I've read (OK, scanned) no fewer than half a dozen articles about the University of Idaho football team's offensive line. They all say the same the thing: Four of five starters from the 2009 Humanitarian Bowl team are gone, including first-round NFL draft pick Mike Iupati; no one knows for sure how well this year's version will perform; and returning starter Matt Cleveland will be the anchor.
Snooze. Give me something original — such as the media guide, which finally was released a couple weeks ago. A fresh roster is like a new bike on Christmas morning — and least, it is in my sports-frenzied world (feel free to send my wife flowers as a display of your condolences).
Actually, you can learn a lot, albeit broad-strokes stuff, from the list of returners and newbies. Here are a few points to consider after glancing at UI's 2010 roster:
- The Vandals have uncommonly big passing targets. Eric Greenwood: 6 feet 7 inches tall, 223 pounds. Maurice Shaw: 6-3, 205. Preston Davis: 6-2, 201. Daniel Hardy, 6-4, 242. Armauni Johnson: 6-4, 194.
The average size of this core group of pass-catchers would be considered big in a BCS conference, let alone in the Western Athletic Conference. Add in a good mix of leaping and sprinting ability, and you're looking at some really intriguing options for senior quarterback Nathan Enderle.
The size factor gives Enderle a number of safety valves underneath — a key development when you consider that the Vandals' running game is utterly unproven with a new line and without DeMaundray Woolridge and his 18 touchdowns. - It's nice to have a couple of huge quarterbacks on the roster. Speaking of Enderle, he's 6-5, 233 — and coming off a highly impressive 2009 campaign. Also on the roster is true freshman Justin Podrabsky, 6-6, 238. This Lewiston product won't contribute this year, but it's intriguing to see both his size and his considerable athletic ability; in high school he also proved himself to be a stellar basketball player and 400-meter runner. It's this combination that sets him apart, at least in terms of potential, from the lead-footed Enderle and probably any UI signal-caller in the past decade.
- The offensive line is gargantuan. Much has been made of this unit's status as the heaviest line in all of college football. Big whoop — just ask Tyrone Willingham.
The former University of Washington coach sported one of the Pac-10's biggest quintuplets two seasons ago — you know, the year the Huskies went 0-12. Bigger doesn't always mean anything, especially if the men in question are huffing and puffing beyond the norm before the fourth quarter begins.
If by week 3 these huge maulers haven't been able to consistently clear paths for backs Deonte' Jackson and Princeton McCarty, it might be time for "The Biggest Loser: Emergency in Moscow."
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