Maryland begins preseason preparations in earnest with the intriguing storyline of a quarterback quandry-- the Steffy/Portis propostion the perfect play between polish and potential. Whoever emerges as the starter will need an offensive line to pick up where it left off in 2006 (2nd in the ACC in sacks allowed with 19 and the springboard to the double trouble tailback tandem of Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore). During his press conference during media day, coach Ralph Friedgen addressed his offensive line as an area of concern-- the team has seven players he feels comfortable with, and an injury to one of his three tackles could create a difficult situation in camp.
Gone to the NFL are mammoth tackles Stephon Heyer and Jared Gaither--and the 6-6 and 6-9 bookends will not be easily replaced. Dane Randolph started four games last year at right tackle while Scott Burley begins camp as the starter on the left side--Burley's not a given by any stretch of the imagination as the senior's career consists of just nine games played. The interior will be the unit's source of strength and experience in August: preseason All-ACC guard Andrew Crummey and center Edwin Williams combined for 25 starts last year while Jaimie Thomas started the final three games of 2006.
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Thanks for writing this.
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