Tag: offensive line

Broncos QB Bo Nix responds to Alex Forsyth backlash: ‘It ticks me off’

“It ticks me off that people can say those things about him and not even see how he works or how he responds or how he plays,” Bo Nix said.

The Denver Broncos suffered a heartbreaking 16-14 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday after the team’s last-second field goal attempt was blocked.

The Chiefs had identified Broncos lineman Alex Forsyth as being “light on his toes,” making him susceptible to a bullrush. Kansas City rushed three defenders at Forsyth’s spot and ended up blocking the kick to secure the win.

Denver coach Sean Payton has said the loss — and the block — was not the fault of a single player, but that hasn’t stopped fans from lashing out at Forsyth on social media.

Broncos quarterback Bo Nix had his first media availability of the week on Wednesday and he came to the defense of Forsyth, who played with Nix at Oregon.

“So, I think it’s very unfortunate, very unfair that, ultimately a play comes down to one moment and — something, people can say that it falls under one person and nobody prepares like Alex Forsyth prepares,” Nix said, via Andrew Mason of DenverSports.com. “Nobody goes through the moments throughout the week and gets every set and every look that he possibly can and go out there and put his team in the best possible spot. And I think it’s unfair that — unfortunately, it’s the game we play and all of our mistakes are on national TV and everyone sees them and there’s a lot of negative talk when somebody messes up, but I think it’s — I think it should be known how valuable he is to our team, how much he is respected throughout our locker room.

“It really — it ticks me off that people can say those things about him and not even see how he works or how he responds or how he plays. And I have no doubt that Alex Forsyth’s going to respond probably better than anybody in that situation. He cares more than anybody would in that situation. And I know every single one of our team, every single guy in our locker room believes in him to move on and respond. And what happened to him sucks, it really does. It’s happened to many of us, and you just gotta, unfortunately get over it and you gotta find ways to move past it.

“And he’s mentally tough. He’s been through tougher life moments than probably any of us, and so, he knows how to handle adversity, and I’m excited to see him grow and respond through this. And I can’t imagine as much as he works throughout a week, how much more he’s going to put on himself, but I respect him greatly. I hate that he’s having to go through all this, but sometimes it’s part of the game and it is what we signed up for, but I’m happy to be on his team. I’m proud to call him a teammate, and I know he’s going to respond really well.”

Broncos offensive tackle Garett Bolles and guard Quinn Meinerz also came to Forsyth’s defense. Bolles said fans shouldn’t pin the game on Forsyth when the offense only scored 14 points.

Meinerz said Forsyth getting blamed was ridiculous.

Former Broncos players have also come to Forsyth’s defense, with ex-lineman Tyler Polumbus and retired tight end Joel Dreessen sticking up for the center on social media.

Forsyth will get his first opportunity to bounce back when the Broncos host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

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Former Wisconsin offensive linemen, top assistant named semifinalist for national award

Former Wisconsin linemen, top assistant named finalist for national award

Several former Wisconsin Badgers have helped lead the Indiana Hoosiers to a record 10-0 start to the 2024 season.

Those are tackle Trey Wedig, guard Drew Evans and offensive line coach Bob Bostad. The trio is a significant reason the Hoosiers’ line was named a semifinalist for the 2024 Joe Moore Award on Tuesday.

Related: Indiana coach Curt Cignetti is doing what everybody expected Luke Fickell to do at Wisconsin

The award, with history since 2015, is given annually to college football’s best offensive line. Notable recent winners include Washington (2023), Michigan (2021-22), Alabama (2020) and LSU (2019).

The Hoosiers were named a semifinalist for the 2024 award along with Alabama, Army, Iowa, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and Tulane.

As mentioned, three former Badgers are a big reason for the nomination.

Wedig has started all 10 games at right tackle for the Hoosiers this season. He boasts one of the top PFF grades of any eligible tackle in the Big Ten, making him one of Curt Cignetti’s top transfer additions from a highly successful offseason.

The versatile lineman entered the portal after playing a reserve role on the 2023 Badgers in year one under Luke Fickell. He would’ve been up for limited snaps again in 2024 with both Jack Nelson and Riley Mahlman back for a final season.

Evans, meanwhile, transferred to Indiana back in 2023 after initially walking on with the Badgers ahead of the 2022 season. He started the first nine games of the 2024 season for the Hoosiers before suffering a season-ending injury last week in practice.

Bostad, finally, is the most notable former Badger of the group. The current Indiana offensive line coach was a top assistant under Bret Bielema in the mid-2000s before returning to the Wisconsin program in 2017 as its inside linebackers coach.

He transitioned back to offensive line duties in 2022 as Paul Chryst reworked his offensive coaching staff. The veteran assistant then took a job at Indiana after Chryst’s firing.

Indiana will look to continue its dream season on Nov. 23 when it faces the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. The team is a win away from possibly reaching the Big Ten title game, a remarkable turnaround after a 3-9 final season under Tom Allen.

A big factor in that success has been the work of Wedig, Evans and Bostad along the offensive line.

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Saints’ latest roster move may mean good news for injured Pro Bowler

The New Orleans Saints announced they had waived Connor McGovern, which could mean good news is on the way for Erik McCoy:

The New Orleans Saints announced Monday they had waived Connor McGovern, which could mean good news is on the way for Erik McCoy. McGovern has been the go-to option replacing McCoy at center, and on Sunday he snapped the ball for all 53 of the Saints’ offensive plays. If he clears waivers he should be a safe bet to return on the Saints practice squad.

And McGovern, if you’ll remember, was the offensive lineman the Saints waived wide receiver A.T. Perry to make room for. He wound up logging 369 snaps across six games, five of them starts, and entirely at center.

But back to McCoy. The former Pro Bowler has been out of action with a groin injury that required surgery earlier this season, and the Saints didn’t win a game without him until Sunday’s upset of the Atlanta Falcons. When Klint Kubiak installed his offense McCoy was tasked with adjusting protection before the snap, and the team struggled badly without him.

So this move likely means he’ll be back in the middle this Sunday against the  Cleveland Browns. That gives McCoy an opportunity to get his feet back under him and take advantage of the bye week for extra rest afterwards. He hasn’t been officially activated yet after returning to practice last week, but that does seem to be the way the wind is blowing.

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Broncos have a big decision to make after activating Luke Wattenberg

After activating Luke Wattenberg from injured reserve, the Broncos have to decide between starting him or Alex Forsyth at center.

After spending the last four games on injured reserve with an ankle injury, Denver Broncos center Luke Wattenberg was activated to the 53-man roster on Saturday, the team announced.

Denver had room for Wattenberg on the active roster after trading outside linebacker Baron Browning to the Arizona Cardinals earlier this week.

Broncos coach Sean Payton now has to make a tough decision for the starting lineup ahead of Sunday’s game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Wattenberg started the first five games of the year and Alex Forsyth started the last four games while Wattenberg was sidelined. Denver will have to decide between going back to the original starter or sticking with the center who has played well in his absence.

Perhaps helping Forsyth’s case is the fact that he played with quarterback Bo Nix at Oregon.

“Alex was right there with the center battle during training camp, and obviously he and Bo have a good relationship,” offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said on Oct. 10. “That’s always important with centers and quarterbacks.”

Wattenberg is a former fifth-round draft pick who has one year remaining on his contract. Forysth was picked by the Broncos in the seventh round of last year’s draft and he has two years left on his deal.

We probably won’t get an answer on who Denver plans to start until the first snap on Sunday.

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Texans shuffling their starting OL to face the Lions’ strong defensive front

The Texans are shuffling their starting left guard and center spots to face the Lions’ strong defensive front in Week 10

The Detroit Lions are forced to modify their stellar offensive line in Week 10 due to an injury to stalwart left tackle Taylor Decker. Lions coaches haven’t yet revealed their plan for replacing Decker, who is out with a shoulder injury.

Detroit’s opponent, the Houston Texans, is also shuffling the offensive line deck for the Sunday night game.

The Texans are moving regular starting center Juice Scruggs to left guard after losing regular starter Kenyon Green to an injury. Moving Scruggs allows Houston to insert second-year reserve Jarrett Patterson into the lineup as the new starting center.

The interior offensive line has been a massive issue for the Texans all season, so a change might have been in order regardless of Green’s injury. No team gives up a higher pressure rate to interior defensive linemen than Houston, though the injured Green was a big part of that. Patterson is a natural center, while Scruggs does have some starting experience at left guard late in the 2023 campaign.

Regardless of the Texans shuffling, the matchup of Alim McNeill, DJ Reader and Levi Onwuzurike against the Houston G-C-G package is perhaps Detroit’s biggest advantage (on paper anyway) in the game.

Broncos will have to make a tough decision at center soon

Alex Forsyth started the last four games with Luke Wattenberg on injured reserve. With Wattenberg now returning from IR, who should start?

The Denver Broncos will soon have to make a tough decision at center.

After spending the last four weeks on injured reserve with an ankle injury, center Luke Wattenberg returned to practice on Wednesday. He now has a 21-day window to return to the active roster.

Wattenberg started the team’s first five games of the season. Pro Football Focus gave him a 71.3 pass-blocking grade, a 53.1 run-blocking grade and a 58.0 overall grade in those five games. Wattenberg was penalized once and was not credited with allowing any sacks from Weeks 1-5.

After Wattenberg went down, the Broncos turned to second-year center Alex Forsyth, who played with quarterback Bo Nix at Oregon. Forsyth started the last four games while Wattenberg was on IR.

“You never like for your guys to get hurt,” offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said on Oct. 10. “We have a lot of confidence in the guys that are filling in. Alex was right there with the center battle during training camp, and obviously he and Bo have a good relationship. That’s always important with centers and quarterbacks.”

By PFF’s estimation, Forysth has played better than Wattenberg. Forysth has a 58.7 pass-blocking grade, a 68.9 run-blocking grade and an overall grade of 67.5 this season. Forysth has not been penalized, but PFF credits him with allowing two sacks.

So, what will Denver do when Wattenberg returns to the active roster, perhaps as early as this weekend? Do they go back to their Week 1 starter, or stick with the center who now has four starts under his belt and previous experience with Nix?

It will be a tough decision for coach Sean Payton and Co. to make. Payton rarely reveals lineup decisions, so we probably won’t get an answer until the first snap on Sunday.

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Broncos nominate former player Keith Bishop for Salute to Service award

The Broncos nominated former offensive lineman and current Vice President of Security Keith Bishop for the 2024 Salute to Service.

The Denver Broncos have nominated former offensive lineman and current Vice President of Security Keith Bishop for the 2024 Salute to Service Award presented by USAA nominee, the team announced Friday.

“After his retirement from a ten-year NFL career, Keith worked in federal law enforcement as a special agent for the United States Department of Justice Drug Enforcement Administration for 20 years,” according to a press release from the team. “He was assigned as the DEA Assistant Regional Director/Assistant Special Agent in Charge and Country Attache at the DEA office in Kabul, Afghanistan (2008-2012).”

In his role with the Broncos, Bishop works closely with first responders at all levels to protect the members of the team. His appreciation for members of the military goes far beyond his years in government service.

“His personal support for the military reaches far into the community, as Bishop supports military-serving organizations including Freedom Service Dogs (FSD) and the Center for American Values,” said the team’s statement. “FSD transforms lives by providing custom-trained service dogs to assist veterans, first responders and active-duty service members who have post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and loss of limbs or mobility due to combat-related injuries.

“The Center for American Values’ mission is to honor the sacrifices made by civilians and veterans alike to help sustain America’s values of honor, integrity and patriotism. Bishop is a committed board member for the center and was a featured speaker for the On Values speaker series in February of 2024. For these reasons and more, Keith has earned the Broncos’ nomination for the 2024 Salute to Service Award.”

This marks the second year in a row the Broncos have nominated a former player for the Salute to Service award. Denver nominated Hall of Famer Randy Gradishar for the honor in 2023.

The winner of the award will be revealed during NFL Honors before the Super Bowl in February.

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Broncos sign guard/center to 53-man roster ahead of Ravens game

After using up his practice squad elevations, the Broncos fully promoted offensive lineman Calvin Throckmorton to the 53-man roster.

The Denver Broncos promoted guard/center Calvin Throckmorton from the practice squad to the 53-man roster on Friday, the team announced.

After losing center Luke Wattenberg to an ankle injury, the Broncos elevated Throckmorton from the practice squad to the game-day roster for each of their last three games, which is the maximum number of elevations a player can have in a single season.

With Wattenberg still one week away from being eligible to return from injured reserve, Denver has fully promoted Throckmorton to the active roster so he can serve as the team’s backup center against the Baltimore Ravens behind fill-in starter Alex Forsyth.

Once Wattenberg returns to the active roster (perhaps as early as next week), Throckmorton might be a candidate to get bumped back down to the practice squad.

To make room for Throckmorton on the 53-man roster, the Broncos released veteran fullback Michael Burton on Friday. Burton is expected to re-join the team on the practice squad on Saturday.

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Steelers’ legendary QB speaks his mind on LT Dan Moore Jr.

Former Steelers’ QB Ben Roethlisberger gives LT Dan Moore Jr. his flowers for his excellent play so far in 2024.

With the Steelers drafting RT Troy Fautanu in the 2024 NFL Draft, many fans assumed Dan Moore Jr. would be on his way out of Pittsburgh. However, poor play from OT Broderick Jones and a regular-season-ending injury to Fautanu opened the door for Moore to showcase his progression in his fourth year in the NFL. His elite play this season caught the attention of two-time Super Bowl champion and Steelers legendary quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. 

Big Ben spoke about the left tackle’s talent on his podcast, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, highlighting one key play that demonstrated Moore’s value to the team: “He got dinged up for one play, there was a sack on that play. The next play, when he’s out, a sack happens.” Roethlisberger concluded with a short but powerful compliment to the left tackle: “Dan Moore is playing good football right now in a position that is very important.” 

Fans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing the left tackle position is in good hands. However, what remains to be seen is how Mike Tomlin will handle the issues with Jones at right tackle.  Should Pittsburgh acquire additional offensive linemen at the trade deadline? 

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Raiders OL ‘in flux’ Week 9 vs Bengals ‘everything is on the table’

With uncertainties due to injury, there are as many as four different alignments the Raiders could deploy on the offensive line Week 9.

We could be looking at another new starting lineup for the Raiders offensive line Sunday when they head to Cincinnati to face the Bengals.

Injuries at various positions have had the Raiders moving guys around all season, and this week carries with it probably the most uncertainty they’ve seen yet.

Primarily the question marks are at center and right guard. Andre James was injured last Sunday and missed practice Wednesday. Meanwhile Dylan Parham returned to practice after missing the past two weeks.

The team shuffled the personnel on the interior line to cover for Parham and James’s absences. First with Jordan Meredith stepping in at right guard for Parham and then Jackson Powers-Johnson moving over from left guard to center to cover for James. This meant Cody Whitehair had to come in at left guard.

At this moment, it’s still up in the air as to who will start at each spot this week.

“It’s just in such a flux right now,” Raiders OC Luke Getsy said of the interior offensive line. “Everything’s on the table, honestly. That’s the cool part, when you have guys that are smart in Dylan and Cody and Jordan and Jackson, you’re able to figure out at the end of the week what’s the best fit and what makes the most sense to get going. But, honestly everything’s on the table right now.”

That means, you have five different players who could start at the three interior spots and four different possible alignments. Fun, fun, fun.