Fluker learning , waiting for his chance
<script type="text/javascript"> var collab_title = 'Fluker learning , waiting for his chance'; </script> <!-- /HEADLINE --> <!-- MAIN PHOTO -->
D.J. Fluker
<!-- /MAIN PHOTO --> <!-- BYLINE --> By Aaron Suttles Sports Writer <!-- /BYLINE --> <!-- PUBDATE --> Published: Friday, January 22, 2010 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, January 22, 2010 at 12:07 a.m.
( page 1 of 3 )
<!-- /PUBDATE --> Coming into the 2009 season, the offensive line situation for the University of Alabama football team could best be described as transitive.
<!--
AC =
--> <!-- GRAY BOX ARTICLE CONTENT--> <style> .art_main_pic { width:250px; float:left; clear:left; } </style> <!-- /GRAY BOX ARTICLE CONTENT--> The unit that was the strength of the Tideās 12-2 2008 season had lost three of its five starters, including two All-Americans, one of whom was the Outland Trophy winner.
The loss of Outland winner Andre Smith, Antoine Caldwell and Marlon Davis from that team meant Mike Johnson and Drew Davis were the only returning starters. What figured to be a weakness for the 2009 team turned into a strength when sophomores Barrett Jones and William Vlachos played well at right guard and center, respectively, and junior college transfer James Carpenter effectively replaced Smith.
With spring practice right around the corner, Alabama must now replace Johnson, an All-American, and Davis.
With the right tackle and left guard spots open to competition, D.J. Fluker will be working to fit into the mix as a redshirt freshman. The 6-foot-6, 340 pound lineman said heās lost 55 pounds since reporting to Alabama last summer and expects to compete for a role on the line in the 2010 season.
āFirst of all, itās been a lot of hard work since day one, getting ready to condition and working hard every single day, losing just a ton of weight, basically, so I feel a whole lot better, a lot faster, a lot quicker,ā Fluker said in California before Alabamaās national title victory over Texas. āItās easier to run now. I feel a whole lot lighter on my feet than usual.
āI can play right tackle or left tackle. Itās just understanding the offense, really. If they want me to play guard, Iāll play it. Wherever they tell me to play, Iāll do it.ā
Fluker was the top-ranked player in Alabama in the 2009 recruiting class, committing to Alabama as a junior in 2008.
He was the nationās No. 1-ranked offensive line prospect and the overall third-ranked player in the country by Rivals.
Even for such a highly-rated prospect, it is rare that a true freshman offensive lineman sees significant action, especially in the Southeastern Conference.
āIf you look at all those guys on that offensive line, most of them are a lot bigger than anybody they blocked in high school,ā UA offensive line coach Joe Pendry said. āSo they can get by with blocking that guy individually with doing it about anyway they want, really. And once they get to the SEC, those guys theyāre playing against are all better athletes than the offensive line.
āSo now theyāve got to figure out ... because the defensive linemen are the best athletes and the linebackers, and when you look at our guys theyāve got to figure out the play, what their job is in the play and, āDo I have him by myself or am I working with somebody else, whereās the running back?ā Theyāve got to figure out all those components and still go block the guy.
āAnd now Iāve got to know snap count, are we going to audible, did we change the play? Now all of a sudden the defense shifts. So all those things fit together and it just gets cloudy for them. Itās hard. It takes them a while.ā
Fluker wasnāt on the two-deep depth chart this past season. Instead, Tyler Love was the backup at right tackle, John Michael Boswell at right guard, David Ross at center, Brian Motley at left guard and Alfred McCullough at left tackle.
With all of those players expected to be back this season, it is by no means a given Fluker will see the field.
āI donāt know what my role will be this (upcoming) season,ā Fluker said. āI canāt really see a future yet. I just hope to have a good spring.ā
Pendry said projecting offensive linemen is problematic and, quite frankly, unfair to the athlete.
āItās like when I was in the NFL and you drafted a guy in the first round and if he wasnāt a first-rounder, it wasnāt his fault,ā Pendry said. āHe was still a good player. I know this, D.J. Fluker will work to be as good as he can be. He has a great passion for the game and weāll see where that goes. I donāt want to put that pressure on him or anybody else to say, āHe should be this.ā Weāll see where he goes. He has the potential.ā
<script type="text/javascript"> var collab_title = 'Fluker learning , waiting for his chance'; </script> <!-- /HEADLINE --> <!-- MAIN PHOTO -->
<!-- /MAIN PHOTO --> <!-- BYLINE --> By Aaron Suttles Sports Writer <!-- /BYLINE --> <!-- PUBDATE --> Published: Friday, January 22, 2010 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Friday, January 22, 2010 at 12:07 a.m.
( page 1 of 3 )
<!-- /PUBDATE --> Coming into the 2009 season, the offensive line situation for the University of Alabama football team could best be described as transitive.
<!--
AC =
--> <!-- GRAY BOX ARTICLE CONTENT--> <style> .art_main_pic { width:250px; float:left; clear:left; } </style> <!-- /GRAY BOX ARTICLE CONTENT--> The unit that was the strength of the Tideās 12-2 2008 season had lost three of its five starters, including two All-Americans, one of whom was the Outland Trophy winner.
The loss of Outland winner Andre Smith, Antoine Caldwell and Marlon Davis from that team meant Mike Johnson and Drew Davis were the only returning starters. What figured to be a weakness for the 2009 team turned into a strength when sophomores Barrett Jones and William Vlachos played well at right guard and center, respectively, and junior college transfer James Carpenter effectively replaced Smith.
With spring practice right around the corner, Alabama must now replace Johnson, an All-American, and Davis.
With the right tackle and left guard spots open to competition, D.J. Fluker will be working to fit into the mix as a redshirt freshman. The 6-foot-6, 340 pound lineman said heās lost 55 pounds since reporting to Alabama last summer and expects to compete for a role on the line in the 2010 season.
āFirst of all, itās been a lot of hard work since day one, getting ready to condition and working hard every single day, losing just a ton of weight, basically, so I feel a whole lot better, a lot faster, a lot quicker,ā Fluker said in California before Alabamaās national title victory over Texas. āItās easier to run now. I feel a whole lot lighter on my feet than usual.
āI can play right tackle or left tackle. Itās just understanding the offense, really. If they want me to play guard, Iāll play it. Wherever they tell me to play, Iāll do it.ā
Fluker was the top-ranked player in Alabama in the 2009 recruiting class, committing to Alabama as a junior in 2008.
He was the nationās No. 1-ranked offensive line prospect and the overall third-ranked player in the country by Rivals.
Even for such a highly-rated prospect, it is rare that a true freshman offensive lineman sees significant action, especially in the Southeastern Conference.
āIf you look at all those guys on that offensive line, most of them are a lot bigger than anybody they blocked in high school,ā UA offensive line coach Joe Pendry said. āSo they can get by with blocking that guy individually with doing it about anyway they want, really. And once they get to the SEC, those guys theyāre playing against are all better athletes than the offensive line.
āSo now theyāve got to figure out ... because the defensive linemen are the best athletes and the linebackers, and when you look at our guys theyāve got to figure out the play, what their job is in the play and, āDo I have him by myself or am I working with somebody else, whereās the running back?ā Theyāve got to figure out all those components and still go block the guy.
āAnd now Iāve got to know snap count, are we going to audible, did we change the play? Now all of a sudden the defense shifts. So all those things fit together and it just gets cloudy for them. Itās hard. It takes them a while.ā
Fluker wasnāt on the two-deep depth chart this past season. Instead, Tyler Love was the backup at right tackle, John Michael Boswell at right guard, David Ross at center, Brian Motley at left guard and Alfred McCullough at left tackle.
With all of those players expected to be back this season, it is by no means a given Fluker will see the field.
āI donāt know what my role will be this (upcoming) season,ā Fluker said. āI canāt really see a future yet. I just hope to have a good spring.ā
Pendry said projecting offensive linemen is problematic and, quite frankly, unfair to the athlete.
āItās like when I was in the NFL and you drafted a guy in the first round and if he wasnāt a first-rounder, it wasnāt his fault,ā Pendry said. āHe was still a good player. I know this, D.J. Fluker will work to be as good as he can be. He has a great passion for the game and weāll see where that goes. I donāt want to put that pressure on him or anybody else to say, āHe should be this.ā Weāll see where he goes. He has the potential.ā
