Still another practice report without mention of the O/L. There is no point in chattering away about other positions unless there is substantial progress here. Please report on this critical position.

+1, respectfully.

I would love to see a reporter spend a few days there. Who is winning the individual match-ups? Which OL is getting dominated, and which OL is pushing people around?

I am an Insider and I love the info on this site. But this area is the biggest weakness by far. I remember last year we got individual breakdowns of how many passes second string receivers caught and dropped and how each QB did in each drill . . . but not much if any coverage about the OL.

Directly related to fewer open practices I'm sure. Fewer individual opportunities to observe and report on directly or to ask about specifically in post practice interview sessions. The staff then speaks to what it chooses to discuss or is asked about. I don't see any conspiracy just a lack of direct access affecting interviews.

As a group, the offensive line is not very athletic. The best one can hope for is that lack of injuries allow a reasonably solid unit to evolve in the fall. It is what it is.

Blame Buh.

:tedford

Bobodeluxe;842306551 said:

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As a group, the offensive line is not very athletic. The best one can hope for is that lack of injuries allow a reasonably solid unit to evolve in the fall. It is what it is.

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? not athletic ? how so, how measured/evaluated?

Some projected starters aren't in the mix yet.

Biggest thing is building depth, getting them to improve/perfect their understanding of assignments and improving/perfecting their technique.
All the lack of information does is frustrate the "micro analysts".
Yenser's tweets provide some in-depth info (not a lot) of what they're working on.

SonOfCalVa;842306555 said:

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? not athletic ? how so, how measured/evaluated?

Some projected starters aren't in the mix yet.

Biggest thing is building depth, getting them to improve/perfect their understanding of assignments and improving/perfecting their technique.
All the lack of information does is frustrate the "micro analysts".
Yenser's tweets provide some in-depth info (not a lot) of what they're working on.

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Footwork and agility, or lack thereof, are exposed in many drills that everyone runs at one time or another. The difference in quickness and agility between offensive linemen and defensive linemen is marked.

I am not saying that the effort is not there. I AM saying that the natural talent may not be there. How hard will the youngish linemen work in the next six months? I have no idea what is between each respective set of ears. Leadership, vocal or not, is at a premium on the field.

Maybe 4roses has some insights.

Check out the yenser micd up video

Bobodeluxe;842306558 said:

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Footwork and agility, or lack thereof, are exposed in many drills that everyone runs at one time or another. The difference in quickness and agility between offensive linemen and defensive linemen is marked.

I am not saying that the effort is not there. I AM saying that the natural talent may not be there. How hard will the youngish linemen work in the next six months? I have no idea what is between each respective set of ears. Leadership, vocal or not, is at a premium on the field.

Maybe 4roses has some insights.

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Aren't Dlinemen generally more athletic than Olinemen? Not saying that Olinemen aren't agile, but my guess is that dlinemen, especially the ends, will have a greather emphasis on speed and quick cutting than other line positions.

Overall, I'm not seeing as much information from practices this year, but I'm also not seeing as much participation on the forums as last year either. I think part of that is because of the season we had, but I too would appreciate more. The pain from last season is starting to lessen a little, and I find myself starting to allow hope to creep back in....

petalumabear;842306547 said:

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Directly related to fewer open practices I'm sure. Fewer individual opportunities to observe and report on directly or to ask about specifically in post practice interview sessions. The staff then speaks to what it chooses to discuss or is asked about. I don't see any conspiracy just a lack of direct access affecting interviews.

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I agree with the OP that covering the OL during open practices is more essential to providing readers with a sense of how the team is progressing than covering QBs and WRs.

PTBear;842306573 said:

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Aren't Dlinemen generally more athletic than Olinemen? Not saying that Olinemen aren't agile, but my guess is that dlinemen, especially the ends, will have a greather emphasis on speed and quick cutting than other line positions.

Overall, I'm not seeing as much information from practices this year, but I'm also not seeing as much participation on the forums as last year either. I think part of that is because of the season we had, but I too would appreciate more. The pain from last season is starting to lessen a little, and I find myself starting to allow hope to creep back in....

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One thing Yenser does talk about it the need to know where #17 (Scarlett) is. Kaufman and Tate seem to be doing a great job fixing the DL and D which makes for better competition as the OL must contend with the new D.
Of course, that's just us against us with possible/probable starters still on the sideline. But, it's still spring ball so the more reps the remaining players get the better the depth will be.
I don't see much basis for pessimism (last year is OVER) or overt optimism (just spring ball). The lack of serious injuries, even the small number of dings, is encouraging.

You may also want to follow Yenser on Twitter. He often posts comments and videos of techniques on there.

I agree we need more information on the OL but I suspect it will come as spring practice winds down.


GO BEARS

The Duke!;842306540 said:

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+1, respectfully.

I would love to see a reporter spend a few days there. Who is winning the individual match-ups? Which OL is getting dominated, and which OL is pushing people around?

I am an Insider and I love the info on this site. But this area is the biggest weakness by far. I remember last year we got individual breakdowns of how many passes second string receivers caught and dropped and how each QB did in each drill . . . but not much if any coverage about the OL.

---

Excellent perspective. The many "reporters" spend an inordinate amount of time, and print on the receivers - all of whom are known qualities. The QB issue is interesting, but it is a foregone conclusion that Goff will take every meaningful snap in the fall. It looks like the OL has solidified for the remainder of the spring and into fall camp. Moore and Farley at tackle, Borrayo and Crostwaithe at guard and Rigsbee at center. Until Adcock and Matt Cochran are cleared to play, they remain question marks. I would think that if Adcock truly is ready to play DI football again after his ACL surgery then he most likely takes over center again and Rigsbee slides back over to guard. From every account given this spring (albeit not that many), the OL has more than held their own against the DL, both in the individual drills - which always favor the DL - and in the scrimmages.

yenser micd up

what i do like is chris barryo(sp ) LG and steven moore LT will hold the left side down ...

still working on snaps /center with chris and matt still coming back from injury

they are coming along... RT battle is between brian farley and A cochern(sp)

they are getting better and building on cohesion ... if we can get a functional center that stays healthy things will be improved

Is Cochran really competing for RT? I thought it was Farley and someone else (Okafor?).

If so, it would be amazing if Aaron Cochran developed enough to snatch RT and Matt Cochran came back from injury strong to regain his RG position. Starting Cochran brothers on the OL would be no joke

One question: is the OLine still playing 100% of snaps (pass or run) from the two-pt stance?

I think it's Farley and Okafor competing, but dykes called AC the "wildcard". I think he has shown the ability to be better than the other two but just needs more time. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

I think Moore and Borrayo will do a fine job on the left. Probably about as confident as I've been in a while for one side of the line.

beelzebear;842306620 said:

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One question: is the OLine still playing 100% of snaps (pass or run) from the two-pt stance?

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Good question - from the youtube videos, it appears so. Yenser spends a lot of time with the guards and centers and really is focusing on using their hands - getting them up and out quickly. Looks like on the video A. Cochran and Okafor are the 2's tackles, with Hinnant at center and Johnson and Fraizer at guard. That has been a consistent group for the past week.

If the OL can handle a rejuvenated Scarlett, then Scarlett has work to do.
If Scarlett can beat the OL, then the OL has work to do.

Trite cliche but true: time will tell.
It's still spring ball and the ability of the injured vets returning is still a question mark.
They need experienced depth because injury is always a possibility.
Nice to have the left side supposedly decided but .... if one or the other go down, then ....

For what it's worth here's my informal 2 deep for the OL and D front 7* that I jotted into my phone at the first full contact practice:

76 78
71 61
73 77
66 63
64 75

17 41
92 91
80 97
13 11(44)

7 31
8 32

My intent at the time was to update it at the final contact practice and compare, so maybe I'll do that later.

Anyways when I've gone all I watch are the ol and dl. I don't think there's much to report. Neither is dominating the other imo. I have my concerns about that but won't go into them here.

Bottom line I don't think we can really learn much watching these guys go against each other. Need to see them against other teams to see if they've made enough improvement to matter. Just my opinion.

*They were in nickel that's why only 2 lbs are listed.

if you have mobile device .. go to cal bears on youtube directly

going4roses;842306642 said:

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if you have mobile device .. go to cal bears on youtube directly

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No the link was fine, it's that what I'm quoting in this post is all that people can read on mobile. Putting text in the 'subject line' is a waste that no one can see. It's best to put your entire message in the body and omit using subject fields.

OldBlue1999;842306638 said:

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For what it's worth here's my informal 2 deep for the OL and D front 7* that I jotted into my phone at the first full contact practice:

76 78
71 61
73 77
66 63
64 75

17 41
92 91
80 97
13 11(44)

7 31
8 32

My intent at the time was to update it at the final contact practice and compare, so maybe I'll do that later.

Anyways when I've gone all I watch are the ol and dl. I don't think there's much to report. Neither is dominating the other imo. I have my concerns about that but won't go into them here.

Bottom line I don't think we can really learn much watching these guys go against each other. Need to see them against other teams to see if they've made enough improvement to matter. Just my opinion.

*They were in nickel that's why only 2 lbs are listed.

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From the last week or so, and certainly from the video from yesterday's practice, the OL is:
59 76
71 61
73 77
66 78
64 75

Can't tell so much about the DL, but your numbers seem about right.

Yes. From my 4/12 practice review they are all still in that 2 point stance.

The OL is all over twitter. Apparently Dykes believes games are won in the trenches, as of his last tweet anyway.

OldBlue1999;842306638 said:

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For what it's worth here's my informal 2 deep for the OL and D front 7* that I jotted into my phone at the first full contact practice:

76 78
71 61
73 77
66 63
64 75

17 41
92 91
80 97
13 11(44)

7 31
8 32

My intent at the time was to update it at the final contact practice and compare, so maybe I'll do that later.

Anyways when I've gone all I watch are the ol and dl. I don't think there's much to report. Neither is dominating the other imo. I have my concerns about that but won't go into them here.

Bottom line I don't think we can really learn much watching these guys go against each other. Need to see them against other teams to see if they've made enough improvement to matter. Just my opinion.

*They were in nickel that's why only 2 lbs are listed.

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Last year, wasn't the DL winning a lot of the individual battles against the OL?

PTBear;842306711 said:

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Last year, wasn't the DL winning a lot of the individual battles against the OL?

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Last year is lost in the fog of history (hopefully).

DL seems to have the uphand on OL almost everywhere, every year ... not always but almost, or so the reports say.

PTBear;842306711 said:

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Last year, wasn't the DL winning a lot of the individual battles against the OL?

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Last year, the drills were more often than not 1 on 1 or 1 on 2. This year, most drills are group.

Coaches seem to be looking for the most effective team, rather than being so concerned with, "Quin es mas macho?"

They know these guys a lot better now.

:gobears:

Bobodeluxe;842306820 said:

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Last year, the drills were more often than not 1 on 1 or 1 on 2. This year, most drills are group.

Coaches seem to be looking for the most effective team, rather than being so concerned with, "Quin es mas macho?"

They know these guys a lot better now.

:gobears:

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OL does have to operate as a group, knowing each others' assignments as well as their own, being able to support each other.
Of course, the starters probably will change in the fall depending on who does return and how effective they are but, for now, the positions are being settled and guys are learning their assignments and perfecting their fundamentals.
Maybe we are actually building some depth instead of just throwing bodies out there to fill holes.

SonOfCalVa;842306835 said:

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OL does have to operate as a group, knowing each others' assignments as well as their own, being able to support each other.
Of course, the starters probably will change in the fall depending on who does return and how effective they are but, for now, the positions are being settled and guys are learning their assignments and perfecting their fundamentals.
Maybe we are actually building some depth instead of just throwing bodies out there to fill holes.

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No doubt about it.

:p

By this Fall, they should be flying around out there!

:rimshot

Bobodeluxe;842306820 said:

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Last year, the drills were more often than not 1 on 1 or 1 on 2. This year, most drills are group.

:gobears:

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Agreed and I think this might be a factor in the lack of reporting this year, along with fewer open practices (not sure if media gets to go to more). In order to really comment meaningfully on the lines, which as I said above I think is pretty limited regardless, you would need to go to every practice and exclusively watch them. No peeking at all the pass plays being run toward the north tunnel. Then you could track matchups and see who's beating whom and with what frequency. But no single reporter with other job duties to fill at practice will be able to do out alone, there are just too many bodies moving around. So barring that all I can day us yes I've still seen virtually unabated rushes by D linemen. I've also seen O lineman stop guys cold.

Glad to hear Dykes is acknowledging the primary importance of line play, and hopefully implying that it's physical line play that's important. That's been my biggest concern with him. We're not going to be where we need to be this year on either side I don't think, but at least if it's a focal point we will be working toward it at least.

Absolutely need to get 90 back out there asap, honestly I think him at 100% could be the #1 key to the season. And obviously we need 58 and 74 healthy too.

back healthy that would be great .. coupled with the fact #95 j hunter is still out .. so basically up to this point has missed most spring practice

Yeah good point I forgot about 95. Those 2 in the middle is a must. Need to be more physical at point of attack. Can't play the game 2-3 yards pushed off the los and win. Everything else is window dressing imo.

Surprised TK is running with the 2s

Trevor Kelly seems to be the most active lineman on the team, but he has overrun the play on occasion. Maybe the coaches would like to see a little more control.

Very powerful bull rush.

Bobodeluxe;842306906 said:

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Trevor Kelly seems to be the most active lineman on the team, but he has overrun the play on occasion. Maybe the coaches would like to see a little more control.

Very powerful bull rush.

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really? Trevor has good, violent hands. a bull rush is not always effective against OL with good technique, leaves yourself exposed

but maybe you are right that he needs more control in some aspects