I frankly do not understand all this doom and gloom about the OL. I think this is indicative of the paranoia of the avg Bulldog fan due to our years of under-performance. If you downplay your expectations, then you can say "see, told you so" when things go bad, but then if things are better, you can happily say "never mind." Being wrong on the downside just seems easier for Dawg fans to tolerate.

The OL SHOULD be a whole lot better immediately, if one looks at our specific situation, rather than falling back on "conventional wisdom." Our OL this year is not conventional.

1) While a lot of the current starters don't have game experience, they now have a year and a half experience in Pittman's system, compared to 4 months the beginning of last year.

2) The "conventional" wisdom about frosh linemen starting at a school usually centers around the fact that they are undersized and need time to develop the size and strength needed to play college football. However, Pittman has recruited some of the largest linemen in the country. Their size and strength is non-typical for freshmen players.

3) "But, but, they're still frosh! They can't be as good as experienced college players!" Well, we won't have ANY true freshmen playing on the line this year, UNLESS THEY CAN BEAT OUT THE EXISTING PLAYERS.

4) Remember, we already have existing players in school who gained Kirby's compliments after pushing around the experienced and talented defensive line in spring practice. They may not have showed out on Gday, but I trust Kirby's assessment. Solomon Kindley and Ben Cleveland are 340 lb redshirt frosh. D'Marcus Hayes is a 315 lb. Junior with a full season in Pittman's system. Dyshon Sims, Pat Allen, & Sage Hardin are somewhat undersized at 290, but they're upper classmen with several years experience. Isiah Wynn may be (slightly) undersized but he's EARNED a starting LT position by playing better than anyone else. Again, I trust Kirby's assessment when he says Wynn is getting the job done. Sometimes, players defy conventional wisdom. So, if any of these new, humongous true freshmen like Isiah Wilson or Netori Johnson start on the line, that means they are outperforming the veterans who have already won Kirby's praise.

5) Last year, we had what was essentially an all freshman, undersized, finesse line, because they were all learning Pittman's system for the first time. This year, the avg. size of the existing line is 20-30 lbs heavier and with a year's experience with Pittman. (and with our new strength program) Add in frosh like Wilson, and we could have one of the largest lines in college football.

6) Our starting line may not be tops in the SEC, but for the first time in a decade, we have a true TWO DEEP line. That means subbing late in the game, which will help against tired defenses.

Dawg fans need to quit hedging their bets and start being realistic and optimistic for once. Otherwise, why did we hire Kirby in the first place? If we're shocked, we should be shocked that we're under-performing, not that we are winning . . .


[Post edited by CyberDawg at 07/07/2017 08:27AM]