Alex the Mack
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This guy's a stud in the run game.
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This guy's a stud in the run game.
nmills said:
This guy's a stud in the run game.Yeah...but
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Thanks for the links & response, George.
As to the Senior Bowl, I'd agree that Mack fared best against Raji of all the North squad centers, but he wasn't great. Unger's a finesse, zone blocking center, so it wasn't a surprise that Raji & Brace destroyed him. Unfortunately, Eric Wood was on the South squad, so we didn't get to see him battle BC's big men all week in practice.
Here's an longer report on Mack's performance during Senior Bowl week:
Alex Mack OL California 6041 312 10 5/8 33 1/4
Monday Practice Notes: At center with the first unit, but then moved around some to guard as well. The pivot showed nice knee bend and a good pass set often moving well throughout the day. An area of concern was his inability to finish blocks on this day.
Tuesday Practice Notes: This pivot continues to not practice at his level of talent would indicate. He continued to be overpowered by the big North defensive tackles. Mack struggled when asked to move and block laterally. He was able to get downfield and makes a few nice blocks.
Wednesday Practice Notes: Mack asked to play to guard this week when he initially excepted his invitation, and he has gotten more comfortable at the position as the days have passed. Another prospect who has been asked to work on his hand play and gradually he has improved. The pivot mirrored well in his pass set but at times can be overwhelmed by bigger defensive linemen.
Thursday Practice Notes: Arguably his best day of the week as he has become more and more comfortable in his situation down here in Mobile. Showed a nice pass set with great knee bend. Was much better mirroring in his pass blocking against the big defensive tackles. And he successfully got to the second level on a few occasions while run blocking.
Analysis: High expectations proceeded the arrival of arguably the draft’s top center prospect. Those expectations fell somewhat flat as Mack was not the force in the middle he was deemed. Part of the problem was learning the new position of guard throughout the week which prevented any ability to build continuity. His play certainly improved during the process. He is a natural knee bender who moved well. While Mack did not play to the possible first round status some expected, his play was solid enough not to have hurt his overall standing.
Aloysius said:
Thanks for the links & response, George.As to the Senior Bowl, I'd agree that Mack fared best against Raji of all the North squad centers, but he wasn't great. Unger's a finesse, zone blocking center, so it wasn't a surprise that Raji & Brace destroyed him. Unfortunately, Eric Wood was on the South squad, so we didn't get to see him battle BC's big men all week in practice.
Here's an longer report on Mack's performance during Senior Bowl week:
Thanks for the report, Aloysius. I see some legitimate concerns there.
Keep in mind the Senior Bowl was likely the first time Mack ever took a snap at guard, practice or game. Did he play center all his life? No. He's taken practice snaps at left tackle before at Cal, and I believe he did so for the team to get the best 5 linemen on the field. Per the report it sounds like Mack picked up the guard position pretty quickly. But he will be most valuable as a center for the Browns.
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Aloysius said:
Thanks for the links & response, George.As to the Senior Bowl, I'd agree that Mack fared best against Raji of all the North squad centers, but he wasn't great. Unger's a finesse, zone blocking center, so it wasn't a surprise that Raji & Brace destroyed him. Unfortunately, Eric Wood was on the South squad, so we didn't get to see him battle BC's big men all week in practice.
Here's an longer report on Mack's performance during Senior Bowl week:
Thanks for the report, Aloysius. I see some legitimate concerns there.
Keep in mind the Senior Bowl was likely the first time Mack ever took a snap at guard, practice or game. Did he play center all his life? No. He's taken practice snaps at left tackle before at Cal, and I believe he did so for the team to get the best 5 linemen on the field. Per the report it sounds like Mack picked up the guard position pretty quickly. But he will be most valuable as a center for the Browns.
Thanks for the report, Aloysius. I see some legitimate concerns there.
Keep in mind the Senior Bowl was likely the first time Mack ever took a snap at guard, practice or game. Did he play center all his life? No. He's taken practice snaps at left tackle before at Cal, and I believe he did so for the team to get the best 5 linemen on the field. Per the report it sounds like Mack picked up the guard position pretty quickly. But he will be most valuable as a center for the Browns.
Hey George, thanks for the reports man and feel free to stick around, I'm assuming you're a Cal fan obviously......or maybe even a coach???
Anyway, he was interviewed on local sportstalk the other day and came across just like his resume would indicate. He also sounded really up on the idea of sitting a year behind Fraley and playing RG. He wasn't just saying it either, you could tell he meant it. Fraley is considered a very cerebral center with savvy and instincts. He does well in the second level but his main issue is getting dominated at the point of attack by the big 3/4 NG's in the AFC North. This has been a problem for the Browns for years and one our last GM Savage tried to address with the signing of LeCharles Bentley. Unfortunately, his career was ended on the first play of camp and subsequent staph infections.
I believe a huge decision in camp will be whether our new admin and coach want to go with the rook at center or guard. We have an All Pro type RG in Ryan Tucker but he may go to RT. Plus, he's had trouble staying healthy. IMO I'd like to see Mack at center with Tucker at RG and the camp winner of about 5 others start at RT. This will protect the rook big time. The other option would be Hadnot at RG and Tuck at RT.
I for one am hoping they go with the kid. He may have some struggles at time but I'm not worried about his calls. Fraley will have new calls to learn also.
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Welcome to the board George.
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Thanks for the report, Aloysius. I see some legitimate concerns there.
Keep in mind the Senior Bowl was likely the first time Mack ever took a snap at guard, practice or game. Did he play center all his life? No. He's taken practice snaps at left tackle before at Cal, and I believe he did so for the team to get the best 5 linemen on the field. Per the report it sounds like Mack picked up the guard position pretty quickly. But he will be most valuable as a center for the Browns.
Hey George, thanks for the reports man and feel free to stick around, I'm assuming you're a Cal fan obviously......or maybe even a coach???
Anyway, he was interviewed on local sportstalk the other day and came across just like his resume would indicate. He also sounded really up on the idea of sitting a year behind Fraley and playing RG. He wasn't just saying it either, you could tell he meant it. Fraley is considered a very cerebral center with savvy and instincts. He does well in the second level but his main issue is getting dominated at the point of attack by the big 3/4 NG's in the AFC North. This has been a problem for the Browns for years and one our last GM Savage tried to address with the signing of LeCharles Bentley. Unfortunately, his career was ended on the first play of camp and subsequent staph infections.
I believe a huge decision in camp will be whether our new admin and coach want to go with the rook at center or guard. We have an All Pro type RG in Ryan Tucker but he may go to RT. Plus, he's had trouble staying healthy. IMO I'd like to see Mack at center with Tucker at RG and the camp winner of about 5 others start at RT. This will protect the rook big time. The other option would be Hadnot at RG and Tuck at RT.
I for one am hoping they go with the kid. He may have some struggles at time but I'm not worried about his calls. Fraley will have new calls to learn also.
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Riffer, yes, I am a Cal fan and alum; coach, no, though I'm flattered by your comment. I follow football in the Pac-10 extensively, and am familiar with Ngata and Derek Anderson, and to a lesser extent, Edwards and Quinn. I'll admit I knew little about the Browns until Mangini drafted Mack. But you guys have my full support now. I'm looking forward to Mack and Robiskie doing their thing.
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Riffer, yes, I am a Cal fan and alum; coach, no, though I'm flattered by your comment. I follow football in the Pac-10 extensively, and am familiar with Ngata and Derek Anderson, and to a lesser extent, Edwards and Quinn. I'll admit I knew little about the Browns until Mangini drafted Mack. But you guys have my full support now. I'm looking forward to Mack and Robiskie doing their thing.
Riffer, yes, I am a Cal fan and alum; coach, no, though I'm flattered by your comment. I follow football in the Pac-10 extensively, and am familiar with Ngata and Derek Anderson, and to a lesser extent, Edwards and Quinn. I'll admit I knew little about the Browns until Mangini drafted Mack. But you guys have my full support now. I'm looking forward to Mack and Robiskie doing their thing.
What's your opinion of Anderson from college to what you've seen of him in the pros?
Also, do you think Sanchez is on par with Rodgers or even potentially better?
Did you think Maualuga sliding was called for and did you see it coming?
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George, the videos you supplied were very interesting. I'd say one thing. If Mack stays low he is tough. But it seems he has a tendancy to straighten up often and then he loses leverage. Do you agree or no?
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Riffer,
1. Anderson, IIRC, threw interception after interception at Oregon State, so I'm surprised he started several games last year for you guys.
2. Sanchez has a very powerful arm and more importantly, is deadly accurate. I think he'll enjoy an excellent career w/the Jets. I'll have to see how Rodgers performs this year with games on the line. If anything, Rodgers will have a better defense to fall back on.
3. I believe character concerns, mainly, dropped Maualuga's stock. He intimidated O-linemen and running backs while at USC.
Crow,
Yes, Mack pass blocks by straightening up. I've watched pass protection drills at Cal and that's how our former coach taught our O-linemen. I wouldn't worry about Mack losing leverage; he was a high school wrestling champion, and he incorporates wrestling into his technique.
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George, you a big fan of Tyson Alualu? nfldraftscout's got him projected to be a 6th/7th round pick next year, but I think he'll go much higher than that. 3-4 teams are going to be all over a guy who's already has success playing in the scheme.
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George, you a big fan of Tyson Alualu? nfldraftscout's got him projected to be a 6th/7th round pick next year, but I think he'll go much higher than that. 3-4 teams are going to be all over a guy who's already has success playing in the scheme.
Aloysius said:
George, you a big fan of Tyson Alualu? nfldraftscout's got him projected to be a 6th/7th round pick next year, but I think he'll go much higher than that. 3-4 teams are going to be all over a guy who's already has success playing in the scheme.Alualu's the rock of our defense here at Cal. Our D-coordinator switched to a 3-4 last year and Tyson did not miss a beat playing SDE. He also has the strength to play as a 4-3 DT in the pros. We're counting on him and the rest of our defense to hold USC under 14 this season. I think he'll go in the 4th?
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George brings up a good point about Mack being a wrestling champion and I don't think any of us brought that up. I like to see that cuz it generally correlates to good leverage in football. Pretty sure he only lost like one match in HS if I remember what I read about him. It also means he's far from a pretty boy, and yes, linemen can be pretty boys.
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Aloysius said:
George, you a big fan of Tyson Alualu? nfldraftscout's got him projected to be a 6th/7th round pick next year, but I think he'll go much higher than that. 3-4 teams are going to be all over a guy who's already has success playing in the scheme.Alualu's the rock of our defense here at Cal. Our D-coordinator switched to a 3-4 last year and Tyson did not miss a beat playing SDE. He also has the strength to play as a 4-3 DT in the pros. We're counting on him and the rest of our defense to hold USC under 14 this season. I think he'll go in the 4th?
Alualu's the rock of our defense here at Cal. Our D-coordinator switched to a 3-4 last year and Tyson did not miss a beat playing SDE. He also has the strength to play as a 4-3 DT in the pros. We're counting on him and the rest of our defense to hold USC under 14 this season. I think he'll go in the 4th?
Heh, thanks for being able to provide some great insight on Mack and such. Hell, this board needs more of your type.
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Alualu's the rock of our defense here at Cal. Our D-coordinator switched to a 3-4 last year and Tyson did not miss a beat playing SDE. He also has the strength to play as a 4-3 DT in the pros. We're counting on him and the rest of our defense to hold USC under 14 this season. I think he'll go in the 4th?
Heh, thanks for being able to provide some great insight on Mack and such. Hell, this board needs more of your type.
Heh, thanks for being able to provide some great insight on Mack and such. Hell, this board needs more of your type.
Of course.
And how could I forget...Steve Marshall! Duh (smacks head). We hired him from the Browns. Does Marshall prefer the more experienced lineman or the more talented one? Anything else Cal fans should know about him? Despite losing Mack, we have above average talent at O-line this season. The play of the hogs will decide how high we climb this season.
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Heh, thanks for being able to provide some great insight on Mack and such. Hell, this board needs more of your type.
Of course.
And how could I forget...Steve Marshall! Duh (smacks head). We hired him from the Browns. Does Marshall prefer the more experienced lineman or the more talented one? Anything else Cal fans should know about him? Despite losing Mack, we have above average talent at O-line this season. The play of the hogs will decide how high we climb this season.
Of course.
And how could I forget...Steve Marshall! Duh (smacks head). We hired him from the Browns. Does Marshall prefer the more experienced lineman or the more talented one? Anything else Cal fans should know about him? Despite losing Mack, we have above average talent at O-line this season. The play of the hogs will decide how high we climb this season.
I think Marshall prefers the more mature lineman and a little more finesse than power. He obviously didn't have trouble going with Joe Thomas as a rookie at LT but made it known more than once when asked that his best lineman was Ryan Tucker, who ironically graded out less than Kevin Shaffer who was just released. I have a feeling Marshall may have graded the young guys a little tougher and looked out for the seasoned guys a little more.
If I had to make a judgment I'd say he went with experience and finesse more than power and youth. Of course, our oline had Fraley at center and Eric Steinbach at LG, who are both considered more finesse tacticians than road graders. Hard to say really, Alo would probably know better.
.jpg.a1a2b9a0c33008fdaf4097d8fe2cfd64.jpg "Riffer X"){kind=avatar}
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