Bronco fans asking the wrong question

The debate over BSU's starting quarterback is the most talked about issue among Boise State fans.

But should it be?

Quite frankly, no. Sure it is fun to debate Moore vs. Hamdan, but the quarterback can't do anything without a good offensive line in front of him. This was no truer than in Friday's scrimmage, and while we left feeling good about the future of the team, we also felt that the QB debate pales in comparison to the topic of the offensive line.

Losing five of the top six linemen off of last year's squad hurt more than any other personnel loss (Marty Tadman, you were a close second). Those guys were the heart and soul of the offense, and the team would not have performed as well as it did without the play of the offensive line. Since so much attention rests on the QB position, it is easy to forget that we have four of the most important spots on the team up for grabs. Bronco fans can argue about QBs until they are blue in the face, but it is our opinion that the O-line debate will be infinitely more important.

The Broncos were most successful in Friday's scrimmage when the offensive line gave the quarterbacks time to throw and gave the running backs holes to run through. The Broncos can have all the talent in the world at RB, WR, and QB (and they do), but it won't mean a thing if the offensive line doesn't perform well. Such was the case in the first scrimmage.

Everyone has been quick to praise the performances of Kellen Moore, Titus Young, and the running backs, but there was a large portion of the scrimmage where the Boise State offense did nothing. Plays were stuffed behind the line, QBs were running for their lives, and the Broncos were not moving the ball well at all. The defense dominated for stretches, and the line was mostly to blame.

Things turned around in the second half when the guys up front started performing better. Moore had time in the pocket to find his receivers. Ian Johnson and Doug Martin ran nearly untouched into the end zone. The offense ran much smoother when there weren't defensive linemen in the backfield. Imagine that.

With the big scores late in the scrimmage, it is easy to forget about how disjointed the offense looked at times--a scary thought considering the absence of so many defensive starters.

Does the offensive line have work to do? Absolutely. Does the rest of the team? Sure. But instead of placing so much focus on which quarterback will be taking snaps, perhaps Broncos fans should be more concerned with who will be protecting him.