Mandatory Monday (Tanier): O-Line Rankings

[xwalker]

If the intention is to wear opposing defenses out by the 3rd quarter with OL physicality, why bring in Scott Linehan who has OC'd the most one of the most prolific pass heavy offenses in NFL history with the Lions recently?

Well, if you had a 6'5" 240lb Megatron that runs a 4.3 and catches balls in triple coverage, you may too be a prolific pass heavy offense. Add that to the fact that they never had a consistent, decent running back. I'd say he uses his team to its strengths. Hope he does that here too.

Did't Linehan run the ball a lot when he had Steven Jackson as his RB?

 

[coult44]

1. Dallas Cowboys. Cowboys bashers can scoff if they like, but the team has a tremendous line. It all starts with Tyron Smith, one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL right now. Smith allowed just three sacks last year and is the best run-blocking left tackle in the league. Right tackle Doug Free is a solid run blocker who rarely makes mistakes in pass protection and has not missed a start in four years.

Smith is outstanding and Free is good, but the prospects are what bring this line to the next level. Travis Frederick had a fine rookie campaign and will start at center for the rest of the decade. Rookie Zack Martin moves over from collegiate tackle to give the Cowboys a massive, athletic, nearly game-ready guard to fill the line's biggest hole from last year. Martin is already counterproductively clobbering Cowboys defenders in minicamp, but gains on the offensive line always come at the expense of the defense in Dallas for some reason (see Frederick's early selection at the expense of a much-needed defender in the 2013 draft). That's a problem for a later series of articles.

As for the Cowboys bashers, bear with me … if Jason Garrett is a ninny and Tony Romo is a chokity-choke and Dez Bryant is a headcase and the running backs are all Lance Dunbar types that Jerry Jones fell in love with while eating caviar and barbecue in front of the 230-inch television on a Saturday afternoon, then how do the Cowboys average nearly 28 points per game? Somebody besides Jason Witten is doing something right. Five somebodies, to be precise.

Read more...

10000% spot on. If coaches will make up their minds to run the ball. It will even make the defense better...

 

[JoeyBoy718]

Did't Linehan run the ball a lot when he had Steven Jackson as his RB?

Not sure if Linehan was there but I remember looking at Steven Jackson's stats a while back and noticing there was a year or two when he was wildly underutilized.

 

[Nova]

They made changes to the entire OL scheme to hide Free's issues in 2013. It was a brilliant coaching job but it made the other OLinemen's job more difficult.

I am aware that he was given a lot of help from Mack/waters but not sure how much harder it made everyone else's job since Tyron was compensating on the other side.

Having a Tyron as a rock out on the left allowed the rest of the line to be flexible.

I'm not saying Free is great, but I think he was a little better than adequate last year.

 

[waving monkey]

If the intention is to wear opposing defenses out by the 3rd quarter with OL physicality, why bring in Scott Linehan who has OC'd the most one of the most prolific pass heavy offenses in NFL history with the Lions recently?

Lindman reportedly uses a fair amount of run plays

 

[DFWJC]

Romo was targeted even more than Calvin Johnson. Your relentless hate gets old.

Dez targeted more than Calvin that is.

 

[RS12]

We have a top 5 oline imo, however i still want free replaced next yr in the draft. He is too inconsistent for me

I believe that i the plan a year from now.

 

[JD_KaPow]

Did't Linehan run the ball a lot when he had Steven Jackson as his RB?

Not sure if Linehan was there but I remember looking at Steven Jackson's stats a while back and noticing there was a year or two when he was wildly underutilized.

Football Reference is your friend.

In his three years in STL, they ranked between 22nd and 24th in rushing attempts. They were 17th in yards his first year and 25th the next two years. However...

Steven Jackson got his: 346 attempts for 1528 yards and 13 TD in 2006. Around 240 for 1000 each of the other two years, missing a quarter of the season each time. So the rushing game was all Jackson and only Jackson. (There were no years when Jackson was "wildly underutilized". There were years when he was injured.) Also remember, these were bad teams. They weren't running out the clock in the 4th quarter. They were flinging it around, trying to catch up.

Contrast with last year, when Reggie Bush had 223 rushes and Joique Bell had 166. The team ranked 14th in rushing attempts.

Looks to me that when Linehan has stud RB talent, he has no qualms about using it.

 

[hra8700]

To be fair though, Philly is considered to have the best offensive line in the league by quite a few people.

Yeah the article is a joke. Didnt even mention Philly

 

[Toruk_Makto]

If the intention is to wear opposing defenses out by the 3rd quarter with OL physicality, why bring in Scott Linehan who has OC'd the most one of the most prolific pass heavy offenses in NFL history with the Lions recently?

Clearly you're not familiar with Scott's entire history.

 

[noshame]

Romo was targeted even more than Calvin Johnson. Your relentless hate gets old.

Kind of like your whining. I really believe you don't even watch the games do you.

 

[Cowboy06]

I want to get back to I believe was 2007 when our Oline was imposing its will on defensive lines. I want this unit to not just have swagger but know they can push anyone around. Once that mentaility is instilled, this offense will be better where it needs be and stats wont matter.

I will keep saying it. The game starts up front on both sides of the ball. If you can make the other team's line quit...you win. You then keep drafting players that like to impose their will. I don't mind psychos that cut up cars, but on Sundays (or just any game day) just know they will beat their man...and what's more the other man knows he's just the next man up to get beat back down.

 

[burmafrd]

I am aware that he was given a lot of help from Mack/waters but not sure how much harder it made everyone else's job since Tyron was compensating on the other side.

Having a Tyron as a rock out on the left allowed the rest of the line to be flexible.

I'm not saying Free is great, but I think he was a little better than adequate last year.

They made some rather drastic blocking changes and it very much limited what they could do- the effects piled up.

 

[Phoenix]

I really like the way this dude writes. And, no mention of PFF. Bonus points just for that.

Ha! I was thinking "Yes, this is all well and good, but what does PFF have to say?"


BTW, the write up on #32 Ravens I thought was kind of funny:


32. Baltimore Ravens. The logic for Ravens line optimism in 2014 works something like this: 1) Eugene Monroe was better than Bryant "distracted by shiny and bacon-covered objects" McKinnie, so therefore Monroe is great; 2) Ricky Wagner looked terrible the last time he tried to play tackle for more than a few snaps, but Ravens youngsters always look terrible until they suddenly look good; 3) Gary Kubiak always builds great lines, so a wave of the zone-blocking magic wand can make everything better (as Texans fans saw in 2013); and 4) Jeremy Zuttah? Jeremy Zuttah!

 

[DFWJC]

Kind of like your whining. I really believe you don't even watch the games do you.

The point was no matter the subject--oline, defense, coaching, whatever---you always have to get a jab in on the Cowboy QB. It gets old. That's not whining on my part, that is observation. Your facts are wrong. No QB is perfect. But you made a point to say he doesn't target the top option the way he should, I pointed the clear fact that he does. And this even with a team that has Witten as an option as well....Dez is still targeted right near the very top in the league.
Even more than Calvin Johnson.

 

[Nova]

The point was no matter the subject--oline, defense, coaching, whatever---you always have to get a jab in on the Cowboy QB. It gets old. That's not whining on my part, that is observation. Your facts are wrong. No QB is perfect. But you made a point to say he doesn't target the top option the way he should, I pointed the clear fact that he does. And this even with a team that has Witten as an option as well....Dez is still targeted right near the very top in the league.
Even more than Calvin Johnson.

Dez was targetted a decent amount last year. I agree.

But he wasn't targeted more than Calvin Johnson. I mean, technically he had 4 more total targets, but Johnson missed 2 games last year. Same could be said for Gordon.

 

[xwalker]

Not sure if Linehan was there but I remember looking at Steven Jackson's stats a while back and noticing there was a year or two when he was wildly underutilized.

In order to see how Jackson was used by Linehan (2006-2008) I calculated his attempts per game. Just looking at attempts per season was not a good indicator because he didn't always play 16 games in a season.

2013 13.08
2012 16.13
2011 17.33
2010 20.63
2009 21.60
2008 21.08
2007 19.75
2006 21.63
2005 16.93
2004 9.57

 

[erod]

Not sure if Linehan was there but I remember looking at Steven Jackson's stats a while back and noticing there was a year or two when he was wildly underutilized.

To be fair, he was also always hurt.

 

[noshame]

The point was no matter the subject--oline, defense, coaching, whatever---you always have to get a jab in on the Cowboy QB. It gets old. That's not whining on my part, that is observation. Your facts are wrong. No QB is perfect. But you made a point to say he doesn't target the top option the way he should, I pointed the clear fact that he does. And this even with a team that has Witten as an option as well....Dez is still targeted right near the very top in the league.
Even more than Calvin Johnson.

Targets do not equate to first options, if you cannot admit Romo pulls down the ball and waits for underneath routes to open I can't help you. He does it more than any other QB in the league.
If you want to see how this offense runs correctly watch Orton's last game. The guy walks out there with 2 days practice and makes throws that Romo can't and didn't all year. Linehan is going to force Tony to throw down the field, he's already said so, will see how that goes. Hint: start prepping your excuse factory.
Save your words, we all know, Tony is the sole reason we have as many wins as we do, and loses equate to a team game, not tony.

 

[DFWJC]

Save your words, we all know, Tony is the sole reason we have as many wins as we do, and loses equate to a team game, not tony.

You won't hear me ever say that.
It's a team game in wins and losses.
If anything, you are one that needs to be reminded of that.