Boston College Athletics
Living The Legacy
October 14, 1999 | Football
Oct. 14, 1999
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - The offensive line is a proud part of Boston College's football legacy.
And why not? Right now, there are a half dozen ex-Eagles linemen currently playing in the NFL, and five of them ? Doug Brzezinski (Philadelphia), Pete Kendall (Seattle), Damien Woody (New England), Ron Stone (New York Giants) and Tom Nalen (Denver Broncos) ? are starters. The other is backup guard Mark Nori with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
In the last 15 years, some 23 BC offensive linemen have played for pro football teams. So that area of the team indeed has an exclusivity about it that builds a great deal of pride within the entire football program, but particularly among those who come here to play. Like an exclusive neighborhood, not everyone can live there, and when you move in, you had better keep up with your neighbors.
This season, there are some hefty new neighbors on the block ? players such as 6-3, 291-pound left guard Paul LaQuerre, 6-5, 310-pound left tackle Michael Cook, and 6-4, 300-pound center Butch Palaza. As a group, this trio started just two games in 1998 -? Cook started the last two games of the season. They join 6-6, 318-pound left guard Paul Zukauskas, who started every game in 1998, and 6-4, 339-pound left tackle Darnell Alford, who had nine starts.
Offensive linemen historically are also the most interesting group of players ? and this group of starters is no exception ? and that's with no apologies, but in full cognizance of the important roles that every position player must play.
Many view offensive linemen as grunt-and-groan guys, just a group of big lugs who mindlessly go about the job of trying to bulldoze opponents out of the way. No need to be smart or nimble-minded, reads the common perception. Just be bigger than the guy across from you.
Don't believe it. BC's offensive linemen, and most of their brethren at every level of competition, not only are the most intelligent group on a team, but they are the most interesting and the most fun to be around. Look on the scouting boards of every NFL team where you'll see posted such vital statistics as height, weight, speed and most importantly, the score from the intelligence test given to every prospect, and you'll find offensive linemen ranking ahead of every other position, including quarterbacks.
There also is something about an offensive lineman that brings the reality of the game of football into full focus. Perhaps it is because they, like their defensive line brethren, play in an area that clearly defines what the game is about ? trying to dominate an opponent on every play. They are never flashy in the open field like players who touch the ball ? quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers and defensive backs ? and few spectators, save perhaps for the members of their immediate family and their position coach, ever watch what they do because it gets awful crowded in their "office."
That is one major reason why teams want as much experience among this group of players they can muster. In BC's case this year, Zukauskas and Alford provide that experience, though both have switched positions. In 1998, Alford was a starter at left tackle, now he starts at right tackle. Last year, Zukauskas started at right tackle, now he has moved inside to right guard.
The benefit of those moves is obvious--the two most experienced starters are playing next to each other. That validates one of the oldest rules in football: Put the two best linemen next to each other and you can always run the ball.
But the player most on the spot is Palaza. He not only must replace Woody, a No. 1 pick of the Patriots, but he also must take over the job as "quarterback" for the other four linemen. The center is the player who makes any blocking adjustments at the line of scrimmage before centering the ball. Hence, he also must know the duties of every player, recognize changes in an anticipated defense, and then be capable of adjusting the duties of the linemen to counter those changes ? all within just a few seconds.
"There is no doubt that is the toughest part of the job," the senior from Quincy says. "I can handle the physical aspects of the job because I train for that, but the mental part changes with every play and everything can be new every time you come over the ball."
Palaza is a "convert" to the center position, moving there from guard in 1997 so the experience really has been learning how to play the position and then becoming proficient with all its intricacies.
That means that every play, and every game, forms a learning experience. It is something that Tom Nalen endured on three BC bowl teams earlier in the decade, and then used to good advantage as a starter on two Denver Bronco NFL championship teams, and it is what Woody endured the last three years and then used to make a huge jump into a starting job with the Pats.
What has made the job even tougher for Palaza is having to work for four offensive line coaches in each of his four varsity seasons. That means four different philosophies, perhaps a few changes in technique and having to adopt his own psyche to each man. Nalen never had that problem and thus he faced a more comfortable existence working with Mike Mazer, now offensive line coach with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
So far, Palaza says, he hasn't had a problem either. "I have tried to stay as coachable as possible, not take the attitude that I know it all and stay positive through every experience," he said. "I continue to learn with every practice and in every game. Really, I don't think I'll ever reach the limit of my ability."
And while he does all of that, he really is enjoying himself. For one thing, he notes, the games are often a much easier experience than he faces during the week working against Chris Hovan and Mike Willetts in practice. "They help me sharpen my game because they are always all-out players," he notes with a smile while shaking his head at the thought of the test he must pass against them every day. "Nothing on Saturday seems as tough as playing against them. Believe me when I say that practice is very stressful against them but it's all worth it."
Alford knows what his center means. Now in his fourth varsity season, he says he truly enjoys the physical aspects of his job. "You had better if you want to play offensive tackle," he says with a rueful smile.
Alford made the position switch this year rather effortlessly, he believes. That is good because often, a tackle who is asked to move >from the left side to the right side (or vice-versa) has trouble because he must change the use of the arm that anchors him in his stance. Those who have this problem do not feel comfortable in their stance if they cannot rest on their primary arm, and thus they have trouble coming out of their stance and making a strong block, particularly in the vital area of pass protection.
"That didn't bother me because the basic techniques don't change," he noted. "If there is a problem, it is always keeping in mind where I am and not go the wrong way on a play. We are basically a right-handed team so my duties now are focused on the front side of the offense, not on the back side. There is more responsibility in that most of the points of attack come on that side."
Playing tackle brings with it the key job of pass protection. A right tackle must keep the pass rusher from getting into the face of his quarterback while he works from the pocket, and he usually must do it against the strongest opposing pass rusher (since most quarterbacks are right-handed, like Hasselbeck, the "speed" rushing defensive end normally comes at the passer's blind, or left, side).
"That is the area I work the hardest at," Alford concedes, though he is not alone among the members of his profession, at every level. "For one thing, I must work backward, and the defensive lineman is hitting me at full force from the front. They throw moves at you and do everything the can to get you out of position even the slightest bit so they can get an advantage. The key, particularly with the quick pass rushers, is to get them stopped before they get too far upfield toward the quarterback.
"I guess, like every other lineman who must endure pass blocking, I love it when we run the ball. Then I make the defensive guy absorb the hit."
Alford gathered a great deal of line play wisdom during his first three seasons. He played next to Nori as a freshman ("I don't know how many times he saved my butt," Darnell said, with a laugh.). He worked next to Brzezinski in 1998.
"He was one heckuva player," he recalls. "He just dominated people. He'd always say to me before a play, 'You ready?' During a game, he was absolutely off the wall sometimes. He'd say goofy things and you'd want to laugh but you really didn't have time. But he had a knack of relaxing you while also making you work hard."
This year, he is working with the 320-pound Zukauskas, a junior.
"Paul is smart. Butch will make the line calls, and then Paul may make one that will help the two of us. He keeps me on the same page with him. When we have double team responsibility, I never worry about him not being there."
Nothing could be finer in the life of an offensive liner.
