O-linemen a study in progression

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/06/2011 (5256 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Is there a danger the depth on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers offensive line might be trending a little young these days?

Head coach Paul LaPolice listened to the question posed to him in the scrum following Tuesday’s practice at Canad Inns Stadium and responded thusly:

“That has to be the progression,” the coach started. “You could easily go with a sixth (offensive lineman) who’s a 37-year-old guy — some teams will do that, sign a guy who is released by other teams, but then that guy will probably never be a starter for you. You want to get the guys who can go from practice squad, to being the sixth, to being a starter.

“I think that’s the best progression for a team to do.”

Funny. That’s exactly what’s happening in Bomberland.

Look at the ages of some of the players vying for spots on the line: Andre Douglas, Brendon LaBatte, Chris Greaves and Marlon Winn are all 24 years old. Recent Canadian college draft selections Brendan Dunn (17th overall) and Paul Swiston (24th) are both 22 years old.

Matt Morencie’s birth certificate says he’s 23 years old and Chris Kowalczuk is 26.

Those names will either start of make up some of the depth chart for the Bombers when they declare the 46-man active roster following Thursday’s home exhibition contest with the Toronto Argonauts but what’s strange about this youth movement is that the veteran guys who aren’t on the above list — the Glenn Januarys (28), Kelly Butlers (28), and Steve Morleys (29) of the group — aren’t really so long in the tooth.

Centre Obby Khan is only turning 31 years old this season. That’s a relatively young age to be the elder statesman of the unit, isn’t it?

No matter. Going young has been the plan for the Bombers since GM Joe Mack and LaPolice took over the operation. They wanted to get fresher in certain spots, and the O-line was one of the targets.

“We’re starting to get to where we want to be,” line coach Pat DelMonaco said. “We’ve seen some really good competition for spots this camp.”

And about that competition, here’s where things sit: LaPolice hinted earlier in the camp that barring a serious setback, Douglas was already pencilled in for one of those spots. You can consider LaBatte as an automatic at left guard, as well, and bet on the experienced Khan (at centre) and Morley (right guard) making the cut.

Things get interesting at the right tackle position. Butler is the front-runner and January will have a chance to make his case Thursday. Given LaPolice’s comments off the top, though, this could be a ‘lose the battle, lose a roster spot’ type of situation.

The one name missing from this list is Greaves, who only started thinking as an offensive lineman 18 months ago. The Western Ontario product, drafted as a defensive tackle in 2010, has not only learned and found playing time in the position (he made one start last year), he’s now on the short list — with Douglas, LaBatte, and Winn — as potential cornerstones of the Bombers line for the next decade or so.

“You can’t really quantify what he’s been doing, there’s no number I can put on it,” DelMonaco said. “But I will say this: He has earned what’s he’s been getting. He’s getting reps with the first unit and he’s being evaluated now as a starter in this league. For a guy who’s been at the position for such a short time, that speaks volumes about his ability.”

As it stands right now, Greaves is the sixth guy at the heavy eaters’ table. He may have to wait for a chair to open up, but given the way youth is being served at Canad Inns Stadium, he may not have to wait long.

LaPolice said he expects the starters to play a half on Thursday, to help build some continuity and chemistry, before mixing in other bodies.

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca