For young linemen, repetition valuable

By RICK STROUD, Times Staff Writer
Published October 28, 2007

TAMPA - John Wade was trying to settle on a restaurant for the Bucs' offensive linemen to gather for their normal Thursday night feast.

"How 'bout the Cheesecake Factory?'" he suggested.

There wasn't much response, except for someone mentioning it was the same place they dined the week before.

But Wade, the 32-year-old center who is literally surrounded by neophyte blockers, knows repetition and consistency are the way to go.

"A rookie is a rookie," Wade said. "You can watch as much tape as you want and know the system on paper, but there's nothing like seeing it live in the game. Until that happens repeatedly, you won't get it."

What has been happening with all too much frequency are some breakdowns in pass protection.

That might sound odd considering that the Bucs have allowed only 10 sacks this season, but that has a lot to do with the mobility of quarterback Jeff Garcia.

Last week at Detroit, Garcia was sacked three times by former Bucs defensive end Dewayne White and hurried on nearly two dozen other occasions.

Lions defensive tackles Shaun Rogers and Cory Redding took runs at Bucs rookie guard Arron Sears and second-year pro Davin Joseph.

At this point in the season, first-year players such as Sears are hitting the rookie wall, having already played (when you include the preseason) the equivalent of nearly a full college schedule.

"When you hit that wall, and every rookie does, it's about keeping going," Joseph said. "When your body feels like you can't go anymore, it's tough. But it's about staying competitive and learning through your mistakes, and before you know it, you'll start recognizing things, you'll start executing better, your technique is better. But you have to stay into it.

"The game slows down, then you go against some freak like (Titans defensive lineman) Albert Haynesworth. Those guys don't slow down. Those creatures are people that can do some things that take you out of the norm."

Rogers blasted through Sears on one play last week and might have contributed to the botched handoff from Garcia to running back Earnest Graham, resulting in one of three critical mistakes - including a blocked punt.

He's not alone. Second-year tackle Jeremy Trueblood, who woke up before last week's game with food poisoning, had two penalties and yielded a few sacks. First-year left tackle Donald Penn was driven back into Garcia on a bull rush by Rogers.

That said, the Bucs offensive line played well enough to win and helped the offense compile more than 400 total yards while controlling the clock.

"Last week was obviously horrible, but we're going to drop that and move on to this week," Wade said. "I'm not saying everything is perfect. Sometimes it's clearly obvious we didn't communicate correctly. But I don't think that's a lack of effort on the guys around me. To be as young as they are, they've done a nice job of coming in and taking the bull by the horns and doing everything that's asked of them from a coaching standpoint."

It certainly won't get any easier today. Sears, Wade and Joseph will have their hands full with behemoth Jaguars defensive tackles Marcus Stroud and John Henderson, arguably the best tandem in the NFL.

Wade likes what he sees in the young linemen. He thinks they'll be picking up dinner checks for a long time to come.

"I hope they carry on long after I'm done playing," Wade said. "I'll be watching them from the La-Z-Boy. I can say, 'See, look, I taught that guy that.' I really think they've done a nice job. There's obviously room for improvement, and there always will be."

Fast facts

Young (mostly) on the line

Name, Position Age Experience Starts

John Wade, C 321097

Jeremy Trueblood, RT 24 2 20

Davin Joseph, RG 23219

Arron Sears, LG 22R7

Donald Penn, LT 2423

[Last modified October 27, 2007, 17:16:03]