woodbuck27
08-15-2006, 10:18 PM
Drawing the line
Colledge demoted after poor performance
By TOM SILVERSTEIN
tsilverstein@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Aug. 14, 2006
Green Bay - After a performance like the one the Green Bay Packers' offensive line gave Saturday night, each and every one of the starters had to wonder whom they would be lining up with Monday afternoon when practice began.
Someone was going to receive a one-way ticket to the second team.
It turned out that second-round pick Daryn Colledge, the former Boise State left tackle who is trying to make the transition to left guard in the National Football League, was the one to go. When the Packers lined up in practice, rookie Jason Spitz had moved from right to left guard and fifth-round pick Tony Moll, recently considered a project at right tackle, was in place at right guard.
No one on the starting offensive line played particularly well against San Diego, but Colledge probably struggled the most. He was a step behind on too many plays and did not get his pads down low enough to be effective in the running game.
The coaches insisted that the moves were not necessarily permanent and that Colledge, who practiced at left guard with the second team, could earn his way back into the lineup. But after being named a starter practically from the day he was drafted, the 6-foot-4, 299-pound Colledge got every opportunity to prove himself.
"I use the analogy that when you're sick, you need medicine," offensive line coach Joe Philbin said of Colledge's future. "You either react to it and get worse or respond to it and get better. He had to take a dose of medicine today. I think he's going to respond well and he'll get better."
The Packers thought Colledge, the sixth offensive lineman taken in the draft, would be another Mike Wahle because of his speed and athletic ability. But they were gambling he could make a seamless transition from tackle to guard and that obviously hasn't been the case.
Philbin said Colledge needed to play a little faster, that he might have been thinking too much about his assignments and not playing up to the speed of the defense. Offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski said when Moll played well in his second straight live performance, the decision was made to see if he could help immediately.
Thus, Colledge was the odd man out.
"It's on me," Colledge said.
"I have to do some better stuff. I have to improve. I'm still making rookie mistakes. There's some stuff I have to correct. We're trying to find the right combination of guys. There's no reason they might move me to the other side, move Jason there or move me to a different position."
For now, the Packers want to find out if Moll, a 256-pound tight end until his senior season at Nevada, has what it takes to be a starter.
Just a week ago, Philbin said Moll had made the most improvement of any lineman since arriving in Green Bay, but that he was a project who probably wouldn't see the field this season. Philbin said then that the coaches probably would take a look at him at guard somewhere down the line, but considered him a long-term answer at tackle.
That was after the Packers' intrasquad scrimmage when Moll played solidly at right tackle against the defense's No. 1 unit.
Then on Saturday, Moll came into the game in the second quarter while the Chargers still had their No. 1 defense on the field and threw a shutout against linebacker Shawne Merriman, the Chargers' soon-to-be superstar pass rusher. Moll, who now weighs 308 pounds, played more aggressively than anyone on the line.
"The thing we liked about him is that he's playing the game physically," Philbin said. "He's playing aggressive, he's playing fast. That's not easy to do as a rookie. He has that attitude. He probably didn't even know who Shawne Merriman was, which might have been a good thing. I think there's something to that.
"He's going to play the game and do his job. The guy across from him is not going to be that big of a factor."
By all appearances, Moll seemed to handle his duties at guard Monday pretty well. But the biggest question with him is whether he's strong enough to handle the talented and powerful defensive tackles of the NFC North.
Two years ago, Moll put on nearly 50 pounds to become a lineman and he's still working at turning the added weight into muscle. When he worked out for scouts in the spring, he bench-pressed 225 pounds 18 times, which if stacked up against those who went to the combine would rank second-last among all tackles who performed the exercise.
"We'll have a better feel after a day or two in pads," Philbin said of the strength issue. "Some of those guys (defensive tackles) aren't necessarily speed guys, they're more anchor guys. Is that a great fit for him in there? We'll have to see. We really don't know."
In the meantime, Spitz, a third-round pick, moves from right guard to left guard. It isn't much of a challenge for him because at Louisville the guards switched positions on given plays depending on which side they were going strong and which side they were going weak. It wasn't unusual for Spitz to switch positions every other down.
Though Spitz had a rough game against the Chargers as well, he is more of a natural guard than Colledge and looks more comfortable playing the position. He, like Moll, is a physical player but needs work on his pass-blocking before he can be considered a reliable starter.
As for Moll, he was taking his promotion in stride. He came to camp not having a clue what was in store for him other than a lot of practice at becoming a better offensive lineman and a lot of rough moments against NFL-caliber players.
His rise to starter has been rocket-propelled.
"It's extremely exciting to be working with them," Moll said of the starters.
"Just being in the huddle with those guys, they're very professional every play and they're very confident in what they do. It's nice to be able to run in there and be with them because they know what they're doing. If I'm unsure about something, I can look to my right or my left and both of them can tell me what to do."
In the next couple of days, Moll will get a chance to show he belongs.
From the Aug. 15, 2006 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Colledge demoted after poor performance
By TOM SILVERSTEIN
tsilverstein@journalsentinel.com
Posted: Aug. 14, 2006
Green Bay - After a performance like the one the Green Bay Packers' offensive line gave Saturday night, each and every one of the starters had to wonder whom they would be lining up with Monday afternoon when practice began.
Someone was going to receive a one-way ticket to the second team.
It turned out that second-round pick Daryn Colledge, the former Boise State left tackle who is trying to make the transition to left guard in the National Football League, was the one to go. When the Packers lined up in practice, rookie Jason Spitz had moved from right to left guard and fifth-round pick Tony Moll, recently considered a project at right tackle, was in place at right guard.
No one on the starting offensive line played particularly well against San Diego, but Colledge probably struggled the most. He was a step behind on too many plays and did not get his pads down low enough to be effective in the running game.
The coaches insisted that the moves were not necessarily permanent and that Colledge, who practiced at left guard with the second team, could earn his way back into the lineup. But after being named a starter practically from the day he was drafted, the 6-foot-4, 299-pound Colledge got every opportunity to prove himself.
"I use the analogy that when you're sick, you need medicine," offensive line coach Joe Philbin said of Colledge's future. "You either react to it and get worse or respond to it and get better. He had to take a dose of medicine today. I think he's going to respond well and he'll get better."
The Packers thought Colledge, the sixth offensive lineman taken in the draft, would be another Mike Wahle because of his speed and athletic ability. But they were gambling he could make a seamless transition from tackle to guard and that obviously hasn't been the case.
Philbin said Colledge needed to play a little faster, that he might have been thinking too much about his assignments and not playing up to the speed of the defense. Offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski said when Moll played well in his second straight live performance, the decision was made to see if he could help immediately.
Thus, Colledge was the odd man out.
"It's on me," Colledge said.
"I have to do some better stuff. I have to improve. I'm still making rookie mistakes. There's some stuff I have to correct. We're trying to find the right combination of guys. There's no reason they might move me to the other side, move Jason there or move me to a different position."
For now, the Packers want to find out if Moll, a 256-pound tight end until his senior season at Nevada, has what it takes to be a starter.
Just a week ago, Philbin said Moll had made the most improvement of any lineman since arriving in Green Bay, but that he was a project who probably wouldn't see the field this season. Philbin said then that the coaches probably would take a look at him at guard somewhere down the line, but considered him a long-term answer at tackle.
That was after the Packers' intrasquad scrimmage when Moll played solidly at right tackle against the defense's No. 1 unit.
Then on Saturday, Moll came into the game in the second quarter while the Chargers still had their No. 1 defense on the field and threw a shutout against linebacker Shawne Merriman, the Chargers' soon-to-be superstar pass rusher. Moll, who now weighs 308 pounds, played more aggressively than anyone on the line.
"The thing we liked about him is that he's playing the game physically," Philbin said. "He's playing aggressive, he's playing fast. That's not easy to do as a rookie. He has that attitude. He probably didn't even know who Shawne Merriman was, which might have been a good thing. I think there's something to that.
"He's going to play the game and do his job. The guy across from him is not going to be that big of a factor."
By all appearances, Moll seemed to handle his duties at guard Monday pretty well. But the biggest question with him is whether he's strong enough to handle the talented and powerful defensive tackles of the NFC North.
Two years ago, Moll put on nearly 50 pounds to become a lineman and he's still working at turning the added weight into muscle. When he worked out for scouts in the spring, he bench-pressed 225 pounds 18 times, which if stacked up against those who went to the combine would rank second-last among all tackles who performed the exercise.
"We'll have a better feel after a day or two in pads," Philbin said of the strength issue. "Some of those guys (defensive tackles) aren't necessarily speed guys, they're more anchor guys. Is that a great fit for him in there? We'll have to see. We really don't know."
In the meantime, Spitz, a third-round pick, moves from right guard to left guard. It isn't much of a challenge for him because at Louisville the guards switched positions on given plays depending on which side they were going strong and which side they were going weak. It wasn't unusual for Spitz to switch positions every other down.
Though Spitz had a rough game against the Chargers as well, he is more of a natural guard than Colledge and looks more comfortable playing the position. He, like Moll, is a physical player but needs work on his pass-blocking before he can be considered a reliable starter.
As for Moll, he was taking his promotion in stride. He came to camp not having a clue what was in store for him other than a lot of practice at becoming a better offensive lineman and a lot of rough moments against NFL-caliber players.
His rise to starter has been rocket-propelled.
"It's extremely exciting to be working with them," Moll said of the starters.
"Just being in the huddle with those guys, they're very professional every play and they're very confident in what they do. It's nice to be able to run in there and be with them because they know what they're doing. If I'm unsure about something, I can look to my right or my left and both of them can tell me what to do."
In the next couple of days, Moll will get a chance to show he belongs.
From the Aug. 15, 2006 editions of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel