"Come outside to me," Kamara said, a challenge to stop his pass-rushing ability.
Gardner was taking it all in stride but ended the conversation with a factoid – "You do know I played tackle for two years?"
He should have because Gardner was Nevada's starting left tackle when the Wolf Pack came to Canvas Stadium last season, a position where he made 21 starts as he became the first freshman in the program's FBS history to start at tackle.
When Gardner was recruited to Nevada, the plan was he would be an interior lineman from the start. His build and body structure made him more ideally suited to be a guard and particularly a center. As a true freshman, he was fighting for the back-up center's spot.
The Wolf Pack roster had other ideas. One tackle had to medically retire, then another went down in camp. Suddenly, the athletic Gardner was playing on the outside, part need, part talent.
"I saw immediately he was a really good athlete," said Colorado State offensive line coach Bill Best, who recruited Gardner to Nevada. "We put him at left tackle, and we had to keep him there for consistency sake.
"He doesn't have the arm length that a left tackle would have, that you'd want, but for a center, he has exceptional length and size, and he's such an athlete. Now we tell him, you're not playing in a parking lot anymore, you're playing in a parking space."
For the junior, spring camp was vitally important to not only learn the nuances of the position, but to feel comfortable with all the tasks at hand. Running the show, setting the protections and working toward getting his snaps back to the quarterback with a consistent flow.
It's just not a natural switch from two years of playing tackle, where he earned honorable mention All-Mountain West recognition. Inside, everything is more compact, and the mental requirements are heightened.
"I have to read certain tendencies on the interior linemen. You'll see tendencies with the backers, and that's something I never had to pay attention to," Gardner said. "It was in the back of my head, but it wasn't what I was focusing on. I was focusing on nickels, guys rolling up, but being in the interior, I'm able to recognize that stuff if I have enough time to look. I'm starting to notice how D-linemen line up or maybe if there's going to be blitzes or cross dogs. It's cool, because now I'm starting to understand football as a whole, not just O-line play.
"Safety rotations, that has a lot to do with it. Checking out of calls, marking different points. That, and just consistency with snaps during the spring. It was a little bit tough. It's different when you're by yourself and you're just snapping into a trash can, but when you have somebody lined up across from you, you start getting a little jumpy and balls start flying. I'm confident with my snaps now. I feel they're a lot more precise and consistently accurate."
Best had no qualms with taking one of the better tackles in the conference – a player who was getting better – and moving him to center. The fit was too perfect when thinking back to the start of their relationship.
There was no question in his mind Gardner could handle the position physically, but even more important, he knew he could take control mentally. All he needed was some time to get comfortable there again with all he needed to do.
"He was thrown into the fire early. He got exposed to a lot of stuff," Best said. "He's a kid who always listens with intent, he always has a notepad and pencil to write something down with. It's surprising, he doesn't talk much, now he's forced to. When you ask him questions, his football IQ is off the charts.
"Coming in here in the spring, there was definitely a learning curve. Not for the knowledge or what we're doing, but the communication piece – the come-out-of-your-shell, talk more and be a leader. That was huge in the spring. Now, through the summer, obviously he's our leader."
Ah, the voice. Gardner had to develop one he never needed as a tackle. There, he was the last guy to hear the information being relayed, now he must start the chain. The voice is important.
"Like, tone, for sure," Gardner said. "For sure tone. You have to be lower; If it's louder, you have to be a different pitch than the crowd. And it has to be authoritative."
He must be clear and precise, come across demanding but not bossy, which Davis said he's accomplished.
"I think every center does that," said guard Gray Davis, who played with Gardner at Nevada. "Every center I've ever played with had a different center voice, usually lower than their actual voice. He does have the lower octave going."
To Best, that was the most important skill for Gardner to develop, and like reading defenses, it took some time to develop. It makes Gardner smile to talk about how he came about his center's voice, and the actual thought process into its creation and really, the personality required.
But it had to be done. It's interesting to note he had his start doing so at CSU while playing against the Rams. Nevada's final two drives against them last year were run with Gardner at center.
"When I first got to Nevada, I was pretty introverted, and I am to some extent still, but at center, you have to talk," Gardner said. "You have to get up to the line, make sure your guys know I want to go here, and this is what we're going to do, and they have to have confidence in your confidence that you know what you're doing. I feel like a lot of it's changed, and I feel I have a big voice out there."
Across the line, there must be trust. That the guy next to you is doing his job, especially if working in tandem, and a heavy burden in achieving that starts with the center. The call has to be right, and it must be clear.
There were hiccups in the spring for Gardner, without question. It wasn't just like getting back on a bike, and while the differences are clear between the positions, part of what gives Davis confidence in his teammate is knowing certain physical requirements will transfer over quite well.
"To play tackle, you have to be really good at using your hands. In the interior, where everything is more tight, people think it's throw your body at this guy and be explosive," he said. "It's not the case. Hands are probably arguably even more important. At tackle, you really have to adapt and change throughout the game. At center, think about it. You're snapping the ball with one hand, there's only one free hand to use, so there's going to be a lot of hand stuff that goes through your head as the game goes on. Having that experience at tackle, he knows how to adjust and change throughout a game. Then it's snapping.
"I know he knows what he's doing. Even if he's still working on how to get there, I know he's going to the right spot. He's not afraid of contact, he's definitively going places. I know if I push my guy inside, I know he's going to be there. I trust him. I never worry he's going to leave me hanging."
Colorado State's offensive line had to be rebuilt. There is only one returning letterwinner on the roster, Ches Jackson, who has been a part-time starter for the Rams. It is a unit which was reconstructed through transfers, with Gardner literally in the middle of the transformation.
Yet, as comfortable and productive as he was at tackle, the move has him encouraged about going home.
"I'm enjoying it. I love it," he said. "My goal, my plan, is to make it to the next level and I feel like this is in the perfect place for me. I'm getting to be intelligent enough to be able to handle all the things that we see here at center and make the right calls. So far, I love it. I'm such a big fan of center."
Just maybe, Kamara should come inside and challenge him instead.
"original" - Google News
August 08, 2022 at 01:31AM
https://ift.tt/42kCbfw
Gardner Returning to Original Plan - CSURams.com
"original" - Google News
https://ift.tt/DyYMKfx
https://ift.tt/67Ru1qI
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Gardner Returning to Original Plan - CSURams.com"
Post a Comment