What exactly is missing with our Offensive Line?

[gimmesix]

We have two young players upfront so experience is missing. Some fans got a little too excited about the young player additions thinking they were going to step in and hit the ground running. There were a number of bold predictions being made about our OL. Those usually backfire. I told everyone to tap the brakes.

I was hoping Steele would be better his second year back from an ACL, though. And Martin has slipped a notch.

I think we tend to blame OL coaches too much for player failures. Doesn't the same OL coach who coaches Martin, Steele and the rookies coach Tyler Smith? We just were asking a lot for two rookies to step in as starters, so we're not able to help Steele in pass blocking when he always has been better in run blocking than pass blocking.

Hopefully as the year wears on, the rookies will settle in completely, but it might be too late by then to salvage our season, especially since we're playing without some key defensive starters.

 

[bigE79]

Besides needing an entire new scheme/game plan, what exactly in our starting 5 lineman are causing us not to get good movement on the defense.

Guyton-Rookie, he needs more time, thrown into the fire far too early.

Tyler Smith- Probably our best lineman right now

Cooper- Rookie, has some toughness, thrown in the fire too early, not his fault

Martin- Not the same player he was in years past, probably won't be playing much longer due to age/skills declining

Steele-Not the same player, excelled in one aspect of blocking, now it seems that he's not excelling in anything!


How does our O-line compare or not to the other O-lines in the NFL that our defense faces? It seems that these lineman are firing off the ball, and they're moving guys out of the way consistently. For our o-line, it seems that on the snap, our guys are getting pushed back, and we're not firing off and staying with our blocks. Please give your thoughts on what you see our O-line struggling with......

What's missing? Tyron Smith

 

[gimmesix]

Two rookies that need game experience at the NFL level. Can't judge them on four games.

Tyler Smith is our stud on the line and will be for the next ten years if he stays healthy.

Sadly, Martin is on the tail end of a HoF career. He is still better than half the guards in the league, but his foot speed is down a notch.

Steele...IDK what happened to him. His footwork has regressed. He is sluggish too often at the point of attack. Lingering effects of injury? He never had the best technique to fall back on.

Detroit has a great vet leader at center in all-pro Ragnow, and a true stud in all-pro Penei Sewell at tackle. Their o-line coach, Hank Fraley, is quite competent with teaching blocking schemes and believes in attacking the defense. We'll see them in the playoffs, I hope. I know Rags is hurt a bit but there back-up center has filled in well enough.

Philly's o-line is the largest in the league and run blocks very well when allowed too. We know how good their tackles are. Their o-line coach, Jeff Stoutland, is probably the best in the business. He has Mekti (sp?) Becton shifting from tackle (where he wasn't very good) to guard, where he now looks like a beast. Add in Landon Dickerson and a still learning Jurgens and any QB other than Hurts thrives. Philly's line is being wasted protecting crappy Hurts.

The Chiefs with all-pros Joe Thuney and Creed Humphries are likewise a unit with solid coaching and an attacking philosophy. Andy Reid will not let players with sloppy technique play on his line.

Guys, our o-line doesn't suck as badly as some make it out to be. We don't attack a defense, but I don't belive all of our lineman can play that game. No, we don't have the talent across the line like the lines I mentioned, nor do we have the coaching those lines have. But give our rooks time. It's been four games. I am more concerned with the veteran right side of our line. If Steele is what we see now, we will have two holes to fill next year or the following year at the latest, while hoping our rookies make a leap in their second year. We're a middle of the pack line at this time with potential to get better because our rookies grow, or get worse as our right side vets struggle.

Maybe revisit this halfway in.

I know Bass is viewed as a possible eventual replacement for Martin. I wonder if we're working Richards on the right side at all as a potential eventual replacement for Steele.

 

[plasticman]

SO what were they doing all summer is my question?????

It will take a lot longer than a summer to build an efficient offensive line.

Most legitimate contender have a core of three or four offensive linemen that have played together for at least 3 seasons. They reach a point where they know their assignment and they know their teammate's assignment.

They know what their fellow linemen are probably going to do in certain situations. They know each other's habits. They know how to move around each other without getting in the way. They have learned to function as a single entity, an efficient, machine-like unit.

In the late 80's to early 90's Nate Newton, Kevin Gogan, and Mark Tuinei played together for six seasons before their first Super Bowl. Mark Stepnoski was there for three seasons. Erik Williams came in and replaced Gogan as a starter just before their first Super Bowl. John Gesek was in his third season at that point.

So you had five O-linemen, four starters and an ex-starter, now backup, that had played together for at least three seasons.

In 2012, the Cowboys started five O-linemen that had never played their particular position before in the NFL. A few years later and their RB is the leading rusher in the NFL and their QB is the season leader in passer rating. Two years later, a different RB is the leading rusher and a rookie QB is setting NFL records.

However, it typically takes three or four O-linemen about three years to form a cohesive unit.

 

[Coogiguy03]

It will take a lot longer than a summer to build an efficient offensive line.

Most legitimate contender have a core of three or four offensive linemen that have played together for at least 3 seasons. They reach a point where they know their assignment and they know their teammate's assignment.

They know what their fellow linemen are probably going to do in certain situations. They know each other's habits. They know how to move around each other without getting in the way. They have learned to function as a single entity, an efficient, machine-like unit.

In the late 80's to early 90's Nate Newton, Kevin Gogan, and Mark Tuinei played together for six seasons before their first Super Bowl. Mark Stepnoski was there for three seasons. Erik Williams came in and replaced Gogan as a starter just before their first Super Bowl. John Gesek was in his third season at that point.

So you had five O-linemen, four starters and an ex-starter, now backup, that had played together for at least three seasons.

In 2012, the Cowboys started five O-linemen that had never played their particular position before in the NFL. A few years later and their RB is the leading rusher in the NFL and their QB is the season leader in passer rating. Two years later, a different RB is the leading rusher and a rookie QB is setting NFL records.

However, it typically takes three or four O-linemen about three years to form a cohesive unit.

why is it that other teams can do it

 

[Coogiguy03]

What's missing? Tyron Smith

yeah right bro, that guy has been done for several years now