O-Line Pix & Updates

Yes, this one's all about football. As some of you may have heard, there's some shifting going on the O-Line. For about a week, Dallas has been taking some reps at Center, and just in the last day or two, it appears that could be where he ends up starting. And with that change, Coach Weber brought Matt in to play at Left Tackle. So we'll see how it all plays out, but there have been some stories in the news about it all, so here are some articles & quotes:
1. First, you MUST check out this article (too long to post here): "DALLAS REYNOLDS CAN LOOK TO FATHER, BROTHER FOR HELP IN LEARNING CENTER POSITION"

2. From BYU NewsNet: "BYU's offensive line was so good that last year, neither lineman Ray Feinga nor Dallas Reynolds allowed a single sack against MWC opponents. Feinga and Reynolds both return to protect the pocket in 2008.
..."I don't have to worry much about protection," [Max] Hall said, "So I can focus more on my reads. It feels great to have those guys on the line, and to have that connection."

3. "...[This] also means freshman Matt Reynolds, who recently returned home from a mission, has been seeing time with the first team at left tackle, taking his brother's spot. Dallas became a starter as a freshman after his mission. Could Matt Reynolds take over at left tackle like Dallas did?

"Maybe," Mendenhall said. "The difference being that Matt had a redshirt year. Dallas came right off his mission and had to play. While it might sound subtle, to us it's a giant difference with a year of grooming."

-From Deseret News "O-Line Shakeup"

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4. "Despite the shakeup, the Cougars' offensive line remains one of the strongest and most experienced in the country, and according to junior defensive lineman Jan Jorgensen, BYU uwon't see another like it this season.

"I have the luxury of going against Dallas and Ray every day," said Jorgensen. "They're tough. Our offensive line is looking better than ever, and I'll be the first one to give them props."

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5. From TotalBlueSports.com:

"Matt Reynolds is good and ready to play. Consider that Matt Reynolds was the more heralded recruit of any of the Reynolds brothers out of high school, and then consider that he’s been in BYU’s program a year longer than Dallas did when he started as a true freshman.
This reporter feels that a lot of the movement at the center position was due in large part to Coach Weber wanting to get Matt Reynolds on the field as one of the five starting offensive linemen. Coach Weber has raved about Matt’s progress so far during fall camp, and it’s entirely reasonable to expect him to take a big role throughout the coming season."

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6. From ESPN: "If the BYU offense is going to live up to the expectations levied against it by analysts, reporters and fans across the country, it will have to start with the health of the offensive line.
…Dallas Reynolds enters his senior season healthy ...and ready to anchor one of the nation's best offensive lines.
"The last few years I've had some surgeries where I've only had a month, maybe two to get ready for the season, so that's been difficult," Reynolds said. "This year, I feel like I've worked hard and tried to prepare myself well. Coming in, I've been more confident and ready for the season than ever before."
During Reynolds' freshman season, he started all 12 games but suffered an injury to his left shoulder that required offseason surgery. After his sophomore season, Reynolds had surgery to repair his right shoulder and some minor damage in his right knee. Last season, he suffered a high ankle sprain in the middle of the season and played lame all year.
But Reynolds is one of the most versatile players on a line that returns all but center Sete Aulai. He's already been tabbed as a possible 2008 All-American and an Outland Trophy and Rotary Lombardi Award candidate. BYU is in the midst of crafting a Web site to promote Reynolds and the Cougars' other award candidates.
Coach Bronco Mendenhall is so confident in Reynolds' abilities and experience that he moved him to center…
"We've kind of targeted that position as a leadership spot so that's leading to where Dallas might be when we line up," Mendenhall said. "…the cohesive part would actually go up because that's the player who's making the calls and directing what the rest of them do. This is his fourth year starting, so I think there's a different confidence that comes when he's in that position."
Reynolds said his goal this season, besides staying healthy, is to help BYU live up to its offensive expectations and become the most difficult line to go up against all season. Just three days into practice, BYU defensive end Jan Jorgen said he thinks those expectations can be met.
"I was telling Dallas the other day that he's moving better than I've ever seen him move," Jorgensen said. "This is the first time he's had a full, healthy offseason and he's down 20 pounds. He just looks incredible out there. I think they're all going to be really tough."

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In a final note, Dick Harmon wrote a post talking about how reporters should be responsible with quotes and the people giving them- he said this: "I handle 18-year olds differently than 22-year olds. I also handle a calm Lance Reynolds differently than a Lance Reynolds fresh off losing a game, seconds after a cooling off period when he may so ticked off he can't put his thoughts together."

-That one just made me smile.