Waiver approved finishing essay for admission to grad school, hopefully add on Friday looking like a reality a little late but still will add some depth and experience to the OL.
Look for UNLV to add an eligible OL with Big 10 experience in the next few days
- Thread starter rebelx
- Start date
Ask yourself this question. How does the O line go from an outstanding bowl year of solid play and considered one of the top lines in the league to the perceived off year last? Answer:
The guy under center was erratic. If Decker hasn't matured fast we could be in for a roller coaster ride. This O line definitely needs to prove itself and fast! No where to hide.
The guy under center was erratic. If Decker hasn't matured fast we could be in for a roller coaster ride. This O line definitely needs to prove itself and fast! No where to hide.
Not too mention they lost the best returning linemen in Cameron Jefferson who is now a Chicago Bear.
Boyko did not play as well his senior year as he did his sophomore and junior years. Evidence would be he was moved from LT to OG for I think the last four games. You don't move your best offensive linemen out of arguably the most important spot LT if he is playing well. No doubt Decker had some bad games, but he was under duress a lot last season and took a lot of hits. It would be one thing if he was a statue like a Drew Bledsoe and couldn't move in the pocket, but Decker is a pretty mobile guy. Add to that Jefferson leaving, which caused a lot of uncertainty and shuffling along the line. Then you have Davis missing half the season with injury. It seemed like anybody not named Devante or Devonte couldn't create separation. Plus the graduation of Tim Cornett hurt as well. Teams didn't fear the run as much last year and could pin their ears back and come after the passer.
Really it's a chicken or the egg scenario. Did the Oline play poorly creating erratic play from Decker or did Decker's poor play make the OLine look worse than it actually was.
So can we officially say who this new OL is yet? Did I miss it somewhere? I saw speculations but no definite.
I only have suspicions based on @rebelx above information so you could derive the individual for yourself.
I'll let RebelX confirm since he is the OP.
The size of the cookie crumbs on the trail are as large as boulders. Not too difficult to find out, just read the OP's again and Google it.
My guess is Matt Hegarty from Notre Dame. I just wonder if Ronnie Stanley hooked him up with coach Sanchez since they were teammates.
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I'll say it, Ryan Nowicki - 6'-5" 300 lbs via Penn St, Illinois and NAU. Jesus, even Stevie Wonder can see that.
http://www.nauathletics.com/sports/fball/2013-14/bios/nowicki_ryan_0uc2
http://www.nauathletics.com/sports/fball/2013-14/bios/nowicki_ryan_0uc2
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My searches have come up with Ryan Nowicki (the RN above?) as the most probable one that fits the bill. He was supposed to be going to NAU this year but maybe that has changed.
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Decker did not trust his offensive line and ran out of protection packages at ill advised times . He made his line look bad at times and it was a point of contention amongst the o line. Boyko was moved to shore up the inside and to give saxelsid a chance to play because they he was whining. Jefferson was over rated and was no way the best lineman. Actually I thought they were pretty equal from right to left. Jefferson btw was just cut by the Bears . Boyko got most of the hype being senior but did suffer a couple injuries but I agree did not play as well as junior year. Not having Cornett did hurt I agree.
Interesting comments about Jefferson. Appreciate your point of view. Sounds like you know the team a little. Good to have to posting.
Blind but not real blind. OP is a little misleading. BIG 10 experience,. Yes he practiced with the team for 2 years and never saw a single live game snap. I am not sure about everyone else, but I was looking for someone who actually had game experience. He hasn't had a single collegiate snap according to this article including Penn St, Illinois, or NAU. Hopefully he develops, but I would believe he has his work cut out for him to see game time. http://www.yorkdispatch.com/ci_24339521/grass-not-always-greener-penn-state-transfers
While the article is two years old and he did play in 6 NAU games, you have valid concerns. But according to X's post, there may be extenuating circumstances that have been corrected. I strongly doubt he'll be in D1 FBS playing conditioning nor have the speed necessary at this level (with so little time left), but help is help.
We don't know much right now and I'm hoping that he can contribute in some meaningful way.
We don't know much right now and I'm hoping that he can contribute in some meaningful way.
I agree, I am not a proponent of how the star system and the grades are formulated. A kid being looked at and offered by UNLV may get 2 stars. Suddenly Arizona and another Pac-12 school show interest and the same kid gets another star. Metely referenced it to give people some more background on a new addition to the team.
And while I am not a big proponent of the star system, the really good teams in the country typically have more 3s and 4s than unranked and 2 star guys.
We have had the star system debate on these threads numerous times. They are used as a tool by pundits to grade recruiting classes. The truth of it is though just like the NFL, you probably won't know how strong a recruiting/draft class was for a couple of years.
The * system used by the ratings services, like Rivals and Scout, is good for conversation among fans, but it sure isn't a predictor of future results. There are just too many inconsistencies within the services to make them reliable. A *** WR out of Florida probably isn't the same as a *** WR out of Oregon. Too many variables once they get to college, too, like coaching, system, environment, and of course the character of the individual.
The only kids that get rated are the ones who the scouts have seen. So if you aren't in a large metropolitan area chances are you aren't going to be on any ones radar. My son was rated a two star because he was seen at a Nike camp by some of the guys from Scout and Rivals. That was the only time they ever saw him. I was told by one of the guys if he lived in Seattle he would have been rated a lot higher. No one is going to drive to a little podunk town with a high school of 400 students to see a football game. So a lot of kids get overlooked because of that unless they get themselves exposure otherwise.
I have said this many times: Hauck's undoing was from a radical change in philosophy from one year to the next. He had successful year running the ball and sticking with the run and with Cornett and Bradley maturing along with the lineman he recruited we went to a bowl the next year those same lineman that were used to run blocking were asked to pass block in a pass happy spread quick tempo offense. They were all very ineffective in that scheme.
![[banana]](https://ct.yimg.com/mr/uploads/891/1682178.gif "banana [banana]")
Going from a 6'0 210 back with 4.48 speed to a 5'9 180 with a lot less speed forces a change in philosophy. You are only as good as the talent you field and last season's team wasn't going to pound it out and expect to be in a game.
Will bottom line my friend the offensive line that he recruited was run oriented and they had played that way for four years and when they were seniors they went from run technique to pass technique and were very ineffective. Your not the only one who has played and knows football.
Caleb Herring deserves a lot of the credit for the 2013 season. His scrambling and decision-making bailed the team out on a lot of plays.
Of course he had a lot to do with the wins, that's not my topic. I'm trying to explain why an offensive line that was a strength the previous years went backwards/regressed their senior year. I'm saying we were a running team you fire out it's a different mentality Hauck preached it they had success. Hauck's last year they went to the spread, pass oriented first step for a lineman is backwards huge difference mentality wise and technique. Shaq Murray Lawrence maybe no Cornett but he was quality. If I'm going to get fired I'm going out playing to the strength of the guys that got me a bowl game and road wins not Tim Rosenbach's spead offense.
They team attempted 38 passes per game last year,37.2 in 2013 and 36 in 2012.
They 22.4 in 2011 and 27.1 in 2010 prior to that
I think the goal was always to be balanced and move the ball through the air
Read my above statement it was a simple statement of why I thought the offensive line regressed and I thought Hauck didn't remain true to himself. Nothing more than a personal observation.
