There is no secret that the weakest position of NC State’s football team over the last couple of years has been the offensive line (even moreseo than the quarterback position). Rivals.com extrapolates that this theme isn’t limited to NC State in this piece that also briefly previews the entire Atlantic Coast Conference football equation in 2006.
I guess that it is good news that State isn’t alone in its need to improve line play.
SFN had an awesome conversation about all the football positions (including offensive line) in this entry. (Therefore, we will keep the comments turned off in this entry and ask that you use the previous link for more conversation).
As it relates to the offensive line, the following couple of comments stood out:
We could have John Elway, Herschel Walker and Walter Peyton in the backfield and nothing would matter without an offensive line. If the front four of opposing teams is getting into the backfield and making hits, we will have a losing record. 220 lbs never trumps 290 lbs. Our success this year depends on whether our RBs can spring through holes and make plays against the 2nd and 3rd layers of defenses. The offensive line is the only thing that really matters right now. Will they or won’t they block? They haven’t for 3 years, so we’ll see.
One thought to consider when recruiting offensive lineman. It is the only position (not counting kickers) that if the player doesn’t work out, there is no place to move them. Tight ends are routinely made offensive linemen, cornerbacks to safetys, safetys to linebacker, etc. Try to name a recruited offensive lineman that ever successfully moved to another position.
Far too often, Amato has gone up against the titans of college football and come away empty-handed. 2 years ago, w/ Crouch and Julian Williams – he finally got the kind of prospects he should have been recruiting all along. A good staff can do wonders w/ the OL. It’s a position where execution and intelligence can make up for pure talent. To date, we haven’t done that.
