Elite Offensive Lineman

#26
#26
Lots of players just don't reach their full potential until they've spent a few years in the league. I think it has to do with the extra practice that NFL players get and the prevalence of business-like attitudes.
 
#28
#28
In my opinion, Weary, Hererra, and Respert were all VERY underrated and played at very high levels. Sears was also great too. That being said they were not on great Offensive Lines. The last great line we had here was 1998. Chad Clifton was an amazing runblocker. He maybe the best Offensive lineman we've ever had. Cosey Coleman was a great pass blocker, and Wells was good too.
 
#30
#30
cookVol1 said:
I will say this,I never liked Fulmer but he was one of the best offensive line coaches there ever was!!Oh and Munoz was vastly overrated.
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I tend to agree with the Munoz evaluation, that is why I put a "?" to go with it. He came in all world, but left unheralded. I didn't know if we were going with elite out of high school, elite leaving UT, or elite in the pros.
 
#31
#31
crusse10 said:
Who are some of the last few elite Offensive Linemen to play for the Vols?

I'm not as focused on whether they got drafted high or produced impressively in the NFL. I want to know when the last time was that someone played a year or two at Tennessee at the All-America level, and got drafted highly based on that performance, not their measurables or combine performance.

When I think of the Joe Staleys or Jake Longs of the world, all I can think is that we never seemed to have those talents on the Hill.
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Bob Johnson, All-SEC, All-American, 1st Team, All-NFL, NFL Hall of Fame. Chip Kell, Charlie Rosenfelder, Tom Myslinski, Bill Mayo, Bubba Miller, Fred Weary, Irwin, Coleman, McRae, Davis, Galbreath, Clifton, and a cast of hundreds on the OL.
 
#37
#37
I just wish, for once, we'd have a lineman or two who doesn't have to wait until the Pros to shine. I'm tired of watching our players getting taken on potential alone, instead of proven ability. Hopefully some of these new guys from the past year can start to change that
 
#38
#38
Tux said:
Mickey Marvin, Reggie McKenzie
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Reggie was a LB. His twin brother Raleigh played OL.

Raliegh was one of the baddest cats to every come out of Knoxville. Both are two of the nicest gentlemen you will ever meet.

I think he spent about 10 years as one of the original 'hogs" for the Redskins while earning 2 superbowl rings.
 
#39
#39
I remember listening to an interview with former OL coach Jimmy Ray Stepens after a under achieveing first year his excuse was he was accoustom to coaching a smaller more athletic group of lineman!

How did that work out?

He vanished like a fart in the wind!!!

I will have to say that from were we started at to were we finished with this group they were coached up well!!!

Future looks bright with the OL
 
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#41
#41
crusse10 said:
I just wish, for once, we'd have a lineman or two who doesn't have to wait until the Pros to shine. I'm tired of watching our players getting taken on potential alone, instead of proven ability. Hopefully some of these new guys from the past year can start to change that
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No kidding. The problem has been with player development at UT, as clearly evidenced by the number of linemen who become quality NFL players after leaving. For as good as a few linemen since 2002 have been at UT (Wells, Respert, Herrera, Ofenheusle), not a single one was All-American caliber and only Wells would be All-SEC in a good year.

Crown-Vol said:
I remember listening to an interview with former OL coach Jimmy Ray Stepens after a under achieveing first year his excuse was he was accoustom to coaching a smaller more athletic group of lineman!

How did that work out?

He vanished like a fart in the wind!!!

I will have to say that from were we started at to were we finished with this group they were coached up well!!!

Future looks bright with the OL
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Regrettably, he didn't vanish like a fart in the wind...he had four years at UT to totally screw things up (followed by the hideously inept Greg Adkins).

I remember when I was brought on as line coach (both sides of the ball) at my second school. I was looking at film of the returning players with the head coach and trying to figure out what we had to work with, and he asked what I thought. I said, "I'm used to guys that move faster than a glacier", and he said, "Well, there aren't any, so don't waste any more time hoping for what you don't have."
 
#42
#42
Vol Tradition said:
i agree with munoz being overrated.
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Munoz in high school (Cincinnati Moeller) was one of the greatest players I've ever seen or had the displeasure of going against. His technique was phenomenal, and in the right conditions, his stardom at college was pretty much a guarantee.

The problem was that he messed up his shoulders and knees, and as a result never developed the strength that he normally would have. It didn't take much to figure out that a straight bull-rush would knock him backwards, and when the quickness and agility started to fade, that was pretty much the end of the line. How often does a consensus All-American lineman not even get drafted?
 
#45
#45
volsvols15 said:
I'm glad some agrees with me on Munoz he was really overrated..
Posted via VolNation Mobile
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I don't think Munoz is overrated. He didn't become the player we thought he would be, but I'd take 5 of those guys. It's not like any Vol fans think he was great. Everyone seems to agree that he was pretty good so I don't think he's overrated.
 
#46
#46
nbakerld said:
Chad Clifton is a 3-time pro bowler. That's pretty elite.
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Well, for one thing, he's only been picked twice. Also, I don't care about that for this discussion. He wasn't drafted because he was one of the best 2 tackles in the country when he was in college. He was drafted based on what he could (and eventually did) end up doing.
 
#47
#47
crusse10 said:
Well, for one thing, he's only been picked twice. Also, I don't care about that for this discussion. He wasn't drafted because he was one of the best 2 tackles in the country when he was in college. He was drafted based on what he could (and eventually did) end up doing.
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I thought he was the force behind our ground game in 1998.
 
#48
#48
IMO, Munoz was given a lot of credit because of his last name. He may have turned out better had it not been for the above mentioned injuries. BTW, for the poster questioning the spelling of one of the "bookends", it is McCrae.
 
#50
#50
crusse10 said:
Yet the best he could muster was a 1-time 2nd Team AA. That's what I don't get. Our O-Line, even if they're good, never seems to have a star All-America player
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A lot of the All American voting is loaded. If a kid was highly recruited (5 star/high 4 star) then he starts out ahead of most guys in the eyes of the voting media for awards like AA. The reality is that Tennessee has more often than not taken less highly sought after recruits and turned them into solid OL.
 
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