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O-linemen

cu3x

Well-Known Member
I read in the BDC thisweek, that NLF scouts were looking at Adkins (Sr), in addition to Miller

So last year we had Solder and the two above and the OL got punked by almost everyone we played.

This year, 1 sure draft pick in Miller and a likely in Adkins and things are still bad

So, I truly do not get it. 2 bad coaches in a row? Players who 'coast', waiting for the NFl payoff? What?

and FWIW, Miller may be tied with M Houston for the biggest bust as a college player - given their hype.

I thought MH would really be sucessful and I bought the mask he made, in a charity auction, before his F year If any of his fans would like to make an offer...
 
Miller started for 4 years. NOt sure how he's a bust. Its not his fault most of the team around him isn't good.
 
The article did not say that Adkins would be drafted. He's a senior with 3 years of starting experience for a BCS program. Of course he'll get an evaluation from NFL scouts. They'll look and he may get invited to camp as an UFA. Might even stick since he'd be so cheap.

Miller's a 6'8" guy who has been a 4-year starter and gotten some accolades. He'll get drafted. I'm thinking 4th or 5th round at this point.
 
The article did not say that Adkins would be drafted. He's a senior with 3 years of starting experience for a BCS program. Of course he'll get an evaluation from NFL scouts. They'll look and he may get invited to camp as an UFA. Might even stick since he'd be so cheap.

Miller's a 6'8" guy who has been a 4-year starter and gotten some accolades. He'll get drafted. I'm thinking 4th or 5th round at this point.
I bet he goes higher than that. NFL will just assume we didn't know how to get anything out of him.
 
I bet he goes higher than that. NFL will just assume we didn't know how to get anything out of him.

Maybe so. They do tend to draft on potential. How well he does with things like the short shuttle at the combine will mean a lot.
 
Miller gets a lack of flak and for due cause given how he talks. However, as a guard how much does his play affect the line? I don't know since I never played, but he seems to do ok, not great, but the rest of the OL is pretty damn bad. He lacks the aggressiveness of a top guard and is a bit slow when pulling. That's why I liked Maiava and why hawk didn't (for his attitude).
 
What is holding Miller back? Athleticism?

I certainly doubt it is size, strength, work ethic, or interest in the game.
 
What is holding Miller back? Athleticism?

I certainly doubt it is size, strength, work ethic, or interest in the game.

I don't think he has enough of a mean streak. If he'd been on an OL this year with Kai, Max and Bryce then I think you'd see their influence on him and he'd play a lot nastier.
 
He hasn't received the best coaching in the world. I know that's no excuse, but I think it's worth bringing up.

It is worth bringing up. At the very least, changing OL coaches and offensive systems every single year has hurt his development.

I also wonder about the injury. He went down as a guy who had been effective as a RT as a true freshman and then came back as a guard. You don't generally play a 6'8" guy at guard unless his lateral movement is pretty limited.
 
I question Miller's heart and motor. He talks, er tweets, a big game but has shown little if any emotion or leadership. This as a 4 year starter with plenty of preseason accolades. He will be drafted due to size strength and athleticism. Hopefully someone can coach him into being mean.
 
Maybe he is a good player and we're just not very good scouts, who knows. I mean last year I didn't never saw anything in Solder that impressed me, but he seems to be doing fine now.
 
Maybe he is a good player and we're just not very good scouts, who knows. I mean last year I didn't never saw anything in Solder that impressed me, but he seems to be doing fine now.


I agree with Hi.O. We just aren't very good scouts. I wish Miller nothing but success in the league.

I remember everyone, including myself, questioning Solder's lateral movement. He seemed to get beat very easily, but now he seems to be doing great in the league.
 
Miller is going to blow everyone away in shorts at the combine. He has all the measurables, height, weight, speed (straight line in 40,) bench press. He is also a smart guy who will say all the right things in interviews.

Somebody is going to fall in love with him and he won't last past the third round. Hopefully he will go to a team with an O-line coach who can light a fire under him in which case he will have a solid NFL career. I think more likely he will be a dissapointment and be out of the league after his rookie contract is up.
 
Miller is going to blow everyone away in shorts at the combine. He has all the measurables, height, weight, speed (straight line in 40,) bench press. He is also a smart guy who will say all the right things in interviews.

Somebody is going to fall in love with him and he won't last past the third round. Hopefully he will go to a team with an O-line coach who can light a fire under him in which case he will have a solid NFL career. I think more likely he will be a dissapointment and be out of the league after his rookie contract is up.

images
 
Miller came to CU when he could've gone just about anywhere he wanted. He's a local guy and he's been a strong proponent for the Buffs and all you can do is compare him to Marcus freaking Houston? :wow: The guy's had 17 different line coaches since he's been here, so why don't y'all cut our senior captain some slack as he competes in his last few games for the Buffs. Assholes.
 
Miller came to CU when he could've gone just about anywhere he wanted. He's a local guy and he's been a strong proponent for the Buffs and all you can do is compare him to Marcus freaking Houston? :wow: The guy's had 17 different line coaches since he's been here, so why don't y'all cut our senior captain some slack as he competes in his last few games for the Buffs. Assholes.

M. Houston was mentioned in one post. The majority of this thread I think has been very fair to Miller.

He did have choices about where to go and he has been a good Buff. He put up with way more than Hawkins he should have ever had to. He comes out every game and plays and I can't remember him shedding a bad light on the program.

At the same time I think it is also fair to say that while he is good enough that he will be drafted, and in fact drafted fairly highly, he has not performed at the level that was expected out of him. He has been good but not dominant, he has been there but not been a difference maker.

All of us hope that he will have a quality career in the NFL and reflect well on CU. It is also fair game to be honest and say that he has been a dissapointment and may not be a success in the NFL if he plays like he has at CU. I hope he proves me wrong but I am not going to lie and pretend that he is a superstar in the making.
 
I am not so sure Miller will test all that well at the combine. He is tall and can move reasonably well, but those guys are a dime a dozen at the NFL combine. It is not like he blows you away with his athleticism or anything. My guess is he goes on the third day.

Adkins is not a NFL offensive linemen.
 
@MTN....I dunno the comments seemed a bit lame to me. The thing is I'm ok with criticism. If someone said bench him and get the youngster in there, I wouldn't agree but I suppose it's a fair opinion. I think the comments in the OP comparing him to Houston really irritated me, then the draft comments seemed like piling on. From Miller's perspective, he could argue that CU was the bust for him...he got sold a crappy bill of goods from Hawk, had a new position coach every year, and never had any stability on the oline with teammates. All of which may cost him on draft day. Instead, he pumps up CU every chance he gets. End rant.
 
I have no idea if Miller's been playing particularly well or poorly, but overall our line play on both sides of the ball leaves a lot to be desired. If we ever hope to beat a team like Oregon that's built on speed, we absolutely have to dominate the line of scrimmage. I'm hopeful that our O-line will be solid next year with Asiata and hopefully Nembot getting significant playing time. If Wood or one of the other QBs plays well that will help the O-line as well. I love Hansen's heart, but he rarely seems to progress in his reads and seems to get nervous back there even when the protection is relatively good.

I'm more worried about the D-line. I don't think we can expect a true frosh like Solis to come in and dominate right away and I wonder if the guys we currently have can hold their own against the run and apply pressure to opposing QBs without all out blitzes. We desperately need Uzo-Diribe, Parker and Bonsu to play really well. Fortunately, I think our LB corps will be solid, assuming Rippy comes back strong. And our DB play can only get better and I fully expect it to.
 
I think we see the same thing with Miller as we did with Solder.

Solder was an elite player at his position, but we had a real problem at LG during his time. Opponents would use the outside rush to draw Solder outside but then blitz over the LG. Nate tried to do too much at times by "covering" for Adkins/Behrens whoever when they needed help. Put him on an NFL line where everyone is elite and he thrives.

With Miller we have serious issues at Center and Right Tackle. How can Ryan "look good" as an individual when 2/3 of the right side of the line aren't pulling their own weight.

I thought Ryan had a very good season last year when we had Stevens/Iltis at center and Bahktiari stepped up at RT. That gave Ryan free reign to be more effective.

We aren't seeing the mean streak from Ryan because he is too busy trying to pick which side he needs to help plug the gap while also watching his own responsibility.

With that said, I don't see Ryan being a LG in the NFL. RG's don't really get drafted that high. I'm not sure if he can make the switch back to RT in the NFL, and without that I don't see how he gets picked any sooner than the 4th round.
 
@MTN....I dunno the comments seemed a bit lame to me. The thing is I'm ok with criticism. If someone said bench him and get the youngster in there, I wouldn't agree but I suppose it's a fair opinion. I think the comments in the OP comparing him to Houston really irritated me, then the draft comments seemed like piling on. From Miller's perspective, he could argue that CU was the bust for him...he got sold a crappy bill of goods from Hawk, had a new position coach every year, and never had any stability on the oline with teammates. All of which may cost him on draft day. Instead, he pumps up CU every chance he gets. End rant.

You have a point that he didn't exactly get a great deal from CU either, a string of O-line coaches working for a HC who had no clue. A different offense every year and arguably more than one a season since they couldn't stick with something when they did install it.

Miller probably cost himself some money coming back this year. He could have come out in last years draft and would have likely been drafted as high as he will be this year. With rookie salaries scaled in by the new player contract he isn't going to make more for staying and if he has a longer career that is one more season he could have collected checks. Instead he stayed knowing that this team wasn't going to have much talent and would have a brutal schedule. I have also stated before on another thread that he is a guy who has been a positive representative of the program and the school off the field.

That all said, if I were an NFL GM I don't think I would draft Miller as high as he is going to get drafted. He has the athletic ability but just hasn't dominated at thimes when he should be dominating. Maybe an NFL position coach can get that out of him but I wouldn't be my teams money and draft choices on it.
 
We aren't seeing the mean streak from Ryan because he is too busy trying to pick which side he needs to help plug the gap while also watching his own responsibility.

Not sure I agree Scotty. The guy can barely handle the guy he's lining up against. Watching him get bullrushed and getting tossed back into Hansen's lap was embarrassing. And that was vs Hawaii. I doubt any DL out of Hawaii are going to the league anytime soon.

I think it's fair to expect Miller to handle those guys easily. No?
 
Newsflash: Ethan Adkins has zero chance of being drafted, he and Dannewitz get absolutely abused every single game. Think I'm going over the top? Watch closely against Arizona State and you'll see I'm not remotely exaggerating. The fact that he's started for three years sums up the current state of affairs for CU football.
 
Newsflash: Ethan Adkins has zero chance of being drafted, he and Dannewitz get absolutely abused every single game. Think I'm going over the top? Watch closely against Arizona State and you'll see I'm not remotely exaggerating. The fact that he's started for three years sums up the current state of affairs for CU football.

Agree on Adkins, just doesn't get the job done.

I am truly dissapointed in Dannewitz. I believed when the recruited him and still believe that he can be a quality college O-lineman, unfortunately he just hasn't shown it so far. Maybe an offseason with the new coaching staff and something clicks in him letting him play to the potential I think I see in him.
 
Agree on Adkins, just doesn't get the job done.

I am truly dissapointed in Dannewitz. I believed when the recruited him and still believe that he can be a quality college O-lineman, unfortunately he just hasn't shown it so far. Maybe an offseason with the new coaching staff and something clicks in him letting him play to the potential I think I see in him.

More upside with Dannewitz than Adkins, that's for sure. Our OL is soft. There's zero mean streak in them and it has been that way for 5+ years and it's about damn time it changes.
 
Blake Behrens. I thought that kid was going to be good. He turned down Miami for CU.

I guess you never know how these kids are going to turn out.
 
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