In his 10 seasons on the Broncos’ active roster, tackle Matt Lepsis has seen a brigade of teammates come and go on the offensive line.
When he first cracked the starting lineup in 1999, he was up front with tackle Tony Jones, guards Daniel Neil and Mark Schlereth (the current ESPN commentator whose neckties weren’t nearly as colorful in those days) and center Tom Nalen.
Schlereth, Neil and Jones departed, but Nalen was the constant, the steadying and snapping force in the middle. The veteran from Boston College also has been resilient, with the torn anterior cruciate knee ligament he suffered midway through the 2002 season representing the exception in an otherwise ironman run.
But the torn biceps muscle Nalen suffered against San Diego on Oct. 7, and the subsequent surgery he underwent last week, means he is out for the rest of the year, and at least initially – starting with the Broncos’ Sunday night meeting with the Steelers at Invesco Field – third-year pro Chris Myers will move from starting at left guard to center. Chris Kuper, in his second season from North Dakota, steps into the left guard spot.
What does that mean for Lepsis?
“Just from the personal on-field standpoint, when I get out there, I’ve always done what I’ve always done and I don’t think about it,” Lepsis said last week, before the Broncos got several days off because of the bye week. “It’s hard when your friend, someone you’ve been playing with for 11 years, now isn’t out there. But he’s been down before during the season, and it’s just one of those things, part of the business. You have to realize that and go on.”
Five years ago, when Nalen went out, Ben Hamilton slid over from guard to center, but Hamilton now is out with continuing post-concussion problems, so this time it’s Myers moving to center.
“You guys are going to talk about this for a week and then no one will even notice,” said Lepsis. “Offensive line is one of those positions where you throw a new guy in there. Everybody in this locker room is talented and they know what they’re doing. Chris Myers is going to go in there and do a good job and nobody will be even talking about it any more.”
That – a return to a low profile, even given the NFL-mandated removal of the linemen’s muzzles – is the best-case scenario for Myers and the rest of the men up front.
“It will take some adjusting,” Lepsis conceded. “Everybody is going to have to stop being in the mode of relying on Tom so much. But Chris is a smart guy and he’s going to pick it up really quick – all the (blocking) calls and everything.”
Been there, done that
Offensive linemen’s adaptability is both a necessity and an underrated aspect in the NFL game, both because of limited roster spots and other realities. It’s inevitable that linemen have to learn, and most likely play, more than one spot, whether that means playing both tackle spots or both guard spots; or the combinations of tackle and guard, guard and center, tackle and center. Or even all of the above.
“I’ve been the backup center here for three years now, so it’s not like this is something new,” Myers said. “Everyone’s making it out to be the first time I’m playing center, but I’ve been taking snaps. I’ve played in I don’t know how many preseason games at center. I played some center in college (at Miami), so taking snaps isn’t anything new for me.
“I’ve learned the offense the past three years, so going out there and making the calls isn’t that unusual for me. It’s more comfortable than anything.”
Snapping is second nature
With the Hurricanes, an injury to the starting center also caused Myers to be moved to center – there, it was from tackle – down the stretch of his junior season.
“I’ve played all along the line, so whatever they want me to do here, I’ll do,” Myers said. “The responsibility is big-time. But you already understand that and you feel confident at the position once you’ve played it, which I have. Snapping the ball becomes second nature. There’s always that mishap – the fumbled snap. It even happened with Tom and Jay (Cutler) last week, so it happens. But you try to make the exchange second nature.
“All through camp, whenever Tom wasn’t practicing, the second practice of the day, I’d be a center. So we worked all the way through the last two training camps together. So it’s not that we’re doing anything new.”
Still, the challenges are different and many, as Myers alluded. When the Steelers are in their base 3-4 on Sunday, for example, Myers will have nose tackle Casey Hampton over him as he makes the snap and no Steelers will be over the guards. When anyone is in a four-man front, the center most often has nobody over him – but both guards do.
“You just have to get the snap up faster with someone on top of you and get the hand up,” Myers said. “I’m looking forward to having the opportunity, too. We’ll see when Pittsburgh comes around and I’m working with Jay. Jay’s comfortable with me and I’m comfortable with him.
“Knock on wood, the past few days we haven’t had any dropped snaps. Well, the first day during warm-ups, he dropped the first one – just to mess with the coaches.”
Terry Frei: 303-954-1895 or tfrei@denverpost.com
