McCann pushing for starting spot on Purdue's OL; more notes

More from Tuesday: Practice analysis ($)

Matt McCann came into training camp about 10 pounds overweight.

And it was evident.

The redshirt freshman was slow on his feet the first few days of practice, a concern because he was the Day 1 starter at right tackle and he couldn’t consistently slow the pass rush in one-on-one drills.

But since, McCann’s started to round into shape, dropping about 10 pounds to get to 309 and feeling better about his performance.

“Losing the weight kind of helped me a little bit,” McCann said Tuesday, following the Boilermakers’ 14th practice of camp. “Especially today, I felt pretty good. I might have had one play that could be considered a pressure, but other than that I thought I locked down pretty well.”

The Boilermakers need that kind of productivity, especially right now, as Martesse Patterson’s injury — he could be back as soon as Wednesday — has lessened the depth at tackle. McCann is now getting the majority of snaps at first-team right tackle, with J.C. transfer Jalen Neal shifting over to fill Patterson’s spot on the left. Veteran Cameron Cermin has been getting second-team repetitions at both spots, occasionally moving up to the 1s.

But when Patterson returns, however, the right tackle spot is likely to come down to either McCann or Neal — or perhaps Cermin if he can make a late move — and the competition continues.

“We’re looking for perfection on the edge, which doesn’t always happen,” offensive line coach Darrell Funk. “As long as they’re hustling and they’ll work hard and finish, we’re usually going to be OK.”

McCann’s working hard to put himself in the best position to win the job. But it wasn’t an easy start to camp. The 6-foot-6 Fishers, Ind., native came in at about 318 pounds, not an ideal weight to be able to move around on the edge. And in one-on-one battles vs. defensive ends, McCann was too frequently losing.

“The first few practices, I was getting beat off the edge a lot,” he said. “But I kind of really have toned it up and have started to get a little quicker. My feet are getting better.”

Growing pains perhaps not unsurprising for only a second-year offensive lineman. But McCann rose to this position in the spring, taking advantage of first-team repetitions due to Cermin’s injury — and that of Eric Swingler, who tore his ACL — an experience that is helping now.

“He’s a young player who we’re trying to push beyond his years,” Funk said. “He’s only in his second year. A lot of those guys are still on the scout team or just developing, and he’s in a position to possibility start the opener. We’ll see. He’s got to battle. But he’s worked hard, he’s a smart kid and he’s learning. But he’s taken his lumps every now and then, just has to learn from them. But overall I’m pleased with his effort.”

McCann had a long way to go when he first arrived on campus a year ago. Although he was ideally sized, his high school, Bishop Chatard, operates an almost exclusively rush-based offense.

So McCann didn’t really know how to pass protect.

“It took me about a year to really get it down,” he said. “That’s really what it was for me. We only had about six plays (there), but now the playbook is about (three) inches thick.”

But McCann is getting there and feels the competition with Neal is helping both get better.

“That’s just kind of how we’re going at it,” he said.

Funk says he would have liked to have his five starters solidified by now, giving the group a chance to build chemistry in the buildup to the season opener.

But Patterson’s injury has pushed the timeline back a bit.

“It’s forcing us to cross train,” Funk said, alluding to Neal’s move to left tackle, where he’s filling Patterson’s spot. “That can be a real silver lining in the cloud. All of a sudden, a guy has a few more reps somewhere where he didn’t (before). But I’d like to have it done sometime before the end of the week and start rolling with those guys who are going to be in the opener.”

It seems as though that lineup (left to right) will be Patterson, Jason King, Kirk Barron, Jordan Roos and either McCann or Neal. But Cermin could factor in, because he’s had so much starting experience previously.

Then, Mike Mendez, who has been working as the backup center — and can play guard as well — might be the top interior reserve. It would give the Boilermakers a crew of eight for Saturdays, about the number Funk wants.

But even with eight, it could be only five who play on game day.

“I’ve never been big into rotations,” Funk said. “If it’s dead even (at a spot), then we will, but the problem with rotations — and some people do it and do it successfully — but you don’t develop that group unity, the five together, as much.”

McCann says the chemistry is important.

“But I think most of that comes from who you’re next to,” he said. “Me and Jordan, we had a lot of reps in the spring and now, so I feel pretty comfortable with him. I don’t know if he feels comfortable with me, but I hope so.”

Cermin is coming back from left shoulder surgery in the offseason — his right wasn’t feeling so great at the end of last season either — which has set him back a bit during camp.

The senior, who has started 15 games in his career, is working to get re-establish his physicality, particularly in the upper body, a task that’s as much mental as physical. It’s a work in progress.

“He’s had issues with both (shoulders), so that affects punch and extension and all that,” said Funk, who played at Colorado State. “Ironically, I did blow a shoulder, so I did have to come back from it. He’s just got to work through it. He’s got to. He can’t play without hands, so if he can't punch, he can’t play, but he’s starting to. He’s played enough this fall already, so he’s coming out of it. He’s starting to use his hands better. But it’s tough.”

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