YR's 3rd Annual Statistical O-Line Rankings: LEFT TACKLES

[Yakuza Rich]

I'm just trying to understand your methodology here... so you're taking the adjusted line yards from footballoutsiders, adding in the two relevant areas, and then adjusting for sacks given up and penalty yards?.

Close, I use sacks yards lost. Not sacks given up. To me if somebody gives up 5 sacks for 10 yards lost, that's better than somebody who gives up 3 sacks for 20 yards lost.

I'd say that's a good start except for one thing... there isn't too much statistical correlation between running yards to either end and that tackle. In other words, look at Dallas- they are 9th running behind left tackle, but 31st going left end. It's dicey at best to say that the same player is to be credited for both of these stats when there is no correlation there. It's just hard to say that Flo was top 10 when blocking for left tackle, but almost dead last blocking for left end.

Left end is on the right side of the O-Line. Right end is on the left side of the O-Line, where Flo is responsible. It makes quite a bit of sense that the left end running was so bad as every time Dallas ran a pitch to the right side it failed miserably (except for one game).

And from a football point of view, runs to left end are probably either stretch plays or sweeps... both of which involve pulling guards. Notice that Dallas is 27th with a healthy number of carries on plays up the middle. So could left end really be measured as much by the guard as the left tackle? I can't say for certain, but it's worth a look. Maybe a look at game film too.

I'll go into the 27th up the middle when I rank the centers.





YAKUZA

 

[HoleInTheRoof]

So the guy who gave up 6 sacks to Osi Yeoumiaaaouaroa is the 2nd best LT in the league.

Interesting.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

Tony Ugoh was the 10th pick of the 2nd round last year and had to start right away due to the retirement of long time LT starter Tarik Glenn. He was phenomenal all year and did a great job of protecting Manning's blind side as well as run blocking for Addai.

Now why can't we seem to hit on a gem like that?

Ugoh is also benefited greatly by Manning. The guy routinely gets sacked very little each season, regardless of who is blocking for him. There's also a reason why Manning never gets hurt, he's so good that he almost never misses picking up an oncoming blitzer. I actually doubt Ugoh would've been this effective for most other teams.



YAKUZA

 

[HoleInTheRoof]

Ugoh is also benefited greatly by Manning. The guy routinely gets sacked very little each season, regardless of who is blocking for him. There's also a reason why Manning never gets hurt, he's so good that he almost never misses picking up an oncoming blitzer. I actually doubt Ugoh would've been this effective for most other teams.



YAKUZA

So you acknowledge that your rankings are useless, eh?

 

[theogt]

So the guy who gave up 6 sacks to Osi Yeoumiaaaouaroa is the 2nd best LT in the league.

Interesting.

You're thinking of Winston Justice, the backup to William Thomas.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

What I get out of this is if you put an average QB back there, then Adams would be decidedly "average" himself.

Perhaps, but he's always been a great run blocking Left Tackle. With Kosier there Dallas has greatly improved the past two years at runs at right defensive end (to the outside of Flozell). Regardless of what people think of Kosier and Flo, they make for quite the run blocking duo.

Before Romo this year, Flo has been pretty average in giving up sacks, but he's always had the penalty problem. He's really meant to be a right tackle in the league given his skills and the hearing problem (deaf in the right ear, so at right tackle he would hear better). But it's hard giving up a pretty decent left tackle when you don't have a replacement in line.


YAKUZA

 

[Yakuza Rich]

So you acknowledge that your rankings are useless, eh?

You can interpret them anyway you want to. For me, I look at it as the Colts got the best left tackle play out of any team this year. Obviously that was partly due to having Manning and Addai on the team, but nonetheless they got the best LT play.




YAKUZA

 

[HoleInTheRoof]

You're thinking of Winston Justice, the backup to William Thomas.

Gotcha.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

So the guy who gave up 6 sacks to Osi Yeoumiaaaouaroa is the 2nd best LT in the league.

Interesting.

Perhaps if William Thomas was playing in that game I would get your point. Instead it was backup Winston Justice who only started 1 game (that game) the entire year.

Thomas is widely considered one of the better left tackles in the game year in and year out.




YAKUZA

 

[Biggems]

i think you should use both sacks and sack yds.....i think both are important. just as you should use penalties and penalty yardage.

I wonder, do you also take into account if the penalty takes away a 1st down or a TD? How about if the sack or penalty happens on 3rd down?

 

[AbeBeta]

Great work. Flo obviously is slowing down, but he still does a good job of protecting our QB.

hmmm. I don't see any evidence of him slowing down -- if you consider the level he's played at throughout his career, I'd say this season was as good if not better than all but one or two of his previous years.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

hmmm. I don't see any evidence of him slowing down -- if you consider the level he's played at throughout his career, I'd say this season was as good if not better than all but one or two of his previous years.

And as Rich's stats show, once you figure in penalties, Adams is not a top flight LT.

 

[trickblue]

http://yakuzarich.blogspot.com/
26. Jason Peters Buffalo Bills

This is a really nice young player...

He was a TE at Arkansas and converted to OT in the pros. He's very athletic and made the Pro Bowl this year. Dr. Z felt he should have made All Pro as well...

I know about him because he is from our little town here in East Texas...

He is very athletic and at 315 ran a 4.8 40...

I mention him because I was talking to a family member of his the other day and they said he wants to come play here when his contract runs out...

He signed an extension last year I believe that runs through 2009 I think...

 

[big dog cowboy]

I mention him because I was talking to a family member of his the other day and they said he wants to come play here when his contract runs out...

Really. That is interesting. I guess that gives us something to watch for in a couple of years.

 

[Oh_Canada]

This is a really nice young player...

He was a TE at Arkansas and converted to OT in the pros. He's very athletic and made the Pro Bowl this year. Dr. Z felt he should have made All Pro as well...

I know about him because he is from our little town here in East Texas...

He is very athletic and at 315 ran a 4.8 40...

I mention him because I was talking to a family member of his the other day and they said he wants to come play here when his contract runs out...

He signed an extension last year I believe that runs through 2009 I think...

Peters is going to be a good one, I get to see quite a bit of him living in Toronto...as far as Flo goes....penalties DO count and although a five yard loss isn't quite as bad as a five yard sack since the QB isn't hit...it's still a loss of yardage.

 

[theogt]

Peters is going to be a good one, I get to see quite a bit of him living in Toronto...as far as Flo goes....penalties DO count and although a five yard loss isn't quite as bad as a five yard sack since the QB isn't hit...it's still a loss of yardage.

A false start also doesn't result in a lost down, so simply comparing yardage wouldn't pick up on that. It's a good start as far as statistical comparisons go, though.

 

[Tom [Giants fan]]

This is good. The Giants should show this to Diehl when he asks for a ton of money.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

This is a really nice young player...

He was a TE at Arkansas and converted to OT in the pros. He's very athletic and made the Pro Bowl this year. Dr. Z felt he should have made All Pro as well...

I know about him because he is from our little town here in East Texas...

He is very athletic and at 315 ran a 4.8 40...

I mention him because I was talking to a family member of his the other day and they said he wants to come play here when his contract runs out...

He signed an extension last year I believe that runs through 2009 I think...

The Bills' fans and braintrust were both disappointed in Peter's performance this year-- as they were with most of the offense.

Peters did not have a good season.

 

[Mansta54]

Samuels is a JOKE.. Dude is so OVERRATED!!!!

 

[Bob Sacamano]

How much of that is Romo and his quick release?

probably alot, the explanation as to why is forthcoming below

What I get out of this is if you put an average QB back there, then Adams would be decidedly "average" himself.

of course, because an average QB probably doesn't have the best pocket prescence and holds the ball too long, an Oline needs a QB who can sense and feel where the rush is, and who has enough sense to know to get rid of the ball quickly

remember last year, Bledsoe got sacked, I think against the Eagles, or the Jags, early in the year, and how instead of Bill crediting the sack against Colombo, he put squarely the blame on Bledsoe for rolling to his side, when Colombo was supposed to release, because that's what the play called for? and Bledsoe was supposed to get the ball out, but he didn't?

as Yakuza has already pointed out, Peyton Manning hardly ever gets sacked, no matter who his LT is because he is so good of getting rid of the ball quickly, and side-stepping the rush