yup. Sounds like you're starting to curb some unrealistic expectations. Still you're expressing "extreme disappointment" in Armstead and claiming he'd be dominant on the OL if he only were to switch sides of the ball... which makes it seem like you've a ways to go. We don't know "for sure" that UO could run the ball vs Stanford if he were there. It would be fun to see how he might fare, but really we don't know how he'd do based on high hopes STOMP
Arik was brought in to Oregon to play D line and hoops, very true. He was also 18 and youthfully dreaming, now two years later he's looking at his life more realistically, thus why he stopped with basketball because he knows his future isn't on the hardwood. On top of that it's very hard to drop football weight or play "light" in football to become basketball productive in under a month in between seasons especially as a line player. Also bowl season is not a time for basketball weight loss, we need Arik at his football best. Now throw in next years playoff system and you can add another month to the season. For Arik to be successful in two sports he'd need Dion Jordans body type on the D line. Arik doesn't have Dion Jordan's frame or quickness and he's 2 1/2 inches taller than Dion and considerably thicker. That moves him to more of a D tackle. At that position with his weight he's gong up against 300 pound O lineman, some at the same height as he projects. Now with a 3-4 defense Arik's size and lighter weight gets used against him in the trenches. When the ball is snapped he's stood up and is 2 guard pull blocked right out of effective positions. Of course Arik knows this oh to well cause he had a PHD in pancaking smaller DT's and was quick enough to take on all types of DE's in high school. Now as for how good of an O lineman Arik was, his height, speed and technical knowledge was the best in the entire country coming out of high school. I'd say he's a more athletic and technically sound version of this years Cameron Robinson who's going to BAMA. At some point Ariks going to realize he's not crazy enough for the D line. For those of you who have played defense you know what I mean! This may be the biggest weakness in Ariks armor, he's not willing to break his own helmet to get through the gap and hit the QB! When you're giving up two-four inches to O lineman as a "TYPICAL" D line player does, you better have the evil aggression to make them pay for that size arrogance and that's done through brute force and angry attacking never quitting motor on the highest gear! O lineman play as a complete line and are effective through strong movement technique and unity. D Line is a completely different beast and mind set. One that I don't think Arik possesses. Ariks destined to be in the NFL just not on the D line! Hope he figures that out before it costs him real money and round picks. That said Arik on the O line next year would be like bringing back Kyle Long. Let Balducci and Levi get under pad level, and have Buckner coming off the end to disrupt everything on the D.
I guess it's extreme disappointment because he had been billed a difference maker. I really haven't seen it. I do think he'd be dominant, or much more dominant, if he switched to OL. The guy was the #1 ranked OL in the country. I would be shocked if he switched sides and was a bust on the OL. Also, that statement about Stanford had a lot to do with still having Pro Bowler Kyle Long on our team.
again, the sources you're siting and pinning high hopes on are proven to be very inaccurate every single year. You should know this by now. STOMP
Well isn't that what I said in that other post? I'm not really sure what you're hammering home. I said that I've stopped paying attention to recruiting because I feel like it builds unrealistic expectations. Many of our best players weren't even highly ranked, so at this point I'd rather just watch the games and enjoy the players as they develop. I can't help how I felt though about AA. That damage is done. The expectations were already there. The disappointment already happened. I'm just saying that I've been extremely disappointed in him
you're saying you know there opinion isn't worth much, but then in the next sentence that you're sure Arik would dominate if he switched sides of the ball because they say so. It doesn't make much sense STOMP
No, I said I think he'd be dominant or more dominant. Think is very different from being sure. The reason why I think that is because he was supposedly the best offensive lineman in the country in high school. I would assume that's because he was pretty good. I just think he's been somewhat underwhelming as a defensive lineman, so why not go back to what was his strength in high school?
For me Arik's worth didn't come from any recruiting site in high school but rather that every O line coach in America was basically sleeping in his front yard for two years. You didn't see that same attention from the defensive side of the coaching ranks. As for Kyle Long, he's a rare Duck in my eyes in the sense that he's got a nasty streak in him you often see in DT's and LB's. What makes him so damn effective on the O line is he's to tall and athletic and uses his leg and hips so freaking well to keep balance and leverage. I saw him many times block guys 5 yards down the field than pancake them into the ground. To think how good Kyle will be in a few years considering with one year for the Bears where he started, he's only had one year of top tier competition and a year at a JUCO. Pretty damn impressive and great pedigree for sure! With all that said AA is more technical on the O line than Kyle and has "enough" of a mean streak to keep MM protected in style. Tell ya something else, if AA is rock solid on staying on the D line he'll probably go second/third round to the pros on his size and they'll flip him to the O line instantly. Staying on the D line if you think about it is really just hurting his wallet and giving some NFL team a steal on a future O line pro bowler.
like most D1 players in HS, he played both sides of the ball. Being huge and athletic, he dominated pretty much every snap. Rivals rated him as the 6th best Strongside DE and one of the top 100 prospects in the country as a DLman... would you assume that's because he was pretty good? He was projected as an elite talent on both sides of the ball & has hardly been a bust as a DLman in college as he's been a starter on one of the elite teams in college football. Regardless of what some fans who base their opinions on recruiting sites they don't respect think, he's living his life as he feels best. I'm guessing he's got his reasons. I appreciate him for what he's been for Oregon, a solid contributor presumably with his best years ahead of him STOMP
bump with a link http://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/index.ssf/2014/04/oregon_ducks_q-and-a_with_arik.html STOMP
So it sounds like even the team is trying to sort of goad him into playing offensive line. I guess we'll see how he does now that he's dedicated all his time to football.
from reading various comments over the years, it's pretty common for the coaches from the other side of the ball to be "goading" young players about swapping sides STOMP
Well it sounds like he's slimmed down a bit and is focusing entirely on football, so he could have a breakout year. That's what I'm hoping anyway.
