[BostonCard]

Great points CTCard.  The question is (to channel OutsiderFan) is whether the problem you described in pass blocking was due to lack of experience or lack of experience playing as a unit. You can imagine both ways.  A line that picks up the stunt may have done so because (from experience) the individual lineman recognized the stunt and didn't move towards double-teaming the player his fellow-lineman picked up.  Alternatively, because the line played has played together a lot, lineman A picked up the stunt because, from playing next to lineman B, lineman A knew that lineman B would be able to handle the opposite defending player without a double team, freeing lineman A to pick up a stunt.

The problem in teasing them out is that in college football, because of the lack of trades and free agency, the two are going to be highly correlated so it is hard to tease them apart.  Was the 2015 line better than the 2014 line because 4/5 of the linemen in 2015 had an additional year of experience under their belt or because 4/5 of the line had an added year playing together.  I don't think you can tease that out.  I would say that both individual experience and experience playing together are important, but that a group of experienced linemen would probably "jell" faster than a group of inexperienced ones.  If you trust the guy next to you execute the play right, it's a lot easier to do your own job right.

BC

[BostonCard]

Great points CTCard.  The question is (to channel OutsiderFan) is whether the problem you described in pass blocking was due to lack of experience or lack of experience playing as a unit. You can imagine both ways.  A line that picks up the stunt may have done so because (from experience) the individual lineman recognized the stunt and didn't move towards double-teaming the player his fellow-lineman picked up.  Alternatively, because the line played has played together a lot, lineman A picked up the stunt because, from playing next to lineman B, lineman A knew that lineman B would be able to handle the opposite defending player without a double team, freeing lineman A to pick up a stunt.

The problem in teasing them out is that in college football, because of the lack of trades and free agency, the two are going to be highly correlated so it is hard to tease them apart.  Was the 2015 line better than the 2014 line because 4/5 of the linemen in 2015 had an additional year of experience under their belt or because 4/5 of the line had an added year playing together.  I don't think you can tease that out.  I would say that both individual experience and experience playing together are important, but that a group of experienced linemen would probably "jell" faster than a group of inexperienced ones.  If you trust the guy next to you execute the play right, it's a lot easier to do your own job right.

BC