By Paul Sykes
A lot of truth in the old saying that the more we know about something, the more questions we have about it. What we do know about the University of Louisville offensive line is that Eric Wood and George Bussey will not be a part of it this season.
From that fact onward, a lot of questions still need to be answered. Fall practice will answer a few of the them, undoubtedly…but we might need to get Jeff Foxworthy and a few fifth graders down on campus to figure out the rest.
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Depth charts are subject to change. The dilemma posed by the offensive line depth chart is that names are popping up in more than one position. In the situations of Greg Tomczyk and Jeff Adams at tackle, we find that Byron Stingily is backing up both of them. Byron’s going to be a busy young man. Mark Wetterer and Abdul Kuyateh are listed as the starting guards. Mario Benevides at center.
Names you’re not familiar with? Tell me about it. You’ve got to love the Stingily name, however.
Offensive linemen are the Rodney Dangerfields of college football. When things are going well for an offense, they’re ignored and taken for granted. When things implode, fingers start getting pointed about horrible pass protection and inabilities to open holes. Ex-UofL lineman Will Rabatin once told me that offensive linemen could be compared to pawns in the game of chess. Always the first to engage, no big deal if one goes down, and limited in their movements.
The size is there, if you look at the depth charts. The numbers bolstered by jucos and red shirts. The talent and skill have yet to be rated or tested.
The bottom line is this: If Victor Anderson, Doug Beaumont, Scott Long and the quarterbacks have success this year, the line will go unnoticed. If they don’t, then the lineman will get the blame.
And you thought your job was tough?
The only time an O lineman’s name is ever mentioned is if he is called for a penalty. The best linemen are nameless except in scouting reports.