This One Position Change, Changes Everything

[LACHAMP46]

To me, the area of focus for the O is QB, LT (is Robinson a LT or not), WR, TE.

I seriously believe a QB, and some weapons will help this team....And we should ALWAYS add depth on the lines...talented guys that can be ready in a pinch...same with the secondary....that's why draft picks are important....depth.
But a little on Greg Robinson....I think the guy has talent....I thinks he struggles...on speed, which when turned to power gets G-Rob knock off balance pretty easily....I don't think I've ever watched so much line play during the games...always looking to see who allows the pressure...and I usually see it in the middle. Between the guards and tackles.... I was actually looking at Reynolds this week... Noticing his limitations....How the zone stretch is causing guys to run free...how important it is to get to the second level from the interior line...how difficult it is for tackles to "reach" block, and cut the backside DL's....Greg is young, and struggles...but it's not a physical thing...it's mental, and one step slow and BAM his man is by him...I see why he holds so much. He rarely knows where his man is going....
I'm not really worried about Greg Robinson...He looks like a solid kid that likes to work...I'm more worried, if we want to replace Barnes, can a rookie START right away? Where do these other teams get those kind? I think if we just draft solidly the O-Line should become our strength...
Skill positions....now, there is a trouble area....and the number #1 position is QB. This piece was written a couple days ago by LeCharles Bentley....ex-player..ex lineman...Buffalo Bills I think....




Greg Robinson – Left Tackle, St. Louis Rams

Greg Robinson could very well be the most physically gifted offensive linemen in the NFL. It’s obvious he possesses a true love for the game by the style in which he plays. In an era where many offensive linemen aren’t being heralded for their toughness or mean streaks, Greg Robinson approaches the game like a true throwback trench warrior.

Unfortunately, his physical prowess hasn’t yielded the performance threshold the St. Louis Rams were anticipating when they drafted him second overall in the 2014 NFL Draft. This reality has come as a surprise to many, but to those that appreciate offensive line as a craft, his struggles aren’t a shock.

Greg Robinson is merely a byproduct of the current football climate we live in. The proliferation of spread offenses throughout the collegiate ranks has stunted the development of the most coveted position in all of football. Spread offenses demand more from every single player on the field, except offensive line. The quarterbacks, defensive backs, defensive linemen and wide receivers are asked to know more and do more than ever before. On the other hand, offensive linemen are asked to know less and do less, thus are not developing the transferable skill sets required to play in the NFL. In reference to Greg’s collegiate offensive scheme, Paul Boudreau, the Rams offensive line coach, told Greg. A Bedard of Sports Illustrated, “They had four run plays and one protection – slide left, slide right. He didn’t have a snap count.”

We aren’t in a position to tell collegiate coaches what style of offense they should be running. The only possible solution to the perfect storm of inept offensive line play that has been created is to do what all great offensive linemen do very well, adapt. If a player like Greg Robinson who has off the chart measurable’s and a true desire to become the best player he can be can’t be “fixed” within this broken system of development, the game of football is in a ditch that may need to double as a grave.

The Block
Stance
All of Greg’s issues stem from his inconsistencies found in the stance. He’s playing in stance’s that are too narrow or too wide at times, his hips aren’t consistently square to the line of scrimmage and his left heel is off the ground (See Photo’s 1 & 2)



Inconsistent / Run Game
Greg’s narrow or too wide of a base (Feet Alignment) causes significant issues for him on run and passing plays. In the run game, his inconsistent base forces him to “lead with his knee” and “swoop” his left foot upon initial movement (see illustrations). These two mechanical flaws cause him to play with too much weight outside his frame and not distributed properly. This will explain why he is so easily thrown off front side base blocks. He plays too far outside of his landmark’s on the defender. Greg is either going to hit big or miss big because of this mechanical flaw. In regards to backside cutoff’s, his base doesn’t allow him to get his frontside hip as open as it should be. He does a very poor job on backside cutoffs, not because he can’t but because he isn’t in a position to effectively do so.



http://www.lbolineperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Heel-Swoop-2.gif
http://www.lbolineperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Heel-Swoop-2.gif
http://www.lbolineperformance.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/Heel-Swoop-2.gif
Inconsistent Base / Pass Protection
Greg has a problem that is called “under-stepping” (see illustration). During his pass set at about the second kick, you will notice how the left foot travels upfield. This happens because his narrow stance causes him to take too big of an initial kick. He’s trying to make up the difference by attempting to cover more ground than he needs to. This is where momentum takes over, that’s not a good thing. That subtle upfield movement by the left foot is his body trying to autocorrect itself at a high rate of speed. The idea of pass protection is for him to keep the left foot in a “catch” position, meaning at any given point he is ready to take on pressure. When the left foot travels upfield he develops a “soft hip” which shortens the edge for the pass rusher. Greg is ungodly strong but he isn’t able to utilize his full strength because of this issue. I akin this to building an oak stool that only has three legs. The wood is strong, it’s well built, but it has no base.



Hips not square to line of scrimmage
Greg isn’t consistent with keeping his hips square to the line of scrimmage (See photos above). If you pay close attention to his waistline or jersey numbers, you’ll see they slightly are turned towards the defender. This may seem to be a minor infraction but it’s a felony in the offensive line performance world. Greg loses the holy grail of offensive line play before the ball is even snapped, leverage. He has created a “soft edge” for the defender. When you couple this with his narrow base and the outlined problems created with it, his hips not being square compounds all of the issues.

Heel off the ground / Run & Pass
Here you’ll find the performance leak many offensive linemen suffer from. When the heel being off the ground is paired with the other noted problems, there’s gas thrown on the fire. Greg is constantly in a position where his outside knee leads all of his movement (See knee lead illustration). In the pass game this swinging action sets the stage for him turning way too soon during a pass set. In the run game, he loses control of his body because he’s playing under the influence of momentum and that’s illegal in this country. The body of an offensive lineman must always be in a position to fight pressure with pressure. The knee being inside the toe for as long as possible allows this to happen. There’s more musculature activated in this position and joints are more correctly aligned to be more stable.

Poor Hand Usage
Greg Robinson has issues with his upper body as well. His hand placement in the run game is poor and in pass protection he punches himself “open” far too often. These issues are symptoms, they aren’t the ailment. The ailment is all that has been outlined. Offensive line play begins from the ground up! His hands will be fixed when his lower body is addressed. Investing time into working on his hands while ignoring the obvious issues below the waist is like putting a new paint job on a car with no wheels. It’s a poor investment.



Bottom Block
There’s nothing going on with Greg Robinson that can’t be fixed. I believe Greg can be one of the greatest offensive linemen to ever play in the NFL. I hear the notion that he’s not cut out to be a left tackle because he’s not “athletic” enough. If Andrew Whitworth is “athletic” enough to play left tackle in the NFL, Greg Robinson can. If he’s moved to guard without addressing the root issues, his career will be shortened. He will play guard as if he’s in a street fight, that’s a good and bad thing. The bad, it’s only a matter of time before something breaks. You can’t run away from bad mechanics. There needs to be more attention to detail in his understanding of how his body is supposed to work as an elite offensive lineman and to how it is prepared to perform at an elite level.


Please follow the link above for the great media clips showing what he's describing.....

http://www.foxsports.com/midwest/st...in-greg-robinson-but-flags-keep-flying-111815

Greg Robinson can play a little bit....I saw no MAJOR issues with pass pro in this last game....Seemed like execution to me...I'm gonna watch this game, AGAIN....just to be sure of something...But I smell QB issues....

 

[CoachO]

I understand and I see your point. But Rhaney doesn't have enough of a handle on the playbook to put him at center for any length of time.

Rhaney also played more guard in college than he played center. And he been getting more reps at RG in practice than anywhere else.

 

[fearsomefour]

I seriously believe a QB, and some weapons will help this team....And we should ALWAYS add depth on the lines...talented guys that can be ready in a pinch...same with the secondary....that's why draft picks are important....depth.
But a little on Greg Robinson....I think the guy has talent....I thinks he struggles...on speed, which when turned to power gets G-Rob knock off balance pretty easily....I don't think I've ever watched so much line play during the games...always looking to see who allows the pressure...and I usually see it in the middle. Between the guards and tackles.... I was actually looking at Reynolds this week... Noticing his limitations....How the zone stretch is causing guys to run free...how important it is to get to the second level from the interior line...how difficult it is for tackles to "reach" block, and cut the backside DL's....Greg is young, and struggles...but it's not a physical thing...it's mental, and one step slow and BAM his man is by him...I see why he holds so much. He rarely knows where his man is going....
I'm not really worried about Greg Robinson...He looks like a solid kid that likes to work...I'm more worried, if we want to replace Barnes, can a rookie START right away? Where do these other teams get those kind? I think if we just draft solidly the O-Line should become our strength...
Skill positions....now, there is a trouble area....and the number #1 position is QB. This piece was written a couple days ago by LeCharles Bentley....ex-player..ex lineman...Buffalo Bills I think....




Greg Robinson – Left Tackle, St. Louis Rams

Greg Robinson could very well be the most physically gifted offensive linemen in the NFL. It’s obvious he possesses a true love for the game by the style in which he plays. In an era where many offensive linemen aren’t being heralded for their toughness or mean streaks, Greg Robinson approaches the game like a true throwback trench warrior.

Unfortunately, his physical prowess hasn’t yielded the performance threshold the St. Louis Rams were anticipating when they drafted him second overall in the 2014 NFL Draft. This reality has come as a surprise to many, but to those that appreciate offensive line as a craft, his struggles aren’t a shock.

Greg Robinson is merely a byproduct of the current football climate we live in. The proliferation of spread offenses throughout the collegiate ranks has stunted the development of the most coveted position in all of football. Spread offenses demand more from every single player on the field, except offensive line. The quarterbacks, defensive backs, defensive linemen and wide receivers are asked to know more and do more than ever before. On the other hand, offensive linemen are asked to know less and do less, thus are not developing the transferable skill sets required to play in the NFL. In reference to Greg’s collegiate offensive scheme, Paul Boudreau, the Rams offensive line coach, told Greg. A Bedard of Sports Illustrated, “They had four run plays and one protection – slide left, slide right. He didn’t have a snap count.”

We aren’t in a position to tell collegiate coaches what style of offense they should be running. The only possible solution to the perfect storm of inept offensive line play that has been created is to do what all great offensive linemen do very well, adapt. If a player like Greg Robinson who has off the chart measurable’s and a true desire to become the best player he can be can’t be “fixed” within this broken system of development, the game of football is in a ditch that may need to double as a grave.

The Block
Stance
All of Greg’s issues stem from his inconsistencies found in the stance. He’s playing in stance’s that are too narrow or too wide at times, his hips aren’t consistently square to the line of scrimmage and his left heel is off the ground (See Photo’s 1 & 2)



Inconsistent / Run Game
Greg’s narrow or too wide of a base (Feet Alignment) causes significant issues for him on run and passing plays. In the run game, his inconsistent base forces him to “lead with his knee” and “swoop” his left foot upon initial movement (see illustrations). These two mechanical flaws cause him to play with too much weight outside his frame and not distributed properly. This will explain why he is so easily thrown off front side base blocks. He plays too far outside of his landmark’s on the defender. Greg is either going to hit big or miss big because of this mechanical flaw. In regards to backside cutoff’s, his base doesn’t allow him to get his frontside hip as open as it should be. He does a very poor job on backside cutoffs, not because he can’t but because he isn’t in a position to effectively do so.



Inconsistent Base / Pass Protection
Greg has a problem that is called “under-stepping” (see illustration). During his pass set at about the second kick, you will notice how the left foot travels upfield. This happens because his narrow stance causes him to take too big of an initial kick. He’s trying to make up the difference by attempting to cover more ground than he needs to. This is where momentum takes over, that’s not a good thing. That subtle upfield movement by the left foot is his body trying to autocorrect itself at a high rate of speed. The idea of pass protection is for him to keep the left foot in a “catch” position, meaning at any given point he is ready to take on pressure. When the left foot travels upfield he develops a “soft hip” which shortens the edge for the pass rusher. Greg is ungodly strong but he isn’t able to utilize his full strength because of this issue. I akin this to building an oak stool that only has three legs. The wood is strong, it’s well built, but it has no base.



Hips not square to line of scrimmage
Greg isn’t consistent with keeping his hips square to the line of scrimmage (See photos above). If you pay close attention to his waistline or jersey numbers, you’ll see they slightly are turned towards the defender. This may seem to be a minor infraction but it’s a felony in the offensive line performance world. Greg loses the holy grail of offensive line play before the ball is even snapped, leverage. He has created a “soft edge” for the defender. When you couple this with his narrow base and the outlined problems created with it, his hips not being square compounds all of the issues.

Heel off the ground / Run & Pass
Here you’ll find the performance leak many offensive linemen suffer from. When the heel being off the ground is paired with the other noted problems, there’s gas thrown on the fire. Greg is constantly in a position where his outside knee leads all of his movement (See knee lead illustration). In the pass game this swinging action sets the stage for him turning way too soon during a pass set. In the run game, he loses control of his body because he’s playing under the influence of momentum and that’s illegal in this country. The body of an offensive lineman must always be in a position to fight pressure with pressure. The knee being inside the toe for as long as possible allows this to happen. There’s more musculature activated in this position and joints are more correctly aligned to be more stable.

Poor Hand Usage
Greg Robinson has issues with his upper body as well. His hand placement in the run game is poor and in pass protection he punches himself “open” far too often. These issues are symptoms, they aren’t the ailment. The ailment is all that has been outlined. Offensive line play begins from the ground up! His hands will be fixed when his lower body is addressed. Investing time into working on his hands while ignoring the obvious issues below the waist is like putting a new paint job on a car with no wheels. It’s a poor investment.



Bottom Block
There’s nothing going on with Greg Robinson that can’t be fixed. I believe Greg can be one of the greatest offensive linemen to ever play in the NFL. I hear the notion that he’s not cut out to be a left tackle because he’s not “athletic” enough. If Andrew Whitworth is “athletic” enough to play left tackle in the NFL, Greg Robinson can. If he’s moved to guard without addressing the root issues, his career will be shortened. He will play guard as if he’s in a street fight, that’s a good and bad thing. The bad, it’s only a matter of time before something breaks. You can’t run away from bad mechanics. There needs to be more attention to detail in his understanding of how his body is supposed to work as an elite offensive lineman and to how it is prepared to perform at an elite level.


Please follow the link above for the great media clips showing what he's describing.....

http://www.foxsports.com/midwest/st...in-greg-robinson-but-flags-keep-flying-111815

Greg Robinson can play a little bit....I saw no MAJOR issues with pass pro in this last game....Seemed like execution to me...I'm gonna watch this game, AGAIN....just to be sure of something...But I smell QB issues....

I agree that a move to G doesn't automatically fix Robinson. He does play out of balance quite a bit. Nose over toes so to speak. I think he has improved this year overall.

 

[Orchid]

This piece was written a couple days ago by LeCharles Bentley....ex-player..ex lineman...Buffalo Bills I think....

Do you have the link to this story or know where it was posted.

 

[Orchid]

I think you are being overly critical and harsh. Please check out tis article from Espy on Bently and his camp for Offensive linemenhttp://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10857106/lecharles-bentley-academy-offensive-linemen-paying-dividends.

I would only hope he would be willing to train Grob.

The entire article is below, but here is the money quote (to me):

"Bentley brings a unique combination. He understands what it takes to play at a Pro Bowl level in the NFL, and he understands the mechanics of training and nutrition. He tries to take a holistic approach to helping players succeed. He is a certified strength-and-conditioning coach, certified sports nutritionist and certified strength therapist.

"Ninety percent of it came from my experience of dealing with my knee injury," Bentley said. "I was so hungry to get myself better that I had a guise into the world of performance.

"Many people didn't want to touch me. A lot of folks didn't want to deal with it. It was such an awkward situation, considering the magnitude of the contract and the severity of the injury.

"A lot of my recovery was left to my own devices. I had to get better on my own or sit back and forget about football."
​

LeCharles Bentley still opens lanes
5/2/2014 - NFL LECHARLES BENTLEY +1 more

• 
  
  Pat McManamon, ESPN Staff Writer

• 478Shares
• Email
• print
• comment

Terrell Suggs spent his offseason outside Phoenix, working at a gym with his private trainer.

As Suggs put in his time, another group of players worked near him. Suggs noticed they were all offensive linemen, as he said, "getting after it."

"I didn't agree with it," the Baltimore Ravens pass-rusher said recently. "I don't agree with offensive linemen getting better."

That group was the membership of a unique but growing fraternity in the NFL. They are the guys who take part in LB O-Line Performance, a year-round program tailored specifically to offensive linemen and run by former NFL lineman LeCharles Bentley, a two-time Pro Bowler.

Suggs said he would wander over to the linemen as they worked to try to discourage them. He left shaking his head at what he saw.

Joe Thomasor Walter Jones, but he aims to bring out the very best in each player, and do it through work, nutrition and a healthy lifestyle.

It might sound somewhat obvious, but the results are there. Chance Warmack was the 10th pick in the 2013 draft, but he came to Bentley to get better after his rookie season. Colorado State's Weston Richburg may be the first center taken this year. Geoff Schwartz and Shawn Lauvaowent from being undervalued players to landing free-agent contracts worth approximately a combined $34 million this offseason.

"It's been nothing but beneficial for me," Richburg said.

"LB, bar none, for offensive linemen is the best guy out there," Lauvao said.

Schwartz joined Bentley's academy one year ago after two injury-filled seasons.

"This last year was the best year I've ever had," he said. "I'm much stronger, and normally my elbows really hurt from 'punching.' I didn't have any elbow pain all last year. There's no doubt he's the reason I've got this contract [four years, $16.8 million with the New York Giants]. It's not even the weightlifting part of it. It's the whole lifestyle program."

The staph infection that cost Bentley his dream of playing for his hometown Cleveland Browns -- he signed a six-year, $36 million contract with $12.5 million guaranteed but never played in a game for the Browns -- led him to study recovery, the body and performance, which in turn led to him to traveling throughout the United States and Europe to gain knowledge, then to opening the O-Line academy in a suburb west of Cleveland.

He moved it to Scottsdale, Arizona, in November 2013 and, recently, to a 20,000-square-foot facility in Chandler, Arizona, with Nike as a primary corporate sponsor.


Bentley brings a unique combination. He understands what it takes to play at a Pro Bowl level in the NFL, and he understands the mechanics of training and nutrition. He tries to take a holistic approach to helping players succeed. He is a certified strength-and-conditioning coach, certified sports nutritionist and certified strength therapist.

"Ninety percent of it came from my experience of dealing with my knee injury," Bentley said. "I was so hungry to get myself better that I had a guise into the world of performance.

"Many people didn't want to touch me. A lot of folks didn't want to deal with it. It was such an awkward situation, considering the magnitude of the contract and the severity of the injury.

"A lot of my recovery was left to my own devices. I had to get better on my own or sit back and forget about football."

Bentley grew up in inner-city Cleveland and played successfully at Ohio State. He spent four seasons with the New Orleans Saints before signing with the Browns in March 2006. At 26, he should have been entering his prime years.

But on the first play of the first team drill of the first day of his first training camp with Cleveland, Bentley stepped and collapsed, his left knee mangled. He had torn his patellar tendon.

He had surgery to repair the tendon but developed a staph infection that ate away at the repaired tissue. More surgery was needed, more antibiotic flushes. At one point, the extreme was presented to him -- that he might lose his left leg.

Bentley persevered, but when he announced a scholarship in his mother's name at his alma mater (St. Ignatius High School) the following spring, he met the media and could barely stand for 10 minutes to talk without becoming sweaty and shaky. When the interview ended, he sat back down, an intravenous line still in his arm to feed antibiotics to fight the staph.


Bentley tried to come back but eventually asked for his release. He could write volumes about his time with the Browns, but a settlement that followed his lawsuit against the team keeps him from discussing what he went through, and he says he doesn't want to. He's turned the page and happy about it.

"I'm not getting into all that," Bentley said. "There was no connection with the team, and that was OK at the time. It allowed me to grow and develop into what I am today."

His attention turned to life after football. He tried working in media as a pointed and direct radio talk-show host -- perhaps too pointed for some. All along, he pursued the idea of training offensive linemen, and in 2008 he opened a 6,500-square foot facility in a strip mall in Avon, Ohio. He dubbed it the first of its kind dedicated solely to developing offensive linemen year-round, with training and offseason and in-season video work and scouting.

"It was a wide-open niche, a wide-open market," he said. "I knew it needed to be filled. As I was leaving the game, I saw how the game itself was changing. Defensive players were becoming bigger, faster and stronger. Offensive linemen were becoming faster, but not necessarily stronger or more skilled. You might say they were getting fatter."

His training is focused on developing specific muscle groups. Bentley said he watched as positions on the offensive line went from being ones that included players who could pull, trap and move to a group of heavy guys who would muck and mash.

Defensive players, meanwhile, became more and more athletic, quick and sculpted.

"I remember lining up and looking across the line and seeing Julius Peppers," Bentley said. "His uniform was painted on. I would think, 'I'm supposed to block that guy?'"

That attitude drives his training. He sees players train for combines and tests, but he realizes they don't train for playing offensive line. "Offensive line is the last position anyone really cares about until you have to care about it," he said.

One of his first "projects" was San Francisco 49ers guard Alex Boone, a talented player from Ohio State who candidly admits he was drinking himself out of the league.

"He was downtrodden," Bentley said.

The two had a heart-to-heart, and Bentley told Boone he had to re-establish himself, that he would help him step by step, but that Boone had to commit. After spending 2009 on San Francisco's practice squad, Boone followed Bentley's plan: Be a backup for a year, start, then make the Pro Bowl (he was an alternate last season, though many thought he deserved to be in Hawaii).

Larry Warford (the Pro Football Focus Rookie of the Year), Warmack, Lane Johnson, Jeff Allen, Boone, Schwartz and Donald Stephenson.

Bentley also finds and trains a select number of draftable players, and this offseason he is concentrating on centers.

Bentley does no advertising, often finding players through referrals. If a player reaches out to him on his own, the player goes through a lengthy interview and film study with Bentley to see if he should join. Bentley doesn't accept everyone, but he has high expectations -- and demands -- when he takes someone.

"I'm not looking for volume; I'm looking for quality," he said. "I tell the guys all the time: They don't produce a lot of Rolls Royces, but they make a whole lot of Toyotas every year."

Players come to the academy after the season and stay until organized team activities begin with their respective squads. They return after the last minicamp and stay through training camp. The commitment is strong -- Bentley says "buy-in" is vital -- with the entire emphasis on body composition, to "create as much muscle mass as possible while losing as much fat as possible."

Bentley doesn't want to give away too many secrets, but among the position-specific workouts is one described by Richburg and Schwartz in which individual players pushed a Ford F-150 truck with Bentley driving and occasionally tapping the brake.

The point was to develop hip explosion, which is vital for linemen.

"Everything you do is with a purpose," Schwartz said. "Hip explosion. The punch. Working on the core."

Bentley has had players flip tractor tires to strengthen the lower back and drag tires chained around their waists while in a crouched position.

He also feeds his players, usually several small meals per day. All are nutritionally sound, designed to fuel the engine and make it run more efficiently.

"Every guy's is different," Richburg said. "If one guy needs to eat more than somebody else, they do. He changes up diets due to different body composition. If you need more carbs, he'll feed you more. If you need none, you'll be on a no-carb diet."

Said Bentley: "It's beyond what you eat, though. It's healthier eating and living. It's how you sleep, your after-hour activities, how you recover."

Bentley does not have a set arrival time for his charges. Instead, he'll text a player the night before with his time, which could be 6 a.m., or it could be 10. If a player arrives late, he doesn't work out.

"You don't show up at your facility 15 minutes late or call your position coach and say you're running late," Bentley said.

If it happens too often, the player is sent on his way.

"It's learning what it is to be a pro," Lauvao said, "instead of just looking at it."

Players say they notice a difference, quickly.

"Definitely," Schwartz said. "I have a much stronger core base."

 

[SuperMan28]

No, you start with QB and go from there. We don't have one.

 

[BonifayRam]

The light needs to come on for our big, strong, athletic left tackle.

Highly very UN-likely this will happen. The light was only 15 watts to begin with and has already passed its life effectiveness and ready to blow out.

 

[LACHAMP46]

Do you have the link to this story or know where it was posted.

Pretty sure it's up there...but here it is again... I always give a link...usually in the sentence like this "G-Rob..."

so if you point on it, it'll highlight....

http://www.lbolineperformance.com/g...Squ9D9qBXcG5pETY8p1SQztMT9IcYc&_hsmi=24367075

esp. if it's extra long like it is here....