Nimmo: 'Bigger is Better'
August 09, 2002 01:24 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W.VA. – West Virginia University left tackle Lance Nimmo believes bigger is sometimes better.
So the left tackle spent this summer adding muscle to his 6-feet-6-inch frame. Last year Nimmo said he played at about 270 pounds.
This year he plans on weighing 295.
“Once (the coaches) gave us the go ahead to put on the weight, everybody did,” said Nimmo Thursday afternoon during a break between two-a-day practices. “Everybody seemed to be in shape and no one was breathing hard. Coach Trickett didn’t have to get on anybody for sucking air.”
It’s not that Mountaineer coach Rich Rodriguez wanted a bunch of skinny offensive linemen running around Mountaineer Field. He just didn’t want a team full of out-of-shape linemen with their stomachs hanging outside their jerseys. Knowing 19, 20 and 21-year-olds can sometimes become careless with cheeseburgers and pizzas, he ordered his linemen to get into better shape before the start of last season. That resulted in many players dropping several pounds.
This year it’s a different story.
“We wanted to be heavier,” said Nimmo. “It can only make things better. Nobody got slower and we all gained strength. If that gives Avon (Cobourne) more confidence to run the ball then let it be that way.”
Nimmo noticed toward the end of last season that opposing defensive lines tried to outmuscle them.
“That’s all they did last year on every play was bull rush us because they thought we were tight ends playing tackle,” he said. “If they want to bull rush us this year that’s fine.”
Nimmo is a part of an offensive line that returns nearly intact. Just guard Brad Knell graduated from last year’s unit, and a front wall that includes center Zach Dillow, guards Ken Sandor and Jeff Berk, and tackle Tim Brown could become a very formidable one for the Mountaineers this fall.
However, Nimmo cautions that West Virginia still needs to develop some depth to fully realize its potential. He points to backups Justin Williams, Geoff Lewis, Ben Timmons and Rod Olds as the keys to making this unit more than just solid.
“You like to think your starting five is going to stay healthy all season but sometimes that’s unrealistic,” Nimmo said. “We are going to need at least those four and whoever else can pick it up, too. By the end of camp I’m pretty sure the two-deep will become a group that we can win with.”
Coach Rick Trickett’s two-deep is not traditional in the sense that he doesn’t necessarily have backups for every position.
Nimmo explains: “Coach Trickett plays it like basketball – there’s a sixth man. Say if a tackle gets hurt (offensive guard) Jeff Berk is going to tackle and somebody else is coming in at guard or center. When it’s two deep in this offense that means the sixth or seventh man. The best offensive linemen play.”
Being one of the best offensive linemen in Trickett’s system means learning more than one position. In other words, the right guard must learn what the left guard does, the left tackle must understand what the right tackle does. In some instances, guards must learn both the tackle and center positions.
This system breads versatility and later on down the road that sometimes translates into interest from NFL scouts.
“Coach Trickett’s way is the way,” says Nimmo. “No one is going to second guess that. It’s obvious that he’s put so many guys into the NFL that if you question him you have to be a moron.”
Collectively, Nimmo believes this year’s offensive line is much closer than previous units he’s been on.
“Everybody on the line hangs out together,” said Nimmo. “There are no individuals. It’s hard to have individuals on the line anyhow because we’re not getting any catches or carries. That’s never really a problem.”
Because the line is so close Nimmo says that helps on the field, too. “Communication is communication and that translates on to the field,” he said.
As a senior, the New Castle, Pa., resident is taking on more of a leadership role even though he’s not campaigning to become one of the team captains. His approach is to go full speed on every play to set an example for the freshmen.
“For myself, if I was a freshman I wouldn’t want to see a senior not playing to the best of his ability,” said Nimmo. “So I’ve sort of took it upon myself that all of these things – ‘I’m sore or I’m tired’ – when I get out there I’m going to continue to do the same stuff regardless of how my body feels. I know the younger guys are going to be sore, so if I can make it through practice hopefully they’ll see that.”
West Virginia has two promising freshmen in center Jeremy Hines and guard Dan Mozes. Although Nimmo hasn’t had a chance to really evaluate those two, he does offer a few words in general about true freshmen playing.
“Nobody coming out of high school is as strong as someone who has been in a weight program for four years as intense as this,” he said. “As far as offensive line goes, you can have perfect technique but if you’re only benching 200 pounds the guy across from you is going to throw you on your back. It’s as simple as that.”
