Spring football is used mainly to prepare the players for what is ahead of them in the fall. It’s also time to get the young guys some needed reps they most likely wouldn’t get as the season approaches.
It’s also time for a bit of experimentation.
Oregon has been known for its versatile offensive line with players capable of playing multiple positions. Most of the time it’s out of necessity because of injury. But linemen don’t go from right tackle to center and succeed out of pure talent and luck. There are dozens of hours of cross-training that lead to that ability.
“It’s pivotal. That’s what made Calvin Throckmorton so valuable for us,” offensive line coach A’lique Terry said of the Ducks’ desire for position flexibility. “He played 50-plus career starts but he started at every position. That’s kind of the thing we tell our guys if you want to get to the NFL, they’re looking for a versatile offensive line. You provide yourself insurance as having a job if you can play right tackle and right guard and center.”
For this current Oregon roster, there are a lot of talented players available, and a lot of starting spots to fill. While the coaching staff works to see who best fits at what position, they’re also working hard to get players out of their comfort zones to see what it may result in.
For Terry, that versatile skill set is built right now in the spring and he’s intent on making sure that having linemen with multiple skills is still the norm within the Ducks program.
“That’s the beauty of spring ball right now because a lot of these guys get to play a position they haven’t probably played in the past,” Terry said. “Now you get more tools in your toolbox. That’s going to be huge for us, getting guys to be versatile. That’s the best part about spring, even if you don’t have guys, you kind of force it. So, guys who have maybe never done something before, they’ve got to do it.”
While this may make things harder for fans and media members watching practice to identify ultimately who the starting linemen are shaping up to be, it will be massively beneficial to the team in the long run.
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