I went back and watched every snap about 10-12 times, looking at each offensive lineman at least twice.
1st half OL was:
– Asim Richards at LT
– Farniok at LG
– Hoffman at C
– Ball at RG
– Waletzgo at RT
2nd half OL was:
– Bostick Jr at LT
– Farniok/Richards at LG
– Hoffman/Lindstrom at C
– T.J. Bass at RG
– Taylor (long last name) at RT
I’m listing these guys in order of how well I think they played…buckle up. I’ll list all the 2nd team guys first cause it’s unfair to compare the 3rd stringers
Asim Richards – Best OL of the game. Played really well at LT against the Jags starting defense, including their #1 overall pick Walker. Looked very comfortable in pass pro, and moved guys in the run game. He needs to get stronger but his technique was really good. He struggled more against the 3rd string as a LG than he did against starters as a LT, and I think that was largely some comms issues with Bostick Jr and his lack of strength showing. Cowboys got a steal here. Get excited about this guy.
Josh Ball – No….I’m not kidding. His first series was awful, but he played really solid after that. If you don’t believe me, go watch the game. On every running play, he got the most push and kept his feet. On pass downs, he got pushed back the least of the interior guys. He looked very much in control of his body at all times. I don’t know what to tell you but he was my 2nd best lineman. I even prematurely called him out in a post last night…whoops
Matt Farniok – There’s not a big drop off between Ball and Farniok. He played pretty well, and I thought Farniok and Richards were the best duo on the line. They handled stunts really well together. Matt gets the job done, but he looks a little chaotic, and just straight up whiffed on some run and pass blocks. Needs to keep his feet better and not get caught reaching
Hoffman – Hoffman was a bit of a yikes for me. First of all, you don’t see him block much because on most passing downs he’s just standing there like he’s just happy to be a part of something. I get he’s holding the spy LB at bay but for crying out loud help your guards with a shove, man. When he did go 1 on 1 with a DT, he either got stonewalled on run plays, or pushed backwards like he was on a treadmill on pass plays. Even late in the game against 3rd stringers he was getting whooped, and sometimes he whiffed hard
Matt Waletzgo – I HATE that I’m writing this man’s name as the worst 2nd team lineman. He did not play well. Honestly, he’s the reason most of you think Ball sucked. He could not process a single stunt to save his life. He hugged guys multiple times, lost his feet constantly, looked clumsy like a baby giraffe most of the game, and just had zero power. I honestly would had guessed he’d be the TOP performer before the game, but alas, he just doesn’t look in control at all. Maybe it’s the move to RT? I don’t know but it was ROUGH for Matt.
3rd stringers
Earl Bostick Jr – The LTs just showed out today. Honestly, I’d rank Bostick above Hoffman and Waletzgo if I wasn’t separating 3rd stringers. He was solid. Not a ton of power, but held his own and got push in the run game. He probably benefited by having Farniok and then Richards next to him. The one play where Deuce got killed was a comms issue between him and Richards, but outside of that he was solid (for 3rd stringers)
T.J. Bass – Played ok. Whiffed a few times, fell down a few times, but worthy of practice squad IMO
Taylor (long last name) – meh. Bostick was much better. He was constantly out of position and reaching. Probably an easy cut
Lindstrom – Barely played in the 4th qtr. Don’t know why they kept Hoffman in so long. Played ok
2 Bonus Notes!!!!
1. I LOVE this offensive design. There were a lot of screens that never happened because of quick read passes. So cool to see designed screen plays with hot route options getting used. I think this offense will be fun if Dak can process things quickly.
2. OK….Deuce is really good. Go back and watch his TD run. It’s an inside zone run, and there was a weak hole for him to use but instead his instincts put him right past a completely free defender before the guy even knew what happened. He did alot of improvised runs when the hole didn’t materialize. I’m excited to see more.
