Hans Olsen's NFL background made him a perfect candidate for the Arena Football League. Many other newcomers have a much tougher transition, however.
Linemen in the AFL, since they are required to play both ways, need to be able to both rush the quarterback on defense and protect the quarterback on offense. Many can do one or the other with great proficiency. Few can do both at an elite level.
"Our young guys are good at one side of the ball or the other, but they are not good at both," said Utah Blaze coach Danny White. "Some of our young guys just need to play the game some more and get better at whatever their weakness is."
Jason Andersen, who like Olsen is a former BYU star, was one such example. Andersen, an NFL veteran offensive lineman, was cut this week by the Blaze after not playing a single down in the first four games for the expansion franchise.
"Jason Andersen is one of the best offensive linemen I've ever played with," said Olsen. "He's big and strong and could pass, block and knock people down. Where he got in trouble was that he had no defensive experience."
The ability to be productive on both sides of the ball also cost former Utah State star linebacker Jermaine Younger his job this week. Younger, a fullback and linebacker, was cut primarily due to his pass blocking not being up to par, according to White.
Olsen starts for the Blaze at center on offense and noseguard on defense. He is one of the few who came to the arena game with professional experience at both. After starring at BYU as a defensive lineman, he played defense with the Indianapolis Colts in his first pro season. But when Tony Dungy became the Colts' coach, Olsen was asked to switch to the offensive line, which he played for one season.
"It was a huge advantage to me because I had NFL coaching for both offensive and defensive line," said Olsen.
Most linemen in the AFL played college ball as defenders, since they tend to be more mobile than the big, 300-plus-pound offensive linemen often found in the college game. But blocking is a completely different set of skills, and it takes time to be able to learn to protect the quarterback.
"The toughest thing is for a defensive lineman to learn how to block," said White. "There is not as much teaching and technique involved in pass rushing as there is in pass blocking. . . . The risk you have in bringing in defensive linemen (and trying to teach them offense) is that you can get your quarterback killed."
Olsen points out that many high schools in states like Texas have enough players that they specialize as either offensive or defensive linemen early and don't have any experience on the other side of the ball when they get to the AFL.
"It's a shock to their systems," said Olsen. "They just have blank stares (when they try to play offense). They don't know where to set their feet. They usually attack — because that's what they've been trained to do as defensive ends — and when they do that, the defensive lineman just swims around and gets a sack. It's a tough transition."
The Blaze, with four AFL rookie linemen on its roster, will continue to experience growing pains. But improved line play, White says, is the key for the team to get back on track after three straight losses.
"The line play is critical," White said. "We need to protect the quarterback better and at the same time put pressure on their quarterback."
BLAZE BRIEFS: Utah, despite losing three in a row, is still tied for first in the AFL's Western Division. All five teams in the division are just 1-3 — including the Los Angeles Avengers, Utah's opponent Saturday night in the Staples Center. . . . Saturday's game will be televised on the Fox Sports Network but will be tape-delayed an hour. . . . John Culp, a rookie lineman who was cut by Columbus, was signed by the Blaze after Younger was waived on Tuesday.
On the air . . .
Utah Blaze (1-3) at Los Angeles Avengers (1-3)
Saturday, 8:30 p.m.
TV: FSN (tape-delayed at 9:30 p.m.)
Radio: 1280 AM
E-mail: lojo@desnews.com