It was not a good final week for Tulane's perennially struggling offensive line, and I'd love to say everything will be fine up front. The reality is offensive line coach Alex Atkins still has plenty of work to do before the Green Wave's blocking is an asset rather than a liability.
I'll start with the qualifier that I am less qualified to judge offensive linemen than any other position. This is where the closed practices to the public hurt the most. There were plenty of opportunities in the spring to watch the linemen, with full contact permitted in the trenches, but I'm not good with nuances like technique, arm position and leverage. And although Atkins is a terrific coach by all accounts (including those of his current players), he is sparing with his quotes, essentially refusing to talk about strengths and weaknesses of individuals other than in broad generalities, so I never even interviewed in the spring.
Still, some of the issues are obvious. In the last scrimmage of practice and the spring game, the linemen were overmatched against Tulane's solid defensive front, causing some significant concerns.
Here is an analysis of each position:
TACKLE
I'm not sure any position is solid, but Willie Fritz really likes John Leglue at right tackle. He had a terrific offseason in the weight room, is in outstanding shape and is happy to be back on the outside after playing out of position at center for most of last year after Junior Diaz went down. The problem is at left tackle. It would be an understatement to say Keyshawn McLeod and Tyler Johnson struggled in the spring game. McLeod, who practiced at center last year, looked too slow to handle outside rushers. Johnson gets a bit of a pass because he was banged up for the second half of spring drills, but he struggled, too. After starting the last three games as a true freshman, he did not exactly take a firm hold on the starting and is listed behind McLeod on the post-spring depth chart.
Maybe Fritz' scheme is different, but left tackle is the most important position for pass blocking since it's a right-handed quarterback's blind side, and Tulane appears limited at the position. These guys need to have a good summer and be in the best possible shape for the start of preseason practice. It's hard to imagine one of the incoming freshmen being the answer. Starting true freshmen up front is usually a sign of trouble, as it was last year with Johnson after Kenneth Santa Marina proved for the umpteenth time he was not the answer. The other returning backup at tackle, Devon Johnson, never gets mentioned by the coaches. He's battled a weight problem throughout his Tulane career, playing sparingly.
GUARD
Chris Taylor wasn't always in optimal shape and he did not live up to the promise he showed as a true freshman starter in 2013, but he played well in the second half of 2016 after a slow start. With him gone, both guard spots are question marks.
Leeward Brown, who was pretty heralded coming in, was merely adequate as a redshirt freshman starter last year. He has weight problems of his own. Listed at 6-4, 335, he needs to drop a few pounds and play with passion or he could lose his spot. Fritz really likes the makeup of John Washington, who was converted from defensive tackle during the 2016 season, but Washington unfortunately missed most of spring drills with an injury. He'll be healthy in August and will get a chance to push Brown.
Juco transfer Dominique Briggs looked pretty good in the spring, particularly as a run blocker, but he was by no means dominant. He will enter preseason drills on top of the depth chart at left guard and figures to start. The only other possibility is Miami transfer Hunter Knighton, who can play anywhere on the line but spent most of the spring as the backup center. Tulane's starters will come from that four-man group. Brian Webb, the other returning scholarship player, sustained a significant knee injury in the spring and was at the bottom of the depth chart before getting hurt.
CENTER
It's hard to tell who is higher on Junior Diaz--Fritz or the Pro Football Focus people who graded him as A-level blocker in the two games before he fractured an ankle last year. I haven't noticed that same greatness in the past, but one thing Diaz does perfectly is snap. The quarterback never has to worry about where the ball will come in the shotgun. Knighton, his backup in the spring, struggled in that department. He'll have to fix it in the summer, although I anticipate him getting action at guard in the fall because Diaz will play every down if he stays healthy.
FINAL TAKE
Tulane's run blocking was adequate last year, allowing the backs to average 228.1 yards. Factor out sacks, and the ball-carriers averaged a respectable 5.5 yards per carry. But the pass protection was subpar, with opponents registering 21 sacks despite Tulane attempting only about 20 passes per game. If anything, the protection looked even worse in the last scrimmage and the spring game, with defenders either coming in totally free or winning one-on-one battles easily. That has to be corrected or Jonathan Banks will be running for his life when he tries to pass. He's a good improvisor, but it's hard to win consistently without decent protection.
I'm not sure the eight players in the running for significant time--Leglue, McLeod, Tyler Johnson, Briggs, Brown, Washington, Knighton and Diaz--are good enough, but they'll have to be because help is unlikely to come from anywhere else.
I'll start with the qualifier that I am less qualified to judge offensive linemen than any other position. This is where the closed practices to the public hurt the most. There were plenty of opportunities in the spring to watch the linemen, with full contact permitted in the trenches, but I'm not good with nuances like technique, arm position and leverage. And although Atkins is a terrific coach by all accounts (including those of his current players), he is sparing with his quotes, essentially refusing to talk about strengths and weaknesses of individuals other than in broad generalities, so I never even interviewed in the spring.
Still, some of the issues are obvious. In the last scrimmage of practice and the spring game, the linemen were overmatched against Tulane's solid defensive front, causing some significant concerns.
Here is an analysis of each position:
TACKLE
I'm not sure any position is solid, but Willie Fritz really likes John Leglue at right tackle. He had a terrific offseason in the weight room, is in outstanding shape and is happy to be back on the outside after playing out of position at center for most of last year after Junior Diaz went down. The problem is at left tackle. It would be an understatement to say Keyshawn McLeod and Tyler Johnson struggled in the spring game. McLeod, who practiced at center last year, looked too slow to handle outside rushers. Johnson gets a bit of a pass because he was banged up for the second half of spring drills, but he struggled, too. After starting the last three games as a true freshman, he did not exactly take a firm hold on the starting and is listed behind McLeod on the post-spring depth chart.
Maybe Fritz' scheme is different, but left tackle is the most important position for pass blocking since it's a right-handed quarterback's blind side, and Tulane appears limited at the position. These guys need to have a good summer and be in the best possible shape for the start of preseason practice. It's hard to imagine one of the incoming freshmen being the answer. Starting true freshmen up front is usually a sign of trouble, as it was last year with Johnson after Kenneth Santa Marina proved for the umpteenth time he was not the answer. The other returning backup at tackle, Devon Johnson, never gets mentioned by the coaches. He's battled a weight problem throughout his Tulane career, playing sparingly.
GUARD
Chris Taylor wasn't always in optimal shape and he did not live up to the promise he showed as a true freshman starter in 2013, but he played well in the second half of 2016 after a slow start. With him gone, both guard spots are question marks.
Leeward Brown, who was pretty heralded coming in, was merely adequate as a redshirt freshman starter last year. He has weight problems of his own. Listed at 6-4, 335, he needs to drop a few pounds and play with passion or he could lose his spot. Fritz really likes the makeup of John Washington, who was converted from defensive tackle during the 2016 season, but Washington unfortunately missed most of spring drills with an injury. He'll be healthy in August and will get a chance to push Brown.
Juco transfer Dominique Briggs looked pretty good in the spring, particularly as a run blocker, but he was by no means dominant. He will enter preseason drills on top of the depth chart at left guard and figures to start. The only other possibility is Miami transfer Hunter Knighton, who can play anywhere on the line but spent most of the spring as the backup center. Tulane's starters will come from that four-man group. Brian Webb, the other returning scholarship player, sustained a significant knee injury in the spring and was at the bottom of the depth chart before getting hurt.
CENTER
It's hard to tell who is higher on Junior Diaz--Fritz or the Pro Football Focus people who graded him as A-level blocker in the two games before he fractured an ankle last year. I haven't noticed that same greatness in the past, but one thing Diaz does perfectly is snap. The quarterback never has to worry about where the ball will come in the shotgun. Knighton, his backup in the spring, struggled in that department. He'll have to fix it in the summer, although I anticipate him getting action at guard in the fall because Diaz will play every down if he stays healthy.
FINAL TAKE
Tulane's run blocking was adequate last year, allowing the backs to average 228.1 yards. Factor out sacks, and the ball-carriers averaged a respectable 5.5 yards per carry. But the pass protection was subpar, with opponents registering 21 sacks despite Tulane attempting only about 20 passes per game. If anything, the protection looked even worse in the last scrimmage and the spring game, with defenders either coming in totally free or winning one-on-one battles easily. That has to be corrected or Jonathan Banks will be running for his life when he tries to pass. He's a good improvisor, but it's hard to win consistently without decent protection.
I'm not sure the eight players in the running for significant time--Leglue, McLeod, Tyler Johnson, Briggs, Brown, Washington, Knighton and Diaz--are good enough, but they'll have to be because help is unlikely to come from anywhere else.
