CCBoy
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Patriots, Cowboys, Lions lead the list of best offensive lines
http://www.si.com/nfl/2014/07/28/best-offensive-lines?xid=si_topstories
All team sports are interdependent entities to a greater or lesser degree, but it's hard to imagine a group of athletes relying on each other more than an NFL offensive line. Most great lines will have their share of superstars to be sure, but you'll also see outstanding run blocking and pass protection from groups of linemen who aren't that far above league average; they just happen to be in the right scheme for their talents and understand precisely when they're supposed to be doing.
Conversely, there are lines with mammoth and physically gifted individuals who fall flat on their faces more often than not, due to poor planning and schematic anxiety.
So, when ranking the league's top 10 offensive lines, many factors are taken into consideration. Certainly, the numbers on sacks allowed, yardage gained, blown blocks and penalties are important, but you also have to look at the tape to see which lines are aided greatly by the processing speed of their quarterbacks and the pure power and agility of their running backs. We're also looking at additions and subtractions, as well as regression from one year to the next, and regression can happen quickly. To wit, neither the Baltimore Ravens nor the San Francisco 49ers, who met in Super Bowl XLVII with the relative strengths of their lines as major factors, made the cut in our projections...
2. Dallas Cowboys -- Whatever regression may have come at other positions due to Jerry Jones' capricious personnel machinations, the Cowboys have put together a pretty impressive line, and the left side looks particularly strong. If left tackle Tyron Smith isn't the best young player at his position (he's only 23, and won't turn 24 until Dec. 12), he's certainly on a very short list. While his pass protection still needs a bit of refinement, there's a reason that no team ran to the left end and left tackle areas more than Dallas (42 percent of the time). Center Travis Frederick, the subject of much controversy in the 2013 draft when the Cowboys took him in the first round despite the fact that many had a third-round grade on him, played more than solidly and helped the Cowboys put together the kind of power running they hadn't seen since the days of Marion Barber. The Cowboys' 2014 first-round pick Zach Martin of Notre Dame played left tackle in college, but he can play the left and right guard positions at the next level, and could sub at center or right tackle in a pinch. Martin is powerful but athletically limited. Doug Free, the current right tackle, had a fine season, though he's a bit too penalty-prone at times. The same could be said of left guard Ronald Leary. Right guard Mackenzy Bernadeau may get the primary reps at the inside spot Martin doesn't take. It's surprising for a franchise that doesn't generally appreciate depth, but yes, Dallas' offensive line is one of the best around...
http://www.si.com/nfl/2014/07/28/best-offensive-lines?xid=si_topstories
All team sports are interdependent entities to a greater or lesser degree, but it's hard to imagine a group of athletes relying on each other more than an NFL offensive line. Most great lines will have their share of superstars to be sure, but you'll also see outstanding run blocking and pass protection from groups of linemen who aren't that far above league average; they just happen to be in the right scheme for their talents and understand precisely when they're supposed to be doing.
Conversely, there are lines with mammoth and physically gifted individuals who fall flat on their faces more often than not, due to poor planning and schematic anxiety.
So, when ranking the league's top 10 offensive lines, many factors are taken into consideration. Certainly, the numbers on sacks allowed, yardage gained, blown blocks and penalties are important, but you also have to look at the tape to see which lines are aided greatly by the processing speed of their quarterbacks and the pure power and agility of their running backs. We're also looking at additions and subtractions, as well as regression from one year to the next, and regression can happen quickly. To wit, neither the Baltimore Ravens nor the San Francisco 49ers, who met in Super Bowl XLVII with the relative strengths of their lines as major factors, made the cut in our projections...
2. Dallas Cowboys -- Whatever regression may have come at other positions due to Jerry Jones' capricious personnel machinations, the Cowboys have put together a pretty impressive line, and the left side looks particularly strong. If left tackle Tyron Smith isn't the best young player at his position (he's only 23, and won't turn 24 until Dec. 12), he's certainly on a very short list. While his pass protection still needs a bit of refinement, there's a reason that no team ran to the left end and left tackle areas more than Dallas (42 percent of the time). Center Travis Frederick, the subject of much controversy in the 2013 draft when the Cowboys took him in the first round despite the fact that many had a third-round grade on him, played more than solidly and helped the Cowboys put together the kind of power running they hadn't seen since the days of Marion Barber. The Cowboys' 2014 first-round pick Zach Martin of Notre Dame played left tackle in college, but he can play the left and right guard positions at the next level, and could sub at center or right tackle in a pinch. Martin is powerful but athletically limited. Doug Free, the current right tackle, had a fine season, though he's a bit too penalty-prone at times. The same could be said of left guard Ronald Leary. Right guard Mackenzy Bernadeau may get the primary reps at the inside spot Martin doesn't take. It's surprising for a franchise that doesn't generally appreciate depth, but yes, Dallas' offensive line is one of the best around...
