It's never too early to start thinking about the O-Line.
There have been some really insightful comments about the line for 2022 but I can't seem to locate them in some of the longer threads so I thought it might be good to start a dedicated thread.
According to the Ti-Cat site there are 10 O-Linemen on the roster (how up to date that is I'm not sure).
I have confidence in Van Zeyl and Revenberg. The rest - can we say 'to be determined?"
Bencze, Joseph NATIONAL
Fontana, Alex NATIONAL
Gibbon, Jesse NATIONAL
Johnson, Tyler AMERICAN
Okafor, Kay NATIONAL
Revenberg, Brandon NATIONAL
Van Zeyl, Chris NATIONAL
Vornkahl, Travis AMERICAN
Wesley, De'Ondre AMERICAN
Woodmansey, Coulter NATIONAL
I think, like any team, we live and die by the O-Line. It feels like it has never been a strength of the Cats going back 10 + years or so.
I think that if some of these guys who’ve been around for a while aren’t good enough, they need to look elsewhere for a job. The problem is always the ratio. Finding enough Canadian starters (and viable back ups) has been an issue. Converting defensive linemen to offence is likely not an optimal solution.
Can’t wait until camp opens.
Tryouts are for LT and backup positions. New, relatively new pro Centre who is unfamiliar with the Offence, a rookie who played "well enough" down the stretch (untimely penalty in the GC, but I digress) and two outstanding veterans.
Revenberg and Van Zeyl are the glue that hold that line together but I'm expecting big things out of last years rookies.
Both Woodmansey and Gibbon were highly regarded draft picks and should be vastly improved coming into camp this year.
Fontana might have some early rust to work off after not playing for a couple of years, learning a new offence and getting in synch with Dane. He was also a high draft pick and seemed very excited to become a Ti-Cat so I'm pretty enthused to see him in action.
Vornkahl was a rookie last year but there seemed to be an immediate improvement in the line when he was inserted onto the field. If I recall there was definitely less pressure on the QB.
There could be some other dark horses that emerge out of camp but overall I'm pretty optimistic about the 2022 O-Line.
And a completely inept guy that started the year at LT.
And a guy that got moved from his natural Guard spot to play Centre because the incumbent retired about three times.
If Okafor is healthy , we could have an all Canadian OLine . Some people dump on Okafor just as they do with WR Tim White . Gibbon is an interesting player . I think he's ready to compete with Woody or Fontana .
If the Cats draft an OL early , then Bencze may be challenged for his PRoster spot .
I liked the way our OLine looks and Vornkahl could prove to be a keeper as well .
It seems crazy to me to move players from one position to another - maybe because I very limited athletic ability - but it feels like a big ask to move someone from guard to centre. I would think it would take a season to adjust.
It usually takes a full year for a guy to get comfortable at Centre. I witnessed this with both Hage and Filer. Ciraco wasn't -horrible- but it's a big challenge for a guy in his sophomore year to be calling the shots on the line. By the time he was "okay", he got hurt, and was only really ready to play in the GC.
Okafor is a converted D-lineman who wasn't a good D-lineman, but got drafted due to his "athletic ability". So far, he's been nothing but a waste of a roster spot at best, and a liability when he DID play at worst.
You're quite right, a quick search reveals there were calls for his head beginning in August (at least on the forum) and mentions into November. He appears to be back for 2022.
To be fair, the co-GMs didn't give him a lot to work with. See my comments about Filer, Okafor, etc.
Injuries to CVZ and Ciraco didn't exactly help either, and the backups were barely competent.
Gibson was the OC in Hamilton from 2009-2010 during the Bellefeuille era. The offence was rather inconsistent during those two years. Gibson was replaced as OC for the 2011 season with Khari Jones.
Hamilton fans have a long memory. They were not overly enthused with Gibson's playcalling during those two seasons. So when in 2021 the O-Line stumbled out of the gate, naturally Gibson would receive part of the blame.
In reality it was likely a combination of factors. New coach, schemes, injuries and rookie mistakes. Eventually as the season progressed some of these problems were ironed out and some of the heat was lifted off of Gibson.
Gibsons offense with Glenn put up big numbers (numbers , as we all know, are important around here) and set franchise record(s) some of which may still exist.
Criticism is simply not the same thing is demanding a coach be fired. Worse still is when the criticism is almost completely wrong and no critic admits to it and hopes no else remembers.
