Most observers of practices of the East squad believe a strength of the team will be the
offensive line
when it takes on the West All-Stars at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio
Saturday.
The all-star game showcasing the top high school senior football players in the nation
will kick off at
noon CST Saturday. Scout.com is the media partner and the game will be nationally telecast
by NBC
from the Alamodome.
Because it is an East-West game (rather than North-South), the offensive linemen on the
East team
come from Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Georgia.
The two Southerners have been standouts in East practices.
Michael Oher is a 6-5, 340-pounder from Briarcrest High School in Memphis, Tenn. Chris Scott -- his
mother prefers Christopher Scott -- is a 6-5, 315-pounder from Lovejoy High School in
Riverdale,
Georgia.
Almost every offensive lineman selected for the team was a left tackle in high school.
Oher is working at
center, while Scott is pulling duty at both left and right tackle positions.
Oher said he almost didn't get to play in the game. "There was a mix-up on the paperwork
and they
thought I didn't want to play," he said. "They told me they could get me into the game,
but it would
have to be as a center."
That has turned out to be less a problem than might have been expected. "It's like it's
natural to me,"
Oher said. "I've got good hands and I don't have any problem getting it back there."
And Oher is glad things worked out. "I'm having a great time," he said. "It's tough. You
have to go hard
every snap. But that's what makes you better. Everybody is strong and fast and
competitive. But it's fun
to compete against the best. I'm having more fun than I've had on a football field in a
long time."
Following Saturday's game, Oher plans to commit on Monday. He will sign on February 2 from
among
Tennessee, Ole Miss, LSU and hometown Memphis.
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Chris Scott
|
Scott, too, said he is enjoying the experience. "It's fun to be around all these great
players," he said.
"You have to be on top of your game. Practices are tough when you have the best of the
best
competing."
Scott has been compared to Chris Samuels, the former Alabama star who now toils for the
Washington Redskins. "That's an honor, because he is a great player," Scott said. "When you hear
something like
that it makes all the hard work worthwhile."
Scott doesn't know when he'll announce his college choice. He's deciding between Tennessee
and
Florida.
East Assistant Coach Chuck Markiewicz is working with the offensive line. He is very high
on his two
Southern linemen. "I think they are both tremendous, tremendous talents," Markiewicz said.
Markiewicz, the head coach at his alma mater, Arundel High School in Gambrills, Md., is
making his
first appearance in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He understands one rule of all-star
game
coaching: "Don't screw 'em up," he said.
Markiewicz said, "Michael is playing a position he has never played. He's doing something
he's never
had to do, and he is excelling at it."
The coach said, "Like Michael, Chris is very quiet. But there's a fire burning in him. He
epitomizes the
difference in regular kids and kids at this level. He wants to excel."
The coach said, "All our linemen were offensive tackles. We've put some at guard and
center and
they've adjusted pretty well. They were well-coached in high school, so it's going pretty
easy."
Oher and Scott are not the only supersized offensive linemen for the East. Alex Boone is
6-8, 305; Dan Doering is 6-6, 285; Eugene Monroe is 6-6, 316; Dace Richardson is 6-6, 300; and Marques Slocum is
6-6,
330.