At the start of preseason camp on Aug. 6, the company line about Rutgers? rebuilt offensive line was it will be a work in progress.
More than halfway through camp, and with the opener against Norfolk State two weeks away, it still is.
The revamped unit, which failed to distinguish itself in the first scrimmage, gets another opportunity to do so during Saturday?s second and final scrimmage.
The reality is this group needs to start jelling ? and quickly.
?They?re doing a good job. They?re coming along,? quarterback Tom Savage said.
Time, though, is suddenly working against offensive line coach Kyle Flood as he reconfigures a group that lost three starters (one a first-round NFL Draft pick, the other a three-year mainstay).
?This is unique in that we have so many guys playing so many new positions,? Flood said. ?Not inexperienced guys, just inexperienced where they?re playing.?
Center Howard Barbieri has played mostly guard and some tackle during his career. Right tackle Art Forst was a guard last year. Left tackle Desmond Stapleton has one career start, left guard Desmond Wynn owns three and is coming off shoulder surgery, and right guard Caleb Ruch missed nine games last year because of an ankle injury.
The one positive: All five have remained relatively healthy and as the starters throughout most of camp. Barbieri?s brief absence due to back problems has been the only real disruption to the quintet.
?From the day camp opened to now there?s been a huge improvement in the offensive line play,? Barbieri said.
But in terms of production and being an effective unit, Flood can?t make any promises. The unit just hasn?t shown enough yet.
?I don?t know how it will work out,? he said.
It?s not as if the experienced group Rutgers had last year ? led by left tackle Anthony Davis, now with the San Francisco 49ers ? was a dominant unit, either.
The Knights failed to have a 1,000-yard rusher for the second straight year (Ray Rice was the only back to reach that figure in head coach Greg Schiano?s first nine years as head coach) and finished 111th nationally (out of 120 schools) in sacks allowed with 40.
?They?re getting better,? Schiano said of the offensive line. ?It?s good to have Howard back in there. I think they?re playing better.?
But the uncertainty about the unit remains. And it?s probably best symbolized by Stapleton, a fourth-year junior looking to replace Davis, the 11th overall pick in the NFL Draft in April.
The promise is there. The experience is sorely lacking. And the cleats that need to be filled are huge.
?He?s extremely athletic,? Flood said of Stapleton.
?He has all of the qualities of being an extremely good left tackle. So he has the skill set. He just hasn?t played much. So he has to prove he can do it.?
--starledger.com
More than halfway through camp, and with the opener against Norfolk State two weeks away, it still is.
The revamped unit, which failed to distinguish itself in the first scrimmage, gets another opportunity to do so during Saturday?s second and final scrimmage.
The reality is this group needs to start jelling ? and quickly.
?They?re doing a good job. They?re coming along,? quarterback Tom Savage said.
Time, though, is suddenly working against offensive line coach Kyle Flood as he reconfigures a group that lost three starters (one a first-round NFL Draft pick, the other a three-year mainstay).
?This is unique in that we have so many guys playing so many new positions,? Flood said. ?Not inexperienced guys, just inexperienced where they?re playing.?
Center Howard Barbieri has played mostly guard and some tackle during his career. Right tackle Art Forst was a guard last year. Left tackle Desmond Stapleton has one career start, left guard Desmond Wynn owns three and is coming off shoulder surgery, and right guard Caleb Ruch missed nine games last year because of an ankle injury.
The one positive: All five have remained relatively healthy and as the starters throughout most of camp. Barbieri?s brief absence due to back problems has been the only real disruption to the quintet.
?From the day camp opened to now there?s been a huge improvement in the offensive line play,? Barbieri said.
But in terms of production and being an effective unit, Flood can?t make any promises. The unit just hasn?t shown enough yet.
?I don?t know how it will work out,? he said.
It?s not as if the experienced group Rutgers had last year ? led by left tackle Anthony Davis, now with the San Francisco 49ers ? was a dominant unit, either.
The Knights failed to have a 1,000-yard rusher for the second straight year (Ray Rice was the only back to reach that figure in head coach Greg Schiano?s first nine years as head coach) and finished 111th nationally (out of 120 schools) in sacks allowed with 40.
?They?re getting better,? Schiano said of the offensive line. ?It?s good to have Howard back in there. I think they?re playing better.?
But the uncertainty about the unit remains. And it?s probably best symbolized by Stapleton, a fourth-year junior looking to replace Davis, the 11th overall pick in the NFL Draft in April.
The promise is there. The experience is sorely lacking. And the cleats that need to be filled are huge.
?He?s extremely athletic,? Flood said of Stapleton.
?He has all of the qualities of being an extremely good left tackle. So he has the skill set. He just hasn?t played much. So he has to prove he can do it.?
--starledger.com
