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Nittany Lion Offensive Line, Trautwein Continue to Build Relationship

A week ago Thursday, Penn State’s offensive line room enjoyed a special treat.

Meeting collectively for a Zoom call, as has become the norm as the Nittany Lions remain separated by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the virtual offensive line room welcomed a special guest. All 18 of Penn State’s offensive linemen who were enrolled for the spring, plus Class of 2020 member Jimmy Christ, offensive analyst Ty Howle, offensive graduate assistant Wendy Laurent, and new offensive line coach Phil Trautwein hosted Dante Scarnecchia.

The longtime assistant coach for the New England Patriots, spanning 34 years and five Super Bowl titles in the NFL on top of a coaching career that began in 1970, Scarnecchia’s appearance amounted to one of Trautwein’s spring lessons brought to life.

Or, as Shaka Toney seemed to suggest, an impressive version of “show and tell.”

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“He always talks about Coach Scarnecchia and the techniques he teaches, having that ramrod position, with his punch.” senior right tackle Will Fries told reporters last Wednesday, a day before Scarnecchia’s visit. “I think the thing that kind of separates it from other coaches is not only how you're doing it, the technique, but why you're doing it and how it affects other things. I think that just builds a great understanding of how you should play the game and it helps me become a more complete football player in the end.”

As the Nittany Lions and Trautwein have come to explain this spring, it’s just one element of an evolved approach to the game for Penn State’s offensive line thanks to its new coach.

Placing a new emphasis on offensive linemen planting their legs to create a good base and play through their lower bodies, Trautwein has driven the message home to the room repeatedly since his January arrival to the program. Something that veteran center Michal Menet explained “allows you to be powerful and play physical and fast,” the second-by-second reconstruction of snap to whistle along the offensive line is something that the Nittany Lions anticipated upon the transition to a new coach in the room.

“I think every O-line coach you have is gonna have their own variations of technique and footwork and all that kind of stuff,” Menet said. “Probably the biggest difference is the run game technique and fundamentals. I like it more just because I feel like it's more physical and more explosive, which I think is going to be a huge plus for this year, especially with the talent that we have in the backfield.”

That enthusiasm toward the new approach for Penn State’s players wasn’t necessarily a given, though.

For a group that returns five players with starting experience last season in Fries, Menet, Rasheed Walker, C.J. Thorpe, and Mike Miranda, including a combined 85 career starts among them, initial buy-in was a critical piece of the transitional equation. Himself pointing to Menet as being instrumental in helping other teammates buy into what he’s “preaching,” Trautwein noted its importance coming from the most experienced returning players in the room.

“For him to be that guy, it's huge. If he didn't believe in me, then I know that it would be hard, so the first thing I did was build a relationship with them and made sure that those guys, the older guys, believed in me,” Trautwein said. “That helps them. When we're talking about technique, he's bought in and he knows that what I've done before and what I'm showing them works. And that's what coaching is all about, is getting them to buy in. A lot of coaches out there have many different techniques, have many different things, but at the end of the day, if you get your offensive line to believe in what you do and how you do it, you'll be successful.”

According to both Menet and Fries, the choice wasn’t a difficult one to make.

Approaching Trautwein’s installation ahead of their final years in the program as a fresh start of sorts, the pair had two primary elements to draw from.

“It was easy to buy in,” Fries said. “He's done it at the highest level. I think that's helpful as well, but just knowing the kind of person he is now, it was an easy buy-in. I just learned a ton of stuff from him as far as some technique stuff, becoming a higher IQ football player (and) learning defenses better.”

Still awaiting the opportunity to return to campus for the in-person instruction they’re craving, Penn State’s offensive linemen remain contented by the initial months of the new relationship with their new coach, and optimistic for what the future might hold.

“I love Coach Traut. In the little bit of time I've kind of got to know him, so far, I really like him. He's a great guy to be around,” Menet said. “He kind of demands everybody to be better every day, which is something that I've always loved from a coach.

“He's younger, he kind of gets it, he understands what we're going through because he's not very far removed from playing himself. And that valuable experience that he gained playing in the NFL, to be able to bring that to us, along with some of the great coaches he's had, I think has been extremely valuable as well.”

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