Do the Cowboys really have the best Oline in football?

[Zimmy Lives]

Yes. Of course the opinion is biased.

 

[Seven]

Yes. Of course the opinion is biased.

Well.....then there's that.

 

[ConstantReboot]

So I was looking at PFF at lunch time, just killing time. and couldn't help but notice that the Browns have 3 better players at the same positions in which the Boys are known to be great at. For example.
Alex Mack is rated the number one center, where Frederick is rated at 3.
Joel Bitonio is rated higher then Zack Martin by one spot.
And Joe Thomas is ranked #1 and Smith at number 4.
So is Ronald Leary and Doug Free that much better than the Browns other two starters?
Or does the fact that we have a great QB in Romo, in turn takes some of the pressure off the Line; come into play here? Wheres as Cleveland is lacking in that position.
Just curious what you guys think?
Does Dallas tie with the Browns or do you think pound for pound, the Browns have the better line?

Whoever rates Joel Bitonio higher than Zach Martin is a complete fool. He's a good players but he's certainly not better than Zach Martin.

 

[ConstantReboot]

Cleveland's oline is bailed out by the fact that theyre never on the field long be ause the qb and rbs are inept.

That in itself is proof alone they don't have a better oline than the Cowboys. If their better than anyone should be able to run behind that oline and their QB should post top ratings thru the roof like Romo has last year.

 

[vlad]

Everything with the Cowboys/Media is hyperbole...
I think we have one of the better run blocking lines but our pass blocking is not special. Now they are so young all that should improve this year, you would think. This is all just imho.

Probably knowing where you're going (running) versus having to react to what's coming at you pedaling backwards (passing) takes more time to get good at.

People bag on Murray a lot lately, but he could pick up blitzes really well. That's what i'm scared of most with him gone.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

The big thing is....its actually expected that every one of our lineman sans Free should still be relatively early in their growth curve as NFL players. Our line should be significantly better next year than last.

That's incredible to think about.

 

[Plankton]

First, Alex Mack missed the last 11 games of the season. How any service can rate him #1 when he didn't even play half the season is beyond me. And I like Alex Mack as a player.

Second, Joel Bitonio is a LG. Zack Martin is a RG. They have different responsibilities, and shouldn't be rated against each other, per say. I think Martin is better, but Bitonio had a terrific rookie season.

Joe Thomas is the best LT in the game. No question he is better than Tyron Smith at this point, but that can change.

Ron Leary is not as good as Bitonio, but Martin is eons better than John Greco at RG. Doug Free and Mitchell Schwartz are close, but Free, IMO is a better pass blocker than Schwartz.

The lines are close overall, but I wouldn't trade the Cowboy line for any in the league.

 

[ActualCowboysFan]

My only exposure to their line was an atrocious performance with Johnny out there. He looked like a junior high kid out there and his line didn't do him any favors.

 

[Boyzmamacita]

Everybody is saying our run blocking is better than our pass blocking which is true. The irony is that the Oline's reputation stems largely from Romo having 7 or 8 seconds to find the open receiver (passing) in a couple of nationally televised games. Add Murray's record season and the legend was born.

 

[Aven8]

So I was looking at PFF at lunch time, just killing time. and couldn't help but notice that the Browns have 3 better players at the same positions in which the Boys are known to be great at. For example.
Alex Mack is rated the number one center, where Frederick is rated at 3.
Joel Bitonio is rated higher then Zack Martin by one spot.
And Joe Thomas is ranked #1 and Smith at number 4.
So is Ronald Leary and Doug Free that much better than the Browns other two starters?
Or does the fact that we have a great QB in Romo, in turn takes some of the pressure off the Line; come into play here? Wheres as Cleveland is lacking in that position.
Just curious what you guys think?
Does Dallas tie with the Browns or do you think pound for pound, the Browns have the better line?

Romo has always played well regardless of the Oline. Thats what top QB's do. If they had one they would be up at the top year after year.

By the way, I could care less if we have the top Oline, I just want to be the top Oline on Sundays!

 

[JoeyBoy718]

They aint no scrubs. Cleveland has an excellent O-line. I'd take ours because of youth, but you could easily make the argument that Cleveland is in our ball park. And then you have amazing D-lines like Buffalo's and the Jets' yet their teams are gawd awful. That's why, although I agree that the trenches are highly important, it isn't as simple as "you win in the trenches." You can still be the worst team in the league with an elite O-line or D-line, but you can be in playoff contention every year with an awful team and an elite QB.

 

[Fmart322]

When everything clicks, that's all that matters.

 

[windjc]

Stop it people.

Dallas had the BEST run OL in the league last year. Its backed by both play by play player metrics and common sense - we turned a not top 5 rusher into an 1800+ yard league leader with a run before contact tops in the league. We were the best run OL in the league.

The OL was a top 10 pass OL in the league, probably a little higher, but a few bad games really hurt us. But mostly the weakness was twists and stunts. Man to man - when our OL got leverage in front of the DL - Tony literally had ALL DAY (what other QB had ESPN highlights every week of being in the pocket for 8+ seconds? - answer - none) to execute reads and improvise.

All total, the OL was probably top 3, arguably best. But not clear cut indisputable.

 

[DTown214]

 

[AsthmaField]

I think that Dallas asks their guards to do more than Cleveland does their's. ie get upfield more and blocking on the second level.

I don't think that Bitonio is anywhere near the player in space that Martin is.

That is just me from watching what little I did of the Browns last year, so I could be wrong.

Joe Thomas is slightly superior to Tyron Smith for right now. I think by the time their careers are finished, that Smith will have been the better player.

Taking their age into consideration, I would take Smith for sure if I could have either.

IMO, Frederick is a fair bit better than Mack though. Mack might be a tad better in pass protection but I'm not even sure about that. Frederick is the superior run blocker and it isn't that close. Need one of them to stop a NT bull rush one-on-one? Take Frederick all day, every day.

 

[John813]

I'll take our line over any other line when it comes to running the rock.
Pass blocking could be better, but it's still very good overall.

 

[burmafrd]

AS has been mentioned when a player misses 11 games you cannot rank him with those that played 14 or more. But PFF does- one more reason their rankings are garbage.
There is no better guard in football then Martin. certainly no RG. And I also agree you need to rank guards using their orientation right or left. Just like with Right or Left Tackles.

Thomas is a veteran and knows how to pass block better then Tyron but it is close and Tyron is a little better at Run Blocking. In todays NFL where pass blocking is more important then giving the edge to Thomas is reasonable.
Fred Beard should be ranked above Mack who frankly should get no ranking at all due to missing more than half the season. Its like with RB and QBs - you have to have a certain number of plays to qualify and Mack just did not have enough.

 

[DandyDon52]

I dont think any team can have the "best" OL. They can only have a very good OL.
It also depends on the defense and the DL they are playing, and how they are coached to play, and the blocking schemes they use.

Dallas has a "very good" OL and it just depends on coaching, schemes, playcalling,
and the defense they are up against as to how well they do.

I think having a good QB does help the line, as the pass is a threat, so they cant just defend the run.

 

[ShiningStar]

This is the problem, well many, with stats and people who want to read them but not think them over. Could statistically the Browns have a better offensive line, yes. Do they use it better? No. And this goes back to 2007. I had said the best thing about that line THAT stats dont show, they imposed their will. You can find better guys with better stats than Colombo, but when it came to getting dirty and playing with passion, not a lot at that time did better.

Larry Allen, a beast of a man, runs down a defenseman to save a td, where is the stats that can tell you he can do that? where are they?

Last years offensive line was just gelling by the time they were allowing a running back, WHO many said was running into darkness, find light. Maybe not the best running back, maybe not the premiere talent of the league, but damn did that line rough up some defenses for him. Wheres the stats on that? I want to see real football stats, at the end of the game, show me the stat that says my oline beat up your defensive line. I dont care about your stats, because you might not be using them right. You can have better players , pick a lot of defensive lines, but how many played with that less of talent and did so much? Im actually afraid for this year, because he mgiht not have to think or be pressured so hard to deliver. Now he can wave a few guys out there and know they will cause havoc. Now he has some real talent on the line to throw at teams.

I dont care your for your stats, give me the players you can find stats for at the combine. I want heart, determintation, will, imposing, grit, guys who can play in pain. those are the guys i want on my line.

 

[JoeyBoy718]

If anyone has addressed their O-line more than Dallas, it's Cleveland. Their entire O-line has been drafted in the first 3 rounds, and 4 out of 5 in the top 37 picks. That's not including the #19 overall pick in this past draft, Cameron Erving, who will likely challenge John Greco for the starting spot.

LT - Joe Thomas - Year 2007, Round 1, Pick 3
LG - Joel Bitonio - Year 2014, Round 2, Pick 35
C - Alex Mack - Year 2009, Round 1, Pick 21
RG - John Greco - Year 2008, Round 3, Pick 65
RT - Mitchell Schwartz - Year 2012, Round 2, Pick 37

Edit: Just read an article that Cameron Erving has been splitting snaps with RG John Greco... So that O-line may just get younger with another 1st round blue-chipper.