Nebraska's Mike Caputo On Rimington Watch List - Key To 2011 Line Play?

Nebraska senior Mike Caputo made the Rimington Watch list, along with 43 other players, making it a not really all that exclusive list, but good PR for both the players and the organization. 

The SEC has seven players, with the Big Ten coming in second at six. Others from the Big Ten included Mike Brewster of Ohio State, Peter Konz of Wisconsin, James Ferentz (Kirk's son) of Iowa, David Molk of Michigan, and Ben Burkett of Northwestern. 

One note about Caputo - he is the smallest center on the list. We're continually told that what Caputo lacks in size he makes up for in technique. That's true to an extent - he has, after all, been recognized as at least being one of the better centers in the nation - but it was problematic last season when he was lined up against heavy, aggressive nose tackles. 

An easy solution to this problem would be to have the play-side guard help Caputo out against heavier, more aggressive guys (maybe that should be "heavy and quick" since those are really the most problematic), but in doing so, you're essentially double-teaming a guard and a center to make one block on a play. I don't believe we did this much last year, but with Shawn Watson, who the hell knew what was going on. 

We're going to talk a lot about Tim Beck's offense in the next couple of months. A lot of that conversation will have to do with formations, and what skill player is lining up where, and whether or not we're using a fullback (for you fans who are convinced that the presence of a fullback would solve not only Nebraska's offensive problems, but the national debt).

We really should be spending more time on talking about what the offensive line is going to be doing, because that's where this season will be won or lost. And Mike Caputo is a big part of it. God forbid he get injured.