Syracuse, N.Y. — Jim Nagy, the executive director of the Senior Bowl, fired off a tweet Monday night sounding the alarm on an under-the-radar prospect in Syracuse with “NFL starting left tackle talent.”
Why, Nagy asked to his 100,000 followers, is nobody talking about Syracuse’s left tackle Matt Bergeron?
Syracuse’s preseason discourse has been heavily saturated with star tailback Sean Tucker, quarterback Garrett Shrader and the top-end talent on defense and special teams. Ask most SU fans ahead of what could end up being a make-or-break season for seventh-year coach Dino Babers, and those are the names that give them the most optimism to finally get over the bowl hump in 2022.
Well, it’s the offensive line that’s been the better tell on what kind of offense — and season — the Orange produces.
After a week of practice, there’s a lot to sort out up front. Some pads came on Friday morning, but second-year offensive line coach Mike Schmidt is still waiting for his unit to pop.
He knows he’s got his left tackle.
If Nagy’s appraisal on Bergeron is correct, he’s easily the most talented offensive tackle to come through the program since first-round draft pick Justin Pugh.
But it will take more than that.
So much is riding on this year’s offensive line coalescing around the school’s All-American running back, dynamic dual-threat quarterback and stash of receivers that will be given more opportunities to make plays in new OC Robert Anae’s Air Raid offense.
Bergeron, like Tucker, will have an NFL decision to make at the end of the season. Multi-year starter Dakota Davis has graduated and will be out of eligibility. Chris Bleich has already undergone two hip surgeries in his career, and has suggested on social media this is it, even though he can return in 2023.
The focus in camp has been filling out the lineup. Interior guys are being cross-trained. There’s a hole to plug at center. Young guys are getting opportunities to make a move and unseat older players, even if it’s to be summoned first off the bench in the event of an injury.
SU’s best seasons over the last decade have included, at worst, two NFL practice squad tackles. Pugh anchored the left side in 2012′s eight-win campaign, with top reserve Sean Hickey manning the right side by the end of that season.
Cody Conway and Koda Martin bookended the ‘18 line.
“We haven’t had a stable offensive line since you-know-when,” Babers said earlier this week, referencing the 10-3 season in his third year.
“It’s frustrating for me. It’s God’s will. It’s not like somebody is doing something wrong, but if this is the season where it all works out and we can keep our top seven guys there, let’s go.
“I didn’t say five. If I could just play with seven ... I’d be really happy with what was going to happen.”
Bergeron is entrenched at left tackle. There are at least two guards who are going to be in the starting lineup.
Bleich and Carlos Vettorello have repped at center during goal-line periods this week. They seem to have an early edge over Josh Ilaoa, who stepped in late last season when Vettorello went down with an injury.
Enrique Cruz got some run Friday morning with the first-team offense at right tackle, a good sign he’s in the mix to be trusted if called upon.
Those three returning guards, Bleich, Davis and Kalan Ellis, are among the top options for Schmidt to deploy as well.
Friday’s practice featured shoulder pads, helmets and shorts. Full pads go on next week, offering a better evaluation for trench play during live hitting.
The line’s performance during an hour-long viewing period Friday was, fair to say, not up to Schmidt’s standard — and he let the players know it.
After every rep.
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