoever else will fill in on the left have stepped it up.

 

[burn587]

The left side will be for the taking in fall camp. Scott Fisher can be penciled in at the tackle spot but Jose Vargas could push him for PT. Left guard is wide open with Paul Fisher with the lead right now but possibly Bastian Schober, Reggie Stephens or maybe one of the JUCO's playing there.

 

[ISUCLONES15]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(burn587 @ 07-12-06 6:13 pm) [post=7155]Quoted post[/post]</div><div class='quotemain'> The left side will be for the taking in fall camp. Scott Fisher can be penciled in at the tackle spot but Jose Vargas could push him for PT. Left guard is wide open with Paul Fisher with the lead right now but possibly Bastian Schober, Reggie Stephens or maybe one of the JUCO's playing there. [/b][/quote]





I am going to predict JUCO transfer Lee Tibbs as our starting LT & either Vargas, Rueben or Stephens as LG, however I have a feeling Rueben will end up being our other starting DT along side Curvey.

 

[cycloneprideone]

I'm pretty hopeful that they will be improved. It seems like with your upper tier programs, many offensive lineman don't even sniff the starting lineup until their junior year, or in many cases their senior year. All of a sudden they come out of nowhere and the program keeps rolling. I think with Coach Cotton, this will be the case in the future, if not today.

 

[flander1649]

I still think they should move Brant over to LT and let Fisher play RT. You normally put you best lineman at LT unless he is a center like Stevensen. Last year you could tell when Fisher was in at LT the running game was better but he did have his problems with pass protection.

 

[clonecone]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ISUCLONES15 @ 07-13-06 9:41 am) [post=7203]Quoted post[/post]</div><div class='quotemain'>





I am going to predict JUCO transfer Lee Tibbs as our starting LT & either Vargas, Rueben or Stephens as LG, however I have a feeling Rueben will end up being our other starting DT along side Curvey.

[/b][/quote]



Is that just speculation about Reuben playing DT or is it a real possibility? If he was a capable DT that would be fantastic. He's a big dude and he and Curvey would be a massive duo in the middle stuffing the run.

 

[tazclone]

I believe Zehr ws moved over to the left side in Spring for a while. So don't pencil anyone in anywhere. That should help out the left side a little.



Rubin played both at JC and seemed to be equally as good on both sides of the ball. DL his first year and OL his second.



One thing people forget from last year is who we played. We played 5 out of the top thirty defenses against the run. Colorado and KU were top ten, TCU was 15th, Nebraska was 26th, and Iowa 29th. We played some damn good defenses. KU, Iowa, NU and Colorado lose some key pieces of their defenses and we don't play TCU.



We also played with our 3rd and 4th string RB. No running game equals defenses that don't have to commit to the run and can attack. Amazing how much better we were with a healthy Hicks in the game. A balanced attack along with added blocking. Hmmm



Our TE's have put on some weight and supposedly have improved. Should help a little.



And watch the TCU game again. You will find that the left side held up pretty good. Rarley any presure from the DL on the left side. Brant got eaten alive by Ortiz and the rest of the pressure came from safety blitzes.



With all of that said our OL looked better in the bowl game and with more Cotton coaching and time to gel should continue to improve. Our RB situation looks to be a little better ( i will believe health when I see it) and will help keep defenses off balance, JC help will help depth, great run defenses we played last year lose quality players, and while Oklahoma had a great run defense last year, Texas(33) and TT(67) run defenses were less than stellar ( I find that odd with the concieved need to throw the ball to keep up)

 

[goonies_89]

I believe coaching has an impact on how a team plays, thus good players have good coaches. Are line cant be worse then it was last year. Another part of the line being terrible last year is a part of coaching.

 

[HITMAN]

Good Post Goonies 89...I look at Coach Cotton as a no-nonsence-we're going to run it down your throat and beat you up in the process, then I saw Meyer running for his life scrambling around looking for anybody to pass to...Last year they should have done a hell-of-alot better offensively but injuries did not help, so this will be an interesting year for everybody involved....stay tuned.....HITMAN

 

[Wesley]

Speaking of past years, has Meyer had to run any more than Austin Flynn did. I frankly am surprised how much Meyer does run for so little yardage. Usually when you run, you pick up more yards. Maybe he doesn't run enough outside the pocket to get the big yards. Looks like we have two better runners coming up in Austad and Bates. The best thing about Meyers is he does not throw too many stupid passes - he usually has a good idea of where to toss it.

 

[HiltonMagic]

The main reason why Meyer does not run for much yardage is because he is looking downfield until the very last possible nanosecond. And then when he does decide he can't throw it, it's usually too late to gain decent yardage. If he/the coaches wanted him to be a runner, he would be a good runner. However, they want him to be a passer.