This Saturday, you might notice Jim McKenzie. But you probably won’t. The life of an offensive linemen isn’t glamorous. But McKenzie’s job goes far beyond snapping a ball and blocking a lineman. Like most centers, he’s the point man for Syracuse’s entire blocking scheme.

The job requires plenty of preparation and plenty of on-the-fly execution. McKenzie models himself after Kevin Mawae, the Tennessee Titans’ all-pro center who was coached by Doug Marrone with the New York Jets. Mawae knows every defensive look he’ll face before it happens, McKenzie said. And that’s his goal.

McKenzie studies film constantly. He looks to see if linebackers are on their heels or toes and if that tendency hints at which gap they shoot through. Every player gives off a clue.

This week, McKenzie has the task of handling Northwestern defensive tackle Corbin Bryant. Here’s a window into the job of a center:

Q: Who do you expect to line up against Saturday?

A: They run a 40-type defense with four down linemen. So generally I’ll go up against a nose guard, which is a majority of the game, or the ‘three’ technique. They switch depending on the strength of our formation. Usually, the two interior defensive tackles are the ones I’m responsible for blocking. And the two guards are responsible for blocking them in any type of double-team or single-team deal. Generally, the three of us are responsible for those two down linemen and possibly a linebacker or safety depending on what happens.

Q: Who did you primarily go against last year against Northwestern?

A: I forget his name, but I went against a nose tackle that graduated last year. They moved a defensive end down to the nose tackle spot, Corbin Bryant. He’ll probably be the nose I’ll be going up against.

Q: What do you know about Bryant?

A: He was a good player last year and is obviously quick having played D-end. He’s quick, has good hands and is kind of a read guy. He tries not to go vertical as much as seeing where the play is going. He gets his hands in and reacts.

Q: Is this a different style than what you’ve seen in the past?

A: Basically, there are three different guys you can go against. There are giant noses, 320, 340-type guys that are just space-fillers that are just trying to not let you move them at all. Then there are the quick, vertical type guys that are just trying to get penetration and disrupt your plays. South Florida is a very good example of that. And then the third type is the read-and-react type linemen. Generally, the majority are that way.

Q: How much of a challenge is it to snap the ball and then block?

A: It’s a very tricky thing that can be a problem if you’re not careful. You have to make sure you’re comfortable being able to snap and step. You have to know what you’re doing because that snap, step and run needs to happen on instinct. You can’t be thinking too much. That’s why you need great film preparation.

Q: What do you see on Bryant after watching film?

A: Their goal is going to be to take up both me and my guard so they can free up their linebackers, and they have a strong linebacker front. So he’ll try to hold us up, disrupt us, so we’re not able to block the ‘Mike’ (middle linebacker).

Q: So ideally, you or a guard will be able to handle Bryant one-on-one?

A: Exactly, that’s the idea. We want to be able to get a push off the line of scrimmage, but we also want to make that block on the second level and that’s when you see those big plays happen.

Q: Is it tough to make all the blocking calls at the line and execute something complex like this?

A: Like coach says, you go through a Rolodex in your head. You have to know what the play is, obviously, and know where your tight end is. You read where the Mike is, where the safeties are and figure out your blocking scheme. It takes a while. That’s why offensive line is a position you need to develop physically and mentally. A lot of times these linemen that come in as freshmen probably aren’t strong enough physically, but often times it’s the mental aspect of things that really inhibits them from playing.

Q: Has there been a player on your scout team that has played the role of Bryant this week?

A: Yeah, we have Ollie Haney and Jarel Lowrey as the two interior guys. They do a great job for us. They’ll watch film on (Northwestern) and then mimic them in practice on scout team. They do a great job at that, and that’s the key. If we get a great look and can block it during the week, then it makes the game easy. They’re working hard, and we’re getting a real good feel for this run game.

Q: How much did going against Penn State last week help for this week?

A: We probably won’t see a defensive front as dominant as that one. We had some great challenges. Reviewing the film, we realized there were a lot of little technical mistakes that we made that could have opened up a lot of plays. …Going from that to Northwestern – Northwestern is a good defensive front, don’t get me wrong – but they’re no Penn State. That’s for sure.

thdunne@syr.edu

Published on September 17, 2009 at 12:00 pm