Here we go. Welcome back to the Skeene and Ballast show. I did that for you. Doug Skeen is better at everything than me and including this. So I figured it was only a matter of time before I gave him his credit. We're talking NFL football player, five time Big Ten champion, all Big Ten. Guys, a better golfer than me, probably a better dad. We're being honest here. So, and he's on his yacht. So NFL settlement one. We're still waiting on NFL settlement two so we can get a big screen TV into the next boat. We were talking about that yesterday. Skeen, I appreciate you being with me on vacation. How you doing, buddy? I'm doing great. Happy Labor Day, everybody out there tomorrow.

Here we go.

Yeah, we are here to labor, as Bo Schembeckler would say. Not you. You're going to be sitting there on NFL settlement one watching some football. No, you know, I don't know tomorrow, but, you know, the wind has been blowing up here. I'm like, here on, it's not all that great of boating weather. so we kind of spent a lot of time on shore today.

We did go golfing today, of course. Okay.

How'd you hit them?

It was okay. care on. It's not all that great of boating weather. So we kind of spent a lot of time on shore today.

We did go golfing today, of course. Okay. How'd you hit them?

It was okay. I had a streak of pars going, and then I blew up on the last hole. We only played nine holes. Okay. Well, your wife, I saw your wife hole went out from like 106 yards, and that about got me to quit golf because she plays what five times a summer or something like that

and that wasn't that ballast okay yeah okay well regardless it was a heartbreaker so even though

i was happy for her and happy that you like six putted the the hole after being on in one but

regardless that was memory yeah so dugs skiing is not perfect but he is a great analyst and great at breaking down offensive line play, and that's what we're here to do. And Skeen, it was a little clunkier than I thought it would be. I thought there would be some growing pains here for a brand new offensive line with a brand new quarterback and a brand new center, especially a kid who was converted from defensive line and hadn't really played the position.

So you thought there would be some clunkiness.

And there certainly was, especially for the center, I thought, in the first half.

Yeah, so a couple of general observations coming out of this game about specific to the offensive line.

Number one, they got some things they got to clean up and some technique things that need to be

fixed. But number two, I'm not so sure they're settled rock solid at center. I don't think so.

When Crippin came in there, I thought he did nice. I didn't see a drop off and I saw him make a

nice blocks in there. So I think that this offensive staff and head coach and Grant, they're the offensive line coach,

they're going to have some questions to answer here in this coming week as to who gets the start.

I thought Cripp had made a good case to continue pressure on that starting role in certain situations.

But generally speaking, the offensive line, obviously not good enough in some

situations. I texted you during the game. Short yardage and goal line was a slow start last year.

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