MSU's offensive line is becoming more versatile this fall
Photo by: Kelly Gorham
Bobcat Offensive Line Adds Versatility
8/17/2015 4:46:00 PM | Football
Learning multiple positions helps individuals, team
Moving three feet sideways on a football field doesn't seem drastic. But to Montana State offensive line coach Jason Eck, the ability to do so might be the difference between a win and a loss.
"You always want the ability to play your best guys," Eck said, "so you need some flexibility to do that. You don't want your sixth-best lineman to only know right tackle, and you don't want to have to play your 10th-best guy because your left guard is out for some reason. You want flexibility so you can always have your best guys in there."
Pursuit of that flexibility has amounted to some extra reps for a pair of sophomores, Caleb Gillis from Glenn and Dylan Mahoney from Great Falls, looking to crack MSU's offensive line rotation. Gillis said the move has been manageable given the upside. "It's a lot of different techniques and things to remember," he said, "but I think it's great because it helps build a team. We've got Mahoney playing different positions, me playing different positions, so if anybody needs a backup or we have anything happen we've got people ready."
Fate and football always test the "people ready" notion over the course of a season, even during a campaign like the one MSU embarks upon in a couple of weeks. The Cats could have four returning starters in 2015, although seniors Alex Eekfhoff and Kyle Godecke continue to recover from injuries.
That uncertainty sets the stage perfectly for Eck's planned versatility, which comes with a degree of focus. "Usually I like to dual-train a guy where he's a center-guard or guard-tackle," he said, "and they're doing a nice job. (Gillis and Mahoney) are both focusing right now on right guard and right tackle."
While Eck acknowledges that "it's a little bit of a process," he says the benefits are significant to the individual as well as the team. "To really become a good O-lineman you've got to see the big picture," he said. "You can't just know your assignment, you've got to understand the whole concept of what we're trying to do, you've got to understand what the guy next to you is doing. So I think it helps you learning another position, even if you never play it in a game because you know what's going on around you."
The last decade-plus certainly proved that axiom. Jeff Bolton earned All-America honors at both tackle and center and also started at guard for a season. Alex Terrien and Conrad Burbank each started at multiple positions (Terrien at all three), and have all-conference hardware to show for it.
Eck said generally he's pleased with the process so far. "It's gone well."
"You always want the ability to play your best guys," Eck said, "so you need some flexibility to do that. You don't want your sixth-best lineman to only know right tackle, and you don't want to have to play your 10th-best guy because your left guard is out for some reason. You want flexibility so you can always have your best guys in there."
Pursuit of that flexibility has amounted to some extra reps for a pair of sophomores, Caleb Gillis from Glenn and Dylan Mahoney from Great Falls, looking to crack MSU's offensive line rotation. Gillis said the move has been manageable given the upside. "It's a lot of different techniques and things to remember," he said, "but I think it's great because it helps build a team. We've got Mahoney playing different positions, me playing different positions, so if anybody needs a backup or we have anything happen we've got people ready."
Fate and football always test the "people ready" notion over the course of a season, even during a campaign like the one MSU embarks upon in a couple of weeks. The Cats could have four returning starters in 2015, although seniors Alex Eekfhoff and Kyle Godecke continue to recover from injuries.
That uncertainty sets the stage perfectly for Eck's planned versatility, which comes with a degree of focus. "Usually I like to dual-train a guy where he's a center-guard or guard-tackle," he said, "and they're doing a nice job. (Gillis and Mahoney) are both focusing right now on right guard and right tackle."
While Eck acknowledges that "it's a little bit of a process," he says the benefits are significant to the individual as well as the team. "To really become a good O-lineman you've got to see the big picture," he said. "You can't just know your assignment, you've got to understand the whole concept of what we're trying to do, you've got to understand what the guy next to you is doing. So I think it helps you learning another position, even if you never play it in a game because you know what's going on around you."
The last decade-plus certainly proved that axiom. Jeff Bolton earned All-America honors at both tackle and center and also started at guard for a season. Alex Terrien and Conrad Burbank each started at multiple positions (Terrien at all three), and have all-conference hardware to show for it.
Eck said generally he's pleased with the process so far. "It's gone well."
Players Mentioned
Thursday, July 31
Monday, May 19
Wednesday, May 03
Wednesday, May 03
