It takes three things to be a great O-Lineman: 1. must be big and long - - 6'6" with a good reach is a big plus, he needs to get his weight to a solid 315#, athleticism = quickness, mobility, flexibility is all important, nasty - there are a lot of big tough guys, but very few big nasty guys. Nasty is real simple: you beat the guy across from you relentlessly until he submits, you put him in the dirt every chance you get, you run him off the field every chance you get, you out work him every play, it's a unique take no prisoners attitude of pure dominance. If you have all these then you have the makings of a good o-lineman. Then you need to take a couple of years (at least) with hundreds of reps to perfect technique, and you need a couple of years on the weights to bulk up with good weight and get rid of the bad weight (an stellar example of this on the D-Line is Brett Johnson). If you are 6'6" and can squat a car and bench 400+ pounds, then you are probably going to be at the top of the heap of college o-linemen. If you have the frame, athletic ability and nasty, then the rest is all about hard work. That's why there are only two reasons why a freshman o-lineman plays and they go hand in hand. One is you are fortunate enough to get a freak athlete and two is your existing talent pool is not good and you have no depth. Freshman do end up starting at O-line, but I would bet everyone of them will tell you that they were much better as a player in their 3rd year (like any freshman starter). The thing that takes time with o-linemen is transforming youthful blubber into muscle. I'd like to see Jackson kill it in the weight room (along with all of our o-linemen) for the next two years.
Not sure I agree. I think it's better to be smart, cunning, predatory and dominant. IMHO only, others may differ, being petty on the football field could lead to being dragged into a situation where you get called for a selfish penalty. I actually think a great o-liner is way above pettiness and basically is so mentally dominant over his opponent that he mindfucks him and doesn't even respond to petty crap because it's beneath him. Ultimately this should piss off the opponent to no end. Again, just my opinion. Cruel is a bit extreme. When I played I never went out to purposefully hurt someone, unless they took a cheap shot at me, then it was all over and there were no rules. But the way I look at the game is that if we play by the rules and its clean, then I won't cry for you if you get hurt and you won't cry for me if I get hurt. May the best man win.
I think the “petty” part meant the stubborn will to fight for inches all game, where losing one (even if you’re winning all the others) is offensive/unacceptable, and “cruel” just means really enjoying the type of complete dominance you describe. I’m sure he didn’t mean trying to injure another player.
Observations on Jackson Brown's Hudl tape and a few other comments. There is a lot to like in the tape. He is big and aggressive. He does a good job getting on his blocks, but more than anything I like the way he plays to the whistle or his opponent is on the ground. He finishes blocks and that is a critical part of the formula for good O-linemen. Against high school talent he looks good, but the worst guy he will play in P5 will be way better than any of guys he has gone against: P5 lpayers will be much bigger, stronger and faster and will have much better technique. If I were coaching him up the very first thing I would do is change his stance. He is not balanced and telegraphs the play: zone read reach block, drive block, or pass block. And, he need to get out of that stance MUCH quicker or he will get eaten alive by much quicker defensive players. Just changing a few things in his stance would fix all the aforementioned. Also, his quickness improved markedly by the end of the tape. He tends to get over his toes a bit and so he will need to learn to drop his ass and get into better football position. I like what I see though, he has some real good qualities to build off. He has all the makings of a good o-lineman. With his height, if he puts on 20 to 30 pounds of good muscle, he could be a very good strong side tackle. I don't think he is quick enough to play weak side. He could be a guard but that would be a waste of his height and reach. Lastly, he is raw and needs to learn a lot of technique and perfect it. Personally I don't see him as ready to start as a freshman, but I'm not the coach. Ryan Lange and Bastian Swinney are both redshirt freshmen, are both 6'6 and tip the scales at 325# and 305#. I have only seen a little of them playing in the Spring scrimmage, but both of these guys have a year of weight training and and technique reps over Jackson. I think Jackson can be a solid player, maybe even competing for the starting job somewhere as a sophomore, but it's going to take a lot of work to get there that quickly. Hope this answers your question.
Not without first clearing it with Coach Mac and Coach W. They have their system and don't need noise from outsiders. If they get it done, we win and they keep their jobs. If they don't, well... ;-)
It takes three things to be a great O-Lineman: 1. must be big and long - - 6'6" with a good reach is a big plus, he needs to get his weight to a solid 315#, athleticism = quickness, mobility, flexibility is all important, nasty - there are a lot of big tough guys, but very few big nasty guys. Nasty is real simple: you beat the guy across from you relentlessly until he submits, you put him in the dirt every chance you get, you run him off the field every chance you get, you out work him every play, it's a unique take no prisoners attitude of pure dominance. If you have all these then you have the makings of a good o-lineman. Then you need to take a couple of years (at least) with hundreds of reps to perfect technique, and you need a couple of years on the weights to bulk up with good weight and get rid of the bad weight (an stellar example of this on the D-Line is Brett Johnson). If you are 6'6" and can squat a car and bench 400+ pounds, then you are probably going to be at the top of the heap of college o-linemen. If you have the frame, athletic ability and nasty, then the rest is all about hard work. That's why there are only two reasons why a freshman o-lineman plays and they go hand in hand. One is you are fortunate enough to get a freak athlete and two is your existing talent pool is not good and you have no depth. Freshman do end up starting at O-line, but I would bet everyone of them will tell you that they were much better as a player in their 3rd year (like any freshman starter). The thing that takes time with o-linemen is transforming youthful blubber into muscle. I'd like to see Jackson kill it in the weight room (along with all of our o-linemen) for the next two years.
re: nasty... I once heard an o-line coach say a good lineman has to be “petty and cruel” and that made so much sense.
Not sure I agree. I think it's better to be smart, cunning, predatory and dominant. IMHO only, others may differ, being petty on the football field could lead to being dragged into a situation where you get called for a selfish penalty. I actually think a great o-liner is way above pettiness and basically is so mentally dominant over his opponent that he mindfucks him and doesn't even respond to petty crap because it's beneath him. Ultimately this should piss off the opponent to no end. Again, just my opinion. Cruel is a bit extreme. When I played I never went out to purposefully hurt someone, unless they took a cheap shot at me, then it was all over and there were no rules. But the way I look at the game is that if we play by the rules and its clean, then I won't cry for you if you get hurt and you won't cry for me if I get hurt. May the best man win.
I think the “petty” part meant the stubborn will to fight for inches all game, where losing one (even if you’re winning all the others) is offensive/unacceptable, and “cruel” just means really enjoying the type of complete dominance you describe. I’m sure he didn’t mean trying to injure another player.
Nice Rugbear. Appreciate your insight.
Observations on Jackson Brown's Hudl tape and a few other comments. There is a lot to like in the tape. He is big and aggressive. He does a good job getting on his blocks, but more than anything I like the way he plays to the whistle or his opponent is on the ground. He finishes blocks and that is a critical part of the formula for good O-linemen. Against high school talent he looks good, but the worst guy he will play in P5 will be way better than any of guys he has gone against: P5 lpayers will be much bigger, stronger and faster and will have much better technique. If I were coaching him up the very first thing I would do is change his stance. He is not balanced and telegraphs the play: zone read reach block, drive block, or pass block. And, he need to get out of that stance MUCH quicker or he will get eaten alive by much quicker defensive players. Just changing a few things in his stance would fix all the aforementioned. Also, his quickness improved markedly by the end of the tape. He tends to get over his toes a bit and so he will need to learn to drop his ass and get into better football position. I like what I see though, he has some real good qualities to build off. He has all the makings of a good o-lineman. With his height, if he puts on 20 to 30 pounds of good muscle, he could be a very good strong side tackle. I don't think he is quick enough to play weak side. He could be a guard but that would be a waste of his height and reach. Lastly, he is raw and needs to learn a lot of technique and perfect it. Personally I don't see him as ready to start as a freshman, but I'm not the coach. Ryan Lange and Bastian Swinney are both redshirt freshmen, are both 6'6 and tip the scales at 325# and 305#. I have only seen a little of them playing in the Spring scrimmage, but both of these guys have a year of weight training and and technique reps over Jackson. I think Jackson can be a solid player, maybe even competing for the starting job somewhere as a sophomore, but it's going to take a lot of work to get there that quickly. Hope this answers your question.
Not without first clearing it with Coach Mac and Coach W. They have their system and don't need noise from outsiders. If they get it done, we win and they keep their jobs. If they don't, well... ;-)
Sounds like a starter in year 2 or 3. Go Bears!