The Tape: The Executioner

by John Morgan on May 4, 2009 2:59 PM PDT

Oregon sure knows how to suck the fun out of a high-powered offense.

Max Unger single blocks Tonga Tea, but does not get a push.

Another strong single block on Tea, Unger keeps his shoulders square and holds middle integrity.

Ducks break 2WR (right), WR (left), TE(left), RB, SG; Cowboys in a 3-3 nickel. Very nice play by Unger here. He starts by combo blocking Tea with the left guard, but doesn't square towards Tea, instead reach blocking him, turning him and making him an easy single-block for Jeff Kendall. Unger separates into the second level, engages and then rag-dolls undersized Cowboys middle linebacker Patrick Lavine. Jeremiah Johnson rushes for two and the first.

Unger single blocks in pass pro.

Ducks break 2WR(left), 2 WR (right), Rb (left), SG; Cowboys in a 4-2 nickel. Cowboys bluff a double "A" gap blitz. Oregon attempts to set up a wide receiver screen, but right guard Mark Lewis fails to attain outside containment and Terrence Scott slaps away a poor pass by Jeremiah Massoli. Unger is deep in the 2-3 level looking for a block.

Broken pass play, Unger holds his man, but the consistently unimpressive Fenuki Tupou is beat and Masoli improvises for 15. It's like watching bad football in slow motion.

Oregon attempts to shift the pocket right and Unger does, but the pocket is threadbare along the left, Tupou is beat, and Masoli, under duress, fires a tumbler towards Terrence Scott's body.

State stunts and Unger fails to block anyone. Pressure never arrives, but Masoli cannot connect.

Ducks: 2 WR (right), WR (left), TE (right), RB, SG; Cowboys in a 3-3 nickel. Good one-man screen by Unger. Unger sells pass pro, pulls forward, and takes a straight and clean line to the left flat. Unger's linemates loop and wander but never get in front of Johnson, and after Johnson receives, the safety has a clear shot. Unger does something cerebral, choosing not to chase the unreachable safety and instead turning his back on Johnson and resuming lead-blocking. It pays off, as Johnson shakes the safety and Unger gets a good pop on outside linebacker Andre Sexton. The play results in six, but if I haven't said it until now, it must be said, Unger so outshines his linemates it sometimes looks like he's running a different play. That was not supposed to be a one-man screen by Unger.

Unger drops Tea with a good cut block. Sub-sixfoot signal-caller Masoli, suddenly able to see in front of him converts the fourth with a ten yard pass to tight end Ed Dickinson. This is the execution I continue to see from Unger that doesn't draw attention from the commentators but thrills coaches. Masoli doesn't connect on that mid-range pass over the middle if Unger doesn't drop the defensive lineman and create a gaping throwing lane.

Unger ends with a steady single block and after another missed field goal, the half is nearly over. Bad football, mess you up.

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Comments

Have you seen anything from Unger that would suggest that he wouldn't be best used as a center?

I know that the Hawks are likely playing him during Minicamp just to get him comfortable with the offense, but is there any way Spencer beats him out?

by abender20 on May 4, 2009 4:06 PM PDT reply actions

Spencer is the incumbent, so he has that on his side

He’s also stouter against nose tackles. As a guard, Unger would be less likely to face a one-on-one with a nose tackle.

by John Morgan on May 4, 2009 4:12 PM PDT up reply actions

Correct me if I'm mistaken, but isn't a good deal of Unger's value between his ears?

Using your terminology, he’s certainly more functionally a technician than mauler and a good deal of his effectiveness comes from his awareness and ability to diagnose plays on the fly. Drafting him and them not letting him make line calls could be a waste of some talent, especially if Spencer is not particularly gifted at making line calls.

If the Hawks move over to a mauler zone as you suspect they may, it seems it would make more sense (at least against a 4-3) to let Unger play center where his relative freedom would be a greater asset.

by abender20 on May 4, 2009 4:21 PM PDT up reply actions

The kid may need some time to learn the protection schemes before he can be trusted with line calls.

He could take over line calls from the Guard position eventually (which someone, possibly John, suggested earlier — admittedly a weird setup but I don’t see a reason it can’t work). Just because he’s learning Guard first doesn’t mean he’s not in the staff’s long-term plans at center.

by sev79 on May 4, 2009 4:28 PM PDT up reply actions

I don't know if Unger is smarter than Spencer or...

more able to make line calls. I’ve never seen a compelling argument that Spencer is incapable of making line calls. I guess that’s my hangup there. It seems the argument against Spencer’s intelligence is built on innuendo and an echo chamber.

Unger’s value is in his technique. He’s good at playing football. He blocks well, takes good angles, moves well in traffic, shows good judgment and turns a play design into a functioning football play. That’s all stuff that should translate to guard. In fact, he’s a lot like a younger, healthier Mike Wahle.

by John Morgan on May 4, 2009 4:41 PM PDT up reply actions

But is he anywhere near as strong as Mike Wahle was in his prime?

Wahle really was a dominating guard in his heyday.

And what compelling argument do you need to see? How that gap between him and the left guard is continually exposed time and again? How he doesn’t seem to diagnose slow developing blitzes well at all? With Spencer, all I see is a potential powerhouse physical specimen who so far is underwhelming, and so far his injury history and lackluster play seems to indicate that at best he’ll be Andre Gurode Lite.

"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."

by Fearless Frog on May 4, 2009 5:50 PM PDT up reply actions

Of course, what I pointed out could be indicating that Spencer simply doesn't have Robbie Tobeck's killer instinct,

rather than any inability to execute linecalls. But I’d rather have someone with Tobeck’s awareness and perhaps less than dominant blocking rather than Spencer’s potentially dominant blocking but inadequate intangibles.

"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."

by Fearless Frog on May 4, 2009 5:52 PM PDT up reply actions

How well do cerebral skills transfer to the NFL?

Is he going to be strong enough and athletic enough to make his smart decisions pay off?

by Nate Dogg on May 4, 2009 4:37 PM PDT reply actions

Sure

He’s strong and athletic. Those two qualities just aren’t stand out assets. I typically shy away from calling a player cerebral, and honestly shuddered a bit writing it, but a better way to put it is: Max Unger is good at playing football. His skill at football is better than his athleticism, but it’s a skill not unlike archery or martial arts. I don’t think it really means he’s smarter than Spencer, just better at playing offensive line. Spencer, of course, is the better athlete.

by John Morgan on May 4, 2009 4:46 PM PDT up reply actions

Max Unger: He's good at playing football.

That’s somehow perfect.

by Nate Dogg on May 4, 2009 5:12 PM PDT up reply actions

at the risk

of dragging this completely off topic (and feel free to delete if it does), this line of discussion called me back to an excellent Malcolm Gladwell article about how underdogs compete with favorites – One of my favorite quotes: