Offensive Line Will Surprise

#1
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GoodlettsvilleVol

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#1
A comment was made that our O line was a bit thin.

Sorta yes/sorta no.

The game starts up front and to fend off top teams like Alabama and Georgia we need to strongly improve there

We seem to be doing exactly that.

Second string OG's Herring and Lane are making strong pushes and likely will end up to starters as the season progresses.

This last recruit class has three gems - Masai Reddick, Mo Chipper and Addison Nichols.

Throw in highly promising Florida transfer Mincey and our Offensive line could be a jewel in the making.

Folks, it's going to be fun.

PS. Which players from this group do we lose for next year?
 
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#3
#3
GoodlettsvilleVol said:
A comment was made that our O line was a bit thin.

Sorta yes/sorta no.

The game starts up front and to fend off top teams like Alabama and Georgia we need to strongly improve there

We seem to be doing exactly that.

Second string OG's Herring and Lane are making strong pushes and likely will end up to starters as the season progresses.

This last recruit class has three gems - Masai Reddick, Mo Chipper and Addison Nichols.

Throw in highly promising Florida transfer Mincey and our Offensive line could be a jewel in the making.

Folks, it's going to be fun.
Click to expand...
Don’t think Herring and Lane will bump Carvin and Spraggins. But great to have good depth.
 
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#4
#4
GoodlettsvilleVol said:
A comment was made that our O line was a bit thin.

Sorta yes/sorta no.

The game starts up front and to fend off top teams like Alabama and Georgia we need to strongly improve there

We seem to be doing exactly that.

Second string OG's Herring and Lane are making strong pushes and likely will end up to starters as the season progresses.

This last recruit class has three gems - Masai Reddick, Mo Chipper and Addison Nichols.

Throw in highly promising Florida transfer Mincey and our Offensive line could be a jewel in the making.

Folks, it's going to be fun.
Click to expand...
No way we start anybody over Scraggins at OG.
 
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#5
#5
GoodlettsvilleVol said:
A comment was made that our O line was a bit thin.

Sorta yes/sorta no.

The game starts up front and to fend off top teams like Alabama and Georgia we need to strongly improve there

We seem to be doing exactly that.

Second string OG's Herring and Lane are making strong pushes and likely will end up to starters as the season progresses.

This last recruit class has three gems - Masai Reddick, Mo Chipper and Addison Nichols.

Throw in highly promising Florida transfer Mincey and our Offensive line could be a jewel in the making.

Folks, it's going to be fun.
Click to expand...
Great to see Herring and Lane doing well, but I will be surprised to see either overtake Carvin.

Also great to have the Mincey/Crawford competition at LT. We should know a little more about who is leading after this weeks scrimmage.

Of the freshmen, I think Nichols is the first one we see get playing time.

Elarbee says there is not much difference in terms of what they expect between LT and RT. But, I like the fact that we seem to have clear guards and tackles and some depth in each category. No more shuffling guys all across the line.

Note: Edited after watching Elarbee interview.
 
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#6
#6
GoodlettsvilleVol said:
A comment was made that our O line was a bit thin.

Sorta yes/sorta no.

The game starts up front and to fend off top teams like Alabama and Georgia we need to strongly improve there

We seem to be doing exactly that.

Second string OG's Herring and Lane are making strong pushes and likely will end up to starters as the season progresses.

This last recruit class has three gems - Masai Reddick, Mo Chipper and Addison Nichols.

Throw in highly promising Florida transfer Mincey and our Offensive line could be a jewel in the making.

Folks, it's going to be fun.
Click to expand...
So far, I have been impressed with the brute size of our OL. I expect the OL will be much improved from last year. I usually believe it is difficult for a Freshman OL to be able to play very much and should red shirt to become bigger, smarter, and faster. However we have had a few who were mature enough to play as Freshmen. From what I have been hearing, Nichols and maybe Reddick may be mature enough to see some playing time. My biggest concern on the OL is developing some experience at center so someone can fill in at that position. Mays has become a very good center, but he will not be here forever. The center position worries me most in the future. It may be the most important position along the OL.
 
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#7
#7
I'm not seeing it. O-line will be the lowest performing offensive group. LT is a major question, I'm not convinced either of our starting guards gets replaced, and if our center goes down it'll be a long season. It's not this staffs fault, but that position group is in a rough spot. All of the freshmen appear to be developmental guys and we lose multiple guys in 23.
 
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#8
#8
I wanna see if they look less gooey after a year in the weight program. That’s been a problem at UT for years. Look at Olinemen for Bama and Florida and they actually have some definition.
 
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#9
#9
From what I’ve heard about the offensive line there is a bigger drop off from the 1st team to the 2nd than any position group on our roster, other than maybe linebacker.

Right now I think we have 4-5 guys who are pretty good, and 3-4 who should be serviceable. Losing Kingston Harris hurts depth some as he would have been another serviceable candidate. I like Ollie Lane’s effort and him being a local guy, but he would not be in the two deep at Alabama or Georgia. I expect Nichols to be first off the bench over Lane at G/C if someone goes down.

We may not have a game breaker at LT but I think whoever loses that battle will be a solid backup. Overall we know the four guys who should be very solid for us. The other guys (Mincey, Crawford, Nichols, and maybe Lane) will be key to our success this year. If those guys can give us good play, watch out.
 
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#10
#10
Vol8188 said:
I'm not seeing it. O-line will be the lowest performing offensive group. LT is a major question, I'm not convinced either of our starting guards gets replaced, and if our center goes down it'll be a long season. It's not this staffs fault, but that position group is in a rough spot. All of the freshmen appear to be developmental guys and we lose multiple guys in 23.
Click to expand...

The staff did a solid job with what they had last year. It was a patchwork group that had to deal with injuries throughout the season. Returning 4/5 starters helps and a few our backups played meaningful snaps last year. I believe the unit takes another step forward in the right direction this year. We will just have to see how much the progression will be. The sacks given up need to go down significantly because that was a glaring issue. LT is a concern but there are more able bodies competing for that that spot compared to last year. Another off season with S&C under their belts combined with the same OC will pay huge dividends imo.
 
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#11
#11
I’m just worried about the future. We have missed out on some of our top OL recruits and passed on some great instate talent. Where do we go next. Juco?
 
#17
#17
All comes down to coaching. You don't have to have the biggest and meanest and most talented front line to have a good offense. You do though need to understand your OLine's strengths and weaknesses and set a game plan into action to capitalize on their strengths. Example: Under Johnny and Phil we were the most predictable team in the country on first down. Run up the middle. Ho hum - keep them honest. That only left us 2 downs to secure 8 yards. Bad coaching can and has sunk many a great team but, I think that CJH has a good offensive mind and understands his offensive lines capabilities. We can have a mediocre O Line and be a great team.
 
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#18
#18
Vol8188 said:
I'm not seeing it. O-line will be the lowest performing offensive group. LT is a major question, I'm not convinced either of our starting guards gets replaced, and if our center goes down it'll be a long season. It's not this staffs fault, but that position group is in a rough spot. All of the freshmen appear to be developmental guys and we lose multiple guys in 23.
Click to expand...
Both Mincey and Crawford can play LT. We are going to be very good upfront. You couldn’t be more wrong in my opinion. GBO!
 
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#20
#20
Woodlawn VOL said:
Both Mincey and Crawford can play LT. We are going to be very good upfront.
Click to expand...

How do you know Mincey can play LT? He “appeared” in 10 games at Florida over two seasons, started zero. Those appearances were mostly on FG/XP teams. He had zero meaningful snaps at LT for Florida, if any at all.

He may be a great player for TN, I didn’t want to see him transfer because I thought he had a chance to contribute as an upperclassman, but there is no evidence he can play LT based on his time at Florida. If you’re basing your expectations off his HS tape or what he’s done so far during camp, I can respect that. I’ve seen it mentioned several times that he has tremendous experience from his time at Florida and he was a projected starter for FL and that’s just wrong.
 
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#21
#21
Vol8188 said:
I'm not seeing it. O-line will be the lowest performing offensive group. LT is a major question, I'm not convinced either of our starting guards gets replaced, and if our center goes down it'll be a long season. It's not this staffs fault, but that position group is in a rough spot. All of the freshmen appear to be developmental guys and we lose multiple guys in 23.
Click to expand...
I think I will go with Kyler Kerbyson's evaluation: Bleav in Tennessee Football: Tennessee Football Fall Camp Review: Offense (Ep. 100) Aug 8th, 22
Short version:
First he was AT practice YESTERDAY!
He does NOT have a worry about the O line.
He has 2 guys fighting hard for the starting spot at LT.
Cooper is super smart, but not the biggest or nastiest player.
Addison is out of position at back up center, but he he is going to be a player - when he gets to his natural position of guard.
Guys were asking KK questions showing their desire to get better - had Kyler excited.
The line is BIG, so BIG.
Give it a listen... I think he just might change your mind.
 
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#22
#22
SN-A-C Orange said:
I think I will go with Kyler Kerbyson's evaluation: Bleav in Tennessee Football: Tennessee Football Fall Camp Review: Offense (Ep. 100) Aug 8th, 22
Short version:
First he was AT practice YESTERDAY!
He does NOT have a worry about the O line.
He has 2 guys fighting hard for the starting spot at LT.
Cooper is super smart, but not the biggest or nastiest player.
Addison is out of position at back up center, but he he is going to be a player - when he gets to his natural position of guard.
Guys were asking KK questions showing their desire to get better - had Kyler excited.
The line is BIG, so BIG.
Give it a listen... I think he just might change your mind.
Click to expand...

I doubt it but I’m always looking extra practice info so thank you
 
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#23
#23
I'll have to wait and see...we've struggled to move people out of the way with our OL. We'll face pretty much the same Pitt defensive front that held our RBs to an average of 1.7 ypc on 19 carriers. Milton had a long run on a scramble but without that we only rushed for 82 yards on 32 carries...and that was Pitt - not Bama, or Georgia, or some other SEC team with big defensive line. The OL must open holes so our backs can get into the secondary - not just for big running plays but also to set up those big play action passes. It starts up front.
 
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#24
#24
Sarms58 said:
I'll have to wait and see...we've struggled to move people out of the way with our OL. We'll face pretty much the same Pitt defensive front that held our RBs to an average of 1.7 ypc on 19 carriers. Milton had a long run on a scramble but without that we only rushed for 82 yards on 32 carries...and that was Pitt - not Bama, or Georgia, or some other SEC team with big defensive line. The OL must open holes so our backs can get into the secondary - not just for big running plays but also to set up those big play action passes. It starts up front.
Click to expand...


PITT was a very good team last year and finished with 11 wins. They were the 4th best team we played last season, but you could argue third best. I do not expect them to have the same type of season however the matchup against their defense will be a challenge for our o line. If the o line performs well then that should be a good indicator moving forward.
 
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