I'm not a fan of shifting O-linemen around either. I was happy when they said Bulaga would just play left tackle. I hope Porky is right and that Bulaga can handle this. I do think that this is probably being done because of Bulaga playing well in camp rather than Colledge playing poorly. I haven't heard of any decline in Colledge's play. He has been inconsistent throughout his career, though, so if Bulaga can beat him out and play consistently this season, so much the better.
"Greg C." wrote:
I'll tell you why I have no doubt that he can handle this.
Kirk Ferentz.
Bulaga is ready to play now because he played under one of the two best coaches in college football. The other being Nick Saban. Ferentz prepares his guys for the NFL. They can handle the shuffling around.
It's apples and oranges with Colledge. Colledge doesn't have the physicality to play tackle. He never did, so moving him around hurt. I also think Colledge has a difficult time playing against stronger opponents. He always loses the leverage battle and ends up on his back. I'm not sure if that's because he lacks strength or if it's a technique problem, but something is wrong there. Yes, Bulaga needs to get a little nastier, but he has the technique to play inside or outside. He knows how to play LT. His biggest thing will be to overcome the mental aspect of the game and his short arms. You also have to remember that Bulaga played at Iowa, which is a pro system. Boise State is where Colledge came out of and that's not a pro system. The learning curve was more difficult for Colledge.
Now don't get me wrong because of course, Bulaga will struggle against Jared Allen, but everyone does. He's the best front four rusher in football. But as far as being able to handle playing inside and then kicking him outside if necessary, I think he's good to go. We'll see though. I still like the idea of Lang there as well and as someone mentioned, that's a possibility.