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We are going to rotate Olinemen in the opener
- Thread starter Darth Snow
- Start date
My interpretation of the article is this:
Last year Iltis finished the season at LG. He spent the whole off-season challenging Stevens for center. Stevens won, but Iltis is too good to just have as the backup center especially when he did so well vs NU. Atkins has had more practice and more reps at LG so he will start, but Iltis will get some time on the field to try and earn the permanent starting spot.
RT has been a close battle, probably the closest of any o-line position in the offseason. Givens has a slight sprang in his ankle so Bakhtiari will start. If Givens were healthy he may be the starter, but a 100% Bakhtiari is better than a 80%-90% Givens. Depending on how the game goes, and how Givens feels, he may get some reps in or he may stay on the sideline so he can fully heal for the rest of the season.
Last year we had one guy focused on playing center and making the line calls (Iltis). He was 13 months removed from a torn ACL, and he was injured six plays into the season. The back-up center (Stevens) was very green and there was a big drop off in play at the start (I don’t think Stevens made the line calls during the CSU game the way most centers do). Stevens progressed well over the year and is the starter, but trying to allow Iltis a chance to win a starting spot at LG has left the Buffs thin once again at center. Daniels may see some playing time in order to gain some game day experience at the position, just in case he is needed for an extended period of time.
Last year Iltis finished the season at LG. He spent the whole off-season challenging Stevens for center. Stevens won, but Iltis is too good to just have as the backup center especially when he did so well vs NU. Atkins has had more practice and more reps at LG so he will start, but Iltis will get some time on the field to try and earn the permanent starting spot.
RT has been a close battle, probably the closest of any o-line position in the offseason. Givens has a slight sprang in his ankle so Bakhtiari will start. If Givens were healthy he may be the starter, but a 100% Bakhtiari is better than a 80%-90% Givens. Depending on how the game goes, and how Givens feels, he may get some reps in or he may stay on the sideline so he can fully heal for the rest of the season.
Last year we had one guy focused on playing center and making the line calls (Iltis). He was 13 months removed from a torn ACL, and he was injured six plays into the season. The back-up center (Stevens) was very green and there was a big drop off in play at the start (I don’t think Stevens made the line calls during the CSU game the way most centers do). Stevens progressed well over the year and is the starter, but trying to allow Iltis a chance to win a starting spot at LG has left the Buffs thin once again at center. Daniels may see some playing time in order to gain some game day experience at the position, just in case he is needed for an extended period of time.
I can see three reasons for rotating some OL.
1. Some guys are nicked up. Fine, that makes sense.
2. Some serious position battles are still going on, I'd say make a decision, but I can see that.
3. Rotating centers though, unless it is for reasosn 1 or 2 above, screams out to me rotating QB's. One center plays with one QB for snap consistency, the other center with the other QB. I really, really hope it is 1 or 2.
1. Some guys are nicked up. Fine, that makes sense.
2. Some serious position battles are still going on, I'd say make a decision, but I can see that.
3. Rotating centers though, unless it is for reasosn 1 or 2 above, screams out to me rotating QB's. One center plays with one QB for snap consistency, the other center with the other QB. I really, really hope it is 1 or 2.
Well, that's the best case scenario I guess, but I hope they've learned enough to know that you don't make changes like giving Daniels some game day experience when the game is on the line. An OL needs continuity and cohesiveness, and you get that by playing 5 guys together every snap. This staff has shown a complete lack of awareness of that fact in the past. Hopefully they've learned it now and are only talking about a change here and there as dictated by injuries and the opportunity to give guys some PT in blowout situations. But that isn't what I got from Johnson's statements, and I'm well past the point of assuming the best about the plans this staff comes up with. Still, we'll hope for the best...
Rotating centers makes no sense whatsoever. That is the qb of the oline, you just dont do it.