2016 Offensive Line Discussion

[Joe Theismann's Leg]

Once again, the offensive line is a big question mark. We've got some talented skill position players including a new transfer QB and a new JUCO WR who should lock down starting gigs this season... but the key to offensive success is a strong line. Gotta make holes to run and give the QB time to throw.

Losing Nembot will hurt, he was very up and down in his career here, but looked strong last season, so now we've got to figure out where to go from here. The way I see it, there's basically one lock and that's:

C Alex Kelley- Kelley played the second most snaps of all o-linemen last year and was a pretty solid player. He only drew 2 flags, allowed only 4 sacks and he's played a lot of games since redshirting as a freshman.

After him, it gets murky.

LT Jeromy Irwin- Irwin looked really promising in 2015 before tearing his ACL. He looked good in 2014 as well. He's got another year (possibly two according to HCMM) of eligibility but he's got a history of injuries. His ACL tear is going to require recovery and it's doubtful he's ready for spring ball.

RG Shane Callahan- After Nembot and Kelley, Callahan played the most snaps and was penalized only twice, but allowed more sacks than anyone on the team. He's obviously got natural talent and he's adjusting to a new position but he'll need to improve for the Buffs line to live up to their potential.

LG Gerrad Kough- The team seems really high on this kid. He's gotten a lot of playing time over the last couple years and seems to have moments where he looks very good, but he draws a lot of flags and allowed a lot of sacks.

RT Sam Kronshage/John Lisella- I lumped the two together because it seems like both played a lot last year. Surprisingly Kronshage played for fewer snaps than 5 other players... and led the team in pancake blocks by 12. He seems to have a lot of raw power and size. In addition he only drew one flag and allowed one sack. Lisella is a guy who the coaches seem really high on, but he strikes me as a little undersized for tackle. Still, he seems to have the backing of the coaches.

That's who I think has the inside track on starting jobs, but we still have Timmy Lynott who is a possible candidate to win one of the inside jobs, or backup for Kelley and replace him in 2017. Huckins played a ton of snaps and should be in the mix. Wiefels got some playing time and we've still got Middlemiss, Miller, Kaiser and wildcards like Center who've been working hard in the weight room and showing big gains.

It seems like if the stars line up just right, we could have a decent offensive line... but if they don't, this TT style quick passing attack might be needed just to keep Webb safe.

 

[DiggerBuffs]

Lynott will start. Kelley regressed without 2 fifth year seniors covering for him. Tackles are who you said they are and Kough at one guard spot. Lynott will either start over Callahan or Kelley next year. Lynott is most highly touted of the group and honestly the best based off the film I saw headed into college.

 

[onealcd]

Kelly was okay last year. The guards and tackle opposite nembot struggled more than he did.

 

[AeroBuff99]

If Kelley can't get the ball to at least waist high, he shouldn't start. I had enough of him last year. Wiefels had much better snaps. A low snap hurts the rhythm and timing of each play and cost us yards on several plays. It has the same effect as allowing a pressure or sack, but happened on dang near every play. That cannot be allowed to continue.

 

[onealcd]

I think wiefels struggled the most out of all the guards that played.

 

[DiggerBuffs]

If Kelley can't get the ball to at least waist high, he shouldn't start. I had enough of him last year. Wiefels had much better snaps. A low snap hurts the rhythm and timing of each play and cost us yards on several plays. It has the same effect as allowing a pressure or sack, but happened on dang near every play. That cannot be allowed to continue.

Kelly was okay last year. The guards and tackle opposite nembot struggled more than he did.

You need your Center to be your mean, nasty guy that doesn't make mistakes. As Aero points out he doesn't get the ball to the QB and his blocking,while may not have the sack numbers, is very soft.

 

[onealcd]

You need your Center to be your mean, nasty guy that doesn't make mistakes. As Aero points out he doesn't get the ball to the QB and his blocking,while may not have the sack numbers, is very soft.

Not saying kelly was great or anything and definiteky needs to get his snaps down but he was not as glaring as some of the others on the line. Centers Are rarely your "mean/nasty" guy.

 

[DiggerBuffs]

Not saying kelly was great or anything and definiteky needs to get his snaps down but he was not as glaring as some of the others on the line. Centers Are rarely your "mean/nasty" guy.

That is fair. I was thinking Gurode who was a Guard in college and Center in pros. This team needs that type and has lacked it. Kelley regressed like the entire offense and unlike others it is not all on the line. Some goes to Sefo and the questionable play calling. All areas should improve.

 

[slider]

Tackle depth.... yikes

 

[MtnBuff]

Kelley, other than his shotgun snaps is pretty good technique wise. His big problem was that he had trouble matching up strength with bigger DTs. Another offseason in the weight room could really help him. Koegh and Kronsage had similar issues as relatively weak sophomores. Both could take a solid step forward with maturity but I think both also have fairly low ceilings, they don't have great athletic ability and have trouble keeping good position. A lot of OL play is based on a guys base and they don't have great feet.

Callahan does have a lot of natural talent making his failure to step up last year more disappointing, don't know what to expect from him. He could turn into a cornerstone or could be a bust, not getting my hopes up. Wiefels is a miss, depth guy at best.

Lisella showed a lot of potential in his time last year but should not have been playing. He has to bet bigger and much stronger. Can he do that in one off-season. If he can he could very easily grab a starting tackle position.

Miller is a wild card. His health problems have prevented us from seeing what he can do but he is a high quality kid. Hope he is a factor this year and becomes the OT I thought he would become when we recruited him. He has the frame and the feet to be a drafted player.

Lynott is still young but has the best raw talent of any OL on the team, how long until he steps up and grabs a starting job? May be this year. Middlemiss also in terms of pure talent may be ahead of some of the guys who played last year. Think he is going to need at least another year to be a factor though.

A healthy Irwin is our best OL, tough rugged kid who can play with technique or raw power. I think his natural position is guard but tackle is harder to fill and he is better than anyone we have there. Question is how fast does he come back from the injury, how complete is his comeback, and can he finally stay healthy?

Starting unit should be notably better than we were last year. More experienced and mature other than losing Nembot and frankly I don't think losing Ole is that bad a thing for us. He was the classic look like Tarzan, play like Jane giving up way to many big plays at bad times.

Slider hits on the problem though. If we get some injuries we could be in real trouble, especially at tackle.

 

[Buffenuf]

Numbers are there, but the OL is still a fairly young group. Hope the new S & C guy will make a difference here, as even Solis admitted his teammates were weaker than most OL opponents he faced. That fell on Forman and is one of the big reasons he's now gone (was a Forman supporter until he turned "mad scientist," instead of S & C coach).
Also hope that DChiv's enthusiasm will carry over to the OL coaching.

Then, too, a lot of OL issues were caused by an indecisive or too-focused Sefo waiting for Spruce or Fields to clearly break open, instead of going with the open short routes to other receivers. Again, hope DChiv will have an impact as the TTech "O" calls for many receivers be involved, not just two, as was seen last year. (Heck, DChiv may even teach Ross to actually catch the ball!)

 

[MiamiBuffs]

Then, too, a lot of OL issues were caused by an indecisive or too-focused Sefo waiting for Spruce or Fields to clearly break open, instead of going with the open short routes to other receivers.

other receivers who then dropped the ball.

 

[MtnBuff]

other receivers who then dropped the ball.

^^This^^
Other than Spruce and Fields who did we have at WR last year who realistically would have started for most of the teams in the MWC?

Nice to talk about spreading the ball around but we didn't have people who justified doing that. They either weren't open or didn't catch the ball when they were on a consistent basis. Not a way to build confidence in a QB throwing it to you.

 

[patebuff]

I am very concerned about what we will throw out at RT. If Irwin can't come back healthy, then we are in a world of hurt at the tackle position. Won't matter how we've improved the rest of the team. The coach that coaches them...... Ah, nevermind

 

[Jaximus]

The OL will look better with a QB capable of making a quick read and throw. Sefo often times held onto the ball way too long and he has a slow elongated delivery.

With that being said, the OL was overpowered at times and horrible at picking up blitzes (QB and OL coaching not helping much).

Nembot's loss won't be a huge problem. Without looking into the stats, I feel like he was often confused, missing blocks and required TE or RB assistance.

All in all, I actually think we'll see a little improvement from this group in 2016.

 

[Buffenuf]

^^This^^
Other than Spruce and Fields who did we have at WR last year who realistically would have started for most of the teams in the MWC?

Nice to talk about spreading the ball around but we didn't have people who justified doing that. They either weren't open or didn't catch the ball when they were on a consistent basis. Not a way to build confidence in a QB throwing it to you.

Hey! I thought everybody here was positively raving about Walters as a WR coach and now we're ragging on WRs that couldn't catch? WTF?

It will be interesting to see if the receiving corps will improve noticeably now that DChiv is in place and Walters is an OC in FLA.

 

[MtnBuff]

Hey! I thought everybody here was positively raving about Walters as a WR coach and now we're ragging on WRs that couldn't catch? WTF?

It will be interesting to see if the receiving corps will improve noticeably now that DChiv is in place and Walters is an OC in FLA.

I thought Walter's did a very good job with the talent he had available to him. Unfortunately the culture of CU recruiting didn't include going after top line WR talent. He tried but the momentum wasn't with him.

I think that WR play overall will be better with Chiv but we will miss Spruce. I also wouldn't be surprised if Walters does well in Florida and if he recruits better there than he did here as their staff goes after better talent than we have in recent years.

 

[Buffenuf]

I thought Walter's did a very good job with the talent he had available to him. Unfortunately the culture of CU recruiting didn't include going after top line WR talent. He tried but the momentum wasn't with him.

I think that WR play overall will be better with Chiv but we will miss Spruce. I also wouldn't be surprised if Walters does well in Florida and if he recruits better there than he did here as their staff goes after better talent than we have in recent years.

I totally disagree. The guys who did well were here, or came to CU as talented WRs (Spruce,Fields). I saw little or no development of any others, especially guys like Keeney, Bobo, Ross or Walker who came here touted as decent prospects.

What exactly did he TRY? Him putting on a uni and running drills may have been a "hoot", but it didn't stop his guys from dropping the ball or failing to gain separation from DBs or finding holes in zone coverage. That sort of stuff in on the coach.

You wanna rag on Bernardi for second rate OL work; let's dish the same for Walters and his efforts.

As for recruiting, FLA is easy: 200 deep in D1 propsects. FLA's 2s & 3s are far superior to anything Walters recruited here. The "culture of CU recruiting" allowed this staff a decent haul of WRs this cycle,with Tumpkin and Leavitt charging ahead, What was Walters excuse?

 

[Duff Man]

You seriously need to read more if you believe Walters has gotten a complete pass since the season ended.

 

[MtnBuff]

You seriously need to read more if you believe Walters has gotten a complete pass since the season ended.

Doesn't fit his agenda.

 

[MiamiBuffs]

Hey! I thought everybody here was positively raving about Walters as a WR coach and now we're ragging on WRs that couldn't catch? WTF?

It will be interesting to see if the receiving corps will improve noticeably now that DChiv is in place and Walters is an OC in FLA.

Good point. Maybe the guys with the drops switch to playing corner. You can coach em up all you want but you can't go out and play for them. Maybe our recruiting reflects a desire to add some pressure or some replacements for the group.

 

[Eggon]

Once again, the offensive line is a big question mark. We've got some talented skill position players including a new transfer QB and a new JUCO WR who should lock down starting gigs this season... but the key to offensive success is a strong line. Gotta make holes to run and give the QB time to throw.

Losing Nembot will hurt, he was very up and down in his career here, but looked strong last season, so now we've got to figure out where to go from here. The way I see it, there's basically one lock and that's:

C Alex Kelley- Kelley played the second most snaps of all o-linemen last year and was a pretty solid player. He only drew 2 flags, allowed only 4 sacks and he's played a lot of games since redshirting as a freshman.

After him, it gets murky.

LT Jeromy Irwin- Irwin looked really promising in 2015 before tearing his ACL. He looked good in 2014 as well. He's got another year (possibly two according to HCMM) of eligibility but he's got a history of injuries. His ACL tear is going to require recovery and it's doubtful he's ready for spring ball.

RG Shane Callahan- After Nembot and Kelley, Callahan played the most snaps and was penalized only twice, but allowed more sacks than anyone on the team. He's obviously got natural talent and he's adjusting to a new position but he'll need to improve for the Buffs line to live up to their potential.

LG Gerrad Kough- The team seems really high on this kid. He's gotten a lot of playing time over the last couple years and seems to have moments where he looks very good, but he draws a lot of flags and allowed a lot of sacks.

RT Sam Kronshage/John Lisella- I lumped the two together because it seems like both played a lot last year. Surprisingly Kronshage played for fewer snaps than 5 other players... and led the team in pancake blocks by 12. He seems to have a lot of raw power and size. In addition he only drew one flag and allowed one sack. Lisella is a guy who the coaches seem really high on, but he strikes me as a little undersized for tackle. Still, he seems to have the backing of the coaches.

That's who I think has the inside track on starting jobs, but we still have Timmy Lynott who is a possible candidate to win one of the inside jobs, or backup for Kelley and replace him in 2017. Huckins played a ton of snaps and should be in the mix. Wiefels got some playing time and we've still got Middlemiss, Miller, Kaiser and wildcards like Center who've been working hard in the weight room and showing big gains.

It seems like if the stars line up just right, we could have a decent offensive line... but if they don't, this TT style quick passing attack might be needed just to keep Webb safe.

Irwin is progressing really well and is going to be considerably a "huge dude" when back. Physical presence putting it modestly.

 

[Joe Theismann's Leg]

Irwin is progressing really well and is going to be considerably a "huge dude" when back. Physical presence putting it modestly.

That's good to hear, hope he anchors the line down.

 

[Buffalo Born]

The OL will look better with a QB capable of making a quick read and throw. Sefo often times held onto the ball way too long and he has a slow elongated delivery.

With that being said, the OL was overpowered at times and horrible at picking up blitzes (QB and OL coaching not helping much).

Nembot's loss won't be a huge problem. Without looking into the stats, I feel like he was often confused, missing blocks and required TE or RB assistance.

All in all, I actually think we'll see a little improvement from this group in 2016.

I agree with everything you said, I do think Nembot will be addition by subtraction. I recall a bunch of penalties on him and he was constantly putting the offense behind schedule something last season we couldn't overcome. I was never a fan of him.

Webb might just be enough to make this Oline better, the TT line looked pretty bad in those highlights

 

[slider]

Ideally we're looking at Irwin, Kough, Kelley, Callahan, and Kronshage. Pretty experienced group. First off the bench woukd be Lynott and Lisella.

 

[onealcd]

Ideally we're looking at Irwin, Kough, Kelley, Callahan, and Kronshage. Pretty experienced group. First off the bench woukd be Lynott and Lisella.

Kronsage
sort of disappointed last year but I agree he will get the first shot at tackle. I really hope lyott pushes for the starTing left guard job, he seems a lot quicker than kough.

 

[Bufffan68]

Interesting points about Walters. He was a decent recruiter but that WR corp never really got any better. Partly cuz One Read Sefo would always go to Spruce and Fields, but also cuz he wasn't developing guys.

 

[Buffenuf]

Interesting points about Walters. He was a decent recruiter but that WR corp never really got any better. Partly cuz One Read Sefo would always go to Spruce and Fields, but also cuz he wasn't developing guys.

WTF??? You have an "agenda" too?

Careful now, anybody who criticizes Walters will be accused by Mtn of having an "agenda"!

 

[buffaholic]

Will Lynott, Middlemiss, Kaiser, Miller, or Haigler have made enough of a jump to be pushing incumbents? Kaiser enters his SO year. The rest will be RS-F, with Miller having an extra Spring on the other three.

I predict it will be very competitive out there, which will help things.

 

[Joe Theismann's Leg]

Will Lynott, Middlemiss, Kaiser, Miller, or Haigler have made enough of a jump to be pushing incumbents? Kaiser enters his SO year. The rest will be RS-F, with Miller having an extra Spring on the other three.

I predict it will be very competitive out there, which will help things.

OL is such an interesting position because you could be bigger and stronger and more athletic than your opponent... but if your technique sucks, you could get absolutely bent over by a a skilled defensive player.

When we wonder about their development, we can only really know about guys like Miller and their physical transformations. Dude looked like a boss in that S&C video, but is his technique going to be improved enough to challenge for a spot? Hopefully but we won't really know anything until Spring Ball. If he develops, we could have some more tackle depth as Irwin scares me a little.

I hope Lynott is going to challenge for a spot, but I firmly believe that at his size and skillset we're going to see him as a center, and since Kelley is pretty good I'd like to take the slow build with Timmy and groom him for a starting spot in 2017.