If there was a bad taste in my mouth after the season (and how could there be with our dramatic wins over Utah and UCLA?) it was the play of the OLine. I doubt most of us would disagree that we lost the line play on both sides of the line of scrimmage in the UCLA game....I read Cruiser's post about how Bronco and Omer have worked on this, doing strength exercises etc and that sounds great and all, but is not the biggest area of concern the speed of the line? No matter of strength was going to stop Davis barreling around the end....and for the run game, does not speed factor in as much as strength? I have understood that size and strength make a different in pass protection, but speed or quickness make the difference with the run game. Is that right? What/how do you improve that?

I think that part of the problem was Weber's learning curve, and it should be more than adequately resolved this upcoming season.

While Weber has an impressive resume, it has one glaring deficiency--he had never coached a wide-split O-line previous to last season. To some this may seem like something that could be learned quickly, it really isn't. The spacing and proximity of one O-lineman to another is THE determining factor on how a lineman chooses to engage opponents. Inserting a willing but naive Weber into that situation really put him and the entire O-line at a disadvantage where he was forced to coach something he in all likelihood did not fully understand.

The overall performance of the offensive line toward the end of the season was lightyears ahead of where it was at the beginning, and strategy sessions this offseason with Anae are sure to pay dividends as well. I like the prospects of our O-line this year as Weber has now had the time to learn the nuances of the wide gaps and more effectively do what he does best and get the most out of his guys.

As far as the UCLA game, DH wrote in the past couple of days about the difficulty they had in containing Davis. It pretty much came down to a failure to adequately prepare, and it sounds as if both he and Anae have learned that lesson at Max's expense.

LINK

Thanks, Sno. Good response.

I think there were several factors that contributed to problems last year. We must also consider that perhaps Sete blew a call or three.

I expect improved line play, and a more robust offense this next season. I'm excited to see the wrinkles Anae is folding into his cookbook.

The great thing about this coaching staff is that they learn from their mistakes, and they are man enough to admit when they're wrong. Those characteristics are so hard to find in people.

I had not thought about sno's points, but they make a lot of sense. I also feel that this program is just warming up. The transformation that has occurred at BYU football have been UNREAL for the amount of time this staff has had to work with it. Just imagine what will happen when they really have all the right people in all the right seats on this bus. The possibilities make me giddy!!!

I expect we will see a much improved o-line this year, especially the UCLA game. I think it will live up to the expectations we had for the bowl game when kick off comences in Provo. I expect to see alot of green on those blue and gold uniforms!

max held on to the ball a little too long at times as well (not in the UCLA game though, that was a disaster that was not his fault)