Interesting thoughts on the offensive line's development in these press conferences. Carroll lauds this group for its incredible athleticism. In particular, Drew Nowak has been a powerful player in the middle. Carroll says a player with as little experience as Nowak has at center should not be as far along as he is right now. But Nowak has a reputation for excellence in everything he does. They are excited about what Nowak brings to the center position. Carroll calls Nowak's rapid development a surprise.
Cable says this group has the opportunity to develop into his best offensive line. The starting five is set with Okung, Britt, Nowak, Sweezy, and Gilliam. They need to work on developing depth. When you practice against a dominant player like Brandon Mebane every day, you either succumb to it or you rise to the challenge as Nowak has done. That battle in practice has been a great help for him. They made the hard decision to cut Jeanpierre because Lewis has been more consistent as a backup center. Britt is getting more comfortable with his hand speed inside. He is a great player, who is going to be ready to play at guard Week One. Cable refers to playing inside as being in a bar fight after every snap; that kind of violence suits Britt well as a player. Poole and Milton have been up and down, so this is a great opportunity for them to solidify their depth.
Russell says the sky is the limit for Nowak. He is going to be a great football player for a long time. When you combine his amazing work ethic with his physicality ability, there is no limit. He gets here early and is pumped for practice. Russell has seen Nowak improve exponentially. Moving Britt to RG was a good thing to have those inside positions really strong. Gilliam is really athletic and can move really well outside.
