Center Position.

[abw0004 10,134]

3 hours ago, WDEKC said:

Nobody here even seems to know what he's struggling with. Just that he's struggling. 

That's why I don't like this thread. No one can point to anything specifically.  The only facts showing was when I posted quotes of players and coaches saying the opposite of what is thought of here.  If Kozan volunteeringly says he is doing good, I trust him.  Kozan rarely says something, but when he does, you listen. 

[StuntMan06 14]

I'm optimistic as well but it's not like Koran is going to say Leff needs work. 

[I_M4_AU 8,057]

20 minutes ago, StuntMan06 said:

I'm optimistic as well but it's not like Koran is going to say Leff needs work. 

Hey, let's not bring religion in on this.

[StuntMan06 14]

1 hour ago, I_M4_AU said:

Hey, let's not bring religion in on this.

Touche. 

[ellitor 33,114]

5 hours ago, WDEKC said:

Nobody here even seems to know what he's struggling with. Just that he's struggling. 

Info on an OL struggling usually isn't specific even though right. I trust WDE & JGT & will be content to wait til Saturday to see what the struggle is.

[ellitor 33,114]

2 hours ago, abw0004 said:

That's why I don't like this thread. No one can point to anything specifically.  The only facts showing was when I posted quotes of players and coaches saying the opposite of what is thought of here.  If Kozan volunteeringly says he is doing good, I trust him.  Kozan rarely says something, but when he does, you listen. 

Players who are chosen to speak are hand picked by Gus & are schooled to not say anything less than positive on their teammates. If there is differing info from player/coach interview & valued insiders then more often than not the insiders info is more accurate. At least it's been that way in the past.

[AUsince72 11,084]

5 hours ago, WDEKC said:

Nobody here even seems to know what he's struggling with. Just that he's struggling. 

Such is the life of an offensive lineman... On an individual level, short of sailing the ball over the QB's head or laying out a pancake block in the open field, few really ever notice what they do, good OR bad.  Yet they show up for work every day.  

It's hard for many, except the most eagle eyed observers, to pick up on the struggles of individual linemen.  (As evidenced by 49 pages in one QB thread followed by a new thread immedialy dropping page after page yet this one has merely 4). Hopefully it's just rumor...unless something public happens we won't know for sure for 7 more days.

War Eagle!

[gman87 398]

2 hours ago, abw0004 said:

That's why I don't like this thread. No one can point to anything specifically.  The only facts showing was when I posted quotes of players and coaches saying the opposite of what is thought of here.  If Kozan volunteeringly says he is doing good, I trust him.  Kozan rarely says something, but when he does, you listen. 

Alex "EF Hutton" Kozan

[PoetTiger 1,901]

I still think u could pinpoint what he is struggling with, specifically if you are gonna say it. Is it protections, technique, calling out assignments, is he he a penalty magnet, etc. By being more specific maybe there can be more optimism whatever he is struggling with can possibly be alleviated with more practice or not. From what I have read Clemson has some pretty good DT's; this game will be a good measuring stick for XD as well as the rest of the online.

[Eagle Eye 7 2,535]

On 8/26/2016 at 3:16 PM, WDEKC said:

He was a late addition 3* and didn't start immediately so he can't possibly be good enough.

 

Edit: I guess not as late as I remembered. Committed in December, but we did flip him from mighty Southern Miss so he must not have been very good.

You don't keep up to well do you. He was actually a take all along. It was AU waiting to see how the numbers worked out. Don't even get me started about star counts. They are pure garbage. For you information we also signed a late two star on signing day just before that. His name was Darren Bates. He started his freshman year and started 4 years straight and has been employed by the NFL making big money ever since, Clowns like you should take up another hobby besides watching young men play a sport you will never understand. WDE

 

[Malcolm_FleX48 1,869]

On 8/26/2016 at 0:06 PM, Barnacle said:

That's a good point. O line is one of those position groups that I'm generally clueless about. 

O-Line is generally one of if not THE hardest position on the field to play and learn, in all three metrics
Physically (Strength and Ankle Flexibility as well as bend.)
Mentally (Offensive linemen have the 2nd most complicated playbook behind the QB and MLBs)
Technically (Anyone who has played will tell you that line is THE MOST technical position on the field, defensive and offensive.)

For one thing, durability might as well be a stat for offensive linemen, since they're basically improvised walls with super-computer chips in them. Literally, even having to shuffle an offensive lineman to ANY position is a bad deal because you lose out on depth and if another player goes down due to injury and you've got a lineman that can play that position but he has to go to another, then there's a huge issue. Especially moving outer linemen to the interior and interior linemen to the outside. You're not going to see world class athleticism from guards who have to move to tackle. Guards don't have to be NEARLY as athletic or long as tackles do and the difficulty curve climbs significantly when you have to move one out. The best example of this that I have is Braden Smith, who if you ever see in person, basically for all intents and purposes looks like a super-sized tight end. He was recruited to play tackle, however, due to footwork (assumed) and possible positional shortages there, moved inside where he is known as all American in terms of pass blocking. Out at tackle, he was good, but not great. That's in part due because the type of kick-slide, protection requisites, and types of players they have to block. 

Again, the playbook for offensive linemen, even in zone-blocking schemes are traditionally FAR tougher, with reads pre-snap, pass offs, conditions for which their blocking assignment changes due to stems and motions, calling out blitzers and adjusting the ENTIRE LINE. (This includes the secondary. Yes, offensive linemen have to have eyes in the defensive backfield.) Basically, offensive linemen LITERALLY end up having to be the smartest players that you have because of the amount of mental work they have to do. And in a tempo based offense like Gus' they have significantly less time to do it than those who play in slower-paced man blocking schemes do. (Then again a man-blocking scheme that is found in a Pro-style offense is SIGNIFICANTLY MORE COMPLICATED.) Even then, there is still a LOT of mental work that needs to be done. What if one's zone has multiple defenders in it? What if there is a double or even triple A-Gap presence? Who needs to pass off and double up to the 2nd level? All of these things have to be non-verbally communicated across the line, and most of the time, it's the Center who does the brunt of this communication. That's why you ALWAYS want an experienced and confident center because he will literally have to do MOST of the correcting and figuring for your line. Did I mention snapping? That's not an easy combination of tasks to have.

Technique is also important as unbeknownst to many, the footwork for offensive linemen is intricate. Not only that, but there are SEVERAL different types of blocks that must be delivered based on the run call which involve hand placement, head position, shoulder extension or use, and sometimes off-hand presence. Typically it appears to be just choppy steps and hitting but there is a LOT that goes into a run-block. Not only run-blocking, but pass protection is ridiculously complicated in terms of techniques and skills. Footwork of course is important, but flexibility, athleticism, and then the hand-fighting. That's typically the most important because when you're moving backwards yet trying to stop a 230-300lb player firing off the ball at high speeds moving towards you, you've got to be able to stop their momentum. Some of the difficulty in hand-based pass rushing techniques is wild. A lot of offensive linemen end up creating new techniques and moves and having secondary moves, counters, and even "Finishers" (As Trey Clark Used to call them.) Basically, it's a very complicated game, that when put together well enough, looks like pushing and shoving.  

 

 

On 8/26/2016 at 3:16 PM, WDEKC said:

He was a late addition 3* and didn't start immediately so he can't possibly be good enough.

 

Edit: I guess not as late as I remembered. Committed in December, but we did flip him from mighty Southern Miss so he must not have been very good.

 

As has already been stated, star ratings are about as arbitrary as they get and barely should factor into recruiting criteria, let alone current evaluations of players on college teams. Especially given how late some players develop and how nuanced the collegiate football workout programs are. 

[Eagle Eye 7 2,535]

AL.Com has an article up talking to CRL and Horton. They both said they are happy with the starting five and feel pretty good with 6,7,and 8 but those guys still need some work. Talk about how good they feel with Leff and if he goes down Smith will move over and Horton will go to RG. If Golson goes down Leff goes to LT and Smith moves over and Horton to RG . I know you guys are smarter than the coaches but I am pretty sure they are good with our first five. But hey go ahead and fret and fuss if you want. WDE

[ellitor 33,114]

2 hours ago, PoetTiger said:

I still think u could pinpoint what he is struggling with, specifically if you are gonna say it. Is it protections, technique, calling out assignments, is he he a penalty magnet, etc. By being more specific maybe there can be more optimism whatever he is struggling with can possibly be alleviated with more practice or not. From what I have read Clemson has some pretty good DT's; this game will be a good measuring stick for XD as well as the rest of the online.

If it was provided it would have been posted. WDE says he was not told what the struggle is & JGT has not said what it is if he knows. It may not be a big deal at all. The point of WDE's OP was it's something to keep an eye on. And there should be good optimism regardless because you have the 2 of the best guards in the nation flanking him & helping out.

[ellitor 33,114]

25 minutes ago, Eagle Eye 7 said:

AL.Com has an article up talking to CRL and Horton. They both said they are happy with the starting five and feel pretty good with 6,7,and 8 but those guys still need some work. Talk about how good they feel with Leff and if he goes down Smith will move over and Horton will go to RG. If Golson goes down Leff goes to LT and Smith moves over and Horton to RG . I know you guys are smarter than the coaches but I am pretty sure they are good with our first five. But hey go ahead and fret and fuss if you want. WDE

Again. If they aren't good with the starting 5 they are not going to say it. Gus would not let them even if they wanted to.

[WDEKC 187]

3 hours ago, Eagle Eye 7 said:

 

Sarcasm must come hard for you.

[WDEKC 187]

2 hours ago, Malcolm_FleX48 said:

 

As has already been stated, star ratings are about as arbitrary as they get and barely should factor into recruiting criteria, let alone current evaluations of players on college teams. Especially given how late some players develop and how nuanced the collegiate football workout programs are. 

I forgot Auburn fans have great troubles with sarcasm.

[imaolgatiger 523]

2 minutes ago, WDEKC said:

I forgot Auburn fans have great troubles with sarcasm.

So I take it that you aren't an Auburn fan????

 

[augolf1716 21,434]

1 minute ago, WDEKC said:

I forgot Auburn fans have great troubles with sarcasm.

Where did you hear/see that??  

[WDEKC 187]

4 minutes ago, augolf1716 said:

Where did you hear/see that??  

Some themes I've seen over the years on various Auburn boards.

[WDEKC 187]

7 minutes ago, imaolgatiger said:

So I take it that you aren't an Auburn fan????

 

You got me, can't get anything past you.

 

Maybe I should change that to say many auburn fans that post on message boards have trouble with sarcasm.

[Malcolm_FleX48 1,869]

23 minutes ago, WDEKC said:

You got me, can't get anything past you.

 

Maybe I should change that to say many auburn fans that post on message boards have trouble with Bad Attempts at sarcasm.

May have trouble with sarcasm, but definitely don't have trouble with helping people out. There ya go buddy. 

[augolf1716 21,434]

2 minutes ago, Malcolm_FleX48 said:

May have trouble with sarcasm, but definitely don't have trouble with helping people out. There ya go buddy. 

good one flex

[WDEKC 187]

6 minutes ago, Malcolm_FleX48 said:

May have trouble with sarcasm, but definitely don't have trouble with helping people out. There ya go buddy. 

That's a good one. You guys are too quick for me. I'll probably need to sit this one out.

[Malcolm_FleX48 1,869]

22 minutes ago, WDEKC said:

That's a good one. You guys are too quick for me. I'll probably need to sit this one out.

It's all good man. I remember my first time.... It's fast paced here. Gets the new folk every time. 

[3rdgeneration 6,471]

Could XD's "struggles" be in direct correlation to how strong and deep our D-line is? Can he truly be evaluated until we get to play someone other than our own guys? I guess he could be having trouble snapping it over Sean's head or something. Maybe having trouble with the snap count. I'd hate to have to go against our D-line in practice, though...