O-Line drought in NFL?

[Fastphilly]

Hello folks. I am a 49er fan and have been on this site for a while. I prefer this sight to many others due to the large amount of members and most here are very knowledgable football people.

My question is this, after watching tonights Rams / Cardinals game it's another story of a team with offensive line problems. I mean with the exception of a few teams, it's seems close to 90% of all teams are having glaring pass protection issues. In all my years of watching football I have never seen so many teams with O-Line issues. Is there a serious drought of O-linemen talent or is the NFL loaded with a bunch of incapable O-line coaches?

Your thoughts?

[Lazyking]

Game has changed. More pass oriented means the need of mobile, big o-line man. I think the o-line men are going through a transition period. Coaching can only do so much but I think it also hurts that the way the defense is constructed now, there is more better pass rushers then ever before.

[SkinsFan28]

Fans need to realize this as a fact. I think nearly every team has a few linemen that aren't really up to facing the d-lines in the league nowadays. And most teams don't have two solid tackles.

Speculation only, but I wonder if more kids prefer to go to the defensive line, where the glory is, versus O-line trudgery. Certainly even in college you see more attention given to DLine speed and sacks then good protectors.

That's why scheme is even more important at this point. The playcaller has to design ways, be it play fakes, backs chipping, or max protect, that increase the offense's ability to hold up the pass rushers.

On the point about the drought, I doubt it's getting better any time soon.

[jnday]

Originally Posted by SkinsFan28

Fans need to realize this as a fact. I think nearly every team has a few linemen that aren't really up to facing the d-lines in the league nowadays. And most teams don't have two solid tackles.

Speculation only, but I wonder if more kids prefer to go to the defensive line, where the glory is, versus O-line trudgery. Certainly even in college you see more attention given to DLine speed and sacks then good protectors.

That's why scheme is even more important at this point. The playcaller has to design ways, be it play fakes, backs chipping, or max protect, that increase the offense's ability to hold up the pass rushers.

On the point about the drought, I doubt it's getting better any time soon.

In the past, coaches have put the better big men on the Dline. I am sure many could convert to the oline, but the NFL is not a league that allows for long term development anymore to try these projects anymore. The shortage of linemen is causing their draft position to move up. They are in demand more than ever.

[RS12]

I think even at the lowest levels of football certain positions are now emphasized. That being the skill positions, pass rush and secondary. From the time kids start playing they are gravitating to those because they know if they ever get good enough they could make alot of money in the NFL. I dont think it really crosses big kids minds that maybe I could be the next John Hannah. Also the ESPN effect, who gets shown on high lights?

[InmanRoshi]

You're seeing the trickle up effect of the spread offenses that have proliferated the country on the high school and college level. Kids play their entire lives playing in 2 point stances , back on their heals with wide splits. They have to relearn the position in the NFL with their hand on the ground, firing off the ball, and playing with strength and leverage rather than just relying on the angles resulting from wide splits.

[Hoofbite]

Just a natural shift in getting the more athletic and more skilled players into positions where they can have a bigger impact.

1 good guard isn't going to make an OL good.

However, add 1 Justin Smith to just about any DL and that DL will be instantly better.

I also think that's why OL are typically some of the smarter players on the field. Well, according to Wonderlic anyway. Not that it's some gold standard of intelligence but I think it's a decent measurement of rapid recognition and decision making.

OL are often less physically capable than the guys across from them so they have to use more technique and mental aspects in order to stay afloat.

[Cowboys&LakersFan]

As others have said the days of being able to successfully protect your quarterback with slow, fat, and unathletic linemen are over. You need guys that are mobile and athletic. We have one of those guys in Tyron Smith however the rest belong in that first category. I think for us drafting an offensive linemen preferably a guard is something that definitely needs to be done.

[Muhast]

The NFL is changing and as of now the pass rushers are adapting MUCH faster.

How many Tackles come out every year that are freak athletes? Maybe 1-2. How many DE's and OLB's run 4.5-4.7 range league wide? Several

[ConstantReboot]

Originally Posted by Fastphilly

Hello folks. I am a 49er fan and have been on this site for a while. I prefer this sight to many others due to the large amount of members and most here are very knowledgable football people.

My question is this, after watching tonights Rams / Cardinals game it's another story of a team with offensive line problems. I mean with the exception of a few teams, it's seems close to 90% of all teams are having glaring pass protection issues. In all my years of watching football I have never seen so many teams with O-Line issues. Is there a serious drought of O-linemen talent or is the NFL loaded with a bunch of incapable O-line coaches?

Your thoughts?

I think the game has really changed. Whats happening is that more and more big and strong athletes want to be passrushers because thats where the money is at these days. They don't want to be an olinemen who get paid peanuts compared to a passrusher.


Thus your seeing an exodus of these types of athletes who are focusing on being passrushers. People go where the money flow. Thats whats happening in the NFL right now.

[Risen Star]

I think a lot of that has to do with the salary cap and free agency. The offensive line is the one area that most relies on chemistry and working in unison. It's hard to create that when you have so much turnover every year.

Plus it's easy to see an OL getting beat. Much harder to see a DT or LB.

But that's not the problem with the Cowboys. We have a talent issue that needs to be corrected before we worry about chemistry.

[Hoofbite]

Originally Posted by Muhast

The NFL is changing and as of now the pass rushers are adapting MUCH faster.

How many Tackles come out every year that are freak athletes? Maybe 1-2. How many DE's and OLB's run 4.5-4.7 range league wide? Several

I think part of this is because the "prototypical" player at DE and OLB has evolved whereas the "prototypical" OL has not.

At the very least teams seem willing to deviate from the ideal size if a player can produce at DE or OLB. Doesn't seem like that's so much the case on the OL.

The prototypical OT is 6'6'' and 315 pounds. You're likely not playing OT if you are under 6'4'' or under 300 pounds.

DE has it's ideal size, whatever that might be depending on the scheme, but there are players who don't fit the mold but get the job done.

Dumervil is like 6'0'' and 255 LBs.

Freeney is 6'1'' and a little under 270 LBs.

And the new "fad" seems to be the guys who are athletically sized, not just big and fat. Aldon Smith, Chandler Jones, JPP are all guys who are tall and have length but aren't so bulky that they are hampered in mobility.

I think defenses have been more willing to adapt. Plus defenses have the advantage of being able to take a guy regardless of his size and plug him in for a few downs. You can't sub guys on the OL.

I think offenses are probably going to have to sacrifice some size for mobility and athleticism in the future. At least on the edges. Some of these guys coming are are getting so quick at the snap and so fast around the corner that OTs have little chance at times.

[RS12]

Matt Hayes ‏@Matt_HayesSN
17 runs, 2 passes on those 2 #Gators TD drives. Somewhere, Nick Saban is smiling.
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[jobberone]

There's always going to be some 'fat guys' as Romo calls them to play OL. I think many teams are running more pro offensive sets so I believe there are plenty of guys getting exposed. It's just hard to find big guys who can dance well enough to play on the line at a high level. And I do believe more of those quick athletic guys are going to the DL where's the more money except for LT and elite OL.

[rlgiv]

Originally Posted by Fastphilly

Hello folks. I am a 49er fan and have been on this site for a while. I prefer this sight to many others due to the large amount of members and most here are very knowledgable football people.

My question is this, after watching tonights Rams / Cardinals game it's another story of a team with offensive line problems. I mean with the exception of a few teams, it's seems close to 90% of all teams are having glaring pass protection issues. In all my years of watching football I have never seen so many teams with O-Line issues. Is there a serious drought of O-linemen talent or is the NFL loaded with a bunch of incapable O-line coaches?

Your thoughts?

There are alot of bad lines this year and ours may be right at the top of the list.