CardinalEmpire.com Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 It seems to me like an inordinate number of teams this season are bemoaning their problems on the offensive line and the impact it has on their performance and/or the health of their QB. Green Bay and Chicago are two obvious examples, but I can distinctly recall seeing this used to explain the occasional problems of the Steelers and Eagles as well. And we're not even talking about the crappy teams who just don't have the talent (Oakland, Kansas City, etc). Is offensive line talent going through a down cycle or is everyone jumping on this as excuse du jour? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingfish247 Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 It seems to me like an inordinate number of teams this season are bemoaning their problems on the offensive line and the impact it has on their performance and/or the health of their QB. Green Bay and Chicago are two obvious examples, but I can distinctly recall seeing this used to explain the occasional problems of the Steelers and Eagles as well. And we're not even talking about the crappy teams who just don't have the talent (Oakland, Kansas City, etc). Is offensive line talent going through a down cycle or is everyone jumping on this as excuse du jour? I don't know about it being an "excuse du jour." It's generally a problem if a team's OL stinks. But football is a team sport. If the OL stinks then it's the other players and coaches that should pick up the slack. In Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger is one of the best at slipping sacks. His corps of receivers have been doing a better than usual job of getting open. It also helps that Mendenhall is stepping up. I'm sure PIT coaches have a lot do with those adjustments as well. In Philly, McNabb is also pretty tough to bring down and has a wealth of skill position guys to rely upon. I'd say Reid does a decent job at making tweeks to the game plan to mask those deficiencies. A good OL is not a panacea. But it's a start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big John Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 For GB, TT treating OL as an afterthought has come up to major exposure this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
STL Fan Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 I also think we're seeing the effects of more and more athletic D-linemen over the years. Some of these dudes are freaks of nature, and they used to be a bunch of strong, fat guys. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CardinalEmpire.com Posted November 13, 2009 Author Share Posted November 13, 2009 I also think we're seeing the effects of more and more athletic D-linemen over the years. Some of these dudes are freaks of nature, and they used to be a bunch of strong, fat guys. If that is truly the case, why doesn't the game respond and put the same freaks on the other line? I do agree that the defensive linemen have morphed (Dumervil is a perfect example)... why haven't offensive coaches responded? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j2v Posted November 13, 2009 Share Posted November 13, 2009 If that is truly the case, why doesn't the game respond and put the same freaks on the other line? I do agree that the defensive linemen have morphed (Dumervil is a perfect example)... why haven't offensive coaches responded? Part of it has to do with the offensive linemen that college is developing. With so many teams using the spread formation, the O-linemen coming out of college are used to only zone blocking in the running game and limited pass protection. Also, it's not easy for college coaches to convince a guy who thinks he's a pass catcher to move inside and play on the offensive line. You'll note that some of the brighter o-line prospects in the pros (Jason Smith, Jason Peters) are converted tight ends. There's a finite supply of athletic big guys, especially ones with the strength to run block and the quick feet to handle a speed rusher. It's why you see so many LTs drafted in the first round—I believe 5 in each of the past two seasons. And then, of course, you have the teams that don't necessarily value o-lines or at least don't demonstrate they value them by ignoring them in the draft. Specifically, the Bears and Redskins offensive lines were getting old and the teams didn't have backup plans in place. The Seahawks had some backup plans but have been ravaged by injuries for the second straight year that not even their depth could handle. That's a big contributing factor to why those teams are struggling. In other cases it's key injuries (Hardwick in San Diego for example, or the plethora of injuries in Philly) that not only sap talent but also prevent continuity, which is a hugh factor in an offensive line's effectiveness. 2V Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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