(S1) - Weekend PT #3 - Coach Speak

[dropbear]

After the scandal surrounding the San Jose SaberCat's former Offensive Line coach's 'Sacks for Sacks' program, which resulted in his eventual termination, many players and fans were apprehensive about the methods the new coach would use. But since his first day on the job, Harry Blocker has been a smash hit with everyone involved with the team.

Harry is a former college football superstar, who as well as a decorated career as a center, also spent time on the defensive line and catching passes as a tight end. He was a generational talent, and a sure-fire first round pick as an offensive linemen, with enough potential at his other positions that teams had discussed taking him as high as the third.

However, late in his senior season, Harry was on the receiving end of a stray knee from a falling defensive tackle. And not just any tackle -- it was Markus Bulge, the heaviest defensive lineman in college football. The hit was enough to break Blocker's neck, and while he doesn't suffer any long-term issues other than slight neck pain, doctors told him another hit could put him in a wheelchair. It was a career over before it had begun.

That didn't stop him, though. While his former rivals and teammates were meeting with teams and participating at the combine in preparation for draft day, Harry was also meeting with teams; he was desperately searching for the opportunity to become a coach. In the end, he didn't have to search for long. The Dallas Cowboys offered him a job, and everyone at the organisation emphasises his contributions to the phenomenal offensive line the team now boasts.

Feeling his work in the NFL was done, Blocker now turned his attention to the fledgling NSFL. The moment he heard of the vacany in San Jose he was on a flight out of Dallas, and within hours of arriving at the SaberCats facility had found his new job. He has had an enormous impact on Daniel Robicheaux, elevating him to one of the premier blockers in the league. He admits that he overlooked Longshaw initially in his development program with the team, feeling he was competent and talented enough to 'self coach'. However, after the slow start from the Left Tackle out of Northern Illinois, he's going to be shifting his focus to include the first offensive lineman picked in the draft.

Expect to see big things from Ben Longshaw in the coming weeks.

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